Statement of Purpose/Goals

The English for Specific Purposes Interest Section (ESPIS) is open to TESOL members who are interested in research and instruction designed to meet the unique English language needs of students and working adults in specific areas of study and employment by providing special training beyond that which is normally acquired by the average English speaker. The ESPIS fosters the sharing of ideas, expertise, and specialized curricula among ESP practitioners to promote quality research, education, and professional development in ESP.

History

ESP has long been an international movement with great strengths in research and teaching in many parts of the world, including developing countries. Establishing the ESPIS both indicates and validates TESOL's commitment to its international responsibilities.

Daphne Mackey, Kay Westerfield, and Adrian Pilbeam initiated the work to establish an ESPIS at the 1990 TESOL convention in New York, New York, USA. Meetings were well attended by participants interested in promoting the international sharing of ESP experience and expertise.

The proposed IS was given proposals to review for the 1992 TESOL convention in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada and was allotted slots for presentations and discussion groups. The petition to recognize the ESPIS was overwhelmingly approved by the Interest Section Council in Vancouver and was ratified by the Executive Board shortly thereafter. Kay Westerfield was appointed chair (1992–1993), with Laraine Kaminsky as chair-elect. Mary McSwain and Roberta Rettner became the first editors of TESOL ESP News, and Peter Master, the first editor of the TESOL Matters ESP column. In fall 1992, the IS was also awarded its first TESOL Special Projects Grant, submitted by Angela Castro with IS support, to establish the Directory of ESP Professional Services. Today, the ESPIS enjoys active participation from an ever-increasing membership and continually explores better ways to serve ESP professionals in more efficient and effective ways.

ESPIS Community Leaders

• Chair: Pamela Dzunu,
• Chair-Elect: Jennifer Roberts, Michael Ennis (incoming)
• Immediate Past Chair: Tarana Patel
• Newsletter Editor: Kevin Knight
• Community Manager: Marvin Hoffland
• Secretary/Archivist: Alan Orr
• English in Occupational Settings (EOS) Representative: Shelley Staples (outgoing), Anne E. Lomperis, Jena Lynch (incoming)
• English for Academic Settings (EAS) Representatives: Hamidreza Moeiniasl, Jie Shi (incoming)
• Member at Large: Kadirbekova Durdona Khikmatullaevna

ESPIS Chairs

ESPIS chairs serve for a 3-year term as chair-elect (1 year), chair (1 year), and immediate past chair (1 year). The dates and affiliations (at the time of service) here refer to the 1-year (or in a few instances, 2-year) term, between TESOL annual conventions, when the elected leader held or will hold the position of chair.

• 2023-2024 Michael Ennis (Free University of Bozen-Bolzano, Italy)
• 2022-2023 Jennifer Roberts (Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, USA)
• 2021-2022 Pamela Dzunu (Washington University School of Law, USA)
• 2020-2021 Tarana Patel (LearnEd, USA)
• 2019-2020 Ismaeil Fazel (Simon Fraser University, Canada)
• 2018–2019: Marvin Hoffland (Carinthia University of Applied Sciences, Austria)
• 2017–2018: Esther Perez (Perez Apple & Company, USA)
• 2016–2017: Robert Connor (Tulane University, USA)
• 2015–2016: Jaclyn Gishbaugher (Ohio State University, USA)
• 2014–2015: Kristin Ekkens (C3 Consulting, USA)
• 2013–2014: Yinghuei Chen (Asia University, Taiwan)
• 2012–2013: Najma Janjua (Kagawa Prefectural University of Health Sciences, Japan)
• 2011–2012: Kevin Knight (Kanda University of International Studies, Japan)
• 2010–2011: David Kertzner (ProActive English, USA)
• 2009–2010: Shahid Abrar-ul-Hassan (Sultan Qaboos University, Oman)
• 2008–2009: Oswald (Ozzy) Jochum (Carinthia University of Applied Sciences, Austria)
• 2007–2008: Karen Schwelle (Washington University in St. Louis, USA)
• 2006–2007: Ruth Yontz (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA)
• 2005–2006: Charles Hall (University of Memphis, USA)
• 2004–2005: Debra Lee (Nashville State Technical Community College, USA)
• 2003–2004: Mark R. Freiermuth (University of Aizu, Japan)
• 2002–2003: Ethel C. Swartley (Drexel University, USA)
• 2001–2002: Jane Lockwood (Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong)
• 2000–2001: Thomas Orr (University of Aizu, Japan)
• 1999–2000: Judith Gordon (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA)
• 1998–1999: Leslie Olsen (University of Michigan, USA)
• 1997–1998: Joan Friedenberg (Southern Illinois University, USA)
• 1995–1997: Margaret van Naerssen (University of Pennsylvania, USA)
• 1993–1995: Laraine Kaminsky (Malkam Consultants Ltd., Canada)
• 1992–1993: Kay Westerfield (University of Oregon, USA)

ESP Project Leader Profiles (on the TESOL Blog & in ESP News)

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT: The ESP Project Leader Profiles (1 to 55) have been replicated in a book (free PDF version) accessible at https://www.candlinandmynard.com/espprofiles.html (Knight, K. (2022).English for specific purposes project leader profiles: The leadership communication of 55 ESP project leaders. Hong Kong: Candlin & Mynard). The preface is by Ann M. Johns, and the volume is endorsed by Vijay K. Bhatia. Be sure to get a free copy!)

