The English for Heritage Language Speakers (EHLS) Program is a partnership among the National Security Education Program, the Center for Applied Linguistics, Georgetown University’s English Language Center, and the Institute of International Education.
Institutional Partners
The National Security Education Program (NSEP), which is administered by the Defense Language and National Security Education Office (DLNSEO) within the U.S. Department of Defense, provides funding for the program. NSEP has worked since 1994 to help English-speaking U.S. citizens develop high-level proficiency in less commonly taught languages and cultures, and since 2006 to help naturalized citizens with fluency in critical languages to develop professional proficiency in English.
The Center for Applied Linguistics (CAL) administers the EHLS program, directs the application and admission process, and conducts the formal language testing. CAL is a private nonprofit organization with over 60 years of experience in research, assessment, professional development, and technical assistance related to the instruction of learners from diverse language and cultural backgrounds.
Georgetown University’s English Language Center (ELC) provides all instruction for the program, which takes place on the Georgetown University School of Continuing Studies’ (SCS) downtown campus. ELC is a unit in SCS and is dedicated to delivering well-designed English language and teacher training programs to participants from the U.S. and around the world.
The Institute of International Education (IIE) manages the EHLS application and admissions process and disburses stipends to scholars. IIE is an international education and training organization that fosters mutual understanding, develops global leaders, and protects academic freedom worldwide through educational exchange and training programs.
Program Staff and Faculty
Program Staff at CAL
EHLS Director: Dr. Kate Moran
Project Manager: LaNikka Bass
Program Staff at IIE
Director of Programs: Chelsea Sypher
Program Lead: Hilary Robertson Collado
Program Manager: Rosalie Woolf
Program Staff and Faculty at Georgetown
Director of Programs and EHLS Director: Dr. Suzanne Matula
Program Manager and Recruitment Director: Maria Mariani
Faculty: Martin Barclay, Dianne Prosack, Leslie Sheen, Tanja Szabo, Tim Teigen