Faculty and Staff
Kimberly Becker
Kimberly Becker grew up in Mississippi, where she earned a B.A. in English Literature from Millsaps College. After teaching high school for two years, Kimberly married, moved to Nashville, and became the ESL Testing Specialist/Adviser at NSCC. She loved this position so much that she decided to return to school to get her M.A. in Teaching English as a Second Language at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, AZ. 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. In her free time, Kimberly enjoys spending time with her husband and son, practicing yoga, gardening, 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 for 24 years, and is fortunate enough to have spent 7 years living and working overseas: 2 years in Morocco, 1 year in Spain, 2 years in Turkey and 2 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 for 7 years. She enjoys watching foreign films, reading, cooking, and working in her yard.
Connie Flood
Connie Flood 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 for nine years, including two years overseas in Uzbekistan. She joined the ESL program at Nashville State in 2005. 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 resetting to the United States. She has been teaching ESL at NSCC since 2005 and is currently the faculty advisor for the International Student Association on campus.
Devora Manier
Hometown: Gallatin, TN
Bachelor's: B.A., German Language & Linguistics, University of Pennsylvania
Master's: M.S., Applied Linguistics & TESL, Georgia State University
Hobbies: Guitar, painting, gardening
Devora Manier has been teaching for over 15 years. After finishing her Master's Degree, she taught at Vanderbilt University's ESL program and tutored students privately. In 1996, she began the ESL program at Nashville State. 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, where she is currently working on her PhD in English/Applied Linguistics. 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.
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