Allie has about 20 years of experience teaching English and other subjects to children and adults. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Community and International Development from the University of Vermont and a Master’s Degree in Teaching with an ELL Endorsement from Seattle University. She’s worked at non-profits in the Seattle area, as an elementary school teacher in Bellevue, WA, and spent two years teaching abroad in Chile. At Literacy Source she has taught and developed curriculum in the Ready to Work, Citizenship, ESOL and various partnership programs. She believes in meeting students where they are and in supporting them to use education to meet goals that are important to them. Allie enjoys trying to grow as much food as possible in her little home garden, admiring her chickens and adventuring with her two children. 

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While pursuing a BA in Linguistics at the University of Washington, Amelia particularly enjoyed studying French and Arabic. Having spent so much time as a language student (and knowing the struggle of feeling linguistically incompetent), Amelia became interested in learning to be a language teacher. This is ultimately what drew Amelia to Literacy Source in 2024 to begin volunteering as a conversation class assistant. Now, Amelia is continuing at Literacy Source as an AmeriCorps member. She is grateful for the opportunity to gain valuable experience as a ESOL Level 1 instructor and has loved working with and learning from the very best staff and students at Literacy Source! In her free time, Amelia loves experimenting with ambitious new recipes, block printing, or meandering outdoors.

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Anshika has enjoyed the opportunity to work in various capacities at Literacy Source, including fundraising, communications, accounting, and financial management. She loves working for an organization with a growth mindset that truly believes that “All adults can learn and grow.” She studied Environmental Studies and Economics at the University of Washington, and is a Seattle native. In her free time you can find her bird watching, flower arranging, volunteering for her spiritual center, and spending time with her friends and family.

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Britt began tutoring immigrant families when she was in high school. She later earned her MA in Teaching at Willamette University. She began volunteering in Adult Education in 2017 after teaching high school English for over a decade. At Literacy Source, Britt learned a lot as a teaching assistant in Kaeyoung Park's ESOL 2-3 class and is now excited to be an Instructional Advisor. Britt and her husband live in Seattle with two cats and two honeybee hives while their daughter attends the University of Victoria.

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Cat has been teaching ESOL and ABE in the United States and abroad for over 20 years. Before coming to Literacy Source in 2009, she was the Executive Director of the St. Mark Community Education Program in Dorchester, MA. Her Ph.D. was in Applied Linguistics at Boston University, where she investigated the oral vocabulary acquisition of beginning learners in community-based and academic ESOL programs. She brings a standard of excellence to Literacy Source’s teaching and programs based on her extensive experience teaching English to learners of all levels. She is passionate about creating effective educational opportunities that are responsive to adult learners’ needs and goals, and she excels at teaching teachers, inspiring them to learn and hone their skills. Cat speaks Spanish, German, and French. She lives in Wallingford with her husband, two children, and two chickens.

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It was on her first tutoring assignment as a volunteer at Literacy Source that Cory developed a particular interest in the legal aspects of the citizenship process. Many hours of training and mentorship later, she became a DOJ Accredited Representative. Cory loves working alongside Literacy Source students to help them become citizens. She has a Master’s Degree in Public Affairs from the University of Washington, a Bachelor of Arts in English with a minor in Education from Vassar College, and over ten years of experience in non-profits. When not thinking about citizenship, Cory enjoys her family, friends, and the forest—any forest!

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Denika started at Literacy Source as an intern in September of 2012 and was later hired as a receptionist and office assistant. She is excited to be working for a non-profit organization. “What we do here changes people’s lives and it is a great experience to be a part of the team!”

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Elena Jounina is an international ESL teacher/instructional designer with vast experience in the classroom and online teaching as well as designing and implementing culturally diverse and socially equitable curricula, serving students from various academic and cultural backgrounds. Elena completed her Bachelor of Arts in English Studies at the National University of Mongolia as well as her Masters in Linguistics and Applied Language Studies at Carleton University, Canada. Elena is an enthusiastic education advocate accomplished in administering placement, assessment, and testing for ESL programs, and promoting student growth and self-learning initiatives. Elena’s students know her passion for “unity in diversity” as well as for genuine teaching, on-going research, personal learning, spiritual growth, adventures, and open-minded living. Elena currently resides in Seattle, Washington. She has two children and enjoys travelling and creative writing.