The ESP Project Leader Profiles were announced by former ESPIS Chair Kevin Knight in April 2015 in his role as an ESP blogger for TESOL International Association. The majority of the ESP project leaders featured in the profiles have been former ESPIS chairs and/or members of the ESPIS steering board. The projects in the profiles have been conducted on six continents: Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Europe, and Australia. The profiles are listed as a reference in TESOL’s ELT Leadership Management Certificate Program Online because of their value to all English language instructors, researchers, and leaders worldwide. One teacher at a university in the USA provided a wonderful description of the profiles: “I stop and read each new one you post and feel my knowledge of leadership, different practices and the state of the field are enhanced.” If you are (or know) an ESP project leader, please contact Kevin Knight.

1. 5 May 2015: ESP Project Leader Profile: Kristin Ekkens
2. 2 June 2015: ESP Project Leader Profile: Charles Hall
3. 14 July 2015: ESP Project Leader Profile: Ronna Timpa
4. 11 August 2015: ESP Project Leader Profile: Evan Frendo
5. 8 September 2015: ESP Project Leader Profile: Jaclyn Gishbaugher
6. 6 October 2015: ESP Project Leader Profile: Anne Lomperis
7. 20 October 2015: ESP Project Leader Profile: Ethel Swartley
8. 3 November 2015: ESP Project Leader Profile: David Kertzner
9. 1 December 2015: ESP Project Leader Profile: Margaret van Naerssen
10. December 2015: ESP Project Leader Profile: Marvin Hoffland
11. 12 January 2016: ESP Project Leader Profile: John Butcher
12. 26 January 2016: ESP Project Leader Profile: Karen Schwelle
13. 23 February 2016: ESP Project Leader Profile: Esther Perez Apple
14. 8 March 2016: ESP Project Leader Profile: Kevin Knight
15. 5 April 2016: ESP Project Leader Profile: Shahid Abrar-ul-Hassan
16. 3 May 2016: ESP Project Leader Profile: Robert Connor
17. 17 May 2016: ESP Project Leader Profile: Jigang Cai
18. 14 June 2016: ESP Project Leader Profile: Ismaeil Fazel
19. 28 June 2016: ESP Project Leader Profile: Yilin Sun
20. 26 July 2016: ESP Project Leader Profile: Tarana Patel
21. 23 August 2016: ESP Project Leader Profile: Prithvi Shrestha
22. 6 September 2016: ESP Project Leader Profile: Robin Sulkosky
23. 18 October 2016: ESP Project Leader Profile: Philip Chappell
24. 2 November 2016: ESP Project Leader Profile: Jie Shi
25. 13 December 2016: ESP Project Leader Profile: Laurence Anthony
26. 24 January 2017: ESP Project Leader Profile: Barrie Roberts
27. 7 February 2017: ESP Project Leader Profile: Jen Cope
28. 21 February 2017: ESP Project Leader Profile: Susan Barone
29. 21 March 2017: ESP Project Leader Profile: Debra Lee
30. 18 April 2017: ESP Project Leader Profile: Kay Westerfield
31. 2 May 2017: ESP Project Leader Profile: Stephen Horowitz
32. 14 June 2017: ESP Project Leader Profile: Pam Dzunu
33. 11 July 2017: ESP Project Leader Profile: Marta Baffy
34. 8 August 2017: ESP Project Leader Profile: Vince Ricci
35. 6 September 2017: ESP Project Leader Profile: Kirsten Schaetzel
36. 5 October 2017: ESP Project Leader Profile: Elizabeth Matthews
37. 14 November 2017: ESP Project Leader Profile: Mark Krzanowski
38. 12 December 2017: ESP Project Leader Profile: Sandra Zappa-Hollman
39. 9 January 2018: ESP Project Leader Profile: Valia Spiliotopoulos
40. February 13, 2018: ESP Project Leader Profile: Andrew Silberman
41. March 13, 2018: ESP Project Leader Profile: Jennifer Roberts
42. April 10, 2018: ESP Project Leader Profile: Elise Geither
43. May 2, 2018: ESP Project Leader Profile: Michael Ennis
44. June 5, 2018: ESP Project Leader Profile: Jennifer Speier
45. July 16, 2018: ESP Project Leader Profile: Gina Mikel Petrie
46. August 7, 2018: ESP Project Leader Profile: Charles Browne
47. September 11, 2018: ESP Project Leader Profile: Marcelo Concario
48. October 9, 2018: ESP Project Leader Profile: Andy Gillett
49. November 13, 2018: ESP Project Leader Profile: Louise Greener
50. December 11, 2018: ESP Project Leader Profile: Tim Murphey
51. February 26, 2019: ESP Project Leader Profile: Alan Simpson
52. October 18, 2019: ESP Project Leader Profile: Christoph A. Hafner
53. March 6, 2020: ESP Project Leader Profile: Caroline Hyde-Simon
54. December 21, 2020: ESP Project Leader Profile: Shelly Staples
55. March 3, 2021: ESP Project Leader Profile: Christine Coombe
56. October 18, 2021: ESP Project Leader Profile: Alan Orr
57. March 2022: ESP Project Leader Profile: Jena Lynch
58. November, 2022: ESP Project Leader Profile: Iryna Zuyenok