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 At Abbey Road, we take great pride in our faculty and staff. Our full-time and summer staff directors, coordinators, instructors and resident advisors are experienced, dedicated and caring individuals carefully selected and screened. Our summer staff are outstanding high school teachers, university professors, college administrators and graduate students, as well as highly qualified college graduates. We maintain a minimum ratio of one staff member for every eight students, giving us unparalleled quality attention to detail and safety. |
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Dr. Arthur Kian Managing Director and Founder Arthur has been directing pre-college and summer programs in the U.S. and in Western Europe for nearly 20 years. His areas of expertise include foreign languages, European and Eastern history and culture, political science and international relations. He is a former Instructor with the Stanford Education Program for Gifted Youth (EPGY) and an Academic Consultant with the Stanford Program on International and Cross-Cultural Education (SPICE), as well as a member of the National Independent Educational Consultants Association (IECA). Arthur has had the privilege of working with top security advisors to presidents Bush Sr., Clinton and Obama and is a Senior Consultant with the Cypress Fund for nuclear non-proliferation, security and peace building. Arthur earned his Ph.D. and M.A. from Stanford University. Arthur is fluent in French, Italian, Russian and Armenian. |
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Derek Yarborough
Co-Founder, Advisory Board Member Derek received his M.A. and B.A. in Sociology from Stanford University. Throughout his years at Stanford, Derek developed and directed educational programs for high school and college students. Derek also worked with local NGO-s to provide educational opportunities to disadvantaged communities. One of the founders of Abbey Road, Derek has extensive experience in Education, Social Sciences and Management, Foreign Languages and Overseas Travel. |
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Heather Allen
Academic Advisory Board Heather is one of the most prominent young experts on study abroad and foreign language education. She holds an M.A. in French Literature from Louisiana State University (1998) and a Ph.D. in Educational Studies and French from Emory University (2002). Her research on motivation and language learning during study abroad has appeared in several journals, including Foreign Language Annals (2003 and forthcoming, 2010), the Journal of Studies in International Education (forthcoming, 2010) and an edited volume entitled Identity and Second Language Learning (2007). Heather has been instrumental in conducting a special University-level study on the Abbey Road Educational Method, publishing her findings and presenting them at academic conferences around the world. |
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Ellen Spindel
Director of Admissions Ellen completed her undergraduate studies at the State University of New York, where she specialized in Early Childhood Development. Ellen brings over 20 years’ Admissions experience working for some of the nation’s most prestigious Theatre, Film and Youth Academies including the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute. She has an immense appreciation and passion for the performing arts and has produced, edited and directed over 40 stage productions for children and teens in New York and Los Angeles. She is particularly passionate about her work with the Abbey Road alumni network, for which she provides mentoring and college guidance. |
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Emily Tzouanakis
Student Relations, Summer Programs Manager Emily graduated cum laude from Scripps College and holds a B.A. with honors in Foreign Languages and European Culture and Civilization. At Scripps, Emily was an active member of the National Spanish Honors Society and co-founded the college's first Women in Business club. She spent her junior year in both Aix-en-Provence and Madrid, and her research during this time culminated in a senior honors thesis analyzing contemporary trends in youth autonomy and political movements in France and Spain. A published author in the field of foreign language learning, she has led high school foreign language workshops in the United States, France, Greece and Cuba, as well as cultural seminars for the World Humanitarian Organization. Emily is fluent in Greek, Spanish and French. |
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Fabien Tracco
European Public Relations Fabien is a native of Antibes, France where he lives and works coordinating Abbey Road’s French Immersion programs in Nice, St-Laurent-du-Var and Aix-en-Provence. He received his M.A. from Nice University in 1996 and brings over 12 years experience in European Program Development and High-School Foreign Language Instruction in addition to his expertise in French culture through his work with St-Laurent’s Association de Gestion et d’Animation Soporative et Socio-Culturelle. Fabien works closely with Abbey Road’s French homestay families fostering excellent relationships from which Abbey Road students benefit year after year. In addition to his native French, Fabien is also fluent in English, Italian and Indonesian. |
