Deena Boraie Elected to Serve as First Arab President of TESOL

February 19, 2012

Deena Boraie Elected to Serve as First Arab President of TESOL

Deena Boraie, associate dean for instructional affairs at AUC’s School of Continuing Education, was recently elected as the first Arab president of Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL), a U.S.-based international organization that seeks to advance professional expertise in English language teaching and learning for speakers of other languages worldwide.

“It’s a very personal honor and recognition,” said Boraie. “I consider this to be the height of my professional career.”

Boraie has been serving as president-elect of Nile TESOL, the organization’s affiliate in Egypt, when she received an inquiry from TESOL’s nomination committee on her interest to run for president. She had played an active role in the establishment of Nile TESOL and has been a member of the international TESOL’s board of directors since 2007.

Boraie’s professional relationship with TESOL began in 1990, when she began attending its annual conferences, participated in voluntary work and served on the organization’s committees. Boraie was also assigned a mentoring program to develop leadership skills. In 2007, she was elected as director of international TESOL’s board.

“Undoubtedly, AUC’s support has been instrumental in helping me achieve this accomplishment,” noted Boraie. “AUC is a leading institution when it comes to teaching English as a foreign language. Approximately 25,000 students enroll each year at the School of Continuing Education to study English across its various and diverse programs. This is a major industry.”

Boraie earned her Master of Arts in teaching English as a foreign language from AUC. She has a PhD in education from the University of Wolverhampton in the United Kingdom. Her career at AUC began in 1982 as an English language teacher at the Division of Public Service, which later on became known as the Center for Adult and Continuing Education.

As president, Boraie hopes to contribute to the advancement of TESOL, as well as support the development and implementation of powerful professional learning opportunities for all TESOL members in a variety of contexts. She hopes to provide practical ideas that will support teachers’ learning opportunities, and develop relationships and improve communication with all possible partners and organizations in support of TESOL’s efforts to provide professional development and leadership opportunities. Bridging research and practice, Boraie believes that TESOL must encourage research to discover the kinds of professional knowledge that teachers need. She will work on developing strategies for identifying the research needs of classroom practitioners in different regions and establishing effective linkages between international and local researchers and classroom practitioners.

TESOL has more than 100 affiliates across the world, half of which are located outside the United States. “With today’s challenging and competitive working environments, professional development is key,” said Boraie. “In the Arab world, learning English provides career opportunities, and it opens doors. It essentially becomes a tool for enhancing life.”