Prof. Jeanmarie Rouhier-Willoughby is the Chair of the Department of Modern and Classical Languages, Literatures and Cultures at the University of Kentucky, where she has worked for 20 years. She teaches all levels of Russian language as well as courses on folklore and linguistics. She holds a Ph.D. in Slavic Languages and Literatures from the University of Virginia and a B.A. in English, Russian and German from James Madison University. She is particularly interested in outreach to state language teachers and fostering connections that strengthen programs in schools and at the state\’s universities. She is a member of ACTFL, KWLA, ASEEES, SEEFA and edits the SEEFA journal Folklorica. She is also on the board of American Friends of Russian Folklore and the International Society for Contemporary Legend Research.

A native of Royston, Georgia, Tracy Rucker was raised in Atlanta, and later studied French at The University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee. There, as Mr. Rucker passionately learned to manipulate conditional sentences and nuanced subjunctive forms, he honed his craft by embracing cultural anecdotes from the Francophone world. He graduated with a B.A. in French in 1994, and later matriculated at Middlebury College where he also participated in theater and specialized in studies of the Francophone world. Since completing his studies, Mr. Rucker has led student trips to France, and he has studied Quebecois language and culture in Chicoutimi, Quebec as well as regional cultural influences in Bordeaux, France. When Mr. Rucker is not teaching, he enjoys grading Advanced Placement French Exams for the College Board.

Most recently, Mr. Rucker organized a 10 day French Exchange program with Charles de Gaulle High School in Dijon, France. In addition to his teaching responsibilities, Mr. Rucker organizes an annual multicultural dinner for his school. In 2014, Mr. Rucker was awarded the prestigious Dorothy S. Ludwig Award. This award is sponsored by the American Association of Teachers of French and is given to one teacher in each level of education. In 2016, Mr. Rucker completed coursework to attain certification through Actfl (American Council of Teachers of Foreign Languages) to become an OPI certified tester of French. In class, Mr. Rucker combines authentic resources with technology to encourage students to embrace 21st century skills. He believes in developing language skills through active participation, appreciation of world cultures, and quotidian values. Songs, films, video clips, pictures, and reading passages make up this master teacher’s repertoire, and he is eager to share some of his crafted techniques with you.

After immigrating to the United States from Germany in 2002, Andrea received her Ph.D. from the University of Cincinnati in 2009. In 2015, she published her book on W.G. Sebald’s poem After Nature. Currently, she is a lecturer of German at Northern Kentucky University’s Department of World Languages and Literatures. Her research interests include German travel and expedition literature as well as language pedagogy, service learning, and transdisciplinary teaching approaches.

Maria Consuelo ( Chelo ) Diaz Martin earned her degree from the University of Extremadura. Masters in Filologia anglogermanica, and a degree in the Art of Teaching ( Curso de Adaptacion Pedagogica)

She has been teaching Spanish for over 17 years now in KY, recently in Ryle High School and few years too in NKU.

She came with the visiting Teachers Program from Spain. Soon she felt in love with this community and her amazing, passionate students and her colleagues at her schools.

She is a College Board AP Ky advocate, a Table Leader at AP Spanish language and culture reading, an AAPPL rater, a member of ACTFL, KWLA, AASTP, and has been a Presenter in conferences in KWLA, SCOLT.

She is a Passionate Teacher that constantly encourages her students to immerse in the Spanish culture, provide them with the most appropriate resources to achieve their goal: to be able to communicate in the target language and to be prepared to be a Global citizen.

Currently in her tenth year of teaching Latin in Kentucky public high schools, Lucianne Junker has developed her own curriculum and utilizes active Latin in her classroom. Lucianne has a Bachelor’s of Arts in Classics and Philosophy, a Master’s of Arts in Teaching World Languages, and a Graduate Certificate in Latin Studies from the University of Kentucky. Lucianne received the Swift-Longacre-Scaife Fellowship in 2009 and the Outstanding Latin Teacher of the Year in 2018. As a participant and discussion leader in the active Latin community in Lexington both during the school year and summer conventiculua, Lucianne continues to develop her active language use by reading Latin literature and conversing in Latin both in and outside of the classroom. Lucianne credits her professors of the MATWL and Institute for Latin Studies programs at the University of Kentucky for her active Latin capabilities and pedagogy.

Madeline Griffitt teaches French at Eisenhower Elementary School in Louisville, KY is the Kentucky representative for the National Network for Early Language Learning and was NNELL KY Teacher of the Year in 2017.  She is passionate about engaging her young students in language learning to become a globally and culturally competent citizens.