Michelle Benegas, PhD, TESOL Faculty

Michelle Benegas is an associate professor in the TESOL program at Hamline University in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Her TEDX Talk entitled Confessions: New Teacher of Newcomers tells of her early experiences engaging with newcomers to Minnesota. She was the 2015 President of MinneTESOL (Minnesota Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages). She was the principal investigator of the ELM (English Learners in the Mainstream) Project, a US Department of Education funded initiative that prepared over 400 teacher leaders across the state to coach their general education colleagues to effectively and respectfully meet the needs of language learners. Benegas is the co-author of Teacher Leadership for School-Wide English Learning (TESOL Press) with Amy Stolpestad. Her research interests include ESL teacher leadership, teacher leader identity, and systemic approaches to improving services for multilingual learners.

Amy Stolpestad, EdD, TESOL Faculty

Amy Stolpestad, EdD, co-authored Teacher Leadership for School-Wide English Learning with Dr. Michelle Benegas and currently serves as the Senior Director, Language Solutions, at Data Recognition Corporation. She has more than 25 years of experience in the field of K–12 second language education, teacher education, teacher professional development, and educational consulting. In her current role, she is responsible for leading the LAS Links portfolio of assessments. Stolpestad completed her doctorate in Organizational Change and Leadership at the University of Southern California. Her research interests include teacher leadership, peer instructional coaching, teacher identity, and organizational change management.

Gracie Allely, MEd, Associate Director, TESOL Education

Gracie Allely has taught K-12 ESL internationally for over ten years. She completed her master's degree in English language learning at the University of North Dakota (UND) and is currently completing her educational doctorate in educational leadership at UND.  Allely is an experienced teacher educator, program developer, and curriculum designer. She has extensive experience working with grants and co-developed a teacher training program for public school English teachers in Ecuador. Allely coordinated the transition to remote learning for the grant program in 2020. As the TESOL Education Associate Director, Allely manages TESOL’s professional learning offerings, as well as develops new courses.

Stephanie DeFrance Schmidt, MA ESL, SWEL Facilitator 

Stephanie DeFrance Schmidt is a 20-year teacher of Multilingual Learners of English. She teaches an educational methods course in the Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) program at Hamline University in Saint Paul, Minnesota. She completed her Master of Arts in English as a Second Language (now MATESOL) from Hamline. As a K-12 teacher of MLEs, Stephanie taught in Spanish and Hmong immersion programs. She is currently a SWEL faculty member, building on her experience as a SWEL coach, leading professional development and peer coaching. She has written curricula for a large, urban school district. Her research interests include Science of Reading-based approaches for Multilingual Learners of English

Jenny Leroux, MA, SWEL Facilitator

Jenny Leroux is an experienced educator and advocate for multilingual learners, currently serving as an English Language Development (ELD) Program Facilitator in a large Minnesota public school district, and as an adjunct instructor at Hamline University. With 29 years in education, Jenny has a wealth of experience as a classroom teacher and ELD teacher, working across diverse grade levels and student populations. Her passion lies in supporting teacher leadership, fostering effective literacy instruction and ensuring equitable access to learning for multilingual students.

Jenny's academic background reflects her commitment to continuous learning and professional growth. She holds bachelors’ degrees in public relations and French, as well as teaching licenses in elementary education, ESL, and reading instruction. In addition, she earned a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction, which deepened her understanding of effective teaching practices and program development