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Newly Voted Board Members

2022 New Board Members    



ITBE Vice President 2022-23, President 2023-2024, Past President 2024-2025

Sandra Moran, Ed.D. 

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. 

Awards Co-Chair

Ayesha Riaz

My name is Ayesha Riaz. I currently teach 4th grade In Evanston, IL. I received my B.A in Elementary Education with an endorsement in TESOL from NEIU and am working on my M.A in Curriculum and Instruction from Concordia University Chicago. In my free time, I like to read, travel, kickbox, and spend time with friends and family. I am also Bilingual in English and Urdu.

Director of Exhibitors and Publishing
Maggie Kasicki

  • BS in Psychology with a focus in Education
  • IARC Master certified in TESOL and TEFL
  • Previous VP of International Company that found internships for University International students
  • Helped 100’s of International Students with College Applications
  • Director of ESL and Undergraduate admissions an Rockford University
  • Hosted 100’s of exchange students at her own home including 12 long term students that have stayed for up to 5 years.
  • Taught at the second largest school district in Illinois. The school district has over 20,000 students.  Also a teacher in private schools.
  • Asked to speak/teach all over the country.
  • Teaches to China online
  • Directed and Runs English Program Camps in China
  • DSO
  • Newly award winning L2 curriculum writer
 

Elementary Education SIG Co-Chair

Alyssa Silva-Rafi

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 with an ESL
endorsement. 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.

Higher Education SIG Co-Chairs 

Emily Casaletto 

I, Emily Casaletto am a graduate student in the MA in TESOL program at Northeastern Illinois University, and I will graduate with my MA in TESOL this semester. My plan is to teach in higher education. Additionally, my interests are educational policy, testing ELLs and educating language learners with diverse learning needs. 

Malin Gambra
My name is Malin Gembra. I am currently employed at PADS Lake County working as the Prevention and Diversion Specialist. I am originally from a small town in South Texas with a large immigrant population and was exposed to the mentalities of social justice, community action, and equal opportunities for all at a young age. It has been my passion to make education accessible to all.
From 2017 to 2019, I attended graduate school at UIC, where I received a Master's in Applied Linguistics with a focus on Adult Second Language Instruction. During my time as a graduate student, I worked as a tutor and administrative aide at UIC's Writing Center, worked as a private tutor for junior high students, and sat on the UIC Graduate Student Council as a representative for the Department of Linguistics. I also have experience with volunteer work as an ESL instructor for the Corpus Christi Literacy Council in my hometown.  

Program Designer

Jesus Villegas

I’m currently the Reading Skills Coordinator at DePaul University, where student enrollment dropped by 80% when we went online, but which is slowly increasing now that we’re offering in-person classes. I’d be interested in returning to the ITBE Board as your Program Designer. 

Advocacy Co-Chair

Huseyin Uysal 

Following my conversation with Angie Remigio, the 2021-22 president of the ITBE at the convention, I wanted to nominate myself to serve on the ITBE Executive Board as a member-at-large. I am currently teaching ESL endorsement classes at Knox College. My scholarship is grounded in ESL assessment and learner identity in ESL classrooms at rural schools. Here is the link to my profile, where you can find more information about my scholarship: https://www.knox.edu/academics/faculty/uysal-huseyin
 

We are currently seeking more board members to join our team! Please consider nominating yourself using election link!