ICC-The International Language Association

ICC Co-Chairs

Myriam Fischer

Myriam Fischer Callus studied at the University of Malta and after living some time in South America settled in Germany. She has been working in adult language education since 1980 as a teacher, teacher trainer, course book and materials writer and assessor. She was the Director of English Studies at the Volkshochschule (Adult Education Centre) in Aschaffenburg, Germany for over 20 years.

She was part of the German working group that developed a language portfolio for adults which was accredited by the Council of Europe in 2006. She is a consultant for various publishing companies and has written a series of English language course books for adults.

Myriam acted as the manager of several projects for the ‘Bayerische Volkshochschulverband’ -the umbrella organization of adult centres in Bavaria. Her passion is teacher training. She believes that the quality of language teachers is of utmost importance in a global world of mobility. She has been a key figure in the development and implementation of EUROLTA, both in and outside Germany. In cooperation with the Ministry of Education, she developed a teacher training concept for the training of primary school teachers in Bavaria.

After joining the ICC Board in 2016, she focused on the development and dissemination of EUROLTA.

Besides being involved in many community projects, Myriam teaches German to refugees and is involved in the training of voluntary teachers. She has written a teacher training concept which has been adopted in some German states.

She believes that it is very important to keep up to date with new trends and to follow the general discussion of language teaching and learning around the world.

chair@icc-languages.eu

myriam.fischer@icc-languages.eu

Tatjana Kovač

Tatjana Kovac is the Director of Studies at St. Nicolas School in Belgrade, Serbia, where she oversees curriculum development, teacher training, and academic strategy. With over two decades of experience in English Language Teaching (ELT), she has worked as a teacher, trainer, examiner, and recruiter, bringing a multifaceted perspective to language education.

Tatjana holds a BA in English Language and Literature and an MA in Applied Linguistics, alongside internationally recognized ESL teaching qualifications, including CELTA, DELTA, and FTBE. In 2021, she became a certified EUROLTA trainer, further extending her expertise in adult language education.

Her professional interests lie in intercultural pragmatics and the humanistic approach to teaching, focusing on fostering meaningful communication and learner-centered methodologies. Passionate about professional development, she has designed and delivered teacher training programs to support educators in enhancing their pedagogical skills.

Tatjana has been an active member of the ICC – International Language Association since 2012 and has served on its Board since 2021. In this role, she has been promoting and expanding EUROLTA teacher training courses, contributing to the advancement of high-quality language education across Europe.

chair@icc-languages.eu

tatjana.kovac@icc-languages.eu

Learn more about the History of ICC Chairs here

ICC Board Members

Barry Tomalin

Barry is Visiting Lecturer in Information Management and Governance, Public Diplomacy, International Communication and Cultures at the Academy of Diplomacy and Governance at Loughborough University London. He is the author of a number of books on Cultural Awareness and on the teaching of English, including ‘World Business Cultures – a Handbook’ (Thorogood), ‘Cross-Cultural Communication: Theory and Practice’ (Palgrave Macmillan) and ‘Cultural Awareness’ (OUP). He is a longtime member of ICC through his association with International House London and the University of Westminster. His interests are international education, the raising of cultural awareness in language teaching and university and corporate training, and developments in international publishing.

barry.tomalin@icc-languages.eu

Damian Fäh

Damian Fäh has a master’s degree in general history, environmental sciences and English literature and is a certified education and training manager with seven years of experience in various fields of adult education. He is currently an innovation manager and product developer for Flying Teachers in the fields of basic skills provision, German as a second language and teacher-training. He is also an active teacher-trainer in EUROLTA as well as the Swiss SVEB and fide certificate courses, and in basic skills trainings focusing on digital literacy. Before his current position, he managed an integration program for adult refugees, where he developed content, curricula and quality management processes for German as a second language, intercultural competence and job-application training and also worked as a trainer in these subjects.

