Instructors

SLA's foreign-language instructors are professional teachers with extensive classroom experience who bring both linguistic and cultural expertise to the classroom. Currently, 95% are native speakers, and all hold graduate degrees in the language and literature they teach or have completed post-graduate coursework and/or specialized training relevant to the teaching of foreign languages.

	Khalid Ahmed - Arabic Born in Ta'iz, Yemen, Khalid Ahmed holds a degree from Sana'a University in Foreign Language Instruction. His teaching experience includes the Yemen public school system, the Yemen Language Center and the Islamic School of Seattle; he has taught children, teenagers, adults and senior citizens both as individuals and in groups.
	Samad Chakour - Arabic, French Samad Chakour was born and raised in Morocco where he received a bilingual education in Arabic and French. Samad has earned a BA from the University of Washington, a Master's degree from the City University, and Doctorate in cross-cultural management from University of Sarasota (Florida). Samad has been teaching Arabic and French since 1998 to both students and professionals. Currently, he is teaching both languages at Seattle Language Academy and Highline Community College.
	Amina Moujtahid - Arabic, French Amina Moujtahid was born and raised in Rabat, Morocco, learning Arabic and French simultaneously. The study of the Qur'an in classical Arabic was an important part of her education. She graduated from University Mohamed V in Rabat, Morocco, where she completed Master's degrees in biology and in comparative French-Arabic literature. Since completing her education, she has specialized in foreign language (Arabic and French) curriculum design and instruction, working with both children and adults. Amina has been teaching at SLA since 1999.
	Wei Zhi Gao - Chinese (Mandarin) A native of Beijing, China, Wei Zhi Gao holds an MFA in English Creative Writing, and a Ph.D. in English (University of Washington). In 2003, two of her students won the UW 100-Level English Composition Contest. Before coming to the States, Wei taught English at the college level for six years in Beijing. In addition to language teaching, Wei has published poems, stories, and newspaper articles in Chinese; one of her translations has appeared in the James Joyce Quarterly.
	Yufeng “Frank” Yang - Chinese (Mandarin) A native of Hengfeng, China, Yufeng (‘Frank’) Yang has been teaching Mandarin since 1995. He holds a B.A. in Chinese Language and Literature from the Huazhong University of Science and Technology as well as an M.A. in Modern Chinese from Beijing Normal University. Frank is certified by the Department of Education of the People's Republic of China as an instructor of Chinese as a Foreign Language.
	Sabine Friedman - French A native of Arpajon, France, Sabine Friedman has been teaching since 1996. In addition to an M.A. in English Literature, she holds an M.A. in teaching French to foreigners (FLE) and a teacher's certificate in English. Sabine has extensive experience in teaching both adults and children.
	Nicole Hoffman - French A native of Paris, Nicole Hoffman earned a degree in library science at the Conservatoire National des Art et Metiers (University of Paris). Since 1979 she has taught French at all levels to adults as well as children, including middle-school and high-school students.
	Laura Nelson - French Laura Nelson has over 20 years experience teaching French, Italian and English as a Second Language. She holds B.A. in French and English and an M.A. in Italian from Middlebury College. She has also studied in  Neuchâtel, Switzerland, the Università di Firenze in Florence, Italy, the Sorbonne in Paris, France and in 2007 at Seoul National University, Korea. Laura has held various teaching positions in Europe, most  recently in Toulouse and Marseille, France and is currently pursuing the study of the Korean language at SLA and in Korea, both in Seoul and Busan.
	Annette Sindel - German Born and raised in the south of Germany, Annette Sindel studied Art Education and the German language at the Hochschule der Künste (University of Fine Arts) in Berlin. She has over 15 years' teaching experience with adults and children. She taught German as a foreign language in San Sebastian, Spain, for five years, and has trained teachers and organized and guided language tours to Berlin.
	Tyler Lansford - Ancient Greek, Latin Tyler Lansford is the Classics Program Director at Seattle Language Academy. He taught Latin and Greek for eight years at the University of Washington, where he completed his Ph.D. in Classics. He is currently writing a travelers' guide to the Latin inscriptions of Rome for the Johns Hopkins University Press, to be published in 2007.
	Christopher Read - Ancient Greek, Latin A doctoral student in Classics at the University of Washington, Christopher Read has been teaching Latin and Ancient Greek since 1994; he holds a B.A. in Classical Languages from Hamilton College (magna cum laude) and an M.A. in Classics from the University of Washington. In addition to teaching undergraduates at the University of Washington's Rome Center, he has served as an adjunct faculty member at the University of Puget Sound and has taught third-year honors Latin at Garfield High School in Seattle.
	Yvonne Hunt - Modern Greek Yvonne Hunt, a specialist in Greek folk dance, resided in Greece for over fifteen years. She is a member of several Greek music and dance societies and has appeared as a guest lecturer at numerous colleges and universities throughout the United States. Yvonne has been teaching Greek at all levels to American students since 1994.
	Patricia Hammerle - Hindi, Sanskrit Patricia Hammerle has done graduate work in both Hindi and Sanskrit at the University of Washington. In addition to her work at Seattle Language Academy, she teaches at Physical Culture in Seattle. She has traveled extensively throughout northern India.
