Rob Sheppard — CV

Rob
Sheppard

sheppard.robert@gmail.com
781.300.1793
1939 S Bouvier Street
Philadelphia, PA 19145

Education

Temple University

PhD in Applied Linguistics (GPA: 4.0)

2021 – 2027

The New School

MA TESOL Curriculum (GPA: 4.0)

2013 – 2014

Stonehill College

BA in English (magna cum laude)

2002 – 2006

Work Experience

Temple Center for American Language and Culture | Philadelphia, PA
Associate Director of Academic Services | Feb 2025 – Present
Assistant Director for Curriculum and Instruction | Sep 2020 – Feb 2025
  • Lead academic team of four full-time staff, overseeing all academic aspects of university-based intensive English program
  • Ensure ongoing curriculum development and alignment of various special programs
  • Supervise team of 20 teachers
  • Develop a range of new English programs in response to changing industry demands
The Welcoming Center | Philadelphia, PA
Program Manager | Oct 2019 – Sep 2020
  • Developed highly contextualized ESOL curriculum to prepare EL adults for success in Philadelphia workforce
  • Developed integrated language and content assessment
FLS International | Remote
Textbook Author | May 2019 – Present
  • Design and write PATTERNS, a 6-level, CEFR-aligned general/academic English series
  • Hire and supervise contributing writers
  • Perform all graphic design and layout
Ginseng English | Remote
Founder and CEO | Feb 2016 – Present
  • Founded, developed, and led all aspects of mission-driven online English school
  • Develop SEO strategy, garnering 2.6 million impressions and 20K visitors per month
Pearson | Hoboken, NJ
Adult Education Consultant | Apr 2019 – 2020
  • Conduct competitive analyses of adult ESOL textbooks series
Intellegym | Huntingdon Valley, PA
Program and Curriculum Designer | Feb 2019 – Oct 2019
  • Developed SAT verbal section curriculum and computer-based SAT diagnostic assessment tool
American Language Center | Huntingdon Valley, PA
Instructor and Curriculum Consultant | Jan 2019 – Mar 2019
  • Aligned curriculum in preparation for a (successful) CEA 10-year accreditation
Quincy Asian Resources, Inc. (QARI) | Quincy, MA
Interim Executive Director | Oct 2016 – May 2017
Senior Director of Adult Programs | Nov 2015 – Sep 2017
Director of Adult Education | July 2013 – Nov 2015
  • In collaboration with executive committee and program directors, led all aspects of organization, including financial management, PR, strategic planning, and operations during the transition of a founding ED
  • Guided strategic and business planning (in collaboration with senior team), guided program evaluation, ensuring accountability and alignment with mission and strategic plan
  • Managed all aspects of adult education and outreach programs, serving 2,000 clients annually
  • Supervised two program directors and 6 FTE
  • Coordinated org-wide grant application and reporting processes
  • Developed 6-level, standards-aligned curriculum, including various integrated literacy strands and differentiated assessment tools
  • Managed all aspects of adult education programs serving 350 students annually (comprising two general ESOL programs, two workplace education programs, family literacy, recreational Mandarin, a supplementary workshop series, and a volunteer tutoring program)
  • Ensured program goals and objectives aligned with organization's mission, strategic plan, and business plan
  • Conducted annual needs assessment, program planning, business planning, program development, budgeting, implementation, marketing, and outcomes measurement for all adult education programs
  • Hired, trained, and supervised a team of 10 teachers and coordinators, as well as 25+ volunteers
  • Collaborated with development director in all stages of grants process and served as lead grant writer
  • Over a two-year period, led State-funded ESOL program from Tier 4 to Tier 2 rating
  • Spearheaded the city's first family literacy program
  • Led the successful acquisition of state contract for new workforce development programs
Consocio | Tokyo, JP (Remote)
Online English Instructor | May 2011 – Sep 2012
Approach International Student Center | Boston, MA
Specialty Programs Coordinator
Academic English Instructor | Sep 2007 – July 2013
Hess International | Taipei, TW
Kindergarten EFL Instructor | Sep 2010 – Sep 2011
FLS International | Boston, MA
EAP Instructor | Aug 2007 – Sep 2007
YBM-ECC | Seoul, KR
Primary EFL Instructor | Sep 2006 – Aug 2007

Publications

  • Sheppard, R., Brumbaugh, E, and Hutcheson, J. (August 4, 2025) "English is more than just a job skill for adult learners." The Philadelphia Inquirer.
  • Sheppard, R. (2022). PATTERNS: American English for Life. Fliteline Language Services.
  • Sheppard, R. (2021). Cultivating critical interculturality in adult ESOL. In M. Victoria & C. Sangiamchit (eds.). Interculturality and the English Language Classroom (pp. 171-200). Palgrave-Macmillan.
  • Sheppard, R. (2021) Reclaiming the rhetoric of outcomes: A life-wide curriculum in adult ESOL. NYS TESOL Journal 8 (2), 18-28.
  • Hohn, M. D. Lawrence, W., McKinney, J., Rosen, D. J., Santos, M. G., Sheppard, R., Smith, G., and Ziskind, A. (2019) Adult basic education: Community health partnerships and health disparities. HLRP: Health Literacy Research and Practice, 3(3), S1-S7.
  • Sheppard, R. (2019). Action required: The adult educator as advocate. In H. Linville & J. Whiting (Eds.) Advocacy in English Language Teaching and Learning. Routledge.
  • Sheppard, R. (2018). User-friendlying the CCRS. TESOL AEIS Newsletter (June 2018).
  • Sheppard, R. (2017). Community ESOL on a shoestring. In P. Quirke (Ed.) TESOL Voices: Adult Education. TESOL.
  • The TESOL Blog — As adult education blogger, wrote bimonthly contributions to the TESOL International Blog on the topic of adult education.