damian.faeh@flyingteachers.com

Helen Bulluck

Born in Belfast, Northern Ireland, Helen studied Education and Educational Psychology at Queens University and at the Open University. After teaching in the school system for a few years she moved to Germany. She continued teaching privately along side working in the entertainment industry. For the last 25 years she has taught business, technical and medical English at many companies in the Frankonian region of Germany including Schaeffler, Siemens, Bosch etc.as well as designing courses for the companys’ particular requirements. She teaches at the University of Applied Sciences in Coburg as well as the FHM in Bamberg, a private university. She sits on the examination board of the Chamber of Commerce in Upper Frankonia. She is an EUROLTA trainer for the BVV in Bavaria training in English and German and is a member of the online trainer team for the ICC.

bulluck@t-online.de

Ian McMaster

Ian McMaster is a business communication consultant, author, and journalist. He was editor-in-chief of the general English magazine Spotlight from 1995—2003 and editor-in-chief of the business communication magazine Business Spotlight from 2001 to 2021. He is a former coordinator of the IATEFL Business English Special Interest Group (BESIG) and his research interests include international communication and English as a Lingua Franca. His latest publication (in English, with Bob Dignen) is Trainingsbuch Business English – Kommunikation und Zusammenarbeit in internationalen Teams (Haufe. 2023). Ian has been presenting an international conferences for nearly 30 years and is a long-time supporter of the ICC and a regular participant at its events.

ian.mcm@t-online.de

Michael Haris

Michael Haris is the proprietor of “Haris Michail,” a Foreign Language Center located in Rhodes, Greece, where he has been teaching English since 1993. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Arts and Literature from La Trobe University and another in Finance and Marketing from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT). Additionally, he possesses a Cambridge Proficiency Certificate in English from La Trobe University and has completed a TEFL course.

As a Teacher-Trainer and Oral Examiner, Michael is affiliated with various prestigious organisations, including Palso, EDEXCEL exams, London Test of English (LTE) exams, Pearson Test of English (PTE) exams, and NOCN exams. He is an active member of PALSO Dodecanese and the Palso Federation of Greece.

Beyond his professional endeavours, Michael has been deeply involved in the Greek Golf Federation, serving as the Head Treasurer and representing the Greek National Team in tournaments across the Balkans. He has held roles in the Afantou Golf Club, including Treasurer and Vice President of the Board.

Michael’s leadership extends to PALSO Dodecanese, where he served as Chairman of the board, overseeing the organisation of annual Book Exhibitions and Foreign Language Exams in English, German, Italian, and French across eight local centers. Currently, he serves as an elected member and Treasurer of the PALSO Relief Fund and holds the position of General Secretary at the “Kolossos Basketball Academy.”

info@michaelharis.com

Nazan Doğruer

Nazan Doğruer got her BA in English Language and Literature, (Hacettepe University, 1990); MA in English Language Teaching / Educational Studies (EMU, 2000); PhD in Educational Sciences (EMU, 2015). She holds RSA COTE, DOTE and CEELT from Cambridge University. She has been an English instructor at Foreign Languages and English Preparatory School at Eastern Mediterranean University (EMU) since 1992 and she has been also teaching at Education Faculty since 2010. While working at EMU she holds different extra responsibilities and currently she is the Assistant Director for Academic Affairs at Foreign Languages and English Preparatory School at EMU. Throughout her professional career she has attended many seminars, workshops, conferences, and educational training courses as an attendee or a presenter. She also has published book chapters and articles in the field of education.

Thomas Tinnefeld

Dr Thomas Tinnefeld is a Full Professor of Applied Languages at Saarland University of Applied Sciences in Germany. Since 2022, he has also been serving as the President of the Language Council of Saarland.

