Gokhan Alkanat
Director, International Center

Email: alkanat@rowan.edu
Phone: +1 (856) 256-4292

Jay Tran
Assistant Director, ELP

Email: tran@rowan.edu
Phone: +1 (856) 361-2915 - Camden
Phone: +1 (856) 256-5768 - Glassboro

Mr. Jay Tran is an assistant director of the Intensive English Language Program (IELP).  His main responsibilities include student advising and student services.

Mr. Tran obtained his Master of Art degree in Student Services from Rowan University in 1999. He started working in the IELP Program as a graduate assistant from 1998 to 1999.  After graduating from the M.A program, he became an Educational Opportunity Fund (EOF) counselor from 1999 to 2014. In fall 2014, he became Assistant Director of the Intensive English Language Program (IELP). 

He is passionate about serving and helping students who come from diverse backgrounds.  He enjoys advising students on their career paths.  He has strong understanding of the needs of English language learners (ELLs) and international students.

Frank Rubio
Lead Teacher, ELP

Email: rubio@rowan.edu
Phone: +1 (856) 256-5767

Frank Rubio received a M.S. in TESOL from Temple University in Philadelphia (2002). Mr. Rubio’s teaching experience began at DPT Business School as a full-time instructor for the ESL Department. Transitioning into ESL Director in 2003, He was responsible for both the Philadelphia and Denver programs. He moved to Rowan University in 2005 as an adjunct instructor of ESL and was promoted to a ¾ time faculty position in 2007 and remained in this position until 2015. Currently, He is the Lead Instructor for the IELP program at Rowan University. He has extensive experience as a teacher in a variety of settings such as community based, adult basic skills, and refugee resettlement programs. Professional memberships include, but are not limited to, International TESOL, Penn TESOL East, and NJBE TESOL. He has conducted seminars and lectures on a variety of language-focused topics. His specific areas of interest, in the field of ESL learning, include project-based learning and flipped classroom instruction.

Jessica Jarbouh-Rafeh
Teacher, ELP

Email: jarbouh@rowan.edu

Jessica Jarbouh-Rafeh has been a professor of the Intensive English Language Program for three years. She obtained her master’s degree in Higher Education Instructional Track with a focus on ESL at Rowan University in 2017. In 2009, she obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in Spanish and International Studies at Rowan University. In 2006, she received an associate’s degree in Elementary Education from Camden County College. She has also taught Spanish and English to students overseas such as Venezuela and the Middle East. She has volunteered as a translator in the INS department, as well as a tutor in many middle schools and high schools in the Philadelphia and Jersey area. Mrs. Jarbouh-Rafeh is currently a Township Committee Woman in Pennsauken, New Jersey.

Mrs. Jarbouh-Rafeh is extremely proud to be an employee of her Alma mater Rowan University. She believes that teaching ESL students has taught her so much. She feels that she can easily identify their needs, because she was an ESL student herself. Mrs. Jarbouh-Rafeh speaks three languages: Spanish, English and Arabic. Knowing more than one language has facilitated her conversations with many of her students. She considers herself a self-motivated teacher that enjoys pursuing and disseminating knowledge.

Lauren Remenyi
Teacher, ELP

Email: remenyi@rowan.edu

Lauren Remenyi has been teaching ESL for the past 3 years at Rowan, the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, and the Community College of Baltimore County. She teaches Level 5 Reading and Level 2 Grammar and Listening/Speaking, and has taught a wide variety of other classes and levels at different institutions, specializing in grammar and speaking/pronunciation. Having studied theatre performance and working extensively in theatre before beginning her teaching career, Lauren employs drama techniques in her teaching methods and loves to bring elements of the theatre into her classroom.

Lauren has lived and taught in Trujillo, Peru, and presented research and methods at TESOL conferences in Spain, El Salvador, and Canada. She has traveled extensively in South Africa, Europe, Latin America, and the Caribbean, and speaks conversational French and basic Spanish. 

In her free time, Lauren enjoys swimming, playing kickball, SCUBA diving, cooking, watching movies and TV, and doing crafts and home improvement. Lauren’s favorite thing about teaching ESL is learning about the cultures and backgrounds of her students and helping young adults ensure a better future for themselves.

Elizabeth A. Rosenberg
Teacher, ELP

Email: rosenberg@rowan.edu

Liz joined the IELP at Rowan University in 2011.  She teaches Writing, Reading, and Listening & Speaking classes.  Her overall goal is to help students increase their skills, so that they can feel confident communicating in English.  She has previously taught ESL classes at the DPT School in Philadelphia and ESL classes at Harcum College in Bryn Mawr, PA.

She has a Bachelor of Science degree in Speech, a Master of Arts degree in Speech Pathology, a Master of Education in the Psychoeducational Process, and is a member of professional associations, International TESOL and Pennsylvania TESOL.  Her background in a variety of fields, including career counseling, corporate training, and speech pathology give her a breadth of experience that adds to her classroom experience.   Most of all, she enjoys teaching, and learning about the cultures and traditions of her students. ​

Terese Q. Skelly

Email: skellyt@rowan.edu

CELTA Qualification, Cambridge University, 2013.  Internationally accepted teaching qualification for Teaching English to Speakers of other Languages.

TESOL Certificate, University of Pennsylvania, 2011.

University of Pennsylvania, 1987, BA International Relations.

Rowan University ELP Instructor, Sept. 2019 – present

Shuang (Vivian) Ru
Teacher, ELP

Email: ru@rowan.edu

Vivian joined IELP at Rowan University in 2019. She teaches reading, writing, listening & speaking and grammar classes. Her goals of teaching are to help students develop English skills, grow confidence in communicating with people, live or further study in America. As an immigrant herself, Vivian understands the difficulties and struggles of being a “newcomer” in this country. Therefore, in her teaching, she encourages students through her own learning and life experiences to better equip students both in class and outside.

Vivian has a Bachelor of Art degree in English, a Master of Art degree in Linguistics, and a Master of Art degree in Teaching English as a Second Language. She has previously taught English in different institutions in China, helping students gain better scores in TOEFL and IELTS. She has been a tutor and an instructor at ELI of University of Delaware. Vivian believes teaching ESL has taught her a lot because she has learned different cultures, developed empathy, and understood students’ varying needs. She is a passionate and helpful teacher who takes teaching ESL as her life-long career.

Christopher Rothschild
Teacher, ELP

Email: rothschild@rowan.edu

M.A., English

Temple University, May 2006

B.A., English

Rutgers University, May 2004

Martha Wright

Email: wrightmw@rowan.edu

Ph.D., Educational Linguistics, Graduate School of Education, University of Pennsylvania,

Philadelphia, PA, 2002

M.A., Linguistics, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, 1990

B.A., Linguistics, University of Pennsylvania, 1980

Rowan University ELP Instructor, January 2020 – present