Executive Committee

MABE 2011 Election Results

The Michigan Association for Bilingual Education is pleased to announce

the results of our 2011 election.  These officers will serve for 2 years.

The new officers of the Executive Committee are as follows:

President 

Kathy Walcott

Kathy Walcott has been involved in Bilingual Education
for many years. At present she is a 4^th grade teacher in a Total
Immersion Program in Rockford, MI.  She
has served as classroom teacher, instructional coach for a Two-Way Immersion
School, consultant to immersion programs, and instructor at the college level. Kathy
is a graduate of Calvin College where she earned both her BA and MA. She holds
certification in Bilingual Education and has presented at conferences both
regionally and nationally. Kathy’s passion for bilingualism and affording
students an engaging educational experience is what draws her to an
organization such as MABE.  Prior to
serving as president, Kathy served on the MABE board as treasurer.

Vice President

Sergio Keck

Sergio Keck is currently the Director of Bilingual
Education, Pre-Schools, In-dian 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 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 

Jonathan Tobar

D. Jonathan Tobar is consummate educator with a rich
background in language acquisition. A native of Quito, Ecuador, he loves the
Latin culture and has been involved extensively with helping the Latin
community in Lenawee County.  He holds an M.A. in TESOL, from
Eastern Michigan University, a B.A. in Secondary Education and International
Business from Cornerstone University, and is currently working on a degree in
K-12 Educational Administration at Michigan State University.  Currently,
he is a Career Preparation Services Coordinator at the Lenawee Intermediate
School District (LISD), where he serves as a liaison contact with
students, local school administrators, counselors, teachers and families for
the purpose of establishing and providing linkages among the components of the
P-20 Career Preparation System in Lenawee County.  Prior to joining the
LISD, he taught Spanish, English as a Second Language, and Drama at the
High School level.  In addition, he has served as an Adjunct professor of
Spanish at Siena Heights University and Adrian College.

Treasurer

Mazin Heiderson

A former teacher, school principal and college
professor, Dr. Mazin Heiderson is a literacy consultant and Arabic heritage
language advisor. He worked for 22 years as program officer and bilingual
education consultant in the Michigan Department of Education. In the early
1980s, he earned his living as a training advisor and professional translator. A
former president of the Michigan Association for Bilingual Education, Dr.
Heiderson earned his B.A. in History, M.A. in Anthropology, and Ph.D. in
Curriculum & Instruction from Southern Illinois University. He believes
learning should be made easy by anchoring it in a lot of doing and made
enjoyable by the use of humor.

Eman Radha, Chair, Nominating Committee