	Francesca Giambartolomei - Italian Francesca Giambartolomei has been teaching Italian since 1998 to children, teenagers and adults. Born in Cremona, Italy, she holds degrees from both the University of Padua and Eastern Michigan University. She has been teaching for Seattle Language Academy since the summer of 2004.
	Marc Mariani - Italian Marc Mariani has lived and studied in Rome, where he taught English to Italians and Italian to Americans. He holds Master's degrees in Classical languages (Greek) and in Romance languages (Italian) from the University of Washington. Co-founder of Seattle Language Academy, Marc has been teaching languages since 1986; he is a lifelong student of Greek and Italian literature.
	Cecilia Strettoi - Italian Cecilia Strettoi was born in Pisa, Italy; she earned her degree (M.A. equivalent) in Italian literature at the University of Pisa. She also completed post-graduate work and specialized training at the University of Pisa and at the Machiavelli Italian Language and Cultural Center, in Florence, Italy. She has worked as a teacher of Italian since 1996, and has extensive experience teaching both groups and individual students at all levels.
	Sabrina Tatta - Italian Sabrina Tatta was born in Formia, Italy. She holds a B.A. in English Literature (University of Puget Sound) and an M.A. in Italian (University of Washington). Sabrina is employed by the University of Washington as a lecturer and undergraduate advisor in the French and Italian Studies department. She also serves as co-director of the Law, Societies and Justice summer program in Rome, and is currently teaching Italian at SLA. Sabrina has been teaching since 1995.
	Roberta Tauriello Torgerson - Italian Roberta Tauriello Torgerson was born in Turin, Italy. After completing studies in linguistics at the Istituto Santa Teresa d'Avila in Turin, Roberta served as director of language courses at the Italian Cultural Center in Houston and as a teacher at the Italian Cultural Center in Los Angeles. Roberta has been teaching Italian since 1989 and has been a part of Seattle Language Academy's staff since 2000.
	Yuka Kobane - Japanese A native of Osaka, Japan, Yuka Kobane holds an M.A. in Education from Seattle University, with a specialization in Curriculum and Instruction. She is a member of the Washington Association of Teachers of Japanese (WATJ) and she has been teaching Japanese since 1997.
	Toshiko Smith - Japanese Raised in Takefu City (Fukui Prefecture) in Japan, Toshiko Smith holds a B.A. in English Literature and an M.A. in Education. An instructor of Japanese since 1979, Toshiko has taught students of all ages and in a variety of settings. Most recently, she has taught at the Seattle Japanese Language School and Cascadia Community College.
	Coming Soon - Korean
	Veleda Furtado - Portuguese Veleda Furtado was born and raised in southern Brazil, where she completed a Bachelor's degree in languages and literature. Before moving to Seattle, she lived in Germany and France. She holds a Master's degree in linguistics from the University of Washington and has been teaching, translating, and interpreting for more than 20 years. Veleda has been with Seattle Language Academy since its inception in 1996.
	José Maia - Portuguese José Maia was born in Lafaiete, Brazil, and holds a Ph.D. in Education from Pepperdine University. In addition to various academic appointments, he has served as both a translator and instructor of Portuguese for American consular staff in Brazil.
	Irina Spinosa - Russian Irina Spinosa was born in Moscow. She earned a Master's degree in Russian language and literature and a Ph.D. in Russian language, comparative linguistics, and translation theory in 1999 from Moscow State Pedagogical University, the oldest and most prestigious pedagogical university in Russia. In addition to teaching Russian at universities in Moscow, she also worked as a translator, interpreter, and editor before coming to the United States in 2000.
	Seva Rzhondkovsky - Russian, Spanish Born in Kiev, Ukraine, Seva Rzhondkovsky has been teaching individuals and groups since 1995. He holds a B.A. from the University of California, Berkeley, and is currently working on an M.A. at the University of Washington. A long time resident of Mexico, he is a certified interpreter of both Russian and Spanish.
	Norma Ortega - Spanish A native of Mexico City, Norma Ortega holds an M.A. in Hispanic Language and Literature. A published poet and critic, Norma has been teaching Spanish at all levels since 1991.
	Inma Raneda-Cuartero - Spanish Inma Raneda-Cuartero was born in Zaragoza, Spain. She holds a B.A. in Political Science as well as an M.A. in Foreign Language and Literature. She is a member of the ACTFL (American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages) and the Modern Language Association. Inma has been teaching since 1992 at the college and university level and now currently at SLA.
	Patrick Swett - Spanish Patrick Swett, a native of Costa Rica, has been teaching Spanish since 1994. He graduated from the Universidad de Costa Rica in 1995 and came to the United States three years later. In Seattle, Patrick has worked in the fields of dance and theater and has been teaching Spanish for Seattle Language Academy's adult and children's programs since 1999.
	Zach Bohnenkamp - Spanish Zach was born and raised in Iowa City, IA where he began learning Spanish at age 10. He holds a Master’s degree from the University of Washington in Romance Linguistics. He has lived, studied, worked and traveled in Spain on and off for the last 22 years. Most recently he lived in Cádiz, Spain where he carried out a sociolinguistic field study of the local dialect for his dissertation. Zach has been teaching Spanish in Seattle since 2000.
	Edip Askin Karaca - Turkish A native of Adana, Turkey, Edip Askin Karaca holds a B.A. in Teaching English as a Second Language. He has taught private students as well as groups in high school and corporate settings. He has been teaching since 2000.