Executive Committee

Officers

President: Mazin Heiderson, Ph.D.

A former teacher, reading specialist, and professor of education, Mazin Heiderson has been a MABE member for 24 years. He earned his Ph.D. in Curriculum & Instruction from Southern Illinois University. For 22 years, Mazin worked at the Michigan Department of Education as a Consultant in Bilingual Education, Migrant Education, and English Language Acquisition (Title III). He presents regularly at the MABE Annual Institute in English and in Arabic, and is the compiler and editor of the MABE English Language Learner Resource CD. He is currently the principal of a Bilingual Elementary School.

In addition, Mazin Heiderson worked as a training advisor in the Central Bank of Oman and translated for Oman Television. In the early 1980s, he was a technical translator for CACI, Inc., and did occasional translations for the U.S. Department of State, the World Bank, and the International Monetary Fund.

Dr. Heiderson earned his M.A. in Anthropology and recognizes the strong link between language and culture. His approach to educating children is to uplift them to language proficiency in English and in their heritage language. He considers multilingual ability as an asset and not a deficiency. He believes that we should make our education and work as simple as possible and add a touch of humor.

Vice President: Sergio Keck

Sergio Keck is currently the Director of Bilingual Education, Pre-Schools, Indian Education and Childhood Center Principal for the Lansing School District.  Mr. Keck opened a Chinese-immersion preschool program and also established a Spanish-immersion preschool program both of which will grow through the elementary grades.  
 
Mr. Keck is a United States Delegate to China through Michigan State University and the Lansing School District for the Chinese Bridge for American Schools.  In this capacity, he works to become acquainted with cultural knowledge and resources to help schools and districts develop programs to enhance understanding of the Chinese language and culture.

Secretary: Maria Gabriela Cisternino, MBA

Maria Gabriela Cisternino is currently in her fourth year of working in the Bilingual/ ESL department in the School District City of Pontiac, as a Heritage Language Tutor, engaged in making the academic connections for English Language Learners.  Part of her varied experiences include teaching Spanish for youth  and Adult enrichment programs in several cities in South Eastern Michigan via a curriculum developed by her.

Maria Gabriela has an MBA and she perfected her organizational skills while implementing ISO 9000 (International Organization for Standardization).  She learned her communication skills while working as an assistant instructor in the MBA program at the University of Cordoba, Argentina.  Mrs. Cisternino has dedicated the last 9 years to Bilingual education, focusing on supporting the transition of bilingual students not only to a different language, but also in assisting them in their enculturation.

Treasurer: Kathy Walcott, MA.Ed.

At the present Kathy serves as as 4th grade teacher in Rockford at the Spanish Immersion Program .  Prior to this she taught at various levels in both a Two-way Immersion Program as well as a Total Immersion Program in Grand Rapids.  She is a graduate of Calvin College and earned her Master's in Education from Calvin.  Kathy   holds a Bilingual Education Certificate and has worked extensively on a Certification in Immersion Education, through the University of Minnesota Center for Advanced Research on Language Acquisition. Kathy has served as a Bilingual Education and Immersion Consultant for many school districts in Michigan and has presented at MABE, NABE and La Cosecha.  Her dedication to the education of bilingual learners is reflected in her energy, passion, and constant desire to raise the level of learning both for educators and students.

Representatives

(To be announced)