ESL Faculty and Staff

Kimberly Becker

Kimberly Becker grew up in Mississippi, where she earned a BA in English Literature from Millsaps College. After teaching high school for two years, Kimberly married, moved to Nashville, and became the ESL Testing Specialist/Advisor at NSCC. She loved this position so much that she decided to return to school to get her MA in Teaching English as a Second Language at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, Arizona. While at NAU, Kimberly taught both freshman composition and in the Program in Intensive English.

After graduating in 2004, she moved back to Nashville and taught as an adjunct instructor at NSCC before joining the ESL faculty in fall 2007. Now an Assistant Professor, Kimberly teaches at Nashville State’s new Southeast Campus on Hickory Hollow Parkway in southeast Nashville. In her free time, Kimberly enjoys spending time with her husband and two sons, practicing yoga, gardening, hiking, cooking, reading, and writing.

Diane Eagle

Diane is from the great state of Illinois, and completed her Bachelor’s degree in French and her Master’s degree in Teaching English as a Second Language at the University of Illinois. She has been in the field of ESL since 1983, and is fortunate enough to have spent seven years living and working overseas: two years in Morocco, one year in Spain, two years in Turkey and two years in Costa Rica.

She has also held a variety of administrative and teaching positions in the United States, at schools and universities in Illinois, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and now in Tennessee. Diane has been at Nashville State since 2000, and is currently an Associate Professor. She enjoys watching foreign films, reading, cooking, and working in her yard.

Connie Mathews

Connie Mathews grew up in Auburn, Alabama. She received a BA in English and Spanish from Vanderbilt University and an MA in Applied English/TESL from Ohio University. She has been teaching ESL since 1997, including two years overseas in Uzbekistan.

Connie joined the ESL program at Nashville State in 2005. She is now an Assistant Professor in addition to serving as the ESL Program Coordinator for the college. In her free time, she loves watching college football, trying food from different cultures, and playing with her dog, Shelby.

Leda Longwood

Leda Longwood received a BA in German and Religious Studies from Earlham College in Indiana, and a MA in TESL from Northern Arizona University. Since she received her MA, she has taught English in several institutions, such as Northern Arizona University, Towson University ELC in Maryland, and Vanderbilt University ELC in Nashville.

Prior to relocating back to Nashville in 2004, Leda worked in Baltimore, Maryland for an international humanitarian organization and directed educational programs which served refugee populations resettling to the United States. She has been teaching ESL at NSCC since 2005, and is now an Assistant Professor.   

Devora Manier

Devora Manier has been teaching since 1995. She received a Bachelor’s degree in German Language & Linguistics from University of Pennsylvania. Her Master’s degree in Applied Linguistics & TESL was earned at Georgia State University. After finishing her Master’s degree, she taught at Vanderbilt University’s ESL program and tutored students privately.

In 1996, Devora began the ESL program at Nashville State. She is now an Assistant Professor, and currently serves as the faculty advisor for the International Student Association on campus. Her hobbies include guitar, painting, and gardening. While Devora’s passion is teaching immigrants, her true loves are her wonderful husband, son, and daughter.

Elizabeth Stein

Elizabeth is a native Nashvillian. She earned her MA in Italian from Middlebury College and her MA in English/ESL from the University of Memphis. In 2010, Elizabeth completed her PhD in English/Applied Linguistics, also at the University of Memphis. Her research interests include second language writing systems and the acquisition of English spelling.

Elizabeth was an adjunct ESL instructor at NSCC before taking the position as ESL Testing Specialist in 2007. She is also staff advisor for the International Student Association and chair of the Environmental Concerns Committee. In her free time she enjoys spending time with her husband and son and traveling to Mexico City to visit her in-laws.