Meet the 2026 Spring Conference Invited Speakers

Tuesday, May 19th

Grazzia Maria Mendoza Chirinos – As assistant director of multilingual policy and outreach, Grazzia Maria Mendoza Chirinos researches, monitors, reports, and disseminates policy documents tied to bi/multilingual education, managing relationships with state and national bi/multilingual education organizations and leaders, and informing the overall strategy for WIDA Español. She serves as WIDA’s national outreach expert, maintaining relationships with peer organizations and reporting on the bi/multilingual policy landscape to WIDA leadership and, when relevant, the Consortium Membership. She has 32 years of experience in education at all levels, including PK–12, higher education, and adult education. In addition, over the last 17 years, she has focused on teacher training in Honduras and worldwide through her volunteer work with TESOL International Association, where she served on the Board of Directors from 2019-2022. During the last two and a half years, she worked as a researcher for WIDA Español.

Wednesday, May 20th

Gillian Ober is the New Jersey State Teacher of the Year and an experienced Multilingual educator, advocate, and teacher educator. She has taught multilingual learners in New Jersey and internationally and currently works to advance equity-centered, culturally sustaining practices in schools. Gill is deeply committed to elevating multilingual students’ voices and supporting educators through leadership, professional learning, and advocacy at the local, state, and national levels.

Andrea Sodhi is a bilingual elementary ESL teacher with experience teaching since 2018, including two years as a Spanish teacher. She holds a Master’s degree in Education with an ESL endorsement and is currently a doctoral candidate in Educational Leadership. In recognition of my work supporting Multilingual Learners, she was honored to receive the Exemplary Educator Award last year. She is passionate about helping Multilingual Learners build confidence in their language and academic skills through inclusive instruction that celebrates students’ diverse backgrounds. She values collaboration with colleagues and families and believes strong partnerships are essential to fostering student success.

Thursday, May 21st

JoAnne Negrin, Ed.D. is a Partner at LLAMAME, LLC. Previously, she was the Supervisor of ESL, Bilingual Education, World Languages, and Performing Arts for the Vineland Public Schools. Her ESL/Bilingual programs were designated as Model Programs by the NJDOE. She was also Chair of the NJPSA ML Committee and the 2019 Visionary Supervisor of the Year Award winner. She is a Past President of NJTESOL/NJBE, and earned the Fred Carrigg Leadership Award from that organization in 2020.

Ms. Julie Ochoa is co-owner of LLAMAME, LLC, a company that specializes in supporting Multilingual Learners through professional development. She retired from her position as a Supervisor of ESL and Bilingual programs from Franklin Township Public Schools in July of 2024, where she supervised an NJDOE designated model ESL and bilingual program. She also teaches a course at Rutgers titled “Teaching Emerging Bilinguals.”