Thomas is the founder and chairman of the biennial Saarbrücken International Conferences on Foreign Language Teaching and the editor of the Saarbrücken Series on Linguistics and Language Methodology (SSLLM). He is also the editor of the Journal of Linguistics and Language Teaching, which includes esteemed editorial and advisory board members from universities worldwide. In addition, he is a key member of the Advanced Translation Research Centre at Saarland University.

Thomas publishes widely in the fields of English, French, German and Spanish linguistics and methodology. His research interests cover applied linguistics and language methodology, especially languages for specific purposes, grammar and grammaticography, writing research, and interculturality. Apart from his university responsibilities, Thomas has made contributions as a guest, plenary and keynote speaker at various national and international conferences.

He has also served as an evaluator for German-French PhD programmes, doctoral and professorship qualifications in Germany, France, Saudi Arabia and Jordan, as well as for academic book and research projects. As part of his academic pursuits to enhance expertise and to seek collaboration, Thomas has leveraged his sabbatical leaves to conduct academic projects as a visiting scholar at universities in the USA and the UK.

thomas.tinnefeld@icc-languages.eu

Valentinos Filippou

Valentinos Filippou is a language teacher and teacher trainer. He currently serves as the Director of Studies at the Online Greek Tutor (www.theonlinegreektutor.com). Valentinos is also the managing director of C.F.Elite Tutors Ltd, a private educational institute in Cyprus. In addition to running the online Greek school mentioned above, he oversees a local Greek school called Simio Afetirias and various European projects, primarily focused on language teaching and learning, including those funded by the Erasmus program.

info@theonlinegreektutor.com

Administration

Social Media Management, Webinar & Conference Organisation, Correspondence

Lillian Tinnefeld-Yeh

Lillian Tinnefeld-Yeh holds an MA in TESL/TEFL with Distinction from the University of Birmingham (UK), and her dedication to language teaching has spanned more than twenty years. Lillian began her teaching career in Taiwan, where she worked as a grammar school teacher before becoming a university lecturer of English. After moving to Germany, she shifted her focus to teaching Chinese. She has been engaged as an adjunct instructor of Chinese in higher education for more than a decade.

In addition to her teaching endeavours, Lillian has actively contributed to the organisation and planning of over ten on-site and online conferences and symposia in Saarbrücken, Germany since 2011. Her involvement encompasses a wide range of tasks, including content creation, timetable planning, email correspondence, website management, video management and social media management. Since joining the ICC in 2022, she has been actively involved in organising ICC webinars and conferences, as well as managing the ICC’s social media presence and marketing.

lillian.tinnefeld-yeh@icc-languages.eu

Administration

EUROLTA

Birgit Schrader Voelzke

Birgit, a qualified office administrator, addicted to foreign languages, can look back on rich and varied experience in several national and international companies of different sectors – in a supermarket chain, in a hospital, in an auditing company, in a hotel in Paris, but also as a German teacher in Brazil. She holds all the strings of administration for EUROLTA.

birgit.schrader-voelzke@icc-languages.eu

Administration

Joana Huth

Joana successfully completed her apprenticeship in hotel management and spent the first years of her professional career working across hotels throughout Germany. She has a keen interest in travel and spent considerable time immeresing herself in the diverse cultures of Australia, Europe and various regions of Asia. Through these experieces, she has broadened her understanding of different societies learning about their economic and cultural dimensions. She gained further knowledge of the hospitality industry working on cruise ships. In 2015 she joined a major hotel group in Hamburg as part of the accounting department before relocating to Rhineland-Palatinate and joining the team at ICC Languages as an accounting assistant.

joana.huth@icc-languages.eu

ICC-The International Language Association

ICC Co-Chairs

Myriam Fischer

Tatjana Kovač

ICC Board Members

Barry Tomalin

Damian Fäh

Helen Bulluck

Ian McMaster

Michael Haris

Nazan Doğruer

Thomas Tinnefeld

Valentinos Filippou

Administration

Lillian Tinnefeld-Yeh

Administration

Birgit Schrader Voelzke

Administration

Joana Huth

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