Greetings fellow teachers and administrators!

We are thrilled to announce that we have four outstanding volunteers ready to serve on the NM TESOL Board of Directors. Our bylaws dictate that we hold an election, so please click on the link below to vote and show your support for these teachers and administrators who will serve for the next two years on the board. The “election” will be open for one week.

NM TESOL Board of Directors Ballot Link (google.com)

President:

Lehman Heaviland recently moved to Albuquerque from the Midwest to pursue his PhD in Language, Literacy, and Sociocultural studies at UNM  He is currently teaching ESL to adults with Catholic Charities.  Lehman has over 15 years of experience teaching at a variety of settings including overseas in South Korea, Colombia, and Ecuador.  In his free time, he enjoys playing with his son and exploring New Mexico with his family. 

Secretary:

Cara Schroeder is a recent addition to Albuquerque Public Schools having joined Del Norte High School this past school year as its Newcomer and Refugee Resource Teacher. With over 20 years of experience teaching English Language Learners, Cara’s career started as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Russia, punctuated with nearly a decade teaching in NYC high schools, and more recent ventures abroad training English teachers through U.S. government supported programs in Ukraine, Mexico, and Taiwan. As a former Coverdell Fellow at Teachers College, Columbia University, Cara holds a Master’s degree in TESOL and is a former board member of Colorado TESOL. She hates humidity, leans green when it comes to chiles, and solicits your hot spring recommendations.

Web Coordinator:

Kelsey McCaffrey was born and raised in Northern California. Ms. McCaffrey started her career in education as a kindergarten teacher at Albuquerque Collegiate through Teach for America, while also working towards her TESOL endorsement to work with English Learners. In her first year of teaching, Ms. McCaffrey achieved significant academic growth with her students before the school year was interrupted by COVID-19. In 2020, Ms. McCaffrey became active in education policy as the ACCS Teacher Liaison to the Public Education Department. The following year Ms. McCaffrey grew in her leadership and joined the ACCS leadership team and she took on the role of Intervention Teacher and Coach as she coached new teachers on the best teaching strategies in the nation. In 2021 Ms. McCaffrey was accepted into TeachPlus as a policy fellow and used her teacher voice to advocate for positive policy change for New Mexico’s students. Currently Ms. McCaffrey is working towards her masters in Educational Studies and Leadership at Johns Hopkins University and currently works as Albuquerque Collegiate’s Principal in Residence for Elementary. 

Membership Coordinator:

Eva Goldstrom – I believe every child is unique and deserves a caring, inspiring, and engaging atmosphere in which they can grow emotionally, intellectually and socially. My name is Eva Goldstrom. I am a native New Mexican born and raised in Santa Fe, New Mexico. My father was a Mexican immigrant, now a Naturalized citizen who had a huge influence on my passion and commitment to encouraging students of diverse cultures to master the English language and develop a love for learning. I graduated with my bachelors degree in Elementary Education with an endorsement in TESOL from the University of New Mexico. I have 17 years of experience teaching ESL/Bilingual Kindergarten, 2nd grade and currently I am the ELD coordinator at Colinas Del Norte Elementary. I have held leadership roles such as grade level chair, SAT chair, Thinking Maps trainer, and currently I am working on Structural Literacy coaching. In my classes you can expect a supportive and encouraging environment in which students strive for excellence, respect one another and know as their teacher I am always going to offer my love, acceptance and grace. 

Please keep an eye on your email for more information about the September NMAEA/ NM TESOL/ NM HED conference. Also, please enjoy the rest of your summer. We hope you are all getting recharged for the upcoming school year.

With warm regards, yet sending cool vibes,



NM TESOL Board