Michelle Plaisance

Dr. Plaisance fell in love with the world of TESOL during her undergraduate studies in Quito, Ecuador and in Heredia, Costa Rica. Forced to eventually settle in one hemisphere, she pursued her MAT in TESL from the University of North Carolina in Charlotte. After some years of experience as an ESL teacher in NC public schools, she returned to UNCC to pursue her doctorate in Urban Literacy, with a TESOL concentration. Dr. Plaisance joined Greensboro College in 2014 as the program director and is now professor of English and TESOL, also serving as the dean of the school of humanities. She has worked to build the GC TESOL program into one of the most robust, rigorous, and dynamic TESOL graduate degree programs in the country. Through a combination of innovative online curricula and traditional residential options, Dr. Plaisance has played an integral role in developing a uniquely comprehensive program of study with choices for every educator considering a career in teaching English to non-native speakers. She’s passionate about learning and life-long education, which makes her job in graduate studies one of her greatest pleasures. In addition to her role at Greensboro College, Dr. Plaisance serves as an English Language Specialist for the US State Department, working with teachers around the world to enhance their experiences teaching English as a foreign language in their own countries.