ADULT EDUCATION - SOUTH TEAM
PATTY PILOTO
Regional Manager
AREA / STATES
Regional Manager South
Born and raised in Miami, Florida. I attended Florida International University and earned a degree in Public Administration and a master’s degree in Human Resource Management from NOVA Southeastern. I am honored to lead the US Region South, which consists of a team of 7 covering Florida, Texas, California, & Arizona. As a daughter of Cuban immigrants, ELL has a special place in my heart and feel a deep connection to our audience. In my spare time, I enjoy spending time on the beautiful Florida beaches with my daughter, Valentina and my partner Keith.
ALEX OTTLEY
Key Account Manager
AREA / STATES
Arizona, California
Hi there, I’m Alex! I joined Pearson ELL, where I cover Northern California, in Summer 2023. Before coming to Pearson, I attended UC Berkeley where I earned my degree in English Literature, and I have worked on the Sales and Marketing sides of College Publishing since 2017.
I live with my partner and our three dogs in Berkeley, California. I was born and raised in San Diego, but I’ve called the East Bay Area home for over 15 years now. I spend my free time hiking, cycling, and reading around the Bay Area. I hope to speak with you about how Pearson ELL’s products can help you and your students achieve your course goals!
LETICIA BARAJAS
Key Account Manager
AREA / STATES
Florida
Born in Mexico and graduated from the University of Kentucky. I’ve been both an ESL student and teacher. When I am not working, I love being outdoors and paddle boarding. Spending time with hubby and my little bird always makes me smile.
JUAN ECHEVARRIA
Sales & Assessment Advisor
AREA / STATES
Florida
Born and raised in Buenos Aires, Argentina, attended the University of Buenos Aires for Marketing. I began my professional career as an account executive at Pearson Argentina in August 2018 moved to the United States in 2021 to become an ELL field sales representative covering the state of Florida.
Since I live in Orlando, in my spare time, I love spending time with my family at Disney, cooking, listening to podcasts and reading. I’m excited to be here at Pearson and look forward to working with you, learning about your program needs and helping you achieve your goals.
CRISTIANE DA SILVA
Sales & Assessment Advisor
AREA / STATES
Arizona, California
I live in sunny California and my favorite season is summer! I love going to the beach, traveling, hiking, trying new restaurants, and dancing! I also love spending time with people I love, my pets, and enjoy learning new languages and cultures. I would love to learn at least two more languages in the future!
KENYA PREUNINGER
Key Account Manager
AREA / STATES
Texas
Hi! I’m Kenya. I’m a Texas native and travel junkie. When I’m not traveling on new adventures, you can find me outdoors in my garden, on the lake fishing, or testing out new recipes. I am a wife and mother of two adventurous boys.
We are always looking to learn/explore something new.
ADULT EDUCATION - NORTH TEAM
LES ROBERTS
Regional Manager
AREA / STATES
Regional Manager North
Celebrating my 23rd anniversary with Pearson and offering my 4 years’ experience with our ELL Group. I am based out of Columbus, Ohio, I have held various positions in Pearson with Sales Management, Sales Advising, Marketing, and Customer Focused Support and Partnerships. The past four years of my career have absolutely been my favorite working in English Language Learning! We have great local and global teams working together to deliver solutions through our Person Connected English Learning Programs.
BLAKE SCHROCK
Sales & Assessment Advisor
AREA / STATES
Illinois, Pennsylvania
Born in Pennsylvania and raised in San Antonio, Texas. I attended The Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania and earned a degree in Health Science. I began my professional career as a Sales Support Administrator at Pearson in July 2020 and have recently transitioned into an ELT Sales & Assessment Advisor covering Illinois and Pennsylvania. In my spare time, I love outdoor recreation, reading, spending time with my family, and being a dog dad. I’m thrilled to be here at Pearson and look forward to working with you and learning how to help assist your program’s needs.
JILL POLVERARI
Sales & Assessment Advisor
AREA / STATES
New York, Pennsylvania, & North Region
Born and raised in New Haven, Connecticut. The birthplace of the Hamburger, famous for pizza and proud of home of Yale University. If you haven’t been to CT, come visit!
I enjoy creating memories with my 2-year-old son (Nico) and our rescue cat (Bruno Meows) from Miami.
I’m passionate about improving lives through learning. I have over 10 years of experience in the education field as well as prior experience working for Pearson Higher Ed in Miami, FL and now proud to be a part of the US ELT Team!
MELODY MCNAUGHTON
Sales & Assessment Advisor:
AREA / STATES
Washington DC, Virginia, Maryland
Education has always been an important part of my life, and I’m excited to bring my passion and excitement to the ELL team to the Washington DC, Virginia, and Maryland region. I was born and raised in southern California and spent my high school and college years in Missouri, earning a degree in engineering and a Master’s in Business Administration. I currently reside in southern Virginia, and it’s been my favorite place to live so far! In my spare time I compete in a weekly board game league, train for weightlifting competitions, and love spending time with my family and pets. I’m thrilled to be here at Pearson, and I look forward to connecting to see how we can meet and exceed your program’s goals and needs.
