Staff
Catherine Barnhart, Executive Director, has a MS in Education Policy and Management from the University of Oregon. She has over 20 years experience working with international and minority students in higher education, and has directed numerous volunteers and students in non-profit education programs.
c.barnhart at eslcenter.org
Holly Andrews, Program Manager, has her BA in Linguistics and MA in Applied Linguistics from the University of Utah and has taught English learners of all levels in the U.S. and abroad.
h.andrews at eslcenter.org
Denise Smith, Administrative Assistant, has a MEd in Educational Psychology and is certified to teach K-12 and Special Education in Utah. In addition to 18 years educational experience, she has extensive knowledge of database management and bookkeeping software.
d.smith at eslcenter.org
Rachel Blackmer, Program Coordinator, has her BA in English literature from Brigham Young University. She has several years of experience teaching ESL, French, and Special Education classes.
r.blackmer at eslcenter.org
Jean Bingham, Program Specialist, has a MA in Education as well as an ESL teaching endorsement. She has taught ESL for several years.
info at eslcenter.org
Amanda Thorderson, Refugee Outreach Specialist, worked for the Salt Lake School District as an Alternate Language Services (ALS) Coordinator/Instructor and as a Family Outreach Worker serving low English-proficient adult refugees and immigrants.
Evariste Kabura Refugee Program Coordinator has taken university courses in education in Tanzania. He taught young adult classes for two years in refugee camps in Tanzania and he has worked as a translator for the Salt Lake School District. Evariste speaks five languages including Kirundi, Swahili, Kinyarwanda, French, and English.
e.kabura at eslcenter.org
Matthew Bryce Computer Lab Instructor has a BS in Economics from the University of Utah. He loves traveling and has lived in Brazil, China, and Egypt. He also enjoys studying foreign languages and he has studied Portugese, Arabic, Spanish, and Mandarin Chinese so far.
Beth Garstka ESL Volunteer Assistant has her BA in Humanities with an emphasis in Cross-Cultural Relations with a focus in Southeast Asian countries. She has taught English in Japan and speaks Japanese. Recently she has joined our staff as an Americorps member as the volunteer coordinator and by teaching ESL to the refugees in the Salt Lake community.
b.garstka at eslcenter.org
As an Equal Opportunity Employer, the English Skills Learning Center prohibits discrimination on the basis of race/ethnicity, creed, color, national origin, age, gender, or sexual orientation. ESL Center complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, which protects qualified applicants and employees with disabilities from discrimination in hiring, promotion, discharge, pay, job training, fringe benefits, classification, and other aspects of employment on the basis of disability. If any person feels that she/he has experienced discrimination or needs an accommodation, they should submit their concern in writing to the Executive Director.