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Emily grew up in the northeast and received her BA in Psychology from Williams College and her MS in Wildlife Biology from the University of Vermont. She moved to Seattle with her husband in 1999 and has been working in the nonprofit sector ever since. She started her career in environmental education programming but has been serving in a variety of management / fundraising roles for the past 15 years. She enjoys helping organizations grow using a community-centered approach and is excited to join the wonderful community at Literacy Source. Outside of work she enjoys house and garden projects, exploring the outdoors, going to the theatre, and playing ice hockey and ultimate frisbee. She and her husband have two young-adult children away at college and a dog and cat who keep their empty nest from getting too lonely.  

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Erik Bodlaender has been teaching ESL/EFL for nearly 15 years. His career has taken him to various places throughout the world: mainland China, Macau, Turkey, and here in Seattle. He is passionate about teaching students and loves to learn about their backgrounds and culture. When not working, Erik enjoys traveling, running, and dancing.

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Gabrielle brings her tech background and passion for education to Literacy Source's ESOL and digital literacy programs, teaching adult computer and English language learners in the Seattle community. Ms. Windsor holds an M.S. in Applied Mathematics from UCI and a TESOL certificate from CityU Seattle. She believes education and literacy open opportunities to all, and everyone deserves access and unflagging support.

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Janet helps to coordinate and teach ESOL programs on site, as well as working with partners in our community programs. She has a Master’s degree from Seattle University in adult education and basic skills and enjoys continually learning alongside her fellow staff and students.

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Jennifer is originally from the Midwest but quickly made Seattle home after a visit sparked a lasting connection to the region. She has built her career in the nonprofit sector, with extensive experience developing and leading community-based programs. She received her BSW from Eau Claire University in Wisconsin and her MA/MBA from City University in Seattle. Jennifer is deeply committed to creating inclusive initiatives that support diverse communities. Outside of work, she enjoys spending time at home, on the water with her partner—sailing Lake Union in the summer and exploring the mountains in the winter.

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Kaeyoung received a master’s degree in TESOL at Campbellsville University in Kentucky. Before coming to LS, she was an Adult Literacy Program Specialist at Fox Valley Literacy in Wisconsin. Also, she volunteered to teach ESL at several places including public schools and learned it in many adult education classes. Before coming to the US in 2006, she was a middle school English teacher in South Korea. Kaeyoung is so pleased to work with multicultural and multilingual students by sharing her teaching skills and learning experiences and also learning many new things from them. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her family including her husband and two children.

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Katherine was born in Washington to a military family, moved often and had the opportunity to live abroad in Okinawa, Japan. She received her bachelor's degree in Film and Television Production at Chapman University in California and following graduation, taught English in Egypt. After working in news and live-television production for several years, she transitioned to managing a digital marketing firm. Katherine brings 20 years of small-business operations experience to her PM role at DELN. Outside of work, she enjoys writing, reading, painting and cooking. She shares her life with her two daughters and dog, Buttercup.

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Laura has over four years of experience teaching ESOL. Most recently, she was a vocational ESL instructor in San Jose, California. She enjoys making immigrants feel welcome in her home country and empowering them in the employment sphere. Outside of teaching, Laura enjoys learning about plants, gathering around food, and learning languages.

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Liz joined the team in 2016, after serving as a volunteer in our ESOL & Digital Literacy Classes at El Centro and Asian Counseling and Referral Services. Originally a small town girl from the South, she moved West as soon as she could to enjoy the great outdoors! Liz has spent many years abroad working, volunteering, and studying in South and Central America, Europe, and the Middle East, but has quickly fallen in love with the Pacific Northwest. An elementary and high school teacher throughout her twenties, Liz moved into the non-profit realm after completing a Masters Degree in Public Policy.

