Karin Bates

Karin has over 30 years of experience teaching English to speakers of other languages of all ages and in multiple settings. Karin joined Intercambio Uniting Communities in January 2022 after most recently working for five years at a non-profit teaching English and adult basic education to immigrants and refugees.

As the TESOL Specialist, Karin is responsible for the training and ongoing development of teachers in The Intercambio Way, both locally and nationally, along with supporting the development of curriculum and materials. Karin received her M.A. in Curriculum and Instruction for Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) in 1995 from the University of Colorado at Denver. Additionally, Karin received her Adult Basic Education Authorization (ABEA) from the Colorado Department of Education in 2019.

Karin has experienced living overseas in the U.K., the People’s Republic of China, and Paris, France. She enjoys her monthly book club, binge watching series, and spending time with her two young adult children.

About Intercambio: Intercambio Uniting Communities is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit headquartered in Boulder, Colorado. Over the past 23 years, the organization has grown from a few volunteers visiting adult English language learners in their homes to thousands of participants throughout the country using their curriculum released in 2019: Confidence and Connections. Learn more about Intercambio here.

Alex Birmingham

Alex has always had a genuine passion for both teaching and foreign languages. When these two interests come together, they create a vibrant language instructor with over 10 years of experience, leading Alex to become a teacher trainer. He has a knack for motivating and inspiring others to chase their dreams while making the most of their time and energy. As a lifelong learner, Alex believes that education is a continuous journey, and he’s dedicated to constantly improving his own skills along the way. You can find him on Instagram @englishville.online.

Tim Bolen

Tim is an online ESL teacher and content creator originally from Long Island, New York, but he grew up and currently resides in southeast Pennsylvania. In 2022, Tim launched Your English Cheerleader, an Instagram page where he teaches advanced English vocabulary and grammar, and earlier this year, he turned his following into a full-fledged ESL teaching business that allows him to work one-on-one with advanced learners to help them improve their vocabulary and fluency.

Prior to starting his Instagram page, Tim worked as a high school Spanish and French teacher in Philadelphia, and fine-tuning his Spanish and French is one of his favorite hobbies in his free time, along with gaming and writing. You can find more about his work here.

Emily Bryson

Emily Bryson is an experienced ELT professional. She has written various print and digital materials, including National Geographic Learning’s Voices & Impact series, 50 Ways to Teach Life Skills and Pathways to Success: Visual Tools for Goal-Setting, Self-Evaluation and Progression. She is passionate about diversity, equity and inclusion and the use of visual tools and graphic facilitation strategies to make learning more engaging, accessible and fun. She is a resident blogger for Ellii learning and frequently delivers teacher development sessions for a variety of ELT organisations. Her training courses with a visual twist have been described as ‘the nicest corner of the internet’ and her sketchnotes are extremely popular on socials.

You can find out more about her at EmilyBrysonELT.com and follow her on Instagram, Facebook & YouTube @EmilyBrysonELT or via Linkedin.

David Deubelbeiss

David Deubelbeiss B.Ed, M.Ed (TESOL) is an internationally recognized professor, teacher trainer, edupreneur and curriculum developer. A well-known lecturer and consultant, he’s the author and creator of many publications and digital platforms. He's taught the whole gambit of students, from Grade 4, to new immigrants, to graduate students and pre-service teachers. David has worked with schools and organizations across the globe and built many ed-tech platforms including EFL Classroom, EnglishCentral and currently, ELT Buzz. Find him on his large LinkedIn Group – ELT Professionals.

David espouses the simple educational philosophy of “When one teaches, two learn.”

Shannon Felt

Shannon Felt is the founder of TEFL Horizons and has been an English language teacher and teacher trainer for over ten years. She holds a Cambridge CELTA and DELTA and is also a certified CELTA trainer.

Through TEFL Horizons, Shannon hosts the TEFL Horizons podcast and YouTube channel, and offers regular professional development webinars for teachers. She also trains teachers through her Online English Teacher certification course and helps current and prospective online teachers build their own freelance businesses in the Online TEFLpreneur program.

Shannon thoroughly enjoys the location-independence that comes with being a TEFLpreneur from her current home base in Asheville, NC. When she’s not teaching or training, you can often find her reading on a patio, planning her next travel adventure, or hanging out with her dog, Gigi.

Nina Hanáková

Nina is a business mentor and consultant helping women languagepreneurs build thriving, relationship-driven businesses. Under her brand, Nina English, she built a successful language school and developed innovative teaching methodologies, group courses, and masterminds. With 20+ years as an ELT freelancer, she helps teachers master pricing, marketing, and sustainable business practices. She also organizes a yearly Language Teachers Festival in her hometown of Brno, Czech Republic.

Ana Jereb

Ana Jereb is a teacher trainer and wellbeing coach for language teachers. She’s been working in ELT for nearly two decades -- teaching, training, mentoring, and helping teachers rediscover what makes their work meaningful. Through her platform, Art of ELT, Ana supports educators and teacher-entrepreneurs in creating sustainable, fulfilling, and healthy professional lives that don’t rely on burnout as the only possible outcome.

Her work brings together pedagogy, psychology, and practical wellbeing. She believes that great teaching and thriving businesses grow from the same roots: clarity, self-trust, and human connection. Ana’s workshops and coaching programs focus on helping teachers build systems that support their values, protect their energy, and make space for joy, creativity, and balance both inside and outside the classroom.

