Dr. Thomas Upton, Ph.D. | Director of the Program for Intensive English, Associate Dean of Faculty Affairs at the School of Liberal Arts, Professor
Thom Upton (PhD Second Languages & Cultures Education – ESL, University of Minnesota; MA TESOL & Applied Linguistics, University of Minnesota) is the Founding Director of the Program for Intensive English. He is also a Professor of English and the Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs for the IU School of Liberal Arts at IUPUI. He lived and taught English in China for two years and has been working with ESL students as well as undergraduate and graduate students in the TESOL Program at IUPUI since 1998.
Kate Brinkmeyer, M.A. | Associate Director
Kate Brinkmeyer (M.A., English Studies and Communication, Valparaiso University, Indiana) is the Associate Director and Special Programs Coordinator in the Program for Intensive English (PIE) at IUPUI, where she also serves as a full-time lecturer. Before joining the faculty at IUPUI, Kate taught at Indiana State University, Terre Haute, Indiana, and Saint Francis University, Loretto, Pennsylvania. With over 10 years of professional teaching experience in intensive English programs, she enjoys helping students achieve their unique language goals. In addition to teaching, she has developed and coordinated numerous short-term language and cultural immersion programs at IUPUI for visiting groups from China, Japan, and Argentina, as well as ESP courses for students in the IU School of Dentistry and the IU Department of Family Medicine. From 2021-2022, Kate served as the President of the Indiana Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (INTESOL) organization.
Carrie Hall, M.S. | Assistant Director + Admissions
Carrie Hall began working in education in 2016. Since, she has made the transition to Higher Education and found a passion in helping non-native speakers reach their personal and educational goals. She has been working at the PIE since 2018 and is the Assistant Director for Student Affairs and the primary point of contact for prospective and current PIE students. Carrie enjoys spending time outside, gardening, reading, spending time with family and friends, and learning about new cultures. Carrie is a member of English USA, NAFSA, and NASPA. She is working towards her Master’s in Higher Education and looking forward to continuing her career serving students at PIE.
Rehab Morsi, M.A. | Lecturer
Rehab Morsi earned her master’s degree in TESOL from Ball State university, and she is currently a doctoral student in the Culture, Literacy, and Language Education Program at Indiana University, Bloomington. Her areas of research are second language acquisition, language and identity, and translanguaging. She is a veteran Instructor of English as a second language and ESP with 12 years’ experience teaching international students. Before joining IUPUI, Rehab was a full-time faculty member at Ball State University and has assisted programs in curriculum planning and materials development. She has presented in INTESOL and has taught a variety of teacher training courses to international scholars and instructors around the world.
Laura Colantonio, M.A. | Lecturer
Special Programs Assistant and Teacher. Laura Colantonio teaches and coordinates student activities at the PIE. She earned a Bachelor’s’ degree in English Linguistics in 2020, and she completed a Master’s degree in TESOL in 2021. She has been tutoring and teaching English learners since 2018. Laura’s professional interests are in second language literacy and intercultural communication. She also enjoys puzzles, reading, and spending time outdoors.
Kimberly Robertson, M.A. | Senior Associate Faculty
Kimberly earned her master’s degree in TESOL from IUPUI. At the PIE, she specializes in experiential learning, teaching English grammar, and helping students apply their knowledge to use the language accurately. Kimberly’s areas of professional interest include vocabulary using corpora, assessment, and reflective teaching. She is a member of and has presented at INTESOL. In addition to teaching, she is an avid tennis player and enjoys reading, cooking, and spending time with her family.
Oznur F. Dundar, M.S. | Senior Associate Faculty
Oznur graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a master’s degree in TESOL in 2007. Since then, she has been teaching English second language classes at academic level to adult students. She loves teaching and she thinks every class is unique because of the diverse personalities and cultural backgrounds of her students. She is fluent in Turkish and English. She is a mother of two adorable boys. In her free time, she enjoys traveling with her family and participating in her sons’ sports activities.
Caitlin King, M.A. | Senior Associate Faculty
Caitlin King (M.A. TESOL/Applied Linguistics from the University of Northern Iowa, B.A. Spanish/English from Central College) has been teaching ESL since 2013. She has taught in three different Intensive English Programs, as well broader Academic English channels, volunteer community English classes, an English summer camp in China, and private tutoring for English learners from all around the world. She enjoys being one of the first exposures to American culture for international students, and nothing makes her happier than seeing students acclimate and flourish in their new culture and language.
Mark J. Emmet, M.A. | Associate Faculty
Mark J. Emmett (M.A. TESOL, Bond University, Queensland, Australia – 2009)
As an IU student in the 1980’s, Mark participated in study abroad programs in both China and Ireland. In his teaching career of over 35 years, Mark worked as an instructor at the tertiary level in Japan, Australia, and the United Arab Emirates. In addition, Mark has also taught English at various universities in the U.S., including Depaul University, Michigan State University, and Purdue University Northwest. He is incredibly happy to now be a part of the Program for Intensive English here at IUPUI.
Elaine Kovalcik, M.A. | Associate Faculty
Elaine holds a certificate in TEFL from the University of Toronto as well as a MA in Spanish Literature & Language and an MLS in Library and Information Science from Indiana University. She has over 15 years of experience in instructing international students.
Vivana Gomez de Andres | Associate Faculty
Stephanie Schilling | Office Manager
