2026 Annual Convention
Equity, Access, and Innovation: Teaching Multilingual Learners in a Tech-Transformed Landscape
February 27-28, 2026 at the Sheraton Lisle/Naperville Hotel
Book your hotel reservation Online using this link or Call (630)505-1000 and use the code: SOA
Friday Morning Keynote: Dr. Diep Nguyen
Diep Nguyen (Ph. D.) is the President and CEO of the Center of Applied Linguistics (CAL) leading a team of researchers and educational leaders to advocate for and support multilingual education policies and practices in the US and elsewhere. Prior to joining CAL, she served as Senior Director of Research and Educator Learning at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. In this role, Diep led a team of researchers and professional Learning specialists to conduct research, develop the WIDA 2020 ELD Standards and provide professional learning services and resources to educators in the WIDA consortium. She has more than four decades of experience in teaching, research and school leadership administration serving multilingual learners. In 1994, she started the first Illinois dual language programs outside of Chicago, one in Spanish /English and one in Japanese/English. Based on this work, she co-authored, with Margo Gottlieb, the book “Assessment and Accountability in Language Education Programs” (Caslon, 2007). Diep also conducted research and published on the long-term impacts of Dual Language Education programs, dual language learners’ development and teachers’ efficacy to serve multilingual learners. In her current role as CEO of CAL, she leads a group of professionals to conduct and disseminate research in language education, develop quality ELD assessments for K-12 students and adult learners, and provide professional development resources for educators and school leaders. Diep is also collaborating with other organizations in the collective efforts to support educators and advocate for the rights of multilingual learners and promote quality public education. Dr. Nguyen earned her Ph.D. in Educational Studies and M.A. in French Literature from the Ohio State University. She received her B.S. in Secondary Education from West Virginia University.
Friday Afternoon Keynote: Dr. Jennifer Mann
Dr. Jennifer C. Mann is an educator, researcher, and former K–12 and adult ESL teacher whose work centers on improving literacy and supporting the wellbeing of multilingual learners (MLs). She is an education researcher at Duke University’s Center for Child and Family Policy, where her work focuses on multilingual learner literacy, teacher professional learning, and asset-based instructional practices and perspectives. Dr. Mann also teaches in Duke’s teacher education program and collaborates with schools and districts to strengthen equitable, evidence-based instruction for MLs. She has published in leading journals, co-authored a book on literacy and student wellbeing, and presents nationally on bridging research and practice to support multilingual learners.
Saturday Morning Keynote: Jeff Hutcheson
Jeff Hutcheson, Director of Advocacy & Public Policy for TESOL International Association, leads efforts to raise awareness and voices for multilingual learners of English and TESOL professionals. From his first teaching position in Bangkok and throughout his 25+ year career in the ESL field, Jeff has worked with diverse groups and voices in building environments for success and support. As TESOL’s director of advocacy and public policy, Jeff works closely with TESOL’s members and affiliates on policy and issues to ensure their interests are served and advanced at all levels – locally, federally, and globally.
Saturday Afternoon Keynote: Green Card Voices
Green Card Youth Voices: Immigration Stories from Chicago Schools is a collection of personal essays written by thirty students from nineteen countries attending three Chicago high schools. The book shares powerful, first-person reflections from youth who migrated due to war, political and economic instability, and displacement, offering honest insights into identity, resilience, belonging, and building a new life in the United States. The book has been selected by the National Association of School Psychologists as their National Book Read for 2025–2026.
Green Card Voices is a nationally growing nonprofit that records and shares first-person immigrant stories to foster understanding and empathy. Through award-winning books, bilingual graphic memoirs, videos, traveling exhibits, and curricula, Green Card Voices amplifies immigrant and refugee voices and supports educators and communities in engaging with authentic lived experiences.
Tea Rozman is a multilingual, first-generation immigrant born and raised in Yugoslavia and the Co-Founder and Co-Executive Director of Green Card Voices. She holds a Ph.D. in oral history and has held space for stories shared by more than 600 immigrants and refugees from over 145 countries across eight states. Tea is deeply committed to social justice, creating brave spaces, social entrepreneurship, empowering immigrant and refugee voices, and practicing progressive co-leadership models. She is a Bush Leadership Fellow and an Oral History Association / National Endowment for the Humanities Fellow.
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