TFLA Regional Advocates

	Megan Whalon is a Spanish and French teacher at CAST Tech High School in San Antonio ISD. She was nominated to be an Emerging Leader for the Leadership Initiative for Language Learning (LILL) representing the Texas Foreign Language Association. Megan is a Senior Fellow for Teach Plus, an educational policy fellowship that gave her opportunities to write op-eds, co-author policy memos and speak with policymakers. Through LILL, Megan is working towards building a multilingual Texas by inspiring and training teachers in how to advocate for World Languages. She believes that every student deserves access to high quality language programs.  She was named CAST Tech Teacher of the Year for the 2017-2018 school. She graduated from State University of New York College at Brockport with a BA in French and Spanish and received her MEd from Texas State in Secondary Education with a concentration in educational technology.
	​Norma is an educator in Round Rock, TX. She lives with her husband, four extra-large dogs, a bearded dragon, and a ball python. Norma teaches Spanish and believes that by teaching and learning other languages we can embrace other cultures, expand our world view, and limit barriers between people around the world.
	Meredith Clark is the Consultant for LOTE and Fine Arts at Region 10 ESC in Richardson, Texas.   In 2012, she earned her doctoral degree in Hispanic Literature from the University of Texas at Austin.  Her professional roles include:  World Language Specialist in Dallas ISD, Visiting Assistant Professor of Hispanic Studies at the College of William and Mary, Assistant Instructor of Spanish at the University of Texas in Austin and Spanish teacher at MacArthur High School in San Antonio.  When she’s not facilitating teacher workshops and advocating for World Language education, Meredith enjoys spending time with her husband Cory, her palomino quarter horse, Spiderman, and her parakeet, Tex.
	Dr. Christine Cloud is from Huntsville, Texas. She graduated from Texas Lutheran University with a BA in History and Spanish. She later attended graduate school at The Ohio State University and graduated with an MA in Latin American Literature and Culture and a PhD in Golden Age Peninsular and Colonial Latin American Literatures and Cultures.  Since moving back to the Houston area in 2014 and getting her LOTE certification in that same state, she has been teaching advanced Spanish classes at Magnolia High School in Magnolia, Texas.  She currently resides in The Woodlands, Texas with her husband, her son and her daughter.
	Carol Anne Costabile-Heming is Professor of German at the University of North Texas. She received her PhD in German literature and culture from Washington University in St. Louis in 1992. She has distinguished herself as a scholar of 20th- and 21stcentury German literature and culture. She has served the profession in a variety of capacities including President of the American Association of Teachers of German (AATG) and President of the Southern Conference on Language Teaching (SCOLT). She has served on the boards of a variety of organizations: Missouri Chapter of AATG (1998-2005); German Studies Association (2006-2008); AATG (2008-2011); SCOLT (2012-2017); JNCL-NCLIS Board of Directors (2014-2016). She currently serves as a member of the Modern Language Association Delegate Assembly and on the MLA Committee on the Status of Women in the Profession.
	Elisabeth Howell taught French all over Texas for 16 years and is currently serving as the LOTE Facilitator for Lamar CISD in Richmond, Texas.  She is also serving on the TFLA Executive Board as President.  Having lived in both Germany and Senegal, she understands the necessity of being bilingual in today’s society.
	Manuela Solinas Langlois was born and raised in Sardinia, Italy. She graduated Magna Cum Laude with a master’s degree in Modern Languages and Literatures, focusing on Russian and German from the Universita’ degli Studi di Cagliari. From 1997-1999, she worked in London and then moved to the United States in 2001 to begin working as a teacher/tutor for the Italian Cultural Center in Houston. She started the French and German programs for a new Goose Creek Consolidated high school in 2009, where she currently teaches all levels of French, including Pre-AP and AP. Since 2012, Manuela has served as the LOTE department chair for Goose Creek Memorial High School, and she is the district sponsor of the French Honor Society. She has served as an AP French Reader for the College Board since 2015. She currently lives in League City with her husband and 13-year-old daughter.
	Jay Malone is an experienced educator of German and ESL who left the classroom in 2016, but remains devoted to growing language education in Texas. He lives in Houston with his wife Katy and their cat Simon.
	Sharon Stout has been teaching Spanish at the secondary level for 29 years. She earned a bachelor's degree in Spanish and history from SMU, a master's in Spanish from Middlebury College, and a master's in educational leadership from the University of North Texas. She has studied in Mexico and Spain, and has traveled in Spain, Mexico, Puerto Rico, and Panama.
	Martha Vasquez is a proud AATSP, ACTFL, TALS, and TFLA member.  She is the current President of the American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese (AATSP).  She holds two bachelor’s degrees: one in Spanish Language with a concentration in Hispanic Cultures and a second in Theology from St. Mary’s University. She also completed two master’s degrees: one in Spanish Language and Culture from the University of Texas at San Antonio and another in Educational Administration from Concordia University at Austin. She is a World Languages advocate and has served as the World Languages and Cultures Lead Teacher and District Coordinator in two of the largest districts in the San Antonio area, where she has coached and mentored new and experienced World Languages teachers. She has taught at the high school and college levels and has been honored locally and at the state level for her contributions to service centered instruction while growing enrollment, instructional quality, and student participation. ​

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Are you interested in joining our team?  Please contact Megan Whalon at advocacy@tfla.org.