SUSAN JOSEPH
Sales & Assessment Advisor:
AREA / STATES
Massachusetts, New Jersey
SHEILA DEININGER
Sales & Assessment Advisor for the following states
AREA / STATES
AK, AL, AZ, CO, CT, DE, GA, HI, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MA, MI, MN, MO, MS, MT, NC, ND, NE, NH, NJ, NV, NY, OH, OK, OR, RI, SC, SD, TN, UT, VA, WA, WI, WV, WY
Having spent nearly two decades with Pearson, I’m excited to be part of the ELL Team! I live in Iowa, which is a great, centralized location for working with so many wonderful states! I have also been an ESL/ELL tutor for seven years, and it’s wonderful to have a passion align so well with my work.
YOUNG LEARNERS
RACHEL FURST
K-12 Sales & Assessment Advisor
AREA / STATES
YOUNG LEARNERS
Hi, I am Rachel! I was born and raised in North Carolina and currently live in the Outer Banks with my Husband, Toddler, and Pomeranian. In my free time I enjoy fishing, hiking, skiing, cooking, and spending time with friends and family. I have been at Pearson a little over a year and I am excited to be working with English Language Learners in the K-12 space
CORPORATE
MARK THOMPSON
Corporate Key
Account Manager
AREA / STATES
US and Canada
I am a teacher by training and moved into the publishing world after years in the classroom to explore another site of education. The best part of my job is helping institutions make the most of Pearson materials to build programs that bring results to their learners. I’m especially interested in working with schools on digital transformation and building solutions to help them achieve their goals. In my free time, I like cooking, watching hockey and traveling.
PTE Academic Recognition
Katherine Shibata
Born and raised in Minneapolis, Minnesota where I earned my bachelor’s degree at Hamline University and started my career as a high school English teacher. Eventually, I moved to California where I earned my master’s degree from Loyola Marymount University. My passion for assessment and English language proficiency started here.
In my current role, I provide support to universities located in the western region of the US around PTE Academic and international enrollment. As education continues to evolve, I am excited to be a part of such a progressive, forward-looking company.
Kinetra Washington
Hello! I’m Kinetra, born and raised in the beautiful state of Arkansas; I am Mom to twins and married to my best friend of 13 years. In my spare time, I love spending quality time with my family whether it is vacationing or grilling in our backyard.
I am approaching year 3 with the Pearson Test of English. It has been my absolute pleasure being a part of a pathway for international students in the United States. I have a genuine interest in propelling people forward by any means necessary – I believe you ‘get what you give’. I look forward to further supporting institutions with expanding their recruitment efforts.
Mary Beth Chesbrough
Growing up with four older brothers in a small ranch home in suburban Detroit, Michigan, I spent most of my youth either playing baseball or studying classical ballet. I love literature, theatre and the arts, travel, people, and pets. I studied advertising at Michigan State University and worked at the school newspaper selling ad space. After college in Chicago, Illinois I discovered textbook publishing and started 17 years with a Pearson company.
I moved to Ann Arbor, Michigan where my husband and I have raised three amazing and strong-minded children. I was thrilled to re-join the ranks of Pearson again to enter the world of English language learning with PTE Academic. I have great admiration for our test taker’s journey and everything our university customers do to make their student’s academic dreams come true.
Meredith Stokes
Hello from Texas! I am the US PTE Academic Manager that leads a team of passionate English language testing specialists working with higher education institutions and organizations in the US for international recruitment. I have been with PTE Academic for almost ten years and am looking forward to the next ten! I love building relationships with people in order to help their university find the right fit for purpose language test through the Pearson English Assessment catalog.
I have two small children who occupy a great deal of my time but when I have some to spare, you can find me on a beach, mountain or tennis court.
Shailly Jain
My experience in working with international student sending markets as well as education agents have helped every day in my current role with PTE Academic. Humbly, looking back at these wonderful years I recollect the joy on the faces of adolescent teens who turned into mature professionals and businesspeople. The most gratifying moments have been given to me by their parents and guardians.
After getting married we moved to the USA and now my lifelines are my husband and two wonderful kids.
William Fish
I am delighted to be working for Pearson and PTE. My work at Pearson includes serving universities, English language programs, the diplomatic community and the legal community with an interest in migration.
My career started as an English teacher in Portugal, includes having directed English Programs in the United States and in 1989 my consulting practice began. With over forty-five years of experience in the field of international education, I am the founder of the Washington International Education Council and am the organization’s President.
I am the proud father of three daughters. I have a strong interest in the arts and enjoy all that New York city has to offer.
