Gabriel martinez cabrera
Executive Director
Gabe joined LCMC in August 2017. He has worked in under-served communities in New York, Boston, and San Francisco. Over the years, his work evolved into workforce development, where he was in charge of a federally funded program that helped young returning citizens find family sustaining employment. He brings to his work a belief that education is more than teaching; it is an act of building community.
More recently, he worked for a research firm called Digital Promise, where he continued his communications and advocacy work to create a coalition of forward thinking adult education programs called The Beacon Project. Through the Beacon Project, he was able to bring to light the work of over 500 adult education sites across the country raising the profile of low-skilled adult learners with a culminating advocacy event that brought together the Joyce Foundation, the Barbara Bush foundation, and the X-Prize Foundation and that convened over 300 participants in 5 cities across the US. Since Digital Promise, he returned to grassroots community work as Deputy Chief Program Officer at the Academy of Hope where he oversaw recruitment, workforce development and non-academic programming.
Denise hill
Director of Community Impact
Denise Hill has been an educator for over 20 years. She believes in the power of education to empower the individuals she serves. Denise is also a highly sought-after motivational speaker and resource in media, education, and activist circles for creative, engaging, and effective presentations. Her work addresses individual, cultural, and national triumphs and tragedies and is designed to provoke thought, compel dialogue, and most importantly, foster change.
Ahu Moser
Senior Director of Academic Programming
Ahu Moser currently leads the Academic Programming at LCMC. In her role, she oversees LCMC’s MD LABOR and MCAEL- funded 60-hour classroom program, which offers 100 classes per fiscal year while employing 27 teachers. She also manages additional programs such as LCMC@Work and Small Online Group Learning. During her career, Ahu has held varying positions from ESL Teacher to Intake Assessment Specialist to Instructional Specialist. Ahu has over 25 years of teaching English as a Foreign/Second Language experience overseas and stateside. She facilitates workshops and presentations in assessments, curriculum and instruction, Adult Learning Theory, and Teacher Support at the local and the national level. Her expertise is sought in MD Colleges, such as UMBC, and MC as a guest speaker in assessments.
Ahu has a B.A in English as a Foreign Language and Education. She holds a M.Ed in Adult Education from Strayer University. She is currently pursuing her Ed.D degree in Curriculum and Instruction at American College of Education. Ahu was born and raised in Turkey. She speaks Turkish and German in addition to English.
Alexandra Villamizar
Senior Curriculum Designer
Alexandra joined the LCMC in November 2016 as the Programs Manager. Her journey in the ESL field dates back to when she came to the United States for the first time to learn English. She, herself, was an adult ESL student. After studying English for two years, she went back to her home country Colombia, where she graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration. Alexandra decided to return to the United States to pursue a Master’s degree in TESOL. Alexandra has worked in the adult ESL field, teaching adult ESL classes in Maryland and Virginia. She has also taught Spanish to college students and government employees.
Alexandra loves to work in the adult ESL field because she believes there is no career more rewarding than helping adult ESL students improve their language skills in order to reach their goals and have better lives. In her free time, she enjoys visiting new places, listening to music, and reading.
Nina Pashkina
Director of Data Management
Nina Pashkina is a Data Analyst, who worked for non-profit organizations and marketing agencies. She has an analytical background that helped her to successfully accomplish developing of databases for Coca-Cola, Unilever and Audubon Naturalist Society.
She is motivated in her work by the opportunity to make our students’ data flow smoother, and be more accessible, through designing and implementing our databases. She develops and maintains our data system with the priority goal of making tracking and analyzing student progress and determining student needs as clear as possible.
Nina holds a Bachelor of Science in social psychology, and is a cat-lover and a passion mushroom hunter from Russia.
Ashley France-Howell
Senior Manager of Operations and Data Management
Serving and giving back has been an integral part of Ashley’s life for as long as she could remember. After receiving her B.A. in Strategic Communications from Elon University, Ashley’s first look into adult education began at a small literacy council in North Carolina where she served as an AmeriCorps member for two years. While there, she worked with the workplace literacy program, where she helped students with GED prep. She taught ESL classes. Seeing the positive impact that she had on the students fueled her desire to keep giving back. After Ashley’s AmeriCorps service terms were up, she moved back to Maryland in search of the next opportunity. She found LCMC, and has been here since February of 2017.
Ruth Seidenspinner
Curriculum Designer/ESL Teacher
Ruth began teaching ESL classes for the Literacy Council in the fall of 2015. She spent 2 concurrent years teaching at the International Language Institute of MD. In September of 2018, Ruth joined the LCMC staff full-time as the Tutoring Program Manager. Since she can’t seem to get enough of the experience, she also continues to teach evening ESL classes as well as LCMC’s pilot workplace ESL classes at a local McDonald’s restaurant.
