English-Language Learners

TESOL International Hires New Executive Director

By Corey Mitchell — March 28, 2017 1 min read
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Chris Powers will serve as the next executive director of TESOL International Association, the organization for teachers who specialize in working with English-learners.

Current TESOL Executive Director Rosa Aronson will step down this spring, leaving the job after seven years at the helm. The Alexandria, Va.-based organization has 12,100 members and 115 affiliate organizations around the globe.

Powers is the director of the Education Abroad Programs Division at the Washington-based Institute of International Education where he oversees efforts that support language education from kindergarten through graduate school in 37 countries.

“Now more than ever, our efforts to bring people together to advance the English-language teaching agenda is critical,” Powers said in a prepared statement announcing his appointment.

During the interview process, Powers “conveyed a clear understanding of the challenges and opportunities facing the organization,” TESOL board President Ester de Jong, a professor of English-as-a-second-language and bilingual education at the University of Florida, said in a prepared statement.

TESOL’s board hired executive search firm Vetted Solutions to manage the search for Aronson’s successor. Here’s a look at the release announcing Powers’ hiring.

A version of this news article first appeared in the Learning the Language blog.