DEVIN JENKINS
Director , L2TReC Associate Professor, Spanish
Devin Jenkins
Director & Associate Professor
801-646-7535| LNCO 1930C
devin.jenkins@utah.edu
Education: B.A. University of Colorado
M.A. & Ph.D. University of New Mexico
Interests:
- Spanish in the United States
- Spanish Sociolinguistics
- L2 Phonetics
Before joining the University of Utah, Dr. Jenkins spent 23 years at the University of Colorado Denver, including 13.5 years as a Department Chair. He is a Past President of the Linguistic Association of the Southwest (LASSO).
CATHERINE SCOTT
Associate Director, Administration
Catherine Scott
Associate Director, Administration
801-585-9438 | LNCO 1930D
c.scott@utah.edu
Education: B.A., International Relations, San Francisco State University.
Interests: She has held university administrative roles (UC Berkley, University of Pittsburgh and the University of Utah) for over twenty-five years and has managed federal grants for the last 15 years. She oversees L2TReC's grant activities and manages the day-to-day operations of the Center.
LISSIE AH YEN
Program Coordinator, Administration & Associate Instructor, Samoan
Lissie Ah Yen
Coordinator, Administrative Program
801-581-7570 | LNCO 1930E
l.ahyen@utah.edu
Education: B.S., Information Systems, Brigham Young University Hawaii.
Interests/Hobbies: Before joining the center Lissie served as the Administrative Assistant to the Dean and Chair of College of Human Development and School of Education at the Brigham Young University Hawaii for 7 years.
- Culture
- Language
- Community Involvement
- Event Management
- Designer
- Music
- Dance
- Sports
- Travel
- Baking
- Sewing
- Photography
RAQUEL NIXON
Program Assistant
Raquel Nixon
Program Assistant | LNCO 1930 raquel.nixon@utah.edu | 801-587-8554
Education: B.A., Weber State University
Interests: Writing, communication, language, culture and music.
YEJIN JUNG
Post-Doctoral Researcher
Yejin Jung
Post-Doctoral Research Assistant | LNCO 1930B
y.jung@utah.edu | 801-587-0619
Education: Ph.D., Lancaster University (UK)
Interests: Corpus Linguistics, Second Language (L2) Teaching and Assessment, Pragmatics
Yejin is the Principal Investigator (PI) of the learner corpus projects at L2TReC, MuSSeL and CUDLI. She manages the construction of the corpora as well as conducts corpus-based research using them. Yejin welcomes any suggestions or collaborations on utilizing MuSSeL and CUDLI. Feel free to reach out to discuss your ideas (or just to say hi).
JILL LANDES-LEE
State Director, Utah Bridge Program
Jill Landes-Lee
State Director, Bridge Program
801-585-2682| LNCO 1930
jill.landes-lee@utah.edu
Education: B.A., University of Wisconsin-Madison; M.A., Ed.D., University of Utah.
Interests: K-20 pathways for dual language immersion (DLI) and Heritage language students; Effects of DLI on college readiness, college access & postsecondary achievement.
She serves on the executive board for the Southwest States Association for Language Teachers (SWCOLT) and the state board for Utah Foreign Language Teaching Association (UFLA).
ROBERT M. STRONG
Coordinator, Spanish Bridge Program
Robert M. Strong
Director of Curriculum & Coordinator, Spanish Bridge Program
Director of Curriculum & Coordinator, Spanish Bridge Program | LNCO 1930 robert.strong@utah.edu
Education: B.A and M.A., Brigham Young University; Ph.D., University of Minnesota
Interests: L2 writing, L2 pronunciation pedagogy, language attitudes, dual language immersion
Rob is passionate about teaching and teacher training. He has taught Spanish and linguistics since his undergraduate work and has since held positions at the University of Minnesota, Wartburg College, the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, and Brigham Young University. He holds a Ph.D. in Hispanic Linguistics with supporting studies in Second Languages and Cultures Education from the University of Minnesota.
