ESL Faculty

We take pride in the diversity and decades of expertise our faculty bring to their work in the classroom. Our TESOL instructors have taught English all over the world, from Asia to the Middle East to Latin America. They are published scholars, accomplished artists, workshop leaders, and business owners. They are New Yorkers in the truest sense: tough, compassionate, and ready to bring out the best in you. Explore the menu below to read more about our faculty and their specializations.

  • Annette Lee, M.A.

  • Csilla has taught College Writing 1 & 2 as well as IEP courses for Fordham since 2018. She received her BA from CUNY's Queens College in Philosophy and MA in TESOL from CUNY's Hunter College. Her research on the connection between second language acquisition and note-taking has led her to better understand student's interlanguage development.  She presents her research at TESOL conferences.  Currently, she is a Ph.D. student at St. John's University in Literacy with a TESOL focus.    

     

  • Gina grew up in Queens, NY, and has lived in other places. She always returns, however, to this exciting city, and is now just across the bridge from Queens in Manhattan, NY. She speaks Italian and Spanish and dabbles in a few other languages but would love to learn Chinese and visit Taiwan as a future project. Gina has been teaching ESL for a very, very, very, very long time — almost 35 years — and was the Department Chair of ESL at the Kew-Forest School, a small private school in Queens. She especially enjoys teaching classes in language, literature, theater, and culture. Gina believes that ESL students are the best! 

  • Dr. Jo has been teaching English to linguistically and culturally diverse students (K-12, post-secondary, adult) in all levels for more than decade. She holds a doctorate in Curriculum and Instruction, and three M.A. degrees in TESL, TEFL, and Educational English Language. Her specialties include intercultural communication, teacher training, second language acquisition theories and methodologies, multicultural education, educational technologies, functional linguistics approach, English for Academic/Specific Purposes, Literacy, iBT TOEFL, and Business English.

  • Jeannine Daly has been an instructor at Fordham’s Institute of American Language and Culture since 2020 and has taught World Religions, Integrated English Skills, College Writing, and Intercultural Skills.  She is also on the faculty at CUNY Hunter College, where she is a TESOL Field Supervisor. In 2023, Jeannine served as a Virtual Educator with the U.S. Department of State, teaching TESOL Methods virtually in Morocco. She has studied and taught in Turkey, Ecuador, Costa Rica, and Croatia.  She holds an MA in Literature from New York University.  Her professional interests include intercultural communication, project-based learning, communicative language teaching, and international education.

  • Julie Shuchman teaches Advanced ESL Writing and Speaking at Fordham University's IALC and at NYU.  She also teaches English Composition at St.  Francis College in Brooklyn.  From 2009-2011, she served as Master Teacher and Curriculum Developer for a College Bridge Program at CUNY.  In 2011, she presented at the League for Innovation Conference in San Diego, California and in 2013, she authored the Instructor's Manual for Read to Achieve, published by Longman.  She  has served as a consultant for international post- doctoral students and professionals at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health and at NYU Dental School's Department of Clinical Research.  Julie  Shuchman has an M.A. in English Literature from Columbia University and an M.Phil. in Comparative Literature from the CUNY Graduate  Center.

  • Margaret Ibasco teaches Intercultural Skills at Fordham University.  She also teaches at Lehman College (CUNY) and at New York Institute of Technology (NYIT).  She completed Master of Arts (M.A.) and Master of Education (ED.M.) at Teachers College, Columbia University. She has been teaching ESL to adults since 1985. She has taught at different institutions in the US and abroad. In 2001, she was chosen as one of the Fellow Grant Awardees by Center for Teaching and Learning with Technology (CTLT) at New York Institute for Technology, New York, NY.

  • Rita Taryan, M.A.

  • Shélynn Riel-Osorio holds a Master of Education in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages from Rhode Island College. In 2017, Shélynn served in Argentina as an English Language Fellow with the U.S. Department of State, facilitating teacher training and professional development of in-service teachers. Prior to her time abroad, Shélynn was the Coordinator of ESL Intensive Programming at Rhode Island College, and the Director of Education at the Refugee Dream Center in Providence, Rhode Island. She has taught learners of all ages and levels, hailing from diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds. She is currently teaching college composition and academic communication skills to ESL students at Fordham University.

  • Steven Lindeman has been teaching at the Institute of the American Language and Culture at Fordham University since 2022. He he has been teaching English language at various universities for over 14 years, with several years of experience teaching abroad in Asia. His main teaching interests are in academic writing and rhetorical studies. Current and previous appointments include Colleges within the City University of New York, Columbia, University, and Syracuse University. 

     

  • A graduate of Barnard College, Professor Sato earned her TESOL Certification and an MA in Anthropology and Education from Teachers College, Columbia University. Prior to teaching, Takako, known as Tata, spent decades in advertising and marketing communications, where she came to appreciate the critical role of language in an increasingly complex, globalized and transnational context. Along with deep respect for diverse cultural values, attitudes and social relationships acquired as a TCK in Asia, the Middle East and East Africa, she has strong interest in social justice and equality through literacy development, multilingual education and promotion of human rights.

  • Zarui Migrranyan McKinney was born and raised in Moscow, Russia. She holds a BA and MA in International Journalism and German Studies from Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO), and a Ph.D. in World History (specialized in Political Culture of the XVIIIth century Britain) also from MGIMO. She spent 10 years teaching Western Literature and Culture at her Alma Mater. In 2018, she graduated from the MA TESOL program at Hunter College CUNY. She spent five semesters tutoring at Fordham University's Writing Center. She teaches College Writing and Intercultural Skills at Fordham, and ESL at St. John's University.