Olga Kiriushina

Olga is a language learning enthusiast who loves sharing study tips with her fellow English learners. She created her YouTube channel, Fluent English with Lady Giraffe, in 2021, and it now has over 17 thousand subscribers and well over half a million views. Olga is especially passionate about reading in foreign languages, dictionaries, and studying vocabulary and grammar.

Jason Levine

Jason R Levine is an English teacher, trainer, and materials writer from the United States currently living in Paris, France. He has led student workshops and teacher training programs in twenty-two countries around the world based on the songs and videos he creates as Fluency MC.

Jason has published with Oxford University Press, Editions Didier, and Black Cat and works as an English Specialist with the U.S. Department of State. “Stick, Stuck, Stuck,” his music video to practice irregular verbs, has more than 50 million views across social media.

Sandy Millin

Sandy is a freelance teacher trainer, methodology writer and ELT consultant. Since 2021, she has run her own business, Take Your Time DELTA, where she provides Cambridge DELTA Module 1 and Module 3 courses, currently working with nearly 100 trainees. She also spent two years working as a trainer on Trinity DipTESOL courses for Oxford TEFL.

She is passionate about helping teachers to develop professionally in a manageable, realistic way which has no negative impacts on their wellbeing or health.

Sandy is proud to be an IATEFL Ambassador. She blogs at sandymillin.wordpress.com.

Jelena Petkov

Jelena Petkov is an English language teacher who specialises in preparing students for Cambridge English Exams. She holds a university degree in English language and literature, a Cambridge CELTA, and an Arizona State University certification on creating and implementing online courses.

Creating her teacher Instagram account, @CambridgeEnglish.Ellen, 5 years ago became a significant milestone in her 18-year-long teaching journey. Suddenly, her classroom went global, welcoming learners from all over the world. Through her online courses, e-books, webinars, and newsletter, she’s helped countless high-flyers boost their English and ace Cambridge exams. To date, she’s personally worked with over 1,000 students, both in person and online.

Jelena lives in Novi Sad, Serbia, where she runs her own language school, English with Ellen. Find out more at englishwithellen.education.

Rachael Roberts

Rachael Roberts is a business coach, trainer, and long-time ELT professional who helps freelance language teachers, trainers, and consultants build thriving, sustainable businesses - without burning out. After more than 30 years in the ELT world as a teacher, trainer, senior academic manager and materials writer, she saw how many talented freelancers were undervaluing their expertise or struggling to attract the right clients.

Through her flagship programme, Designed to Flourish, Rachael supports freelancers in clarifying their niche, developing compelling offers, and creating ethical, strategic marketing that feels authentic and doable. She is known for her practical approach and ability to turn complexity into clear, manageable steps.

Erin Sebelius

Erin Sebelius has been learning and teaching languages for over 40 years. She has mainly taught English as a new language but was also somehow convinced to teach introductory Spanish and German to middle school students for a few years. For the past twenty years, she’s directed the ESOL program at Literacy Together, a nonprofit literacy provider in Asheville, NC (USA).

Tyson Seburn

Tyson Seburn (MA EdTech & TESOL, University of Manchester) is an EMI/EAP lecturer at the University of Toronto and tutors for Trinity DipTESOL. His interests focus on Queer and racialised ELT experiences. He is the author of Academic Reading Circles (2015) and How to Write Inclusive Materials (2021). You can find out more at seburnt.substack.com.

Kirsten Smith

Kirsten spent most of her career as a geologist/metallurgist in the mining industry, both in Australia and as an expat in South East Asia. As a senior processing engineer, she was not only responsible for developing innovative design choices for multi-million dollar processes, but in training and developing staff to follow in her footsteps.

As her career progressed, she felt less inspired by the high conflict world of the board room and more satisfied with watching others grow and embrace challenges head on. So when the time came to change course, she knew exactly which direction to go.

She has worked tirelessly in building her own English communication business online through 1-1 online programs, asynchronous learning programs, and online courses. It is her aspiration to empower more non-native English speaking mining industry professionals and to open the doors to the careers and opportunities they dream of. On a more personal level, becoming a TEFLpreneur also supports her own family’s move from Malaysia to Cairo to pursue their dream career and study opportunities.

Karen Taylor

Karen Taylor is the founder and director of English Language Training Solutions, home of the Color Vowel Chart. She holds an MA in TESOL from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey and a BA in English Literature from Georgetown University.

A former Fulbright TEFL Specialist, Karen served as TESOL Practitioner in Residence at American University for nine years before setting out as a "Teacher Trainer-preneur." Her company has reached thousands of teachers around the world who today use words like "game changing" and "mind blowing" to describe the impact of their Color Vowel journey on their classroom teaching and their private English coaching practice.

Boelo van der Pool

Boelo (pronounced "Bulo") has been active in the language teaching industry since 1994. He's been a school owner, language coach, course developer, teacher trainer, and international researcher. Being dyslexic himself, Boelo has spent the past five years developing dyslexia-friendly language teaching strategies that have already helped over 200 students in Spain and Latin America improve their English skills.

He now works to help language schools and teachers worldwide to successfully gain new clients among the 10-15% of the population with a dyslexic brain. Find out more about his work at boelovanderpool.com.

Joshua Yardley

Joshua has worked in ELT for 20 years, living in Germany, Mexico, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, and across the United States. In that time, he has served as a freelance teacher, academic director, teacher trainer, program director, school administrator, public school ESL teacher and materials writer. He is now based in Washington state, and he dabbles in the intersection of educational creativity and educational technology, exploring how to make dynamic and memorable learning experiences. He is launching an online learning platform early next year to share new and creative course materials, including his own collection of PBL courses. Follow his instagram for updates: @edulab.pub

Conference speakers