Lisa Leopold

Lisa Leopold is an associate professor and program coordinator for the Institute’s English for Academic and Professional Purposes Program. She brings over a decade of experience teaching survival and academic English to adult immigrants, refugees, children, and community college, university, and graduate students on five continents.

Recognizing what a privilege and responsibility teaching is, Professor Leopold strives for excellence by designing challenging courses which utilize authentic, research-based materials, promote learner autonomy, and foster students’ academic and professional growth. She aspires to create learning opportunities which deepen students’ appreciation for the new perspectives and relationships communicating in another language opens, and she never stops learning.

Professor Leopold has delivered over 50 presentations at international conferences such as Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL), American Association of Applied Linguistics (AAAL), and National Communication Association (NCA). In 2012, one of her innovative teaching ideas was recognized among the “top nine” in the “Great Ideas for Teaching Students” strand at the NCA conference; in 2014, Professor Leopold was invited to speak at the 75th anniversary of the Alianza in Uruguay; and in 2017, she was invited to speak at the CATESOL conference. Professor Leopold’s scholarly work has appeared in the TESL Canada Journal, the CATESOL Journal, and Communication Teacher.