March 11, 2013
LEADERSHIP UPDATES
MESSAGE FROM THE EDITOR
Larisa Olesova, member A, TESOL International Association Affiliate Leadership Council

I am happy to release the current news from the affiliates around the world. This issue has a lot to share, including welcoming an incoming member A to the Affiliates Leadership Council, Jean Frantzy Italien from TESOL Mate (Haiti), and greeting new affiliates Addis Ababa English Language Teachers’ Association in Ethiopia and TESOL Sudan!

You will also find articles where authors share their experiences on technology integration to support their affiliates. I think the news from TESOL Arabia, CATESOL, Maryland TESOL, and Sunshine State TESOL will help others find better ways to integrate technology to serve the needs of members in the 21st century!

I am excited to share successful stories from around the world. My special appreciation extends to Kevin Cleary from JALT; David Berry from KSAALT; Josue Alejandro from PRTESOL; Bethany Cagnol, Phil Wade, Debbie West, and Ros Wright from TESOL France; Charlotte Franson and Nicola Davies from NALDIC; and Beth Ann Boyle from TESOL Italy, who shared their stories in this issue.

This edition is special in the sense it has the column titled Best Practices, where ARKTESOL, INTESOL, Maryland TESOL, TESOL Arabia, and TESOL Greece share examples of best practices as well as tips of how to help affiliates keep sustainable. I hope these articles will find good applications to help affiliates in their further development.

Finally, as a good tradition, there is a column where I included the news for TESOL 2013! The annual TESOL Convention is approaching! I am really excited to see you in Dallas, Texas, at the editors’ workshop, which takes place Thursday, March 21, 1–3 pm at Convention Center Ballroom C4. If you want to join the team of volunteers to facilitate the editors’ workshop, please feel free to email me, and I would be happy to accept your help!

See you all soon in Dallas, Texas!


Larisa Olesova, PhD, is an instructional designer specializing in distance education at George Mason University. She recently graduated from Purdue University. She is a faculty member at North-Eastern Federal University in Russia. Her research focuses on the effectiveness of instructional strategies in online learning environments. Teaching has been one of the most important parts of her career both in Russia and in the United States. Currently, she serves as a coordinator of Becoming a Webhead, one of the Electronic Village Online sessions at TESOL.