Todd M. Beard, Director
| Todd M. Beard, M.Ed. has been in education for over 20 years, teaching and leading in a variety of roles. His strengths are with ideation, innovation and being a catalyst for strategic change. He enjoys taking action in areas to stimulate growth and learning that elevate the student experience. He has led presentations, teacher training, program development and student recruitment in Europe, Asia, Central America, and South America. Actively involved in international education, he has co-authored a chapter in NAFSA’s Guide to International Student Recruitment, served on the NAFSA Region VII Leadership Team as the International Enrollment Management Liaison, served as co-chair of Study Tennessee, and served as a member-at-large on the TNTESOL board. |
Contact Information: Email: [email protected] |
Doug Terry, Teaching Associate
| Doug Terry, MA TESOL Education, is a teaching associate at ELI. Deeply interested in helping UT become a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive campus, he also coordinates the Academy for Global Scholars in addition to his teaching work at ELI. The Academy helps first-generation college students—students who are the first in their families to attend college—travel abroad and see the world. Before joining ELI, he worked with Knox County Schools and Pellissippi State Community College’s Adult Education program. |
Contact Information: Email: [email protected] |
Avie Owensby, Admissions Specialist and Program Coordinator
| Avie Owensby, earned her B.A. in Global Studies from the University of Tennessee, where she also pursued double minors in Portuguese and Africana Studies. Avie’s profound interest in world cultures has driven her to travel extensively, enriching her understanding of global perspectives and intercultural communication. This diverse experiential background informs her academic pursuits and enhances her ability to engage meaningfully with individuals from various backgrounds. Avie grew up in Chattanooga, TN and is committed to fostering cross-cultural connections and contributing to a greater understanding of global dynamics. | 
Contact Information: Email: [email protected] |
Amanda Dascomb, Instructional Designer
| Amanda Dascomb, Ph.D., an educator with fifteen years of experience, has taught high school, university, and adult ed courses in subjects ranging from education to English and French. Prior to establishing roots in Knoxville, she worked in Guadeloupe, Ecuador, and Senegal. Dr. Dascomb takes joy in witnessing students build confidence and sharpen their academic skills. During the summer, you’ll often find her open water swimming in the Tennessee River. |
Contact Information: Email: [email protected] |
Maria Elena Arredondo, Instructor
| Maria Elena Arredondo is a 15-year teaching professional with experience at the elementary, high school, and university level. Her undergraduate and master’s degrees are in TESOL. She has a passion for languages and loves to help students succeed in their journey to learn and improve their skills in English. She comes to us most recently from the University of Guanajuato in central Mexico. She was also a member of the exam design committee which included the University’s English language placement exams. She was born and raised in the state of Guanajuato, Mexico and relocated to Knoxville in 2022. In her spare time, she enjoys reading novels, traveling, meeting new people, trying food from different countries, soccer and Vols football. She is excited to join the ELI team and looks forward to positively impacting the lives of its students through teaching |
Contact Information: Email: [email protected] |
Cara Hurley, Instructor
| Mrs. Hurley was born in the United States but spent most of her childhood living in the beautiful nation of Indonesia, constantly interacting with both Indonesians and expats from many other countries. Cara holds an M.A. in TESOL & Intercultural Studies and has been teaching English to adults, mostly in the Chicago area, for over twenty years. Much of her career has involved teaching immigrants and refugees from a wide range of nationalities, ages (17-81), and educational backgrounds (preliterate to Ph.D.). Interacting with these students has deeply impacted her teaching style, and she strives for an engaging, collaborative classroom atmosphere that makes the subject matter accessible and interesting to her students. She speaks Bahasa Indonesia and understands several dialects of Malay. |
Contact Information: Email: [email protected] |
Nicole Griffin, Instructor
| Nicole Griffin, M.A. is a South Knoxville native who earned her B.A. in Rhetoric and Writing from the University of Tennessee. She obtained her TEFL/TESOL certification in Prague and taught English as a Foreign Language in the Czech Republic and South Korea before returning to the United States to pursue her M.A. in Teaching English. Nicole has taught a wide range of English courses, including AP English Language and Composition, and most recently spent five years teaching at the Montessori middle school level. Throughout her career, she has worked with students from diverse cultural and educational backgrounds while emphasizing global awareness, experiential learning, and student growth. Drawing from both her professional and personal experiences abroad, Nicole is passionate about helping students engage meaningfully with the wider world and fostering opportunities for cross-cultural understanding, curiosity, and lifelong learning. In her free time, she enjoys being with her family, reading, hiking, kayaking, and exploring new places whenever possible. |
Contact Information: Email: [email protected] |
Nathaniel W. Smith, Instructor
| Dr. Nathaniel W. Smith is a Knoxville native and a graduate of UTK. After finishing his undergraduate degree in English he went on to complete his Ph.D. in Education at the University of Pennsylvania, with a specialization in pedagogy and cross-cultural communication. He has spent nearly three decades in the study and practice of teaching reading, writing, and speaking skills. He has taught graduate school, college, high school, and middle school, and has done so in a diverse range of international environments, including ten years in Taiwan and two years in South Korea. He is also an enthusiast for exercise and outdoor activity. He is very excited to return to UTK and to work with ELI faculty and students! |
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