Helping both English and Basic Literacy learners to share their stories, strengthen their communities and increase their opportunities in life has been one of the most personally rewarding experiences imaginable for Ruth. She loves meeting all the interesting new people every day and hearing about their cultures, their lives and their goals and dreams for the future.
Ruth obtained her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, a Master’s degree in Human Resources, and a Graduate TESOL Certificate. She is fascinated by human behavior, learning, cultures, language and communication.
Raul Marin
Senior Manager of Online Learning
Raul joined the Literacy Council in August 2019 as the Community Resource Manager. His experience in education started in 2009 as an adjunct ESL instructor for Prince George's Community College. Since then, he has worked in education as an instructor, tutor, youth development worker, admissions representative, and now as a community resource manager.
No matter what his role is, he loves to serve the community because there is nothing more rewarding than helping others to achieve their goals and dreams. He also loves working in this field because we never stop learning. Education is the key to success.
He earned his Master's degree in Technology in Education, his Bachelor's degree in Spanish Language and Literature, and his Associate's degree in Radio Broadcasting. When he's not impacting lives, he loves to watch films, run, hike mountains, dance salsa, read books, and his new hobby is painting.
emily simonavice
ESL Instructor
Emily was hired as a part-time virtual ESL instructor in September of 2020. Since then, she has taught several classes at LCMC and was brought on as a full-time virtual ESL instructor in July of 2021. She holds her Bachelor’s degree in Exercise Wellness, Master’s degree in Exercise & Leisure Studies, PhD in Exercise Physiology and a CELTA certification. She spent a large part of her academic career teaching in higher education in Georgia, but in 2018, she left the field of health sciences to pursue teaching adult ESL classes. In doing so, she sought to engage in a career that more deeply embodies her life values of adventure, connection, and vitality. Since her career shift, she has lived abroad in various countries, an experience which allows her to more deeply empathize with the learners whom she instructs.
Teaching ESL allows her to fulfill her convictions of guiding, assisting, and encouraging others to pursue their personal and professional goals. She believes that language is a powerful and beautiful tool that can connect people around the globe. She acknowledges that learning a new language and the way of life in a new place can be challenging, but that we can find solace in knowing that we all smile in the same language.
kevin Ralph
Assistant Director of Academic Programming
Kevin joined the Literacy Council in 2021. He worked inside elementary and college classrooms as a Teaching Assistant and as a Drum Specialist in Washington, DC. He also brings experience working in government administration, government affairs, and financial technology. Kevin graduated from American University with an MA in Philosophy. His studies focused on equity and ethics, especially within the spheres of government, education, and the arts.
In his downtime, Kevin enjoys music, reading, and cooking.
Jeremiah Nicholson
Volunteer Coordinator
Jeremiah Nicholson is the Volunteer Coordinator at the LCMC. Born and raised in Montgomery County, he attended school at Hofstra University where he received his Bachelor's degree in Film Production. Jeremiah spent 5 years in New York City working in the film industry and giving classroom instruction to photography students before returning to Maryland.
He is dedicated to improving the lives of those around him, and is currently serving as a member of the state AmeriCorps program, through which he found LCMC. His work aids in the recruitment and retention of our hardworking volunteers whose dedicated efforts are the backbone of the Literacy Council.
tramaine hickson
Manager of Community Impact
Tramaine Hickson joined LCMC in October 2021. With over 18 years of experience as a human service professional she has been dedicated to empowering individuals she has served in the non-profit and governmental sectors. She has worked to motivate individuals to accomplish goals through coaching, facilitation of workshops and educational trainings. She develops and maintains community relationship/partnerships that will ensure individual served has the resources to meet their personal needs. She is passionate about service.
Tramaine holds a Bachelor of Science in Social Science from Coppin State University.
Alec Beckham
Instructor
Alec recently joined the Literacy Council as an Instructor. His experience as an educator began in 2014 at the Intensive English Language Institute at The University of North Texas, which included an opportunity to teach at Kansai Gaidai University in Japan. He moved to Maryland in 2019, where he continued his work as an educator at Howard Community College. During his time in the field, he has instructed students in literacy-focused community programs, academic international groups, and various options in between.
Dedicated to helping others achieve their goals and engaging with the community, Alec spends all of his time in and out of the classroom teaching in some fashion or another. In his spare time, he hosts and organizes role-playing games in his community and conventions around the country.
Alec has received both a B.A. and M.A. in Linguistics from the University of North Texas.