OUR STAFF
Meet the
Team
Claudia Kechkian
AATSP Exams Director
Claudia has a vast experience in WL Education. She holds a Master´s degree from the University of Alcalá in Spain, where she is pursuing her doctoral degree. She also holds a B.A. in ESL from the Pontifical Catholic University of Argentina, and is a published author. Over the last three years, she has been actively involved with the NSELC, working as an exam writer and participating in scholarship selections. Additionally, Claudia served as the President of the AATSP-TX Brazos Chapter, dedicating her efforts to expand the chapter, facilitate PD workshops, and provide information on NSE administration. Under her guidance, the Chapter was honored with the 2023 Chapter of the Year Award for large chapters, and 2023 Best Chapter Website Finalist recognition, a website she has created and administered since 2018.
Wendy Simms
AATSP Manager
Wendy is a former overseas teacher, she has lived and worked in Africa, Asia, Europe, Central and South America before pausing for a while in Indiana. Her experience includes teaching, mentoring, and working at non-profits in many different capacities. Wendy loves learning languages, growing and cooking food, traveling and talking with new people.
Lisa Berry
Marketing & Programs Specialist
Born and raised in Puerto Rico, Lisa holds a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus, and an M.S. in Internet Marketing from Full Sail University. She has over 12 years of experience in digital marketing for the higher education, e-commerce, and beauty industries. As a native Spanish speaker, Lisa has also served as a language instructor and translator. When she is not working, Lisa is spending time with her family, traveling, out in nature, or cooking.
Nayeli Guillen
Administrative Assistant
Nayeli is a Membership Coordinator for AATSP based in Chesterton, Indiana. She is passionate about serving others with a B.A. in Psychology and Accounting. Her interests are reading, traveling, and gardening.
Megan McLean
Administrative Assistant
Megan holds a B.A. in English with minors in Spanish and Environmental Science & Health from Indiana University Northwest. Her experience includes working as an Administrative Assistant for a non-profit organization, working in a Marketing internship, and writing as a student journalist. When she is not working, Megan enjoys spending time with her loved ones, baking, painting, volunteering, and playing Dungeons & Dragons.
OUR COMITTEES
Meet the
Writers
Brandon Fitzsimmons
NSE Writer
Brandon teaches Spanish to 7th and 8th graders at Sycamore School, an independent school for gifted youth in Indianapolis, Indiana. He also teaches Medical Spanish courses as an adjunct at nearby Butler University. A foreign language and geography nerd since his earliest years of childhood, he has spent time studying Portuguese, Italian, French, German, Turkish, Russian, and Swahili and travels avidly for both personal and professional fulfillment. Currently at over 60 countries visited, he has spent most of his time abroad in Ecuador, Hong Kong, and Italy. His frequent travels through Latin America have provided many vivid primary sources for NSE questions.
Marina Escámez Ballesta
NSE Writer
Marina is from Murcia, Spain, where she graduated with a bachelor in philology from the University of Murcia. In 2012 she moved to the United States and earned her M.A. in teaching Spanish and English from West Virginia University. She has been teaching Spanish since 2012, and has taught in West Virginia and the University of Virginia. Currently, she is the chair of the World Languages Department at the Steward School, in Richmond, Va., where she teaches Spanish since 2022. She is the Hispanic Honor Society advisor for her school chapter. When she is not teaching she enjoys paddle boarding, reading, traveling, and any type of work out.
Gelmis Cole
NSE Writer
A native of Barranquilla, Colombia, Gelmis Cole brings more than 25 years of experience teaching Spanish from Middle School to College level. Currently Gelmis teaches Spanish level 1 through AP Spanish Literature at Thomas Jefferson Independent Day School in Joplin, Missouri, where she has taught since 1998. Gelmis earned her Bachelor of Science in Spanish from Pittsburg State University. Outside of the classroom, Gelmis loves spending time with her husband of 31 years and her teenage twins, Nathan, and Sarah.
She also enjoys a good read.
Dr. Paola Arboleda-Ríos
NSE Editor/Proofreader
Dr. Paola Arboleda-Ríos is an Instructional Associate Professor and Graduate Director in the Department of Hispanic Studies at the University of Houston. She has more than 20 years of experience teaching Spanish at all levels and, as a certified translator, developed the curriculum for UH’s minor in English-Spanish translation. Dr. Arboleda-Ríos holds a Ph.D. in Spanish and Portuguese Studies from the University of Florida, with a specialization in Latin American literature and queer studies. Her research and teaching focus on translation as a tool for social justice and decolonization, cultural studies, cinema, and gender representation in media. In addition to her academic work, she is deeply committed to mentorship, fostering real-world learning opportunities through innovative service-learning projects.
Kim Murphy
NSE Writer
Kim is a current Spanish teacher of levels 2 and 4, as well as Linguistics. She has been giving the National Spanish Exam to her students for 20 years and loves how it allows students to see what they’re capable of doing with the language. She serves as her school’s department chair where French students and Latin students also take their respective exams. In her spare time Kim enjoys CrossFit, reading & traveling, especially to Spanish speaking countries.
Elizabeth Hasken
NSE Writer
Elizabeth has 17 years of experience teaching Spanish to college and high school students. A graduate of the University of Kentucky, Elizabeth earned her Master of Arts in Teacher Leadership and ESL certification from Northern Kentucky University. Elizabeth teaches Spanish at St. Henry District High School in Erlanger, Kentucky where she founded the La Sagrada Familia chapter of the Sociedad Honoraria Hispánica in 2009. Elizabeth has studied abroad in Spain and Costa Rica and has led several student trips abroad. Before teaching, she worked as a Spanish interpreter and she now continues community outreach projects with her school’s chapter of SHH and Spanish Club. Outside of the classroom, Elizabeth enjoys sports, traveling, reading and spending time with her husband and two children.
