BIS Instructors and Consultants Biographies | Basic Skills

BIS Instructors/Consultants- Basic Skills

Margaret Fergus

Peggy Fergus has over 15 years' experience teaching English as a Second Language (ESL) and has worked exclusively in the workplace basic skills arena since 1992. She has taught workplace ESL, reading and math in many companies, including Dentsply-Rinn, Tricon, The RDI Group, and Stepco. She is accomplished at designing competency-based instructional materials and curricula, and customizing and administering assessments. She assists in staff development of other BIS instructors, particularly in the area of new materials review and development.

Melina Gallo

Melina Gallo has an M.A. in Linguistics and has taught ESL, workplace math, and workplace reading in many manufacturing settings including Davies Molding, Peacock Engineering, Rock-Tenn, and 3M Bedford Park. She has excellent skills in developing curricula and instructional materials, conducting student assessment, assessing student progress, and working with supervisors and other business contacts. She assists in the staff development of other BIS instructors, has her doctorate in Adult Education. She is currently developing courseware for Internet-based training.

Marianna Hart

Marianna Hart, is graduate from Northern Illinois University where she earned her M.S.Ed. with a TESOL concentration. She has taught basic skills for BIS for the past two years in a variety of workplace settings including Dycast, 3M Bedford Park Plant, and Castwell Products. Prior to earning her advanced degree, she was a Fulbright scholar working at DeKalb High School (Illinois). Her undergraduate degree, a B.A. in English Linguistics, is from her homeland, the Ukraine, from Kiev Linguistic University. She is fluent in Ukrainian, Russian, and English.

Louise Kirkman

Louise Kirkman has been a basic skills trainer for BIS since 1996. Among Louise’s areas of expertise at BIS are Leadership Training in Spanish and English, Problem Solving, English as a Second Language, Spanish for Supervisors, Basic Skills Training, Quality Overview and Sexual Harassment in Spanish among others.

Louise has trained at numerous Chicago area companies and, on occasion, traveled to Mexico to conduct training in Spanish. In addition to training, Louise also has eight years of grant administration and writing experience as well as training program management.

Louise holds a BA degree in Psychology and Honors Spanish from Vanderbilt University and an M.Ed. degree in Secondary Education from Peabody College at Vanderbilt University.

Presy Milas

Presy Milas has taught workplace basic skills, including reading, writing, math, and English as a Second Language, for BIS since 1993. She has worked with a variety of manufacturing clients including Westell, Tricon, Armstrong Tool, and KSO Metalfab. Presy has demonstrated expertise in developing customized instructional materials and curricula based on the skill levels of her students and the performance needs of her client companies. She has a Master of Arts in Teaching and has taken additional graduate courses in ABE and ESL.

Laurel Wade

Laurel Wade has an M.S. in Industrial Engineering supplemented by both volunteer and professional experience in the literacy/adult basic education arena. She has taught English as a Second Language, workplace math, and reading in a number of Chicagoland manufacturing firms including Grayhill, Inc., Sycamore Systems, etc. She has demonstrated expertise in developing instructional materials that teach workplace skills and competencies, as well as in curriculum development.