Biography

Charo Uceda first studied English in her native Peru, where she became a simultaneous translator for international conferences at the age of 19. With background knowledge in Early Childhood Education, she decided to move to the USA in 1980, and subsequently immersed herself in the teaching of TESOL, (Teaching English to speakers of other languages).

In 1988 she co-founded the Uceda Institute becoming its Chief Academic Director. Uceda English Institute comprises a chain of ESL schools which -- where required -- maintain licenses from the Department of Homeland Security and various State Departments of Education. At present Uceda English Institute has over 20 locations throughout the United States and South America, serving thousands of students from all over the world.

In 1989, realizing that existing ESL materials often failed to provide learners with necessary tools for success in the acquisition of English as a second language, Charo Uceda started a process of creating learner-tailored ESL textbooks and testing them in real class settings. This would become the basis for The Charo Uceda English Series (four copyrighted textbooks designed for beginning through advancedintermediate learners). In addition to writing and producing ESL videos, she has also written and published English at Home by Charo Uceda, a series of 12 lessons on audio CD designed for at-home use. This series is widely distributed in Peru and Ecuador. Miss Uceda is currently developing the new updated version of the Charo Uceda English Series including the integration of technology. Currently, Miss Uceda has an academic agreement with Alas Peruanas, (UAP); a university in Peru with an enrollment of over 60,000 students, whereby Uceda Institute maintains offices and classrooms within the many different university locations throughout Peru, teaching English as a foreign language (EFL) to undergraduate and graduate students as well as to the general public.

In 2008, Miss Uceda received a Masters in Applied Linguistics from Columbia University Teachers College, (TC). In June 2009, she became a member of the Presidents Advisory Council at Teachers College, Columbia University. The Presidents Advisory Council is comprised of a group of

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distinguished individuals (including academics, policy makers, and entrepreneurs) who collaborate in strategizing new directions for the College and devising new ways to foster innovation in education. Understanding that the globalized world of the 21 st Century has imposed new demands and challenges on both teaching and learning, Miss Uceda has become a fervent supporter and a passionate proponent of the effective implementation of emergent technologies inside the classroom and out, in order to bridge gaps of distance and time and universally foster the development of skills and techniques leading towards autonomy in learning. As a result of her serious commitment to lifelong learning, in January of 2009 she was accepted in a Masters Degree program in Educational Technologies at Harvard University (Graduation date: May of 2012) This year Miss Uceda has also accepted the invitation to become Jose Carlos Mariateguis President. Founded by Juan J. Uceda in 1972, the Jose Carlos Mariategui PEAD (JMC), is a non -forprofit Peruvian organization which has the distinction of being the pioneer in distance education in Peru and throughout South America, offering more than 60 short career courses and certifications in the areas of education, business administration and health, training thousands of professionals annually. Jose Carlos Mariategui Institute has partnerships with the leading and most respected universities in Peru and serves the remotest and most underprivileged rural communities, where professionals might otherwise be denied access to the opportunity to further their education. While the careers offered encompass several professional arenas, certification in courses of specialization in all disciplines in the field of education are the focal point of the mission of JMC, and Miss Uceda is currently coordinating the steps necessary to integrate emergent technology into the JMC curriculum to maximize the schools effectiveness in the delivery of education and to better train Peruvian Pre-service and In-service teachers throughout small cities and villages in Peru. In June of 2012, Miss Uceda accepted the invitation to become a Reviewer, for CEA, (The Commission on English Language Program), a national accreditation organization, based in Virginia, USA. As a reviewer, Miss Uceda is responsible to visit schools seeking to get accreditation, while subsequently providing recommendations following accreditation guidelines. While Miss Uceda resides in New York and Florida, she travels domestically and internationally, presenting workshops on topics related to Applied Linguistics, TESOL and Integration of Technology in Education. She is an avid reader and enjoys Architecture, History, Music and the Arts.

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P.S. Miss Uceda owned and operated parking garages in Uptown Manhattan and the Bronx from 1991 to 2008, in which year she sold her interest in order to dedicate herself to the cause of education.

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Affiliations: Miss Uceda maintains membership with the following organizations: TESOL: Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages, Inc. http://www.tesol.org/stesol/index.asp NAFSA: Association of International Educators. http://www.nafsa.org/

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