He has an M.A. in TESOL from Teachers College, Columbia University, and a Ph.D. in Applied Linguistics from New York University. He has over two decades of experience in TESOL as a teacher and teacher-trainer. He taught English language learners in Spain and then at the City University of New York for a decade. He has trained English language teachers overseas in Kaliningrad, Russia as a Senior Fellow in the State Department’s Office of English Language Programs, and as a Fulbright Scholar in Panama. He holds a K-12 ESOL license in Vermont.