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Megan is from San Jose, CA and moved to Seattle in 2009. She started working with English language learners as a volunteer in school and non-profit settings, then got her Master’s in TESOL from the University of Washington in 2015. She began at Literacy Source in 2018 as an ESOL instructor in the Ready to Work program. Megan has also taught ESOL classes for local community organizations and college programs. In addition to teaching, Megan enjoys spending time with her family, exercising outdoors, and creative vegan cooking.

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Miles Beran joins Literacy Source as the Outreach, Systems, & Library Coordinator through the AmeriCorps VISTA Program. Originally from San Francisco, Miles moved to Seattle to attend Seattle University, where they earned a BA in Public Affairs, and have spent years working and volunteering in youth development and young adult services. Most recently, Miles served for two years in a small town in Peru as a Peace Corps Youth Development Volunteer. They are excited to be back in Seattle and part of the Literacy Source community. Outside of work, Miles enjoys bouldering, exploring the city with friends, and brings the fun distinction of being both a twin and a black belt in karate.

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Niusha began her teaching journey while living and studying in Iran. There she worked with various ages, teaching EFL and TOEFL writing. In 2010, she found herself in small town New Hampshire to pursue her Master’s degree. She holds a MALS degree from Dartmouth College and wrote a collection of fiction short stories that explored the social-political climate of contemporary Tehran and its affects on the younger population’s daily underground lives. Since moving to Seattle, Niusha has taught at both ESL and Intensive English college programs. She enjoys sharing the classroom with and learning from her multicultural and multilingual students. She is excited to be a part of a team that works towards equity in the community.

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Originally from Oklahoma, Sarah graduated from Oklahoma State University in 2009 with her BA in Psychology. She has over 10 years of experience in adult education- both as an instructor and administrator. Volunteering as an ESOL conversation facilitator at the Seattle Public Library led her to Literacy Source, and she is excited to be joining a dynamic and passionate team. Her professional mission is taking bad Word documents and turning them into useable Excel sheets. In her free time, she can be found on the water in her kayak or on her paddle board.

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Sawyer is a Washington Native and grew up on Vashon Island before leaving to live in Bellingham, WA and then San Diego and Los Angeles where he spent the past five years. Most recently, Sawyer has been involved in workforce development programs, helping people navigate barriers to the workforce through volunteer led job readiness classes and individualized supportive services. With extensive experience in volunteer program development and coordination, Sawyer is passionate about volunteering, and the important roles that volunteers play in supporting organizations. When not working, Sawyer enjoys spending time with his dogs, enjoying the outdoors, and watching the Mariners.

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Shira Rosen, MSW, joined Literacy Source in August, 2020 and is excited to be a Co-Executive Director. Shira has over 20 years of experience in nonprofits, primarily in youth development and education. She has been an Executive Director, Program Director, Development Director, and teacher at a community college. Most recently she was Executive Director of Communities In Schools of Seattle and was previously a Co-Founder and former Co-Director of Camp Ten Trees. Shira lives in Seattle with her husband, 3 stepdaughters, and James the dog. She enjoys the outdoors, soccer, reading, and playing board games.

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Sofie is from Ethiopia. She speaks Oromo and some Amharic. She didn’t speak English when she first came to the USA, so she understands her clients’ struggles and barriers daily. One of my main goals and focus is to help people and see the positive outcome. Seeing people smile means everything to her. She loves what we do here at Literacy Source and is grateful to be part of the team that makes a difference in people’s lives every day. Previously she worked at an assisted living agency and volunteered at girls and boys club. In her free time, she likes to spend time with family, cook and enjoys going to the park and a water view.

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Tiffany was born and raised in Hawaii but followed her love of the mountains to Colorado where she studied Natural Resources Management. After moving to Seattle in 2006, she returned to school to get a Master’s Degree in Civil Engineering and worked for several years at Seattle Public Utilities before deciding to switch directions and work for nonprofits. She served as the Associate Director and Operations Manager at two different nonprofits in the Methow Valley before arriving at Literacy Source, which gave her valuable experience with the inner workings of nonprofits, development, nonprofit communications and managing donor databases. She is excited to continue this work with a nonprofit that serves such an important need in Seattle! Tiffany spends her free time trail running, cross country skiing and hiking. She also enjoys traveling and being a language learner herself, studying Spanish.

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