PLAN Board Information

2023-2024 PLAN Executive Board, Committee Chair, and County Representatives

PLAN Officers 2023-2024

President

Erin Edgington

Assistant Professor of French, University of Nevada, Reno

Read Bio >

Erin Edgington was born and raised in Reno, NV where she began studying French as a teenager. Following a bachelor’s degree in French language and literature from the University of Nevada, Reno (2008), she earned her PhD in French literature from Indiana University – Bloomington in 2013. She is currently assistant professor of French and interim chair of the Department of World Languages and Literatures at the University of Nevada, Reno where she teaches courses at all levels of the French curriculum including language courses within the Basic French Language Program and courses in French conversation and literature at the intermediate and advanced levels. She is an advocate for world languages education in Nevada across the K12 and higher education contexts, notably via her work on the board of directors of the newly established Alliance Française of Reno.

Email: plannvinformation@gmail.com

u

President-Elect

TBD

Read Bio >

Past-President

Rachel Tillotson

Spanish Teacher, Galena High School

Read Bio >

Rachel Tillotson was the 2017 Nevada World Language Teacher of the year and is a national PLAN, SWCOLT and ACTFL presenter. She is a strong advocate for global competency, social justice, diversity and the incorporation of SEL pedagogies. She is currently the Past-President of the Professional Language Association of Nevada and teaches all levels of Spanish at Galena High School in Reno, Nevada and concurrent enrollment classes with the University of Nevada, Reno.

Secretary

Julie Lozada Ocampo

Retired Spanish Teacher, PLAN Rep to SWCOLT

Read Bio >

I am a retired Spanish teacher in northern Nevada having taught 10 years at Carson High School and 20 years at Dayton High School. As a retiree, I am currently working as a critical needs Spanish  hire in Douglas County for just this year. I was a National Board Certified Teacher from 2011-2021 and was the Nevada State World Language Teacher of the Year for 2014.

Treasurer

Margarita De León Viera

Spanish Teacher, West CTA

Read Bio >

From Gurabo, Puerto Rico, I come from a family of educators, my mother, Retired Principal, Margarita Viera Pérez being my biggest inspiration. I started my career as a Theatre Arts teacher in Puerto Rico, for 8 years where I directed plays, a movie and advised a dance club. In 2014 I relocated to Las Vegas, teaching Spanish for native speakers and English natives from levels 1 to AP Spanish Literature & Culture at Del Sol Academy of the Performing Arts. At DSA, I was advisor to SOL and was in charge of the Annual Día de Muerto Festival. Currently, I teach at West CTA, where I am the Sponsor of El Coquí Chapter of Sociedad Honoraria Hispánica and teacher of Spanish 1, 2H and AP Spanish Lan & Lit.

Leadership Advocacy Chairperson

Shanna Krueger

Spanish and Government Teacher, Dayton High School

Read Bio >
As a National Board Certified Teacher in Social Studies, I recognize the importance of being an involved member of professional communities. I currently serve as the Advocacy Chair for PLAN and would like to continue this role for another term. As the Advocacy Chair, I have been honored to represent PLAN
at the JNCL- NCLIS Advocacy for the past two years to discuss world language topics with our congressional representatives and their staff. 

Membership Chairperson

Erika Sosa-Weeks

Spanish Teacher, North Valleys High School

Read Bio >

Hello! My name is Erika Sosa-Weeks. I was born and raised in northern Nevada. I come from a big family. I am one of six siblings.  I am a second-generation Mexican American. I currently teach Spanish at North Valleys High School in Reno, Nevada (levels 1-AP). I am currently a club adviser for North Valleys Latino Club.  I received my Master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction in 2022. I was part of the Curriculum Bridging Committee in 2022.

 

Professional Development Chairperson

Jennifer Newman-Cornell

French and Spanish Teacher, Northwest Career and Technical Academy

Read Bio >

Hello! I am finishing my 20th year of teaching French and Spanish in high school. I have taught all levels both online and in the physical classroom and I love our profession! I know that being able to connect and network with other professionals is essential to development and maintaining sanity as an educator. I lead several professional learning communities in my district and am excited to bring the PLC and networking to the state level to help connect and support all Nevada world language educators. I believe that being a part of professional associations strengthens us as educators and am proud to say that I have been a part of PLAN and other local and national organizations for my entire career. I appreciate the opportunity to represent my fellow teachers at the state level and to coordinate our efforts to grow together and continue to develop as professionals.

Media Chairperson

Evelyn Izquierdo Oregel

Spanish Teacher, Galena High School

Read Bio >

I was raised both in Spanish and English speaking cultures and am currently a Spanish teacher at Galena High School in Reno, Nevada. In order to align with 21st Century Learning, I’m always looking for new ways to incorporate technology and promote its use every day in my classroom. This has led me to collect a wide variety of technological resources and to aide in the implementation of these tech tools throughout my entire department and school. I consider myself a tech savvy individual and feel that the use of technology through individual tech devices and social media can promote positivity and a growth mindset in education.

Mentorship Chairperson

Melissa Bullard

Spanish Teacher, Galena High School

Read Bio >

Melissa Bullard has been teaching Spanish since 2007. She has taught at the university, community college, and high school levels, but high school is her favorite because of the opportunity to build stronger relationships with students and watch them grow in their abilities throughout the duration of a program. She is passionate about proficiency-based learning and person-based mentorship, as well as driving student growth through departmental collaboration. 

u

SWCOLT Chairperson Report

Melissa Carson

World Language Coordinator, Washoe County School District

Read Bio >

Lyon County Representative

Tzeitel Borbon

Spanish Teacher, Fernley High School

Read Bio >

Tzeitel Borbon has been teaching Spanish for 18 years in Lyon County. She loves to travel with family to see the world and learn new languages and experience other cultures.

u

Churchill County Representative

Lance Lattin

Read Bio >
u

Clark County Representative

Jacqulyn Pray

Read Bio >