Faculty/Staff Information

• Ph.D. in Education, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon
• M.A. in Teaching English as a Second Language, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Arizona
• B.A. in English and Portuguese, Universidade Santa Ursula, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

• Professor (2012-present)
• Associate Professor (2007-2012)
• Assistant Professor (2004-2007). Division of Teacher Education, College of Education, Western Oregon University. Monmouth, Oregon. Coordinator of ESOL and Bilingual/ESOL endorsement programs.
• 2012-Present: Chair (2013-present); Interim Chair (2012-2014),Division of Teacher Education, Western Oregon University
• 2014-Present: Co-director, Project High Five (Culture, Collaboration, Commitment, Communication, and Community), Western Oregon University
• 2012-2013: Director, Project LUISA (Language Understanding to Improve Student Achievement), Western Oregon University
• 2011: summer Visiting Professor, International Program, Universidad Nacional de Rosario, Argentina. Sponsored by Northwest Council on Study Abroad
• 2008-2009: Visiting Professor/Senior Fulbright Scholar, Universidad Autónoma Benito Juárezde Oaxaca, Mexico
• 2000-2005: summers Adjunct Instructor, School of Education, Oregon State University
• 1990-2004: ESL Instructor, English Language Institute, Oregon State University
• 2003-2004: summers Director, COMEXUS/SEP (Fulbright-sponsored) Program for Mexican EFL Secondary Educators, Oregon State University

Dr. Maria Dantas-Whitney is Professor of ESOL and Bilingual Education at Western Oregon University. Originally from Brazil, Dr. Dantas-Whitney has taught ESL and teacher education for over 25 years in Colorado, North Carolina and Oregon. She has been a Fulbright scholar in Mexico (2008-2009) and in Panama (2016-2017), where she conducted ethnographic classroom-based research in primary and secondary schools, taught courses for her host institutions, and offered professional development opportunities for local teachers and educational leaders. She has directed several grant projects (sponsored by the federal and state governments), which provided professional development activities for Oregon K-12 teachers such as coursework, mentoring and guidance on classroom-based research.

Dr. Dantas-Whitney is the recipient of the AERA Outstanding Dissertation Award in Second Language Research and the TESOL/College Board Award for Teacher as Classroom Researcher. She has served as president of Oregon TESOL and ORATE (Oregon Association for Teacher Educators). Her publications and presentations focus on linguistically and culturally responsive pedagogy in teacher education, critical reflective practice, and classroom ethnography.

• 2012 Promotion to Professor, Western Oregon University
• 2012 Alma and Mario Pastega Award for Excellence in Teaching, Western Oregon University
• 2012 Inducted into WOU Chapter of the Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi
• 2008-2009 Fulbright-GarcíaRobles Senior Scholar Award, TEFL Lecturing/Research at Universidad
• Autónoma Benito Juárez de Oaxaca, Mexico
• 2007  Tenure award and promotion to Associate Professor, Western Oregon University
• 2004  AERA Outstanding Dissertation Award in Second Language Research
• 2004  TESOL/College Board Award for Teacher as Classroom Researcher

• 2009-present: Member of TOEFL Awards and Grants Committee, Educational Testing Service (ETS)
• 2009-present: Member of Academic Committee, International Symposium of Ethnographic Encounters with Children and Adolescents in Educational Contexts
• 2010-present: Member of Editorial Board, Educational Perspectives
• 2010-present: Member of Editorial Board, ORTESOL Journal
• 2014-present: Member of Oregon Educator Equity Advisory Group,Oregon Education Investment Board
• 2011-2014: Member of Doctoral Committee, Oregon State University(Susan Roebber, Kena Avila)
• 2011-2014: Member of Fulbright Scholar TEFL and Applied Linguistics Review Panel, Institute of International Education/Council for International Exchange of Scholars
• 2013-2014: Member of Working Group, Competencies for TSPC Dual Language Specialization
• 2011-2013: Member of Planning Committee, ELL Collaborative of Oregon School Districts, TSPC, ODE, and Institutions of Higher Education
• 2010: Member of Fulbright Screening Committee for English Language Teaching Assistantships in Colombia, South America, Institute of International Education