2009 MITESOL Conference
Transforming Learning: Teaching and Advocacy

Proposals are due by July 15, 2009
Click here to access the Online Proposal System

MITESOL 2009 Featured Speakers

Featured Speaker: Dr. Nkechy Ezeh

Nkechy Ezeh, Ed.D. joined the Aquinas College faculty in 1997. Dr. Ezeh who is from Nigeria, West Africa is a strong advocate for children and has worked as a preschool teacher, Child Development Program Director, Adult and Parent Educator and Early Childhood Education Consultant. Dr. Ezeh, a member of the faculty of Aquinas College School of Education teaches several Early Childhood Education courses, Emergent Literacy, Multicultural Education, Human Growth & Development and Educational Psychology. Dr. Ezeh also serves as the Director of the Early Childhood Endorsement Program. Dr. Ezeh was one of the U.S. delegates to Reggio Emilia, Italy in 2001 and a panelist on the 2004 Oxford University Early Literacy Round Table. Dr. Ezeh conducts training on Early Childhood related topics and on integrating the Reggio Emilia principles into staff development and teacher preparation programs.


Keynote Speaker: Dr. Donald Freeman

Dr. Donald Freeman is Director of Teacher Education and Associate Professor of Education at the School of Education, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA. Until June 2007, he was Dean of the Department of Language Teacher Education and director of the Center for Teacher Education, Training, and Research, at the graduate School for International Training, Brattleboro, Vermont. His research interests focus on teacher learning, in the contexts of organizational and systemic reform, and its influence on student learning. He serves on the Editorial Board of the Modern Language Journal and previously on the boards of the Educational Researcher and the TESOL Journal. He is past president of Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL), and member of the University of Cambridge ESOL Advisory Council.

Featured Speaker: Susan E. Reed, Esq.

Susan E. Reed is an Immigration Law attorney with the Michigan Poverty Law Program. Susan has spent her career advocating for the civil rights of our most vulnerable immigrants. Susan has worked on behalf of migrant and seasonal farm workers, asylum seekers, survivors of domestic violence, and unaccompanied minors as an attorney for Farmworker Legal Services of Michigan and the United Methodist Committee on Relief's Justice for Our Neighbors program. She is bilingual and uses her Spanish language skills to better understand her clients and community. Susan remains at the forefront of immigration law as both an attorney and a leader as she educates communities and organizations on creating systematic advocacy efforts on behalf of Michigan's low income immigrants and their families

Need more information or want to volunteer?
Contact Casey Gordon, MITESOL President Elect
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
(please put MITESOL in the subject line)

Hotel Information:

The Amway Grand Plaza Hotel
    The Amway Grand Plaza Hotel is located across the river.  This four star hotel boasts numerous award winning restaurants, 682 luxuriously appointed guestrooms, valet parking, concierge service, and many other amenities.  The hotel has a complete fitness center, indoor pool, spa, and sauna. 

Marriott: Courtyard Grand Rapids Downtown (ask for GVSU event rate)
Directly across the river from the Eberhard Center the Courtyard is a convenient short walk on the pedestrian bridge, to the Eberhard Center. The hotel has 214 guestrooms.  Amenities include large desks, computer modems, USA Today delivery, and coffee makers in each room.  The hotel has a complete fitness center with indoor pool, spa, and sauna.  Also available are tennis courts and a jogging track.  The Courtyard by Marriott has a full-service restaurant, lounge, and room service available during the dinner hours, Monday through Saturday.  Located in the heart of the entertainment district the Courtyards guests are close to many local attractions.

Radisson Hotel: Grand Rapids Riverfront
    Just a short drive from the Eberhard Center the Radisson Riverfront is close to local highways, and just outside of downtown. The hotel features spacious rooms and many amenities.

Days Hotel: Downtown Grand Rapids
Located just off 131 and I-196, the Days Hotel is just adjacent to the Eberhard Center.   This hotel has 175 guestrooms.  Amenities include complimentary USA Today, room service, an indoor pool, fitness center, and Jacuzzi. The Days Inn has a full service restaurant and cocktail lounge. Free parking is available. Close to local attractions this budget friendly hotel offers convenience in a casual atmosphere.

JW Marriott
    The JW Marriott Grand Rapids is everything you would expect and nothing you could have imagined. Situated in the heart of downtown Grand Rapids, Michigan, the JW Marriott Grand Rapids is meticulously designed for both business and pleasure. As the first JW Marriott hotel in the Midwest, the hotel offers 337 well-appointed, smoke-free rooms and suites on 23 posh floors. Each of which is outfitted with atypical amenities like a 37" plasma TV, as well as numerous other uncommon personal luxuries.

2007 & 2008 MITESOL Conference Proceedings

Did you know that MITESOL offers members the opportunity to get professionally published?  Submit your paper for consideration.