Staff
Dr. David Parsons, Director
David joined INTERLINK in 1987 as a teacher, becoming director of the center at Guilford College in 1990 and director of the UNCG center in 1996, when it opened. A Greensboro native, he completed his undergraduate degree at Guilford College. A year of study in France and two years of “Quaker Service” work in Algeria led him to do an M.A. and Ph.D. in anthropology at Northwestern University. He later completed his M.A.T. in TESOL at the School for International Training. Married with two grown children, he enjoys working outdoors on weekends, traveling, and doing NYT crossword puzzles. He spent several months during three years in Saudi Arabia helping to start the INTERLINK center at Al Yamamah University.
Dr. Brad Teague, Assistant Director
Brad joined INTERLINK as the assistant director during the summer of 2010. Previously, he taught ESL to international students as well as content courses in the undergraduate and graduate programs in ESL education at Vanderbilt University. His research interests include second language acquisition and ESL teacher preparation, and he has taught and conducted research in both K-12 and adult second-language settings. He also lived, studied, and worked in different parts of Mexico for four years. Brad earned a B.A. in Spanish and linguistics from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, an M.A. in applied linguistics from the Universidad de las Américas-Puebla (Mexico), and a Ph.D. in education from Vanderbilt University. Aside from his professional activities, he enjoys spending time with his Miniature Schnauzer, reading, and traveling.
Ms. Molly Anthony, Instructor
Molly has been teaching at the UNCG center since October of 2007. From August 2006-July 2007, she taught at Shantou University in Shantou, Guangdong, China. Before that, she completed a master's degree at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis. She also worked there at an academic center that specialized in intercultural communication. Here is a photo of Molly in Jamaica with bananas on her head.
Ms. Ellen Baumgartner, Instructor
Ellen joined INTERLINK first as a part-time instructor in August, 2006 and then began full-time in January 2007. Ellen did her undergraduate work at Drew University in Madison, NJ, majoring in Behavioral Science and Education. She taught for a few years in elementary schools and pre-schools and then decided that she needed a change. Due to her love of traveling and wanting to take advantage of her Swiss citizenship, she went to Switzerland in order to improve her French and learn German. On the way, she discovered English-language teaching and earned her CELTA certificate from International House, London in 1993. She then began teaching for a private language school in the cities of Zug and Basel in Switzerland. In 2002, she returned to the States after 13 years of living abroad and pursued her M.Ed. with an ESL concentration at UNCG. While doing this, she also taught ESL to immigrants at GTCC. Ellen enjoys reading, especially historical fiction, listening to music, traveling, trying new restaurants, and playing with her dog, Sandy. She loves her students at INTERLINK because they teach her so much about their cultures and because they are so motivated to learn.
Ms. Lynn Bergschneider, Instructor
Lynn has taught in Ecuador, Japan, the United Arab Emirates, and in various cities in the U.S. She received her B.S. in Business Administration-Marketing from the University of Illiniois, Champaign-Urbana. After a few years working in international marketing, she attended the School For International Training in Brattleboro, Vermont and received her M.A. in TESOL. For the next five years she worked in the field of English for Business Purposes for the Language Institute of Japan, Sumitomo Metals, and Procter & Gamble. In 1996 she joined INTERLINK at the Terre Haute campus, took a year off to teach at the Higher Colleges of Technology in Dubai, and then returned to INTERLINK at UNCG. She still finds working with international students enriching after almost 20 years in the field. Her other passions include outdoor activities like hiking, kayaking, and gardening. She is currently an intern in the Extension Master Gardener's program at the Guilford County Extension.
Mr. David Carlisle, Instructor
Originally from Rochester, New York, David went to Indiana to study American and European history at Earlham College, spending one semester in Olomouc, Czech Republic. After graduation, he moved to the Czech city of Brno and taught kids who were just beginning to learn English, helped high school and university students improve the English they already knew, and worked with all kinds of business people who needed English for doing business. David also tried to see as much of the Czech Republic as he could and visited many of Europe's less-expensive countries. After 11 years in Europe, he returned to the United States to earn an M.A. in TESOL at the School for International Training in Vermont. David enjoys talking to and learning from people of all ages and experiences. His hobbies include photography, travel, classical music, and he's interested in history, geography, and all kinds of boring things.
Ms. Alysia Joost, Instructor
Alysia joined INTERLINK in August of 2010. Prior to that, she was the Coordinator of Student Services in the English Language Program at the University of Pennsylvania. Alysia has taught in a variety of ESL programs both in the United States and abroad. For nearly four years, she taught Business English in Madrid, Spain while honing her own skills in Spanish. After that, she moved to Philadelphia where she taught Survival English courses at the local YMCA and then continued her teaching pursuits as a Lecturer in the evening ESL program at UPenn. Alysia received her B.A. in English and Cultural Anthropology from Emory University and her M.S.Ed. in TESOL from the University of Pennsylvania. Apart from analyzing language and learning about other cultures, Alysia enjoys hiking, riding bikes, and antiquing.
Ms. Elizabeth Lammons, Instructor
Liz has been teaching at INTERLINK since August 2008. She has taught in different places in the U.S., and before INTERLINK, she taught English in Seoul, South Korea. Liz has a master's degree in TESOL from Teachers College, Columbia University. She enjoys learning about other cultures and strongly believes that there is more to connect people than to divide them. Her hobbies include reading, watching foreign films and comedies, visiting art museums and galleries, and most importantly, eating large amounts of good chocolate.
Mr. Keith Prince, Instructor
Keith has been involved in ESL work for over 20 years and has been with INTERLINK since August of 2008. Originally from Memphis, TN, Keith received his B.A .and M.A. from Carson-Newman College. He taught for seven years in Japan and did his graduate teaching in China. He has also worked in ESL programs in Jefferson City and Nashville, Tennessee. Even after 20 years of ESL work, Keith still finds great fulfillment in working with international students. He especially enjoys planning and participating in activities where students have opportunities to experience English outside the classroom. When Keith is not at school, you can find him busy in his studio at home making wheel-thrown pottery, singing with the Triad Men’s Chorus, learning about spirituality from around the world, and spending time in the western NC mountains.
Ms. Nancy Rivera, Instructor
Nancy has been teaching at INTERLINK since 2003. Before that, she taught English to immigrants at a community college. She spent one year in the AmeriCorps program giving outreach, assistance, and English classes to immigrants and refugees in the Greensboro, NC area. Nancy has an M.A. in TESOL from the School for International Training in Vermont. She earned her B.A. at Guilford College with a degree in Spanish and education. She also studied a semester at the University of Guadalajara in Mexico. Nancy loves learning from her INTERLINK students about their cultures. She also enjoys cooking, reading, watching Colombian telenovelas, and trying to keep up with her two energetic children.
Ms. Renee Perretto Smith, Administrative Assistant
Renee has been at INTERLINK since 2006 and appreciates the opportunity to meet students from all over the world. She has a bachelor's degree in psychology, which she started at UNC-Chapel Hill but finished at UNCG. She enjoys learning new things about a variety of subjects. Her hobbies include drawing and painting, making jewelry, and playing various musical instruments. Renee also volunteers with an animal-rescue program and has a few rescued animals of her own. She loves nature and spending as much time as she can outdoors, especially on long bike rides with her husband.
