Chinese Literacy Development

Read On 2023 Leadership Team

left to right: Xuefeng Theodorou, Sara Chao, Nancy Boyd Loyd (Admin), Meng Yeh, Claudia Ross, Andrew Burton (student assistant), Baozhang He, Brooke Cheng, Pei-Chia Chen, Ke Peng

Leadership Team Bios

Claudia Ross Professor Emeritus of Chinese, College of the Holy Cross. Dr. Ross has 40 years of experience teaching CFL. Her leadership includes 9 years as director of the Read-On STARTALK Program, 3 terms as president and past-president of CLTA, 10 years as Chair of the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures at Holy Cross. She is lead author or author of many of textbooks, grammars, and articles focusing on Chinese language.	Meng Yeh Teaching Professor at the Center for Languages and Intercultural Communication at Rice University. Dr. Yeh has 27 years of experience teaching CFL. Her leadership includes 9 year as Instructional Lead in the Read-On STARTALK Program, 5 years as Instructional Lead for the Houston STARTALK Teacher Program, and 16 years as AP Chinese consultant for the College Board. She is Co-author of several Chinese textbooks, and a researcher in the field of character acquisition in Chinese.
Ke Peng Director of the Chinese Flagship Program and associate professor of Chinese at Western Kentucky University. Dr. Peng has 17 years of experience teaching CFL and has served as the College team leader in the Read-On STARTALK Program since 2013. She publishes in the field of CFL acquisition and is teacher trainer and mentor to new teachers in Western Kentucky.	Pei-Chia Chen Lecturer and Academic Coordinator of the Chinese program, University of California, San Diego. Ms. Chen has 22 years of experience teaching Chinese and 4 years as language program coordinator at UC San Diego. She has served 1 year as co-team leader in the Read-On STARTALK Program, and was a past participant in the program. She is co-author of several Chinese textbooks and a frequent presenter at national Chinese language conferences.
Sara Chao Chinese language teacher, New Trier High School, Illinois. Ms. Chao has 14 years of experience teaching CFL, and has served as the team leader for the Read-On STARTALK Program since 2013. She has held many leadership roles in national and statewide Chinese language teachers’ organizations and has presented professional development workshops throughout the US for Chinese teachers.	Shiffon Xuefeng Theodorou Chinese language teacher, Simsbury High School, CT. Ms. Theodorou has 13 years of experience teaching Chinese. She has served 1 year as co-team leader in the Read-On STARTALK Program, and was a past participant in the program. She is a teacher trainer and mentor in world languages in the West Hartford Public Schools and an active participant in regional and national Chinese language teachers associations.
Baozhang He Associate Professor Emeritus of Chinese, College of the Holy Cross. Dr. He has 35 years of experience teaching CFL. His leadership includes 9 years on the Read-On STARTALK leadership team, 5 years as a member of the AP Chinese Development committee, President and Past-President of CLTA, and extensive Chinese teacher training and mentoring. He is lead author or co-author of several Chinese textbooks and grammars, and of scholarly articles about Chinese.	Brooke Cheng Chinese language teacher, Barrington Middle School, IL. Ms. Cheng has 12 years of experience teaching Chinese, and has served 5 years as the middle school team leader in the Read-On STARTALK program. She is a teacher trainer and mentor in the Barrington School District and is active in regional and national Chinese language teachers associations.
Chi Liang Yu Dr. Chi Liang Yu is an accomplished educator and visual communication expert specializing in educational technology and media design. Before joining Rice University, he taught information and communication technology courses at the University of Houston. With over ten years of experience in instructional design and technology, he has established a notable career that integrates cutting-edge technology with creative educational practices. At Rice, he developed innovative programs such as the CLIC Virtual Reality Learning Lab, which enhances academic curricula through immersive learning experiences.