My name is Maria Sortino Gillette. I have been an American English instructor since 1996.
I have taught American English in the United States in MBA programs and university intensive English programs, at community colleges and in corporations. My specialization is training professionals to speak, read, and write proficiently in standard American English. Standardized tests for which I instruct students: TOEFL, IELTS.
Companies where I have taught employees: Daimler, IBM, Sysco, General Motors, General Electric, Johnson and Johnson, Raytheon, Intel, Procter and Gamble, Caterpillar, Pfizer, American Express, Merck, General Dynamics, Deere, Honeywell International, Northrop Grumman, DuPont, Amgen, Hewlett Packard, Starwood, American Airlines, Ingersoll Rand, Volkswagen, Volvo, and more.

Education

• Master of Teaching English as a Second Language (MTESL)                                         
• Applied Thesis Project:  Developed in-company ESL curriculum for a local electronics manufacturer;
• Bachelor of Science in Business Management                                                                               
• Minor: Italian Language and Literature Studies                                                                                     
• Honors:  Magna Cum Laude   GPA: 3.79

Curriculum Projects:
EF                                                                                                                                                                                   

• Researched, created, and coded (in HTML) an on-line automotive ESP course entitled Automotive English Aug. ‘99
• Developed curriculum and created lesson plans

ASU Curriculum Project                                                                                                                                              

• Created curriculum and lessons plans for a project entitled “American English Language and Culture for International Import-Export Managers

University of Advancing Technology- Online Course Development                                                                   

• Worked with the Curriculum Specialist to create an intermediate level, Ted Talk-based ESL online course.

Experience:
 
Sortino International Training, LLC
Director                                                                                                                                                                          

• American accent trainer for advanced English speaking professionals                                                 
• On-going trainer and curriculum designer in intercultural communication                                             
• Designed and delivered intercultural communication training workshop entitled ‘Communication Strategies to Motivate and Increase Productivity of Hispanic Employees’ to 15 managers of the Scottsdale Hilton Resort       
• Facilitated exercises and discussion of communication styles, US and Latin cultural values, values orientation
• Designed and delivered a workshop on American Culture for inbound German expatriate family
• Designed and delivered a workshop entitled “Understanding What Makes People Tick at Work” workshop for Choice Hotels International employees

Thunderbird, Graduate School of International Management 

• For 2 years taught the Intensive program in American Culture and Business Communication
• Taught 4-year  full-time load of courses in Master Degree program on campus and in a distance learning program
• Facilitated student learning of essential international business skills such as letter and memo writing, presentations, and cross-cultural communication
• Performed on-going curriculum and materials development in all courses

Arizona State University    

• Taught Speaking/Listening and Reading/Writing courses in Intensive English Program
• Kept grades, reported student progress and maintained office hours
• Collaborated on curriculum design projects

Paradise Valley Community College

• Taught pronunciation, Listening/Speaking/Grammar for credit-based program

ETS

• Rater for TOEFL iBT     

 Wall Street Institute

• Developed vocabulary, grammar, and expressions databases and course content for all levels using concordance software

EF, English First

• Developed content such as textbook materials, teacher’s notes, quizzes, and worksheets for adult-level ESL textbooks

Vital International Programs 

• Taught ESL to foreign executives and family members 

Cartus Corp.   

• Taught ESL to foreign executives and family members who work for various companies

Sol Institute of English   

• Developed curricula for 5-level basic life skills program

Scottsdale Community College   

• Taught multiple level ESL courses for credit program

Adam’s Mark Hotels    

• Delivered diversity training workshops to managers and staff in English and Spanish
• Facilitated exercises and discussions on positive vs. negative communication and stereotyping vs. cultural appreciation