TECs Trainers

Karen is the volunteer ESL Coordinator at Literacy Connexus and the Director of ESL Ministry at Southland Baptist Church in San Angelo. There she teaches ESL classes and tutors students to get their Citizenship. Karen has 25 years of ESL teaching under her belt and has 3 of her own workshops. Before she taught ESL she was a Missionary in New York City and studied French in Paris, France in 1961. In 2010 Karen was awarded volunteer of the year by Literacy Texas  

Kathleen Yarborough is the Director of Community Ministries at West University Baptist and Crosspoint Church in Houston, TX.  She leads the ESL ministry and coordinates the local mission efforts. Kathleen began teaching ESL in 2001 and has served as a volunteer teacher and program director and full time staff. She has also taught English in China for several summer programs with high school students. Kathleen is a trainer with Literacy ConneXus which assists faith based programs in developing ESL and literacy programs and training teachers. She is married to her husband Steve who both cooks AND cleans and has a basset hound baby whose name she cannot tell you or she would have to reset all her passwords!

 Angela is an apprentice trainer for Literacy Connexus in the Houston area. She has been with Literacy Connexus for 2 years.   Angela has been an ESL teacher for the past 7 years in public schools.  She is currently teaching high school ESOL, English Language Development, and Reading.  She graduated with a Masters in TESOL from University of Saint Thomas in 2019.  She is currently working on a PhD in Curriculum and Instruction.  Angela has two adult children.  Her daughter attends the University of Houston and her son attends Maine Maritime Academy so she has been blessed to travel to Maine.  They enjoy camping and doing things together as a family. 

Cindy is a faculty member in the Department of Linguistics and TESOL at The University of Texas at Arlington, where she also directs the English Language Institute. She presents regularly about teacher training, language teaching, language learning, and linguistics at local, national, and international venues. She is passionate about language, teaching, travel, and her Kiddo Alex. Cindy is a TECs trainer in the DFW metro area and has been volunteering with Literacy ConneXus since 2015.

Matthew Johnston has been an ESOL Instructional Specialist at Dallas College since 2016. One of his favorite recent projects is developing a listening/speaking class that integrates leadership training and Project Based Learning, which culminates in student-created leadership portfolios and a service project. Another fun project in the midst of a challenging pandemic is a monthly ‘news’ video for his ESOL department. Many years ago, while studying for a Masters in Global Leadership from Dallas Baptist University, he was an intern at Literacy ConneXus, and he is so glad to be back. Matthew is excited to be an apprentice trainer and help churches serve their communities through ESL. 

Katie Welch, Ph.D., is a university instructor, teacher trainer, and active volunteer in adult ed classrooms. In addition to teaching international students in UT-Arlington’s English Language Institute and volunteering weekly in a community-based ESL/GED program, Katie currently provides professional development to language teachers through partnerships with the U.S. Department of State, Cambridge University Press, and Literacy Connexus. Katie’s innovative classroom ideas have been published in academic journals such as Language and American Speech, and she presents regularly at national and international conferences, including TESOL International, COABE, and the National Center for Families Learning.

Olga is a native Russian speaker who immigrated to the US from Latvia. She and her husband had served with the International Mission Board in Moscow, Russia and Toronto, Canada where Olga was actively involved in ESL ministry. Upon their return to Texas, Olga worked as an adjunct ESOL instructor at the Dallas College and is currently an ESOL teacher at Skyline High School in Dallas. Olga earned a Master of Divinity from Criswell College and MATESOL from Biola University. She has been an apprentice trainer with Literacy ConneXus for two years. Olga and Mark live in Forney, Texas with their five children.