The instructors, tutors, and administrative staff at the American Language Institute are qualified professionals with considerable training and experience in working with international students. Our staff is committed to providing a quality educational experience for all students.
Instructors
Instructional staff at the ALI are selected by the institute director for their expertise in English language teaching. All teachers have a minimum of a master’s degree in English or a related subject. All instructors have ESL teaching experience either in the U.S. or abroad.
Mohamed Ahmed
Mohamed is a doctoral candidate (ABD) in the English Composition and TESOL program at IUP. He has experience teaching English in different parts of the world, including Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the U.S.
Maria Ananyeva
Maria is a doctoral candidate in the English Composition and TESOL program at IUP. She has a B.A. in Linguistics from Russia and an M.A. in Adult Education and Communication Technologies from IUP.
Dr. John Baker
John has a background in composition, literature, and TESOL. In addition to his current work at the American Language Institute, John has also taught in Korea, Taiwan, and Thailand. His research interests include areas pertaining to second language reading and writing, self-access centers, and writing centers.
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Dr. Brian Burke
Brian has taught for the American Language Institute since 2005. He has led several student activities and serves as a level leader for the ALI. We has also taught English courses for West Moreland County Community College. His research interests include narrative pedagogy and the use of film and comics in ESL instruction.
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Dr. Soyoung Baek Burke
Soyoung teaches various levels of reading and writing courses at the American Language Institute. She also teaches English courses to American college students at both IUP and Penn State University. Her interest areas are ESL/EFL writing, literacy, identity, culture, and teacher education in teaching English.
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Chin-Fen Chang
Chin-Fen Has taught for the ALI since 2010. She has been an ALI student advisor and lab coordinator, and is currently a testing co-coordinator and level leader. Before coming to the US, Chin-Fen taught English in Taiwan. She is currently a doctoral candidate in the IUP English Department Composition and TESOL program.
Dr. Jill Fiore
Jill earned her Ph.D. in Literature and Criticism from IUP in 2003 with a concentration in contemporary American literature and feminist studies. Since 1999, she has taught English and Women’s Studies courses at several universities in Western Pennsylvania, including Seton Hill University, IUP, Carlow University, and Mt. Aloysius College. She currently teaches online full-time for American Military University and runs and teaches yoga at Sunflower Yoga Studio in Indiana, which she opened in 2008.
Ann Elise Frazier
Ann Elise is an M.A. TESOL graduate from IUP whose career in education began while working with ESL students in Arizona as an elementary and reading specialist teacher.
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John Grant
John is a doctoral candidate (ABD) in the English Department Composition and TESOL program at IUP. He has taught English in Taiwan and has worked with international students as a Graduate Assistant in the Office of International Education.
John Hepler
John is a doctoral candidate (ABD) in the English Department Composition and TESOL program at IUP. He has taught adult and higher education at several colleges and institutions in the U.S. before coming to IUP. In addition to teaching technology-based courses at the ALI, he is currently teaching an English composition course for the IUP English Department.
Tomoko Nuske-Oda
Tomoko is a doctoral student in the English Department Composition and TESOL program at IUP. In addition to teaching at the ALI, she has also taught Japanese courses for American students at IUP.
Michael O’Bryan
Mike has been at the ALI since 1991. He currently teaches grammar and works as a testing co-coordinator (placement and exit) at the ALI.
Dr. Seungku (Steve) Park
Seungku Park is an instructor and ACE Tutoring Coordinator for the ALI. He recently completed a doctoral degree in English (Composition and TESOL) at IUP. He is from South Korea and has taught English in EFL/ESL contexts for more than 15 years. His academic interests are cross-cultural communication, use of language, L2 pragmatics, and English teacher training/education.
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Dana Poole
Dana is an English Ph.D. student in the English Department Composition and TESOL Program at IUP. She has an M.A. in TESOL from the School for International Training in Vermont and was an English Language Fellow (Georgetown University) in Northern Israel/Palestine for three years. She has also taught in China, South Korea, Poland, and recently in New York City.
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Zhiling (Willa) Wu
Zhiling is a doctoral candidate (ABD) in English (Composition and TESOL program) at IUP. Currently she is teaching English to non-native English speakers (Community Participation) at the ALI and Advanced Chinese to native English speakers at IUP. Her research interests include second language acquisition, cross-cultural communications and language assessment.
The ALI hires both native and non-native qualified instructors. This policy provides students with models of excellence; teachers who know the experience of bilingualism and language learning as a personal as well as a professional experience. All teachers are encouraged to engage in professional development.
ACE Tutors
In the ALI's After Class English (ACE) program, ESL tutors are employed in the Language Lab to tutor students at all levels in all subjects. Students select the topics or skills they need or want to study which is organized by the tutors. The ALI has a large library of ESL and language learning materials which the tutors use with state-of-the-art equipment and computers in the lab.
Administration and Support Personnel
Dr. Michele Petrucci, Director
Michele has been professionally active in the field of International Education for over 20 years. Since her arrival at IUP in 1997, Michele has worked in various capacities in both the ALI and the IUP Office of International Education. She is currently serving as assistant vice president for International Education and Global Engagement as well as the ALI director.
Emma Archer, Assistant Director
Emma has an M.A. in TESOL from American University. She has taught ESL reading and writing courses at Northern Virginia Community College and was a graduate assistant for the AU TESOL program. She served with the Peace Corps in Mongolia and then worked with refugee families for the Greater Pittsburgh Literacy Council. Before coming to IUP, she was teaching Spanish in Louisville Public Schools.
Cindy Smeltzer, Secretary
Cindy was born and raised in western Pennsylvania. She has an Associate Degree from Cambria Rowe Business College as a computer support specialist. She joined the ALI staff in 2011. In her spare time Cindy enjoys reading, walking, shopping, eating out, volunteering with her children's activities, and spending time with family and friends. Cindy lives in the Creekside area with her family.
Student Advisors
The ALI’s student advisors have extensive experience working with international students and have all studied as exchange students. Most are working on graduate degrees in TESOL. They are dedicated to helping ALI students, and are happy to advise them about academic issues and about adjusting to life in the United States.
Student Advisors: Andy Long, Brendan Adams, Yi Yu, Tim Vetere, Kazuaki Kumagai, Meng Shao, and Ali Alanazi
