Faculty and Staff

The IEI full-time faculty are experienced professionals who are trained in ESL teaching methods. Our faculty have either a Master’s degree or Ph.D. in Teaching English as a Second Language, Linguistics or a related field.

Erin Dr. Erin O’Reilly, Director // eoreilly@illinois.edu
Erin joined the IEI team in August 2014. Prior to coming to Illinois, she worked for seven years as a language program administrator for Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center in California. She holds a Ph.D. in ESL from Northcentral University and an M.A. in TESOL from Arizona State University.
Karen Hilgeman Karen Hilgeman, International Student Advisor // hilgeman@illinois.edu
Karen is the international student advisor at the Intensive English Institute, and she also teaches ESL classes. She has a master’s degree in Teaching English as a Second Language from the University of Central Missouri. She has taught students at colleges and universities in several states as well as in Japan. She has also conducted teacher training in Illinois, in China, and at many local and national conferences.
Anna Anna Kasten, Student Services Coordinator // a-kasten@illinois.edu
Anna has a master's in TESL from the University of Illinois. Her first experience abroad was as an exchange student in Austria. Before coming to the IEI in 1993, she taught EFL at universities in Japan and Venezuela. Anna coordinates Student Services for the IEI and enjoys being part of the IEI “support system."
Debbie Debbie Foster, Office Administrator // dmackerm@illinois.edu
Debbie has been at the University of Illinois for 27 years. She is the office administrator responsible for the tracking and billing of all income and expenses, along with agent information and other administrative tasks.
Kristin Kristin Bouton, Faculty // bouton@illinois.edu
Kristin has been with the IEI since 1996 and is the coordinator for the Upper Level Listening and Speaking Classes. She has an M.A. in English Literature from the University of Illinois and has been an ESL/EFL teacher since 1984. She first began teaching English in Spain where she lived for 12 years.
Peter Peter Chiligiris, Faculty // chiligir@illinois.edu
Peter has been teaching ESL for 14 years, including seven years in Asia, and has taught every age group, subject, and skill level. He has two master’s degrees from the University of Illinois: one in Education, the other in TESL and is the TOEFL component leader and testing coordinator for the IEI.
Silva Dr. Silvana Dushku, Faculty // s-dushk@illinois.edu
Silvana finished her B.A. in English Language Teaching at the University of Tirana, Albania, where she was then involved in EFL teaching and teacher training for eight years. She obtained an M.A. degree in TESL, and a Ph.D. in Education/SLATE at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She has a strong interest in teaching and researching vocabulary and spoken English, language assessment, teacher training, and online/hybrid course development.
Colin Anderson

Colin Anderson, Teacher // candrsn3@illinois.edu

Colin holds a B.A. in Linguistics from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.Colin first worked at the IEI as an undergraduate intern and has since returned in a teaching capacity. He taught university-level EFL in Guayaquil, Ecuador for one year with the Fulbright program. His interests include World Englishes, L2 accent and identity, and best practices in teaching oral skills.

Jennifer Brown

Jennifer Brown, Teacher // jabrown7@illinois.edu

Jenny Brown holds a B.A. in Linguistics from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and is currently pursuing M.A. degrees in TESL and Applied Linguistics. Jenny taught English at the elementary and junior high school level in Japan through the Japan Exchange and Teaching Program for three years, and ESL to adult learners in Canada. Jenny's teaching interests include vocabulary, motivation in second language learning, e-learning, and feedback.
Brianna Corleto

Brianna Corleto, Teacher // corleto2@illinois.edu

Brianna Corleto holds a B.A. in Art History from Virginia Tech and will complete her M.A. in TESL from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in May 2017. She has taught listening/speaking and reading/writing courses since coming to the IEI in 2015. Brianna enjoys meeting students from all over the world and helping them improve their English and achieve their personal, professional, and educational goals.
Hannah Harris

Hannah Harris, Teacher // heharris@illinois.edu

Hannah holds a B.S. in Elementary Education with specializations in ESL, English, and Spanish. In 2010, she was selected as a Golden Apple Scholar of Illinois. She has taught ESL in U.S. public schools and overseas in China and Singapore. She is currently pursuing an M.A. in TESL from the Univeristy of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Hannah's research interests include second language writing, specifically how students can influence teachers’ writing pedagogies in the writing feedback process.
Kallie-Jo Ho

Kallie-Jo Ho, Teacher // kwolf23@illinois.edu

Kallie-Jo holds a B.A. in Intercultural Studies and History from Southwest Baptist University, MO. Kallie-Jo has been teaching ESL for 6 years. She started off teaching refugees and recent immigrants in sunny Southern California. She was born and raised in Illinois and is very happy to be teaching close to home and family.

Chris Huh

Christine Huh, Cultural Engagement Coordinator // huh4@illinois.edu

Chris graduated from the University of Illinois with a B.A. in Global Studies. She started working at the IEI as an undergraduate intern. She has studied abroad in Ecuador and taught English in South Korea. Since returning to the IEI, she has taught listening and speaking, reading and writing, as well as pronunciation classes. She also supervises a wonderful team of interns. Together they work hard to make sure that all IEI students feel welcome and at home while they study at Illinois.

Jeanette Pyne

Jeanette Pyne, Teacher // perry5@illinois.edu

Jeanette holds a B.A. in Spanish and Psychology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She is finishing her Master’s degree in Teaching English as a Second Language from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and will graduate in May 2017. She is interested in teaching abroad and helping students achieve their personal and professional goals.