TESL/TEFL certificate trainers and mentors all have at least five years of classroom experience, as well as master's degrees in TESOL or a related field. In addition, TESL/TEFL certificate participants will be able to interact with the entire ALI faculty in a variety of contexts, such as class observations.
Jason Greeno
TESL/TEFL Certificate Program Director
Jason Greeno has an M.A. in cross-cultural education with an emphasis in linguistics. He has taught ESL at middle schools, elementary schools, for the San Diego Community College District, and at several different Korean universities. Greeno has been with the ALI since 1997. He received his Cross-cultural, Language Acquisition and Development Certificate from the California State Board of Education in 2000. He has worked in the TESL/TEFL Certificate program since its inception in 2003. Training teachers and teaching English are two of his passions that he is proud to be doing at the ALI.
Wes Bennett
TESL/TEFL Certificate Trainer
Wes Bennett earned a B.A. in writing/history from Indiana Wesleyan University and a master's degree in English education from Boston University. While teaching in Boston for 15 years, he prepared international students for the rigors of Harvard, MIT, and other American universities. Wes has been with the ALI for eight years and is the reading mix coordinator of the English for Academic Purposes program. He is also an instructor in the TESL/TEFL Certificate program. Bennett enjoys helping students achieve their English-speaking goals and facilitating their entrances to American universities.
Solimar Hillier
TESL/TEFL Certificate Trainer
Solimar Hillier is from Brazil, where she received her B.A. in English and Portuguese language and literature. She moved to the United States in 2001, and received her master's degree in education with focus on TESOL from the University of San Diego. Solimar has been teaching English as a Second Language in San Diego for more than nine years. She has been an active member of the TESOL community and has presented in recent TESOL conferences.
Ken V. Levin
TESL/TEFL Certificate Trainer
Ken V. Levin's career in linguistics includes teaching ESL in Japan, Korea, and the United States since 1983. He joined the ALI staff in 2010, and has since taught all levels in all programs, while assisting with international marketing. His lecture on successfully living and teaching abroad is based on 10 years' experience in Tokyo. Since returning to his native San Diego, he has taught Japanese language in local community colleges for six years, in addition to his work in ESL. Levin also serves the San Diego Superior Court as a simultaneous interpreter.
Aleksandra Nikolova
TESL/TEFL Certificate Trainer
Aleksandra Nikolova, Ed.D. TESOL, has taught ESL/EFL, linguistics and English literature courses in the United States and Europe for more than 15 years. She has experience teaching all language skills: speaking, listening, reading and writing, as well as grammar. Her research interests are second language acquisition, curriculum design, and phonology. Her teacher training experience includes ELT methodology, grammar for teachers, CALL, teaching pronunciation, and second language acquisition. She also coordinates the academic grammar program at ALI.