ALEXANDRIA, Va., June 23, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- With more than 15 years serving the language education community, Dr. Zamora has been a K-12 language teacher and administrator in public and private school settings, a postsecondary language program instructor and assistant director, and researcher. Most recently, she has been serving as ACTFL's Senior Manager of Quality Assurance and Certifications since 2019. The daughter of first-generation immigrants from Venezuela and Cuba, Dr. Zamora is a passionate advocate of heritage language learners.

Dr. Zamora completed her doctoral degree in Spanish Applied Linguistics from Georgetown University, where she was awarded the Harold N. Glassman Distinguished Dissertation Award in the social sciences. She attended West Point, is a proud graduate from Florida International University, and has studied various languages, including Portuguese, Japanese, Italian, and Ladino.

Paul Sandrock, current Interim Director of Professional Learning and Certification, and former Director of Education and Past President of ACTFL, will become Senior Advisor, Language Learning Initiatives, on July 1. In this role, Mr. Sandrock will focus on special projects in support of ACTFL's mission.

"I'm excited to welcome Dr. Celia Zamora to the post of Director of Professional Learning and Certification and to the Leadership team at ACTFL. Her combination of professional experience and personal story will serve as tremendous assets to language educators, our learners, and the profession," said Howie Berman, ACTFL Executive Director. "I am also grateful that we will continue to benefit from Paul Sandrock's tremendous breadth and depth of knowledge and skill as he transitions into a new advisor role."                                                               

About ACTFL:

Providing vision, leadership and support for quality teaching and learning of languages, ACTFL is an individual membership organization of more than 13,000 language educators and administrators from elementary through graduate education, as well as government and industry. Since its founding in 1967, ACTFL has become synonymous with innovation, quality, and reliability in meeting the changing needs of language educators and their learners. It is where the world's educators, businesses, and government agencies go to advance the practice of language learning.

ACTFL's work as a trusted, independent center of excellence empowers educators to prepare learners for success in a 21^st century global society; helps government agencies build language capacity in the U.S. and abroad; and connects businesses with the resources and relationships they need to succeed.

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SOURCE ACTFL