Short Takes Interactive: Credits

Lesson Development:
Natasha Haugnes and Beth Maher

Natasha Haugnes launched her ESL career as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Morocco in the late 1980s. She subsequently trained ESL teachers for the Peace Corps in various West African countries while completing graduate school in San Francisco. Natasha currently lives in Oakland, California with her husband, John Tuttle, and three sons. For the past eleven years, she has worked as an ESL teacher and, more recently, as an academic coach and faculty developer at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco. Natasha is co-author of Northstar Reading/Writing, Basic (Longman, 2003). While not at her "day job" or her "mom job," Natasha plays guitar, sings, and tap dances in Quake City Jug Band, a small early swing and blues band, with John.

Fifteen years ago, Beth Maher moved to San Francisco, California, from her hometown of Baltimore, Maryland, to attend graduate school and begin her career as an ESL teacher. Since the early 1990s, Beth has taught ESL in a variety of settings, including community colleges, intensive language programs, and at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco. Beth is co-author of Northstar Reading/Writing, Basic (Longman, 2003). Most recently, she worked in nearby hotels and factories teaching workplace English and training new teachers in this area. Beth currently lives across the Bay in Oakland, California, with her husband and three young sons.

Series Author, Video Production by:
Ryan Detwiler

Ryan Detwiler earned his BA in English and TESL Certificate at the University of California in Santa Barbara. In 1998 he taught video production to a high intermediate class of ESL students and has been hooked on producing video and web-based content ever since. After living and teaching in France and Japan for a couple of years, Ryan moved to San Francisco, California, to get an MFA in Motion/Pictures and Television at the Academy of Art University. In March of 2005 he founded ESL Video, Inc., an educational software development / production company. Ryan currently lives in Encinitas, California with his wife, Kayo, son, Kaishu, and daughter, Mikoto.

Flash Programming:
Uri Brodetzki

Copy Editor:
Sheila Sheridan

Graphic Design:
Satoru Irie

Design and Programming:
Ari Salomon
Dave Cohen

Voice-Over Actors:
Melody Reifler
Dana Lau
Jonathan Crosby
Paige Tierney