Teacher Training & Presentations

Softness in Program Design: A New Metaphor
TESOL International Convention, Salt Lake City, UT (2026)
Finding the Groove: Planning for Teachable Moments in ESOL
IHM Center for Literacy, Philadelphia, PA (2026) · First Literacy, Boston, MA (2025)
Integrating AI into your ESOL Practice
First Literacy, Boston, MA (2025)
(How) Do Adult ESOL Textbooks Teach Real-World Listening?
TESOL International Convention, Long Beach, CA (2025)
The Map and The Shifting Terrain: Components of ESL Curriculum
TESOL International Convention, Portland, OR (2023)
Transitioning from Teaching to Administration
Regional EnglishUSA Workshop, Portland, OR (2023) · With Cheryl Delk-LeGood, Engin Ayvaz, & Nick Taggart
Self-Assessment of Life-Wide Outcomes in Adult ESOL
TESOL International Convention, Pittsburgh, PA (2022) · NYS TESOL invited webinar (2022)
Integrating Interculturality into ESOL
TESOL International Convention, Pittsburgh, PA (2022) · IATEFL ESOL SIG invited webinar (2022)
Advocacy in Adult Education
TESOL International Convention, Atlanta, GA (2019)
The CCRS UX at QARI
TESOL International Convention, Chicago, IL (2018)
Conation in Adult Education: Grit, Resilience, and the Noncognitive Hobgoblin
The New School, New York, NY (2016) · TESOL International Convention, Seattle, WA (2017)
Community English on a Shoestring
TESOL International Convention, Seattle, WA (2017)
Extensive Reading in Community English
The New School, New York, NY (2015) · MCAE Network, Framingham, MA (2016) · First Literacy, Boston, MA (2017)
SoundCloud for Speaking Portfolios
First Literacy/CommCorp, Boston, MA (2014)

Curriculum Projects

General and Academic EFL

2021 – present

Oversee the continuing development and implementation of a 10-level comprehensive academic English curriculum aligned with university language admission requirements.

PDPi Brazilian English Teachers at Temple (BETT)

2023 – present

Designed and implemented a 6-week residential program for 45 in-service Brazilian ESL teachers. Curriculum emphasized English proficiency, teaching pedagogy, and U.S. culture. Funded by the Brazilian government, administered by IIE and Fulbright.

TOEIC Alignment and Standard-Setting for NRS

2025

Served on expert panel for ETS evaluating alignment between TOEIC/TOEIC Bridge Reading and Writing sections and the National Reporting System descriptors for adult ESL.

Jordan Pre-college Opportunity Program (JPOP)

2024

Oversaw development and delivery of a 2-year college access program for financially disadvantaged Jordanian high schoolers, funded by the U.S. Embassy in Amman.

Mapping ACTFL Descriptors to TOEIC

2023

Served on expert panel for ETS mapping alignment between TOEIC and the ACTFL Writing Guidelines.

PACE — Professional and Academic Conversations in English

2021

Conceived and developed online academic speaking course based on genre theory and task-based language teaching.

SAT Preparation Program

2019

Developed branded curriculum to prepare high school students for the SAT verbal section in an after-school program.

ESL Standards Alignment for CEA Accreditation

2019

In a consulting capacity, oversaw the realignment of a 6-level general ESL curriculum for the purposes of CEA accreditation for an independent language school.

Life-Wide ESOL Curriculum

2017

Led formalization and implementation of 6-level adult WIOA-funded ESOL curriculum, aligned to NRS, incorporating a series of life skills (e.g., digital literacy, health literacy, civics) and authentic assessments.

Quincy Family Literacy

2016

Led the establishment of the first family literacy program in Quincy, MA, from needs analysis, through curriculum design, acquisition of funding, delivery, and program evaluation.

Quincy Workplace Education

2016

Oversaw the development of two contextualized workplace English programs (one for kitchen staff and one for interstate bus drivers) funded by the State of MA.

ESL Standards Alignment for ACCET Accreditation

2013

Led the alignment of a 10-level academic English curriculum for the purposes of ACCET accreditation for an independent language school.

Selected Volunteer Work

PennTESOL East

Vice President, 2022–2023 & 2025–present · Chair, Sociopolitical Concerns, June 2020–present · Board of Directors, Mar 2020–present

Literacy Council of Norristown

Vice President, 2025–present · Board of Directors, June 2019–present

TESOL International

Member, 2010–present · Chair, Adult Education Interest Section, 2018–2019

PHL Adult Literacy Alliance

Member, Dec 2019–present

First Literacy

Community Advisory Council, 2014–2017

Open Door Collective (ODC)

Chair, Social Media Committee, Jan 2020–2022 · Member, 2014–2022

Languages

  • English — native proficiency
  • Italian — low intermediate
  • Spanish — low intermediate
  • Mandarin — beginner

Awards & Grants

  • First Literacy Innovation Grant
  • New School Scholarship
  • Presidential Scholarship
  • Stonehill Honor Society

Peer Review

  • SYSTEM — Guest Reviewer, 2023
  • NYS TESOL Journal — Guest Reviewer, 2024
Rob Sheppard