Board of Directors

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As a first-generation college graduate and native Turkish speaker, Dr. Rabia Hos (she/her) is a passionate advocate for equitable education and multilingualism. With over 20 years of experience in education as a public school teacher and higher education, Rabia is a dedicated advocate for educational equity and access. She earned her doctorates in Teaching & Curriculum from the University of Rochester. Informed by her own experiences as an immigrant, her research centers on newcomer immigrants and refugees with interrupted formal education. An accomplished scholar, she has published widely on multilingual learners across global contexts and leads international initiatives to promote teacher education and cross-cultural understanding. Rabia is the Dean of the School of Graduate and Professional Studies at Southern CT State University, where she leads initiatives focused on multilingual education, social justice, and global engagement. She previously served as Associate Professor and Graduate Program Director of TESOL/Bilingual and Dual Language Education at the University of Rhode Island. Rabia was selected by the U.S. Department of State as an English Language Specialist, leading a project in Lebanon to train educators and empower women in rural communities through English language learning. She secured funding from organizations such as RIDE, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, and the Nellie Mae Education Foundation. Additionally, she holds editorial roles for the European Journal of English Language Studies and the European Journal of Educational Research. Numerous honors include the Beatrice S. Demers Foreign Language Fellowship and a Global Teacher Education Fellow.

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Dr. Violet Jiménez Sims (she/ella) is a Dominican-born U.S. immigrant, bilingual and bicultural woman, educator, and scholar. She is a first-generation college educated person (doctorates in Educational Leadership and Administration) that has spent over two decades challenging unwritten rules and coded language while working in every level of education from Pre-K through university public settings. Her career began as a Spanish and ESL teacher in New Britain and Manchester Public Schools, CT, followed by leadership roles in magnet school administration. Currently she is the Co-Owner of Sims Squared Consulting, the Managing Director of Academic Programming & Legislative Affairs at CT Teacher Residency Program and CREC Resource Group, and Adjunct Faculty at University of CT. She has taught courses like Power, Privilege, and Public Education, focusing on equity and inclusion in teacher preparation. Violet is a member and leader in numerous community organizations, including Vice President of the New Britain NAACP, President and Founder of Diaspora Multicultural Society, Inc., Grants Committee Member of the American Savings Foundation, and Board Member of the Community Foundation of Greater New Britain. She is 2024 PDK Distinguished Educator Fellow and a former member of the New Britain Board of Education. She draws from her experiences and research to center cultural sustainability and cultivate liberatory practices in public education and communities.

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Kristin Bengtson Mendoza (she/ella) has 20 years of experience as a K-12 newcomer ML educator in Guatemala, New York City, and New Haven Public Schools, CT – most recently as a lead teacher and instructional coach at the International Academy, a newcomer program at Wilbur Cross High School. She has served on numerous school and district committees and frequently facilitates PD sessions for New Haven. She is an Assistant Professor of Curriculum and Learning at Southern Connecticut State University. Kristin serves on an advisory committee of the Connecticut Teacher of the Year Council and is a member of the Antiracist Teaching and Learning Collective. She recently received her Ed.D. from Educational Leadership and Policy Studies at Southern Connecticut State University. Her research focuses on professional learning and the development of in-service educators' (and educational leaders') critical language awareness and translanguaging stance. In addition, she has been a Fulbright Scholar to Guatemala, and she was named the 2021 New Haven Public Schools Teacher of the Year.

