For immigrants, expatriates, and global business partners looking to hone their professional English communication skills
For anyone — international or domestic — who wants to navigate the dynamics of working in a diverse society.
For USA newcomers who want to fit in at work and in the community. For Americans who want to work globally without stepping on toes.
As an applied linguist, Alan has worked with professionals in the fields of accounting, architecture, auditing, customer service, engineering, finance, management, manufacturing, marketing, medicine, pharmacy, physical therapy, quality assurance, religion, research & development, and sales.
Trained Teacher & Coach
Alan holds a master’s degrees in both Applied Linguistics and Teaching English as a Second Language and a bachelor’s degree in German. Additionally, he holds certificates from the Summer Institute for Intercultural Communication (SIIC) and Toastmasters International.
Author & Presenter
In 2024, he co-authored a book on American holidays for newcomers to the United States (see below). In 1999, he co-authored a book for Japanese learners on the difficulties of English grammar and pronunciation. Alan has presented at numerous professional conferences and symposia, lunch & learns, workshops, and seminars. His presentations often include interaction with the audience for improved learning outcomes and the joy of engagement.
TV Talk Show Host & Documentarian
Alan produced and hosted a local community TV talk show called Feel Like You Belong. It featured newcomers from every continent, focused on how one makes a new life in a new land and a new language. Guests included those who came to the U.S. for work, and those fleeing violence or poverty. The show aired for eight years. In 2017, Alan produced and directed a documentary examining the experiences of nine Vietnamese refugees who resettled in western Michigan in the 1970s, 80s, and 90s.
International Experience
Alan has lived, worked, studied, and traveled on six continents, including extended stays in Germany, Nigeria, and Brazil. He has studied numerous languages, including German, Spanish, French, Hausa, Swedish, Hmong, Farsi, Japanese, Czech, Portuguese, and Italian. His desire in retirement is to rebuild those skills, possibly introducing himself to Arabic.
Community Volunteer
Alan continually integrates volunteerism into his work/life experience. He has served as president of Michigan Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (MITESOL), provided time and talent to local natural resources organizations, and spent hundreds of hours with social justice causes in local religious and political organizations.
Personal Life
Alan’s wife and best friend Kim Roberts is a professor of film and video production. They reside in Grand Rapids, Michigan, with their two Coton de Tuléars, Gladys and Agnes. Daughter Megan is a physician in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Daughter Katy is a palliative care director in Long Beach, California. Their three grandchildren are now teenagers, making them the perfect recipients of riddles, puns, and (grand)dad jokes.
Alan’s personal joy and grounding comes from terracing his backyard creek bank, hosting dinner parties, and watching movies (where Kim controls the remote). Before his knees gave out, he ran marathons for 13 of the 26 letters of the alphabet. If you want to blabber on about running distances of ridiculous length, he’s your guy!
American Holidays is a vocabulary builder and cultural reader all in one!
Students learn and practice high-frequency words and phrases as they journey through the interesting histories of special days in the United States.
This revised third edition is updated throughout, including new chapters on Juneteenth, weddings, and funerals. This edition also features new practice exercises on building sentences, forming questions, and choosing word forms.
In addition, each chapter includes updated discussion questions and revised vocabulary tasks, all appropriate for advanced beginner (A2) through intermediate (B1) language learners.
To create belonging on diverse teams and across diverse communities.
Education. Empowerment. Access for all.
“We do not see things the way they are; we see things the way we are.”
— Anaïs Nin
“If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his own language, that goes to his heart.”
— Nelson Mandela
“The world in which you were born is just one model of reality. Other cultures are not failed attempts at being you. They are unique manifestations of the human spirit.”
— Wade Davis
“Racism is not about how you look; it’s about how people assign meaning to the way you look.”
— Robin D.G. Kelley
“The best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago. The second-best time is now.”
— Unknown
