President
Sandra Moran
Contact: president@itbe.org 

Sandra Moran received her doctorate from Aurora University. She obtained her master's degree from National Louis University in Curriculum and instruction with an emphasis in English as a second language and bilingual education.  Mrs. Moran completed her B.A at U.I.C. She immigrated with her family to the United States from Mexico at the age of 7 and was raised in the Chicago Pilsen neighborhood. Dr. Moran is currently the  Director of Bilingual Education and English as a second language for Wauconda Community Unified School District 118. She has been involved in dual and bilingual education for 27 years as a bilingual/ESL educator, district administrator, professional developer, and researcher. Dr. Moran has extensive experience collaborating and facilitating bilingual parent advisory committees, collaborating with PK-12 districts across Illinois, designing and implementation, and revisions of multicultural programs.

Vice President
Alyssa Silva-Rafi
Contact: vp@itbe.org / convention@itbe.org
Alyssa Silva-Rafi is an elementary school teacher for Chicago Public Schools with a commitment to working collaboratively with all stakeholders to improve her practice impacting all students. She received her Master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction/ESL. She is currently working towards a Leadership PhD with a specialization in Curriculum and Instruction. She also mentors first year teachers across the district. Her professional interests include multicultural education, ESL practices and building teacher capacity in her school district and participating in ITBE/TESOL events and professional learning opportunities.

Past President & Secretary 
Lauren Schultz
Contact: nominations@itbe.org 

Lauren Schultz is a dedicated educator who enjoys working with English language learners.She received her Bachelor‘s degree from Western Illinois University in Elementary Education.Later, Lauren received her Master‘s degree in Curriculum and Instruction with a concentration in ESL from National Louis University.She has been teaching in the elementary/middle school classroom for 15 years and currently teaches 8th grade ELL in Cicero District 99. Teaching English language learners of all ages is her passion!

Secretary
Open Position
Contact: secretary@itbe.org

Operation Manager
Vallan Kantner
Contact: mebership@itbe.org
Vallan's experience in the field of international education includes curriculum and program development, teacher training, student instruction, and data management at K-12 institutions, universities, and community centers in the United States, Russia, and Japan. Currently, Vallan works at Rutgers University, in charge of Data Management and Student Engagement at Rutgers Global. They are passionate about promoting equitable and inclusive international scholarship programming.
Vallan received an undergraduate degree in International Relations from Agnes Scott College, a graduate degree in Applied Linguistics from Northeastern Illinois University, and a Russian as a Second Language diploma from St. Petersburg Polytechnic University. Their research interests include sociopragmatics and discourse analysis focusing on the use of emotive language and rhetorical strategies via digital communication. It is a pleasure for them to be able to stay connected and serve Illinois educators through ITBE.