Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE)

English Language Learners/Bilingual Education Advisory Council

Under Massachusetts General Laws (c. 15, §1G), the Department is required to establish and maintain a bilingual education Advisory Council. The English Learners/Bilingual Education Advisory Council's role is to advise the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education and the Commissioner on matters pertaining to the education of English Language Learners (ELLs) in Massachusetts' public schools. Specifically, the Council will:

assess statewide trends and needs
seek public and professional input
analyze information regarding education of English Learners ELs
advise and make recommendations regarding legislation, regulations, and program guidelines
provide other programmatic recommendations as it deems necessary to fulfill the goals established by the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education.

2026-2027 English Learners/Bilingual Education Advisory Council ELBAC Co-Chairs:

First	Last	Title	Affiliation
Tatiana	Lara Melendez	English Learner Parent Advisory Council ELPAC Chair	Leominster Public Schools
Carina	Da Silva	Pre-K–12 Director of English Learners	Barnstable Public Schools

2026-2027 English Learners/Bilingual Education Advisory Council ELBAC Members:

First	Last	Title	Affiliation
Kelley	Allen	English Learner EL Coordinator & Teacher	Quabbin Regional
Amelie	Cabral	English as a Second Language ESL Director	Abby Foster Charter School
Amanda	Campbell	Interim Executive Director of Multilingual Education	Lynn Public Schools
Barbara	Cohen	Director of English Language Learners	Nantucket Public Schools
Nathan	Couto	Curriculum, Data, and Assessment Manager for English Learner Education	New Bedford Public Schools
Marilyn	Glazer	Academic English as a Second Language ESL Program Support Coordinator	Holyoke Community College
Katherin	Lobo	English as a Second Language ESL Teacher 6–8	Newton Public Schools
Kate	Lyons Mailloux	Director of English Learner Education	Marshfield Public Schools
Laura	Macklin	MLE Director	Pittsfield Public Schools
Karima	Mehanny	Arab Language Instructor	Quincy College
Jennifer	Noorjanian	Family Welcome Center Director	Milford Public Schools
Susan	Ou	Boston PS DELAC Co-chair	FCSN
Simo	Ouazzani	Quincy High School English Learner Department Chair	Quincy Public Schools
Manuel	Ramirez	Director of Dual Language Programs	Boston Public Schools
Anne	Roberti	Executive Director of English Language Programs and Community Education	Framingham State University
Molly	Ross	MATSOL President	Harvard PhD Candidate

English Learners/Bilingual Education Advisory Council ELBAC Meeting Dates

Date	Time
Friday, October 16, 2026	9:30AM–11:30AM (Zoom )
Friday, February 5, 2027	9:30AM–11:30AM (Zoom )
Friday, April 30, 2027	9:30AM–11:30AM (Zoom )

Department of Elementary and Secondary Education DESE English Learners/Bilingual Education Advisory Council ELBAC Liaison Information

Elenita Irizarry Ramos, Ed.D.
Bilingual Education Lead, Instruction and Multilingual Education
elenita.irizarry-ramos@mass.gov

Last Updated: August 28, 2026