KATIE MARIN
Coordinator, Spanish Bridge Program Coordinator, Northern French, German and Portuguese Bridge Program
Katie Marin
Education: B.A. and Masters of Second Language Teaching from Utah State University, Utah Secondary Teaching License
Interests: Dual language immersion, languages and cultures, second language acquisition, early college access, educator's professional development and support, language pathways
As part of this progressive program, Katie has worked hard to strengthen the partnership between Utah State University and the Utah Bridge Program through L2TReC at the University of Utah. She has worked with the Dual Language Immersion Program since 2017 through Weber State University, the University of Utah and Utah State University in 10 different schools across 6 different school districts throughout Utah. She teaches with a very talented team of teachers in the Bridge co-teaching model at several high schools across Utah as well as supporting instructors in French, German, Portuguese and Spanish in their Bridge Program positions. Her passion for language learning and knowledge of the program are valuable to its continuation and success.
CLAUDIA LOUIS
Coordinator, Spanish Bridge Program
Claudia Louis
Coordinator, Spanish Bridge Program claudia.louis@utah.edu
Education:B.A. & M.A., Secondary Education English and Spanish, University of Kiel, Germany; M.A., Language Pedagogy German, University of Utah; Secondary Teaching License (Utah, Germany); Doctoral candidate, Composition & Applied Linguistics, Indiana University of Pennsylvania.
Interests: Critical Language Awareness, Language learning investment, Spanish L2 & Heritage Language
pedagogy, L2 writing.
ANNE LAIR
Director of Curriculum & Coordinator, French Bridge Program
Professor/Lecturer, French-World Languages and Cultures
801-581-7534 | LNCO 1212
anne.lair@utah.edu
Education: Ph.D., The Ohio State University
Interests: Teacher training, bilingualism, proficiency, interculturality, teaching of culture, pedagogy, and symbolism of food.
Recipient of the 2020 AATF Dorothy Ludwig Excellence in Teaching Award at the Post-Secondary level. She has been accredited as the Honorary Consul of France in Utah since 2017 and was recognized as Chevalier dans l'Ordre des Palmes Académiques in May 2017. Anne serves on the board of directors of the Language Connects Foundation (ACTFL).
SHIN CHI FAME KAO
Director of Curriculum & Coordinator, Chinese Bridge Program
Director of Curriculum & Coordinator, Chinese Bridge Program
801-585-0988 | LNCO 1930
shinchi.famekao@utah.edu
Education: B.S., National Cheng-Chi University, Taiwan; M.Sc., University of Strathclyde, U.K.; Ed.D, University of Utah
Interests: Immersion education; professional development and support for educators; second language pedagogy; Chinese languag and cultures; Chinese language proficiency assessment.
Possessing K-12 credentials in both Utah and California, she brings over 23 years of teaching experience in K-12 schools, along with diverse administrative roles in both states. She has served as a reader for the AP Chinese Language and Culture Exam for the College Board and has been an ACTFL-certified Oral Proficiency Interview tester in Chinese for many years. Notably, she was honored with the 2021 Outstanding Chinese Teacher Award from the Chinese Language Association of Secondary-Elementary Schools (CLASS).
MARTY CHEN
Coordinator, Chinese Bridge Program
Marty Chen
Coordinator, Associate Instructor
801-587-8554 | LNCO 1930
marty.chen@utah.edu
Education: MEd
Interests: Growing with students. Trying and learning new things.
BLAIR BATEMAN
Director of Curriculum & Coordinator, Portuguese Bridge Program
Blair Bateman
Director of Curriculum & Coordinator, Portuguese Bridge Program
LNCO 1216 blair.bateman@utah.edu
Education: B.A and M.A., Brigham Young University; Ph.D., University of Minnesota
Interests: Language pedagogy; Portuguese language and cultures; teacher education; teaching of culture; immersion education
Before joining L2TReC, Professor Bateman worked for 19 years as a Professor of Spanish and Portuguese Pedagogy at Brigham Young University. He is the recipient of the Benjamin Cluff Award for Excellence in Teacher Education and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Utah Foreign Language Association, where he served as president from 2020-2021.
JING ZHAO
Coordinator, Chinese Bridge Program
Jing Zhao
Coordinator, Chinese Bridge Program jing.zhao@utah.edu
Education: B.A., University of Utah; M.A., Columbia University; Ph.D., University of Utah
Interests: Immersion education; second language pedagogy; AP Chinese curriculum development; integrating AI tools in language education
Jing is an experienced Chinese language educator with over a decade of teaching experience across U.S. public high schools and universities. She has presented at major national and international conferences, including ACTFL, the AP Annual Conference, and the International Conference on Immersion Education. Her classroom resources and teaching strategies have been widely adopted by Chinese teachers seeking to implement storytelling, academic discourse, and AI-powered instruction.