Meet Our Staff

A very talented team
ELI Teachers and Staff

A special place to work

At English Language Institute, we love our students and we also love our amazingly talented teachers and staff.

ELI is the first English language school in California to offer ESL teachers the security of a full-time salary and benefits.

We take good care of our people.ELI is committed to building a positive, nurturing community for everyone who comes through our halls. If you’re interested in teaching or learning more, just send us an email and we’ll schedule time to chat. Hope to hear from you soon!

Director’s statement

At English Language Institute: We Think of Everyone as Family.

Alena Nye ELI Director

Our students are amazing role models of global citizens who learn languages and cultures with curiosity, respect, and kindness. ELI is located in the heart of San Francisco – a city famous for innovation and diversity.

We at ELI thrive on these values and strive to provide a supportive experience to every single student as they achieve their dreams.

We understand that learning English is only the beginning. Wherever you are from, you’ll find a second home at ELI San Francisco. We can’t wait to meet you.

Alen Nye

Our mission

At ELI we are dedicated to providing high quality English language instruction at a reasonable price in a friendly and welcoming setting.

Our goal is to help students improve their English language abilities for academic, career and everyday success.

We strive to foster global communication and cross-cultural understanding while supporting the well-being of our students and team.

ELI School Teachers

Meet Your Teachers

Business English for Entrepreneurs

Guillermo Campos

Academic Coordinator
B.A. Psychology with a Minor in Marketing, San Francisco State University
English. Spanish

My favorite part about teaching English is getting to meet a student twice! Once when they begin to study English and don’t know it well and again when they’ve learned it.

Intermediate Level ESL

Yao Hemming

Teacher
B.A. English, Sanda University, Shanghai, China
English, Mandarin Chinese, Shanghainese, Japanese

iBT TOEFL Test Preparation

Kai Lee

Teacher
B.A. Creative Writing, University of California, Riverside
English

Why do I like teaching at ELI? The staff is welcoming and communicative, a place where I truly feel like it's a functioning team that's willing to help each other and treat each other as people rather than just workers. ESL teaching is also unlike many other jobs, a job that encourages constant opportunities to grow and creative ways to learn.

Upper-Intermediate Level ESL & Advanced Level ESL

Dave Switzer

Teacher
B.A. History and Sociology, Colorado State University M.S. in Information Technology from Regis University
English, German, Mandarin Chinese

ELI is a place where I can meet people from all over the world with different cultural backgrounds, interests, knowledge, and opinions. I love learning from all the students while helping them with their goals. I try to use my variety of skills and experiences to connect with every student and teach in ways that can bring new insights to language and culture for students. In addition, I enjoy ELI’s location both for the view and the variety of interesting places very nearby. I hope to see you soon!

Academic Advanced Level ESL

Jeffrey Talarigo

Teacher
B.A. Journalism, Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania
English, Japanese

The diversity and open-mindedness of our students, teachers and staff are a microcosm of this great city of San Francisco that we work and live in.

Meet ELI's Student Services Team

Alen Nye

Owner and Executive Director
B.A. in Letters, University of Oklahoma; M.A. Religion, Harvard University; PhD (ABD) Religion, University of Virginia
English, Spanish

It’s my goal to create a safe, fun and positive environment where all feel welcome to learn, grow and thrive. ELI’s staff and students are some of the most talented and kindest people I know, so it’s my pleasure to come to work every day to cheer them on.

Sean Ferguson

Director of Compliance Partnership, Academics and Partnership Programs
B.A. Psychology, University of Michigan
English, Limited Spanish

I love the opportunity to meet students from all over the world and benefit from an open and welcoming environment of mutual learning. It is a privilege to interact with so many outstanding students and assist them with reaching their English language goals. It is also a privilege to work with so many other dedicated ESL professionals at ELI. ELI is such a special place for me. ELI is like a second home and I am confident that our students feel that way as well.

Ryoko Cox

Director of Student Services
B.A. Music Business & Marketing, Inter-Recording School of Tokyo
English, Japanese

Our teachers and staff always strive to create a welcoming atmosphere. I enjoy seeing the passion our team brings to helping our students achieve their English language goals. I am inspired by and enjoy interacting with our students from all over the world—there is so much to learn. I am proud that I can help and support them on their way to achieving their goals.

Brian Cunningham

Student Services & Tech Lead
B.A. in English and B.A. in Spanish Literature and Linguistics, University of California, Berkeley
English, Spanish, French, Portuguese

ELI provides an enjoyable and welcoming environment to help us succeed with our words, knowledge, and consideration of other cultures. It is a privilege to be part of an established institution of language learning and respect whilst navigating our ever-evolving world.

Sylvia Huang

Admissions Counselor
B.A. Foreign Languages and Literature, Chung Hua University
English, Mandarin Chinese

It’s a privilege to be a part of the ELI team. I absolutely enjoy working in such an energetic and diverse environment. It’s always a pleasure helping students from all over the world achieve their English language goals.

Photo Credit: Lilibeth Bustos Linares.

Accreditation and Partners

ACCET logoBPPE logoEnglish USA logoCity College of San FranciscoSan Mateo County Community College DistrictBerkley City College LogoBerkley City College LogoBerkley City College LogoBerkley City College LogoBerkley City College LogoOhlone College Logo