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Chris Bond
Western Civilization Chris completed his M.A. in Latin American Studies at Cambridge University and holds a B.A. from Penn State University in Spanish. Since completing his Master’s degree in 2002, he has worked as a university instructor of Spanish language and literature at NYU, Fordham and USC. He loves traveling around the world and has spent significant time in South America, Europe and Northern Africa. Chris is fluent in Spanish, Italian and French. |
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Karl Haloj
St-Laurent-du-Var Karl currently teaches French language at the University of Vermont, where he is also completing a Master’s thesis examining nationalism in the literary works of Belle Époque author Louis Pergaud. Karl developed an interest in Pergaud’s unique writings while studying at the Université de Franche-Comté’s world renowned Centre de linguistique appliquée à Besançon (France). He also holds a B.A. in French language and literature from Stony Brook University. In addition, Karl is an expert in foreign language pedagogy, for which he has been developing and teaching language programs for nearly twenty years. He is fluent in French and Japanese. |
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John Lansdowne
Western Civilization John received his B.A. from Boston College in Classical Studies and History, with a minor in Art History. He is currently earning his Master’s in Archaeology from the University of Oxford. While an undergraduate, John participated in study abroad programs in Athens, Greece and Venice, Italy and also spent two summers working on excavations in Jordan. An AmeriCorps alumnus, John also holds an M.A. in Education from the City College of New York. He has extensive travel experience in Europe, Latin America and the Middle East. |
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Encarnación Cruz Cádiz Homestay Encarnación received her B.A. and M.S. from the University of Seville in English Language and Literature. She is currently serving as a professor of Spanish at the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill, where she will complete an M.S. in Spanish Literature in 2010. Encarnación loves the culture of Spain, particularly flamenco music, and has lead many workshops in Flamenco dance during her summers with Abbey Road. She is fluent in Spanish. |
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Staci Hyman
Cádiz Homestay Staci received her M.A. in International Relations from Columbia University and also holds an M.A. in Bilingual and Dual Language Education from Bank Street College. She served a dual role as Program Coordinator and Instructor on the Cádiz Homestay Program in 2008. Staci has worked and studied abroad in several Spanish speaking countries, including Mexico, Honduras, and Spain. She is an alumna of Teach for American and Amigos de las Americas and has worked for six years as an educator and advocate for immigrant families in New York City. Staci is fluent in Spanish. |
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Lindsay Mapes
Florence Pre-College Lindsay received her BFA from San Francisco Art Institute and a Post-Bacc. Degree from SACI in Florence, Italy. She is currently working towards her MFA in painting at The Slade School of Fine Arts in London. After completing her BFA, Lindsay moved to Europe and has lived there for four and a half years. She has a wide range of experience in the fields of arts and design. This experience includes working for the MTV Music Awards and other events in the fashion world and teaching art workshops to inner-city youth in London. Lindsay enjoys studying Italian lifestyle, culture, food and the arts, while continuing with her own painting practice. She speaks Italian fluently. |
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Grant Gearhart
Cádiz Homestay Grant is currently working towards his Ph. D. from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill in Spanish Medieval and Early Modern Literature. In addition to studying in Spain and working with high school students abroad, Grant instructed high school Spanish and coached cross-country and basketball for four years. With many years’ experience working for Abbey Road’s Spanish programs, Grant considers the Experiential Learning Method an essential part of the program’s success. He is fluent in Spanish. |
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José A. Gregory
Cádiz Homestay José is originally from Puerto Rico, but grew up in the U.S. He obtained his B.A. in Latin American and International Studies from Yale University and his M.A. from the University of Pennsylvania. José currently teaches at a magnet school for the Arts in Atlanta where he is also the school’s tennis coach. He has worked for Abbey Road for over five years first as an instructor and then as a Program Director for several programs including Florence and Cádiz. His main interests are traveling, foreign languages and films, international foods, and tennis. In addition to his native fluency in Spanish, José also speaks Italian and Portuguese. |
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