ETAS Org Chart – English Teachers Association Switzerland

Executive Committee

The Executive Committee is comprised of officers and chairs elected by the membership to review the progress of ETAS’ strategy and planned events, as well as to conduct the ongoing business of the association.

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

President

Pamela is a Special Education teacher from San Francisco, California where she earned a Master of Arts in Special Education and a Master of Public Administration. Throughout her career, she has been committed to supporting neurodiverse students with various learning disabilities, including physical, cognitive, and emotional challenges. After moving to Switzerland, she transitioned her focus to teaching English as a foreign language (EFL) to both children and adults, acquiring her CELTA certification in Zürich in 2020. Pamela has been actively involved in ETAS for the last four years supporting the Publications team in various roles. Her contributions have now led her to serve on the committee as vice-president as of 2024.

Vice-President

Dina, with over 25 years teaching experience and a long-standing ETAS member and volunteer, is from London. Holding an M.Ed. in English Language Teaching from the University of Manchester, her teaching experience spans a wide range of contexts, from teaching adults (general, business and Cambridge exam courses) to young learners and teenagers. She is currently a teacher educator at the PH FHNW, Institute for Secondary Education. With her diverse cultural background and commitment to lifelong learning, Dina is always learning and growing, nurturing full-dimensional learning environments dedicated to teaching the whole-person.

Secretary

Anna’s career has mostly been in teaching English offline at language centres in Russia and online to students from all over the world. Having completed her MA in International Economics and worked in the field, she moved into teaching English to follow her passion for languages, teaching, and learning. Anna earned her CELTA in 2017 and completed DELTA Modules 1 and 2 in 2021. Since then, she has also worked as a teacher trainer on Cambridge English CELT-P and CELT-S courses. Anna believes that sharing ideas enriches both the individual and the community. That drove her to create and co-host a podcast on teaching methodology. Today, Anna’s focus is on teaching Business English and international exam preparation classes. She enjoys teaching online for its flexibility and loves attending offline events to meet fellow teachers in person. As Anna strongly believes a supportive and lively community to be crucially important for personal and professional development, she joined ETAS as soon as she moved to Switzerland in 2024: to ‘connect, grow, and thrive’.

National Coordinator

SIG Chair

Rachael Harris is Special Educational Needs coordinator and coordinator of ELT in the primary section of an international school in Geneva, Switzerland. She has been involved in ETAS for many years, holding positions including YLT and Geneva ambassador, and has been a regular presenter at ETAS events. She became president in June 2024 and is happy to be able to give back to the “family” that has encouraged her to connect, grow and thrive over the years. She is proud to represent ETAS and excited at the opportunity to connect with more like-minded lifelong learners through this role.

National Events Chair

Sonja Vigneswaren worked as a cytogeneticist for 9 years in the UK after completing her university degree. She was then an at-home mum for 17 years, during which time the family moved to Switzerland, where the easiest option for balancing home and work life was teaching English part-time. She obtained her Trinity TESOL qualification and has been teaching for 10 years. Although she briefly opened a family café in Sierre, she realized that it wasn’t the life for her, so she went back to teaching English! Sonja is a very organized person and very good at event planning which she has dabbled in over the years, mainly for family and friends.

Public Relations Chair

Publications Chair

Web Chair

Maria comes from Cluj-Napoca, Romania, and moved to Zürich in 2022. Since finishing her studies (BA in Romanian and English language and literature with a focus on teaching, and MA in British cultural studies), she has worked as a language teacher (first teaching Romanian and then later, English) with a few interruptions to her teaching career to explore roles as a call centre agent and a project coordinator. However, since the pandemic, she has focused exclusively on teaching online English. While she loves the flexibility and independence of freelancing, she values her social network of like-minded groups and organizations. In the last six years, she has shared her passion for nature and teaching by volunteering in various nature and teaching-related organizations, such as ETAS.

Treasurer

David Riley was born in 1959 in the UK and lived and studied there (BSc. In Mathematics and Statistical Mathematics, Exeter) until 1982 when he moved to live in Geneva. Whilst with PWC (1982 to 1987), he qualified as a certified accountant. He is now semi-retired, but during his career he worked in financial services for many international companies. He also has much experience with not-for-profit associations and has held the position of treasurer for several cultural (Orchestre des Nations) and sporting associations (Centre Sportif de Cologny). He is very keen on sport (squash, trekking, cycling, windsurfing, skiing etc.). David loves being Treasurer of ETAS, an association that he knows well since he has held the position of external bookkeeper for a number of years.

—

The English Teachers Association, Switzerland (ETAS) is an association as defined by articles 60ff of the Swiss Civil Code. As such, ETAS is governed by an elected Executive Committee of at least seven members. The positions include the President, the Treasurer, the Secretary, plus at least four other members. Executive Committee position terms are for three years, with the possibility of one additional year. All ETAS members in good standing are eligible to stand for election, which takes place each year during the AGM.

The Executive Committee meets whenever business so requires, but at least three times a year. No decisions can be taken unless a majority of the members are present. All matters which do not fall expressly within the competence of a GM shall be dealt with by the Executive Committee. Further information and details about the roles and governance can be found in the Statutes.

A number of the ETAS Executive Committee positions come open each year. An announcement of those openings is posted with a Nomination Form in the Summer Journal. Please feel free to contact the current Officer or Chair should you have any questions. We look forward to seeing you on the Executive Committee!

Organogram

ETAS National Council

The ETAS National Council consists of several teams of volunteers dedicated to providing members with the best possible service. Go to the Who’s who page to see the list of all the regional ambassadors and SIG leaders in one place.

ETAS Administration

The ETAS Administrator supports the association by maintaining membership renewals, conference visibility, bookkeeping and internal communication.

Originally from WI, USA, Katie Hayoz has been in Switzerland since 1997. Early on, she taught English to young children, but then decided to focus on her writing career. Until 2018, Katie was extremely involved with the Geneva Writers’ Group, organizing conferences, events, and workshops while also helping with administration. In 2022, she joined ETAS as office administrator. She immediately connected with the people and mission of ETAS and loves working for this vibrant organization.