Michael Rodríguez is the Executive Director of Dual Language Education of NM (DLeNM). For six years, he served as the organization's director of operations, heading up and expanding its Program Design and Leadership Development offerings while supporting schools, districts, and state agencies across the country to create quality, sustainable dual language programs. During his fifteen years as a school administrator, he helped to establish and operate three different dual language programs in the Santa Fe and Albuquerque areas. In his current role, Michael leads an experienced team of dual language educator-trainers who provide professional development in support of quality instruction for language learners and effective dual language program design. DLeNM is also host to the country’s largest dual language conference annually, in New Mexico.

Azul Cortes (Huasteco/Tepehuan) is the Director of Heritage Languages at DLeNM. With Master’s degrees in Bilingual, Secondary and Special Education, Azul is passionate about language, community and cultural identity. He is currently a Doctoral Student at UNM’s Language Literacy and Sociocultural Studies with his research focusing on the maintenance and revitalization of the heritage language through cultural Identity. Azul has worked as a Clinical Research Educator at the University of New Mexico’s College of Education Elementary Education in the area of Teacher Preparation and in numerous indigenous communities with linguistically and culturally diverse youth through the Bureau of Indian Education and in México. He continues to work with grassroots organizations, La Plazita Institute in Albuquerque and Homeboy Industries in East Los Angeles who dedicate services to adjudicated youths and young adults. Current work highlights language maintenance and revitalization efforts through an indigenous lens that centers culture and language as the voice of the community and the land in which they reside.

You can contact Michael Rodriguez and José "Azul" Cortés via their LinkedIn Accounts:

Michael Rodriguez

José "Azul" Cortés

or email:

micahel@dlenm.org

azul@dlenm.org

Liz Howard is an associate professor of bilingual education in the department of Curriculum and Instruction. Her current research focuses on the development of sociocultural competence among dual language students in the U.S. and Costa Rica, and she was recently awarded a grant from the U.S. Department of Education to investigate the development of sociocultural competence among dual language students and its relationship to equitable bilingualism and biliteracy outcomes. Previously, she has served as the principal investigator or co-PI of three large-scale, federally funded studies of the literacy development of Spanish-English bilinguals – a recently completed study of argument writing among Latino 4th grade students, a cross-linguistic vocabulary intervention for middle schoolers, and a longitudinal study focusing on cross-linguistic influences on the spelling development of students in the upper elementary grades. She was also the co-PI of a faculty learning community designed to build the capacity of teacher education faculty members to support pre-service teachers’ learning about emergent bilinguals. Prior to coming to UConn, she was a senior research associate with the Center for Applied Linguistics (CAL) in Washington, DC, where she directed a number of projects related to dual language education and biliteracy development, including the longitudinal CREDE Study of Two-Way Immersion. In addition, she has worked as a bilingual elementary school teacher in California and Costa Rica, and has also taught adult ESL and literacy courses as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Costa Rica.

Shera Simpson is a dynamic educator, administrator, coach, and entrepreneur deeply committed to advancing the field of dual-language education. She is the co-author of the groundbreaking book, "Dual Language Tandem Teaching: Coordinating Instruction across Languages through Cross-linguistic Pedagogies," the first installment of a transformative three-part series reshaping the landscape of bilingual instruction. A respected presence at prestigious dual-language conferences nationwide, including La Cosecha, CABE, and the Southern New England Regional Dual Language Conference, Shera delivers compelling presentations that motivate educators to explore innovation and cultivate cross-linguistic collaboration in their classrooms. As the co-founder of Dual Language Connections, LLC, a woman-owned consulting firm, Shera is on a mission to empower teachers and schools, equipping them with the essential tools and strategies needed to enhance relationships and elevate instruction across languages. Beyond her influential consulting work, Shera is a co-founder of "Outside The Box (OTB) Learning Laboratory," an innovative dual-language, community-based alternative educational center situated in Brasilito, Costa Rica. Her visionary leadership has created a nurturing space where students thrive, immersing themselves in the richness of bilingualism and community engagement. Originally from South Carolina, Shera has called Costa Rica home for over a decade, residing there with her partner and daughter. When not immersed in her professional pursuits, she finds joy in learning more about the world through travel, embarking on adventurous hikes, and savoring the serenity of the beach.