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Alba Franco (lei/she/elle/ella) is a doctoral student in education with a focus on language and literacy at Boston University Wheelock College of Education & Human Development. She is also a Graduate Research Assistant at the Institute for Early Childhood Well-Being, where she contributed to the Nuestros Niños Professional Development Program, conducting classroom observations, collecting data, and assessing bilingual children’s language proficiency to evaluate language acquisition in early childhood settings. Her research examines language and identity, in multilingual classrooms. She studies how early childhood education policies and practices relate to the experiences of linguistically and culturally diverse learners. She has supported as a teaching assistant on courses on language acquisition, justice-based education, and sociology of education at Boston University, and taught Italian and English in multilingual settings in Australia, Poland, Brazil, and Italy, where she has designed language curricula, supported bilingual learners’ linguistic development, and fostered culturally inclusive classrooms. She has also presented at international conferences on bilingual education and language policy and published research on home literacy and early bilingualism. As a Community Care Fellow (Boston, 2025–2026), she supports grassroots initiatives focused on social justice, education, public health, and community development. Currently, her role as a fellow is at Tree of Life in Jamaica Plain, where she supports the mothers’ group. Additionally, she served as Graduate Program Leader for the Fulbright Pre-Academic Program at the University of Colorado Boulder, supporting international scholars’ academic preparation and transition. Her community engagement includes mentoring high school students from low-income backgrounds through the Italian National Volunteer Service, teaching Italian to migrant students to promote educational access and cross-cultural understanding. Alba is fluent in Italian, English, French, and Spanish.

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Dr. Joan Lachance (she/ella) is an Associate Professor and Program Director of Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL) at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte . With over two decades of experience and a doctorate in Curriculum and Instruction, she specializes in dual language teacher preparation, academic literacy, and authentic assessment for multilingual learners. Joan’s scholarship includes more than 25 publications, including peer-reviewed articles, book chapters, curriculum guides, and technical reports. Her latest book “Collaboration and Co-Teaching for Dual Language Learners” was featured when she was a Keynote Speaker in MABE’s 2024 Conference. She co-authored the National Dual Language Education Teacher Preparation Standards and directs EMMA (Educators for a Multilingual Multicultural America). She has also contributed to major North Carolina educational initiatives, developing professional learning content for educators around the WIDA Standards and the SIOP Model. She is also the Founder and Educational Consultant for Clover Seeds Educational Consulting, where she serves others by supporting educators via professional development, coaching, and curriculum development – all to promote multilingualism. Joan collaborates with a K-8 school serving the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Indians to support dual language education and language preservation. Additionally, she is a key leader in Project SEMBRAR, a national mentorship program designed to increase the bilingual teacher workforce. Outside of academia, Joan advocates for the conservation of the Appalachian Trail.

Roberto Blanco Garcia (he/él) is a visiting teacher from Mugardos, Spain. He is the second grade Dual Language Spanish teacher at the Dos Ríos Program in Natchaug Elementary in Windham Public Schools, CT. He has been at Windham PS, a pioneer in DLBE in CT, for four years. In Spain, he worked for about 15 years at a bilingual school where he taught various subjects in English. He presented with the Education Department of the Spanish Embassy in the USA about his experience as a visiting teacher at the Instituto Cervantes in New York. He is a member of the Natchaug School Government Council and was a member of the Andel School Council in Spain. He was also a founding member of the non-profit youth association Bezoucos, where he helped organize cultural activities. Prior to his involvement in the MABE Board, he volunteered in the MABE Conference Committee.

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Mike Gary (he/él) has served our multilingual learners and families as a teacher, district director, school-based coach, and assistant principal. In 2024 he returned to the classroom as an English Language Development (ELD) Teacher for Hudson Public Schools, MA at Quinn Middle School, where he applies his expertise directly in the classroom, supporting multilingual learners in developing their English proficiency while valuing their linguistic backgrounds. His approach fosters an environment where students feel empowered and connected to their learning. Mike’s work focuses on shaping inclusive educational environments that celebrate multilingualism and cultural diversity, including assisting with converting TBE programs to DLBE and supporting the expansion of DLBE programs to middle school levels. He is actively involved in professional development initiatives, where he collaborates with educators to implement effective strategies for language instruction and cultural responsiveness. Mike was a contributor to the 2023 MA DESE Guidance for Implementing DLBE Programs and the Guidance for Implementing TBE Programs. He served as a reviewer of the WIDA 2020 ELD Framework and follow up Implementation Guide, and also contributed a story of practice to the WIDA Implementation Guide, Administrator’s Supplement. Mike has presented numerous times at virtual and in-person conferences, including WIDA and La Cosecha. He is proud to serve as MABE’s President and Governance Committee Chair.

