ESL Instructor Bios

Dr. Kimberly Niezgoda

Dr. Niezgoda established the Intensive English Program at Wilkes University in June 2006 and built the M.S. in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) program, which she began coordinating in December 2009. She holds a doctorate in Higher Education Administration, with her research focusing on the impact of international students on Higher Education Institutions. Before joining Wilkes, she taught K-12 English as a Second Language (ESL).

Before joining Wilkes, Dr. Niezgoda spent five years, three as a U.S. Peace Corps volunteer,  in Olomouc, Czech Republic, where she trained future K-12 English teachers at Palacky University and became fluent in Czech. Following her time in the Czech Republic, she earned her M.A. in English as a Second Language from the University of Hawai'i in 1999. She then spent four years in Japan as an assistant professor of English, further advancing her expertise in language instruction.

Dr. Niezgoda serves on the board of UCIEP, a consortium dedicated to advancing university-governed Intensive English Programs.  She is also a U.S. Department of State English Language Specialist, a highly selective role that reflects her extensive expertise in English language education. This prestigious position involves collaborating on global projects that advance English teaching practices and support educators worldwide.

ESL Courses Taught

• ESL 501: Approaches to Teaching Second Languages
• ESL 504: Intercultural Communication for Language Teachers
• ESL 509: Computer-Assisted Language Learning

Jordan Barrie

Jordan Barrie was born in Canada where he earned his B.A. in Literature and B.Ed. in Secondary Education from Mount Saint Vincent University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. Since then, he has worked as a professional educator for over ten years in a number of different countries, and has taught all age levels from kindergarten to high school in public, private, and charter school settings. Jordan has experience teaching English, History, Project-Based Learning, and ESOL/EFL in both online, blended, and traditional modalities.

He graduated from the Instructional Technology M.S. program from Wilkes University and began working as an Instructional Designer for HACC shortly thereafter. As a certified Instructional Technology Specialist, Jordan supports educators in edtech training and in the development of online, blended, and web-enhanced courses to design learning solutions that meet the unique needs of diverse student groups.

ESL Courses Taught

• ESL 509: Computer-Assisted Language Learning

David Fisher

David Fisher earned his BS in Elementary Education, with a concentration in Social Studies, from Kutztown University of Pennsylvania. David enrolled in the Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages program at Wilkes University, earning his MS in Education and his ESL certification. Upon completing the TESOL program, David continued with the University as an instructor for ESL 508.

David has taught the sixth grade classroom at The King’s Academy, the English as a Second Language mainstream second grade classroom in the Harrisburg School District, and he currently co-teaches the English as a Second Language third grade inclusion classroom in the Reading School District. David has also served as a member of the ESL leadership committee in the Reading School District, where 25 percent of the student body are English Language Learners.

ESL Courses Taught

• ESL 508: Second Language Program Development

Dr. Jessica Raczkowski

Dr. Jessica Raczkowski is from the Wilkes-Barre area and is the third generation of her family to have taught at Wilkes University. She has a Doctor of Education in Curriculum and Instruction with a concentration in Language, Literacy and Culture from the University of Pittsburgh with research focused on teacher education and teacher perceptions regarding Oral Corrective Feedback (OCF). She also has a MS in Education in TESOL from Wilkes University. Dr. Raczkowski has also presented at local and international professional conferences, including the TESOL international conference.

Dr. Raczkowski has been a TESOL educator for over 10 years, teaching in the United States, Germany and China; she worked in China for three years teaching adult EFL for business and academic purposes. Dr. Raczkowski serves as a Senior Teacher 3 for Education First (EF) teaching adult ESL to international learners and has worked for EF since 2011. She is fluent in Italian, speaks French at the intermediate level and also speaks German, Spanish, Mandarin and Polish at the elementary level.

ESL Courses Taught

• ESL 502: Language Concepts for Second Language Learning and Teaching
• ESL 512: ESL Teaching and Evaluation Theory

Steffany Snell

Steffany Snell earned her BS in Education, with a concentration in Psychology from Millersville University of Pennsylvania. She continued her education at Millersville to earn an MS in Education, focusing on Language and Literacy, and earning her English as a Second Language certificate. Steffany is also a certified Reading Specialist.

Steffany has taught 3rd grade in Eastern Lancaster County School District. She has also taught ESL classes to grades K-5 in Wilson School District. Steffany has taught online English education to students from around the world and also volunteered at the local Literacy Council to tutor adults in English.

Steffany has presented at educator conferences in Philadelphia and Boston, including ASCD and PETE&C. She presented on topics focused on educating ESL students in the mainstream classroom including Total Participation Techniques, Higher Order Thinking Skills, Scaffolding, and more.

Steffany is passionate about language and culture. She believes in creating language-rich classrooms and advocating for ESL students and their families.

ESL Courses Taught

• ESL 506: Teaching the Four Skills: Reading, Writing, Listening and Speaking