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Heather Graham is currently the Multilingual Coordinator for Bethany Public Schools in Oklahoma. She has previously worked as a School Counselor, and recently was presented the opportunity to transition into the Multilingual world. Her Multilingual Program is small but rapidly growing. She has enjoyed learning about her students, teachers, and families and hopes to continue to bring awareness and inclusion to the students with whom she works.

Alejandra Vázquez Baur is a fellow at The Century Foundation, where she manages the Bridges Collaborative, an initiative that champions school integration. In 2022, she co-founded the National Newcomer Network, a coalition that brings together educators, researchers, and advocates invested in developing systemic solutions to address newcomer student inequity in K–12 schools. Under Alejandra’s leadership, the network released a policy platform in February 2024 representing the priorities of over 150 members representing over 30 U.S. states. An inaugural Obama USA Leader and former high school teacher, her work has been featured by several media outlets, including Chalkbeat, the 74 Million, K–12 Dive, Education Week, Gotham Gazette, and POLITICO. Alejandra is a proud granddaughter of Mexican farmworkers and holds degrees from Claremont McKenna College and Columbia University.

Akash Patel, originally from India, began his teaching career in very small rural communities in Oklahoma where people had never seen or met “a brown Indian guy who spoke five languages and had traveled to over 50 countries. He used his travel experiences to design all of his lessons. For example, he used his experiences of working with elephants in South Asia to teach children to make elephant poopoopaper and map elephant DNA to study poaching patterns. He currently teaches ESL with Oklahoma City Community College and serves as Epic Charter Schools’ Math+ Instructor and ELL Liaison. Patel previously taught Spanish with the Dallas Independent School District and fourth grade at Hayes elementary school in Oklahoma City. In both schools, his students have come from very difficult backgrounds and have included gang members, drug addicts and juvenile delinquents. The majority of his students at both schools had never traveled outside the US.

Patels has received many recognitions and awards including 2015 Oklahoma State Department of Education and Multicultural Institute Multicultural Teacher of the Year, and In December 2017, Patel was selected from over 30,000 nominations as one of the top 50 teachers around the world and shortlisted as a finalist for the Varkey Foundation’s Global Teacher Prize.

In January 2021, Patel was inducted in the International Literacy Association’s 30 Under 30 List. In January 2022, Patel was elected as the first-ever immigrant President of the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL). In June 2022, Patel was elected Vice-Chairman of the National Council of the United Nations Association of the United States of America (UNA-USA) Patel was also featured as a 2022 TIME Magazine Innovative Educator of the Year…the list goes on.

Akash also connects classrooms with people and professionals worldwide using virtual platforms in what I would call a modern day pen pal program. Patel has mobilized over 1,000 volunteers from over 150 countries to join his Global Connect database at the Happy World Foundation, a Texas based global education nonprofit he founded after the passing of his twin brother Anand Happy Patel.

Patel frequently speaks at regional, national and international conferences about his classroom experience. He has also trained over 100,000 teachers to use the Global Connect database and other multicultural programs. Today, thousands of American children travel to countries worldwide through Happy World Foundation’s global education programs. To Learn more, visit happyworldfoundation.us.

Montserrat Garibay is the Assistant Deputy Secretary & Director for the Office of English Language Acquisition at the U.S. Department of Education. More recently, she was the Senior Advisor for Labor Relations at the Office of the Secretary. She was the secretary-treasurer of the Texas AFL-CIO. Previously, she served as vice president for Certified Employees with Education Austin, a merged union local with the American Federation of Teachers, National Education Association, and the American Federation of Labor Congress of Industrial Organizations. An activist on education and immigration issues, Garibay came to the U.S. from Mexico City as an undocumented immigrant and became a citizen 20 years later. She has been instrumental in promoting opportunities for all students, including those from immigrant families. She promoted passage of the Texas version of the DREAM Act and comprehensive immigration reform. A bilingual pre-kindergarten teacher for eight years and National Board-Certified Teacher, she is a graduate of the National Labor Leadership Initiative with the Worker Institute at Cornell University. Garibay is a University of Texas -Austin graduate with a master’s degree in Education.