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Manuel Ramirez (he/él) currently serves as Director of Bilingual Programs for Boston Public Schools, where he leads districtwide efforts to strengthen, expand, and sustain DLBE programming across one of the nation's largest urban school districts. His work includes strategic planning, program implementation, continuous improvement, grant oversight, educator capacity building, and cross-departmental collaboration to ensure equitable access to high-quality bilingual education for multilingual learners. Additionally, he serves on Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education's English Learner/Bilingual Advisory Committee and regularly presents at state and national conferences on bilingual education, DLBE programming, and educational leadership. As a Doctoral Candidate at Boston University, his research examines language access, bilingual education policy, special education, and family engagement, with the goal of informing more equitable educational systems. Throughout Manuel’s career, he has served as a bilingual special education teacher, assistant principal, district leader, curriculum developer, and university instructor.

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Katie Cardamone (she/ella) is an experienced elementary educator, working 15 years as an elementary Spanish immersion teacher. After graduating with her bachelor's and master's degrees from Clark University, she lived and worked in Guatemala. She has served as the Program Coordinator for MABE and is now the Co-Founder and Program Director of Nuestro Mundo Public Charter School in RI. She is also a board member for RI Environmental Education Association (RIEEA). Katie is passionate about the key outcome of a strong, innovative DLBE program: empowering multilingual and multicultural learners to understand their importance as global citizens.

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Dr. Nicole King (she/her) is an Assistant Professor of TESOL and Bilingual Education at the University of Rhode Island’s Feinstein College of Education. She received her Ph.D. in Teaching & Curriculum: Foreign, Second, & Multilingual Language Education from The Ohio State University. With a rich background as a former teacher of multilingual learners in the southern U.S. and Italy, she brings firsthand experience to her academic pursuits. Nicole’s research focuses on translingual and transmodal practices among multilingual students, families, communities, and educators. She aims to empower pre- and in-service teachers to implement equitable and sustaining practices in their teaching and advocacy. Her scholarly work critically examines the connections between research and practice within localized contexts and communities and investigates how to prepare teachers to create linguistically, culturally, and racially just learning environments. Her studies delve into the development of translanguaging repertoires in language teachers, the negotiation of language ideologies by multilingual students, and the reciprocal exchange of knowledge when adopting a community-as-pedagogy approach. Nicole’s contributions have been recognized through collaborative Fulbright DAI and Mother Cabrini Health Foundation grants. Her publications appear in esteemed journals such as TESOL Journal, System, Foreign Language Annals, and Language Teaching. She also co-edited the volume Developing Translanguaging Repertoires in Critical Teacher Education.

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Marcelo Sousa (he/él/ele) is an award-winning educator, transformational leader, and advocate for multilingual learners, with nearly two decades of experience fostering equitable, inclusive, and culturally responsive educational environments. As an English Language Trainer & Teacher in New Haven Public Schools, Connecticut, he has expertise in designing programs that empower English Learners (ELs), where works to bridge gaps, dismantle barriers, and ensure every student achieves their full potential. He is the Founder and Lead Visionary of The Connecticut Multilingual Leadership Collaborative (CMLC), where Marcelo leads efforts to unify Connecticut’s diverse linguistic and cultural communities. The CMLC fosters collaboration, equips multilingual professionals with leadership opportunities, and promotes cultural understanding to build a more inclusive future where every voice is valued. His passion for equity drives his commitment to creating innovative strategies that transform education and inspire systemic change. He frequently presents at national conferences, leads professional development sessions, and facilitates dialogue on equity, innovation, and bilingual education. His story-driven presentations based on his published book The Boy From Brazil (2022) inspire educators and leaders to adopt culturally responsive practices in their schools and communities. Marcelo also serves as President of CABBE, Events Liaison for CAPELL, and a collaborator with CTCOLT, where he leads professional development, organizes international family nights, and promotes best practices in multilingual education. Fluent in English, Spanish, and Portuguese, he builds bridges across languages and cultures, ensuring all voices are heard and diversity is celebrated. Marcelo holds a Sixth-Year Certificate in Educational Leadership and a Master’s in TESOL/Bilingual and Multicultural Education from Southern Connecticut State University.