Meet our Faculty

Whitney Clarcq Reis is the English Language Programs Coordinator. She is originally from Watertown, New York and now lives in Natick, Massachusetts. Whitney earned a Master in Teaching English as a Second Language from Framingham State University and completed a Baccalaureate in History and Education. She teaches in our Intensive and Community English Programs. She enjoys developing new classes and curriculum to meet the ever-changing needs of our students. Whitney has traveled to England, Italy, Venezuela and Brazil.

Meg Foster is a native of Massachusetts. She studied in both the USA and England for her undergraduate degree and earned her master’s degree at Boston College. Meg has a wide range of teaching experience in ESL. She also brings a real-life business perspective to her teaching because she is a licensed commercial real estate broker who has worked with several prestigious firms in the USA.

Andrea Vij was a music teacher before she became an English teacher. She earned Bachelor’s Degrees in Voice Performance and Music Education from Drake University and a Master’s Degree in Choral Music from the University of Illinois. After teaching and advising international students at New England Conservatory in Boston, she decided to earn a certificate in Teaching English as a Second Language. Andrea taught English at The Boston Language Institute and Pine Manor College before joining the Intensive English Program at Framingham State University.

Neil Brady has a Master’s degree in Communications as well as Certification in TEFL and an Educator's Certificate in English from the MA Dept. of Education. He has taught at Framingham State University since 2014.  He has been teaching at a number of private English Language schools in the Boston area since 2009, including English for international business.

Olivia Siteman is an English instructor for the Intensive and Community English Programs. She was born and raised in Walpole, Massachusetts but now lives in Plainville, Massachusetts with her (soon-to-be) husband.  Olivia received her Bachelor's Degree in History and Foreign Languages at Roger Williams University and later received her Master's Degree in Applied Linguistics at University of Massachusetts, Boston.

Laurie Christie is an instructor for the English Language Programs at Framingham State University.  She was educated at New England College, and Bridgewater State University.  She has been teaching ESL for 10 years and loves it.  Laurie lives in Natick.

Grace Quigua was born and raised in Boston and now lives in Sudbury. She retired from the Boston Public Schools in June 2010.   For more than thirty years Grace taught at risk youth at Madison Park Technical Vocational High School.  She graduated from Emmanuel College and has a Bachelor of Arts Degree in German language and literature.  She also has a Master Degree in Bilingual and Special Education from Regis College. 

Peter has a BS in Communication from Emerson College, and a MA in International Education Development from Columbia University.  He has taught ESL in Vilafranca del Penedes, Spain, New York, and Ambridge.  Along with working as an instructor for the ELP at Framingham State University, Peter also works as a Senior Admissions Counselor for MassBay Community College. He has visited 55 countries including the Netherlands, Spain and Switzerland.  Peter believes language learning should be fun and communicative. He tries to create classes with a variety of activities which challenge students to produce English language in situations that they will encounter outside of class.

Mary Boehmer is originally from Biloxi, Mississippi and attended the University of Mississippi for her B.A. in Linguistics with minors in Russian and Spanish. After graduating, she spent two years teaching English and American Studies as a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant in Irkutsk and Nizhni Novgorod before pursuing her M.A. in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages at Teachers College, Columbia University. Since then, she has primarily taught ESL at Framingham State and other institutions in the Boston area.

Rita DeOliveira began teaching at FSU in 2011.  She earned a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from Marist College, and received her TESOL certification from the University of Vermont.  Ms. DeOliveira has taught many classes with adult students; she has also taught high school and middle school students. 

Alan Finkel has traveled many times to Europe, Central America, and French Canada, soaking up the cultures, trying the local languages, and experiencing what it’s like to struggle to communicate. That’s why he loves teaching English as a Second Language at Framingham State. He also teaches Professional Writing (online) at FSU and is a certified teacher in Massachusetts in both History and English. 

Karen Hunter has been teaching ESL for the FSU English Language Program since May, 2015. She holds a Masters of Education Degree for the Teaching of English as a Second Language from Framingham State College/University. She is a returning teacher who previously taught ESL for the Framingham State College Adult Community ESL Program while a graduate student. She also holds a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Massachusetts at Boston where she majored in German.

Susan Klein became an ESL teacher in 2009 after a 25-year career in journalism and investor relations. Before teaching at Framingham State, Susan lived in France for three years and taught English at top universities for science, aerospace and architecture. Susan has traveled extensively in Europe, Africa and Asia. She holds a bachelor’s degree in English and a master’s degree in journalism, both from the University of California, Berkeley.

Alex K. Oliveira earned his MA in English as a Second Language Teaching from the University of Massachusetts Boston, where he was also a Graduate Assistant and Coordinator of Professional Training Programs in the Division of Continuing Education. He has had an extensive career in Teaching English for Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL), as a teacher, as a program administrator, and as a materials and curriculum developer. For over 25 years, he has worked with adult learners of diverse backgrounds, both in the US and in Brazil, in settings ranging from workplace programs and community colleges to private language institutes and universities, both public and private

I have lived in five different states, starting in California, where I studied Spanish, and ending here in Massachusetts. At the University of California at Santa Cruz, I earned a BA in English and at the University of Delaware, I earned my MA in English. I  enjoy traveling both within the United States and outside, most recently having lived in the Netherlands for a semester. When I am not doing this, I teach writing and literature at Mount Ida College in Newton.