Suzie is an entrepreneur, business owner, transformational speaker, and bestselling author. She is the CEO and Founder of the RTE Academy, a coaching program designed to strategically transform the lives of successful women who feel unworthy.

Survivor, or as she likes to call herself Thriver of multiple illnesses including cancer and over five abdominal surgeries, she found the way out of societal misery. Suzie’s passion and calling is to share her knowledge with women to elevate their identity alongside their worth.

“I know there is more to what the eye and even the imagination can perceive,” she expresses. This belief has taken her from having no shoes and working in the fields of Mexico, to an unstoppable, forward-moving, resilient VISIONARY.

Check out her website and social media at this link.

Sunny Day, Miss Oklahoma 2023, is a first-generation high school and college graduate. She graduated from Norman Public Schools in 2013 and went on to obtain her Bachelor of Arts in Communications at The University of Oklahoma in 2018. She has been a public-school teacher at Bridgestone Intermediate in Western Heights Public Schools since 2018. Sunny has had many roles in her school, she has taught 6th grade, served as an ESL teacher, and a 5th grade ELA and Social Studies teacher. Some of her proudest moments in her teaching career are being named Next Gen 30 Under 30 in Education (2020) and Teacher of the Year (2021). She calls her school a second home, which is why she has decided to continue to teach during her reign as Miss Oklahoma.

Sunny has a personal connection to volunteerism. As a little girl, she and her family were often taken care of by churches, schools, and the generous people within her community. As she got older, she decided she wanted to give back in the same way. She has invested over 5,000 hours in her community service endeavors. Two of her favorite organizations she has been a part of are OKC Teem and the Tim Tebow Foundation. Aside from her service work, she has done a lot within the walls of her own school. Planting a school garden, starting her school’s first cheer team, and establishing a recycling club are some of her many leadership roles in her school.

Over time, she created her own character development school program called Ready S.E.T. Go: Building Skills Today for Tomorrow’s Success. Her community service initiative is a mission that provides a path to gain life-skills, mentorship, scholarships, and the dream life for youth of all ages and upbringings, by helping them navigate school, the workforce, and life experiences. Through an interactive, three-pillared approach (Support. Encourage. Teach.), Ready S.E.T. GO empowers youth to embrace our mission; to provide our youth with the skills to be their most successful, confident, and empowered selves, no matter their life circumstances.

Sunny began her unique journey in the Miss Oklahoma Organization in 2020. She held her local title for two years and went on to compete at Miss Oklahoma 2021 where she placed 4th Runner-Up. She was also awarded multiple community service awards, interview awards, and Overall Rookie. After the 2021 competition, Sunny’s journey in the Miss Oklahoma Organization came to an end due to aging out, until Miss America announced their age increase in 2023. Sunny earned the title of Miss Norman and went on to compete at Miss Oklahoma 2023. She walked away as Miss Oklahoma 2023. Sunny has won over $70,000 from the Miss Oklahoma Organization and is now debt-free and on her way to obtain her Masters in Education.

Sunny has big plans to travel the state as Miss Oklahoma and make Oklahoma her classroom by going into schools across the state and implementing her school program. As a big sister and educator, she is looking forward to educating and empowering today’s youth. Aside from connecting with students, she is eager to speak with legislators about education reform, bring in new sponsors and partnerships to the Miss Oklahoma Organization, and build an empowerment workshop program for the future women of this organization.

Sunny is the daughter of Jamie Day and Samuel Day, the big sister the Kali Day (25), Maron Day (18), Harley Day (16), and Jordyn Day (12), and a proud dog mom to her boxer Arie.

Follow Sunny on Social Media! @missamericaok @sunnymday