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Our
Staff in the USA
Ron and Susie Pope |
Ron is the founder and president of Serendipity-Russia. His wife, Susie, is a vice president of the organization, along with David Johnson -- and was the initial webmaster. Ron retired from the Politics and Government Department at Illinois State University in June 2009 -- after 33 years of teaching. He and Susie are in the process of sharing -- and ultimately turning over responsibility for the American Home project to the next generation.
Their goal is to foster the use of the American Home's resources to make a positive difference in Russian-American relations and in the transition of Russian society. They also very much value the positive contribution the American home experience provides to the teachers and other Americans involved with this project. |
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Brooke Ricker |
Brooke assists with the recruiting and hiring of the new teachers, and, to the extent her schedule allows, provides feedback and suggestions. Born and raised in Alaska, she graduated from Stanford University with a degree in sociology and has been teaching and tutoring in different capacities ever since. She taught at the American Home in 2005-2006 She completed a Masters in TESOL at the University of New Hampshire prior to accepting a US State Department English Language Fellow position in Serbia. Brooke is currently enrolled in the PhD program in Applied Linguistics at Pennsylvania State University. She plans on specializing in second-language writing and hopes to eventually work in teacher training.
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David Johnson |
David teaches Russian language at Vanderbilt University and coordinates the Russian group at Vanderbilt's language immersion residence hall. He also manages the University of Arizona summer program in St. Petersburg. For the American Home he is responsible for the Intensive Russian Language Program, special projects, and other administrative matters. He taught English as a Second Language in Vladimir at the American Home from 2001 to 2004. After leaving Vladimir, David worked in Moscow for one year and then returned to the United States where he completed work on a Master's Degree in Russian Language, Linguistics and Literature at the University of Arizona prior to joining the Russian faculty at Vanderbilt. In July 2011 he joined Susie Pope as a Serendipity-Russia Vice President.
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Jane Keeler |
Jane earned her Bachelor's degree in Russian and Political Science from the University of the South in Sewanee, TN. She taught English at the American Home during the 2005-2006 school year, following which she has taught English in South Korea and in Kyrgyzstan. In 2009, she took over webmaster duties for the Serendipity-Russia site, as well as the American Home's Facebook page and blog, and the City of Vladimir website. Jane is currently preparing to begin a graduate program in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages at the University of Central Florida.
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