Marta Ruiz
NSE Writer
Marta has been teaching for almost thirty years levels K – 12. She teaches AP Spanish courses presently at a Houston high school. Originally from Belize, an ex British colony in Central America, she is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Advanced Studies in Spanish and Latin American Literature. Marta enjoys meeting people and learning from other cultures.
Laura Rivers
NSE Writer
Laura has been teaching Spanish at Mounds View High School in the Twin Cities in Minnesota for 30+ years. She has taught all grades and currently teaches Spanish 5. She and her colleagues have been offering the NSE for several years. The Spanish department enjoys offering this opportunity to students and are proud to have several NSE scholarship winners. Laura is a reader, loves to travel and is an avid fan of the Minnesota Twins.
Dr. Celia R. Bianconi
NPE Co-Director of Test Development
Dr. Célia Bianconi is a Master Lecturer and head of the Portuguese Language Program at Boston University, where she teaches courses on Portuguese language and Brazilian culture. She holds a PhD in Educational Studies from Lesley University. Dr. Bianconi’s main research and publication are devoted to teaching and learning of Portuguese as a foreign language (PFL) in the United States. She has experience in Portuguese Teacher training funded by Startalk, a national professional development program for critical language teachers. She is the coauthor of: Brazilian Chronicles: The Reader, Third Edition.
Dr. Nilma Dominique
NPE Co-Director of Test Development
Dr. Nilma Dominique is a Lecturer and the Portuguese Language coordinator at the Global Languages Department at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology – MIT. She holds a PhD in Applied Linguistics from the University of Alcalá (Spain). Her research focuses mainly on the teaching and learning of Portuguese and as a second language, language and culture, language and identity and sociolinguistics.
Dr. Dominique is co-editor of Microgeopolítica da Língua Portuguesa and author of La Comunicación Sin Palabras. Estudio Comparativo de Gestos Usados en España y Brasil [Communication without Words. A Comparative Study of Gestures Used in Spain and Brazil].
Kenneth Almeida
NPE Writer
Kenneth Andrew Almeida is the director of World Languages for the Shrewsbury Public Schools in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts. His given name is the result of being the first American to Azorean immigrants. Portuguese is his first language and he learned English by watching Sesame Street in the early eighties. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Finance from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth and a Masters of Arts in Spanish from Worcester State University.
Kenneth holds professional licensure through the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education in Portuguese and Spanish. He has done extensive work in curriculum writing. In 2021 he pioneered a Heritage Language program for Heritage speakers of Portuguese and Spanish. He has presented at various World Language conferences. His passion is his ancestral Azores Islands. He hopes to one day do research on the Azorean Diaspora and teach Portuguese at the University level.
Silvia Sollai
NPE Writer
Silvia Ramos Sollai has spent over 30 years teaching Pluricentric Portuguese, focusing on transferable skills. A key project involves synchronous sessions between US and Brazilian undergraduates. She tailors lectures to diverse audiences, encouraging global awareness and social justice. At Duolingo, Silvia aligned the English-to-Portuguese course with European language standards, ensuring cultural inclusivity. She also co-advised Master’s candidates and contributed to Portuguese curriculum development. As part of the Portuguese Acquisition Linkages (PAL) Project, she located 10,000 K-12 Portuguese students across the US. Silvia emphasizes equitable education as essential for diplomacy and dialogue in today’s world.
LEADERSHIP COUNCIL
Meet the
NSE/NPE Leadership Council
Alondra Pacheco
NSE Writer & NSE LC
Alondra is a Spanish teacher at University School in Cleveland, Ohio. In 2018, she established her school’s chapter of Sociedad Honoraria Hispánica. A graduate of the University of Delaware, Ms. Pacheco serves as president of Ohio’s AATSP Chapter. She is also a National Geographic Certified Educator and has participated in the Youth Ambassador’s program as an Adult Educator.
Andrea Nazelli
NSE Writer & NSE LC
Andrea has 20+ years of teaching experience. She has taught K-12 as well as at the University level. Currently, she teaches 8th grade at a private school in the Metro Detroit area. She loves being creative in the classroom and looks forward to serving on the Leadership Council!
Marilia Amat-Baralt
NSE/NPE LC
A native of São Paulo, Brazil, Marilia is a dedicated educator specializing in Spanish and Portuguese. With extensive experience in teaching Spanish language and literature at both the college and high school levels, she is committed to fostering a love for language in her students.
Marilia holds a Master’s degree from Vanderbilt University and a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) from Universidade de São Paulo. She has over ten years of experience teaching AP Spanish Language and Literature and has served as an AP reader for the past five years.
In addition to her teaching responsibilities, Marilia sponsors the Spanish Honor Society and is an active board member of AATSP-TX Brazos, contributing to the promotion of Spanish language and culture within her Community.
Rosa Bell
NSE LC & AATSP 2025 President
Rosa is Spanish teacher on the island of Oahu, Hawaii. Bell has been awarded as Teacher of the year, Excellent in Teaching by the Hawaii Association of Language Teachers (2021). Rosa Bell is also the Hawaii State Director of the Sociedad Honoraria Hispánica (2021). Recently, Mrs. Bell created the virtual Professional Learning Community (PLC) Culture and Diversity group on FB, with her “cafecitos culturales.” Cafecitos Culturales are weekly episodes that Bell hosts to encourage teachers to incorporate culture in their language classes. As an educational consultant, Bell provides professional development courses for World Language educators.
WHO WE WORK WITH
Our Partners
