Craig Snyder - Owner & President

The Language Academy of the Carolinas is locally owned and operated in Charlotte, NC by Craig Snyder. Craig has a Master's Degree in Spanish from UNC-Chapel Hill and has lived in both Spain and Mexico. He has authored numerous text books designed to teach small groups of adults to converse in Spanish and has designed an exciting curriculum for The Language Academy. His work is being used throughout the Triangle and Charlotte Metro areas and has been adapted to fit a variety of workplace environments. He has taught hundreds of people to successfully communicate in Spanish and has many loyal students at the Language Academy.

Rodrigo Rión - Vice President

Rodrigo Rión is from Spanish and Mexican decent. His mother's side of the family is from Spain and his father's side is Mexican. He graduated from UNC – Charlotte in 2007 with a major in International Business and minors in both German and French. He joined the Language Academy in August of 2008 as an instructor and now handles the day to day operations of the office along with his regular teaching duties. His love of languages and wealth of knowledge have made him one of our most requested instructors. He would also like you to know he is happy the Spanish national soccer team won the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

Elisa Chacín - Vice President

Elisa Chacín was born and raised in Venezuela. She is an experienced language professor in the field of teaching English as a second language in her country. Elisa holds a Bachelor degree in Foreign Languages and a Master degree in Applied Linguistics from two prestigious universities in Venezuela, Universidad Metropolitana and Univesidad Simón Bolívar. Elisa has taught English and Spanish to children, adolescents and adults. For the last sixteen years, she had been the General Manager and of a successful language academy in charge of teaching English as a second language in schools in Caracas. Elisa moved to Charlotte last year and has recently joined the executive team of The Language Academy of the Carolinas.

Chayree Santiago Thomas - Spanish Instructor

Chayree Santiago Thomas is a native Spanish speaker from Colombia and moved to The United States in 2005. She comes from a family of teachers and most of her life she has been involved in teaching and training activities. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering and started her professional career as Engineer for Gelatins of Colombia, and then she worked ten years with Chevron-Texaco as an Industrial Sales Person, National Marketing Coordinator and Latin America Marketing Specialist. While she has lived here she has worked in education, as a Spanish teacher for children for Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, a Spanish Language Facilitator and Librarian in CPCC, a Spanish Instructor at Berlitz and currently at The Language Academy of The Carolinas. Additionally, she has been a volunteer for Our Towns Habitat for Humanity and the Latin American Chamber of Commerce. She is currently working on a Master's degree.

Maria Fernanda Monroy - Spanish Instructor

Maria Fernanda (“Mafe”) Monroy was born in Bogota, Colombia and moved to the United States in 2005. She is Journalist but also studied Marketing and Publicity. Mafe lived in Miami for the first two years after arriving in the U.S. and then moved to North Carolina with her family. She joined The Language Academy in 2009 and has quickly become one of the most popular instructors for both adults and Children. In addition to her work at the Language Academy she also writes for regional Latino newspapers and magazines.

Yan Zhao - Chinese Mandarin Instructor

Yan Zhao was born in Xian, a centuries old touristic city in China, where she got her Bachelor's Degree in the major of German Linguistics. She lived and worked for an exporting company in Shenzhen for eight years. In 2006, she was promoted to a position in the United States for excellent job performance. She is married to an artist and they have a 12 year old son. She enjoys cooking, reading, and writing. She joined the Language Academy in 2010 and currently teachers Mandarin Chinese for both adults and children. She is very outgoing and is eager to meet new people of all cultures.

Elizabeth Bertrand - French Instructor

Elizabeth Bertrand grew up in Colorado but fell in love with the French language early in her life. Her parents, both avid francophiles, would speak French when they didn't want the children to understand. As a result, she and her siblings all studied French with abandon. She holds a degree in European history from Brown University. Career highlights include working for a Broadway theater company in New York, teaching English in the South of France, and working as a freelance writer. In addition to teaching French for the The Language Academy, she currently teaches English online to foreign students. She and her French-born husband live in Charlotte with their son.

Robert Vanderford - German Instructor

Robert Vanderford was born in Charlotte, NC. He graduated from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte with a Bachelor's degree in German and from the University of Georgia in Athens, GA with a Master’s degree in German. He also studied linguistics and German at the Pädagogische Hochschule Ludwigsburg in Southern Germany. Presently, Robert teaches German at Rowan Cabarrus Community College and tutors German at the high school level when time allows. He also translates documents from German into English. He enjoys spending time with his wife and Siegfried, their dachshund. He enjoys running, reading, and listening to detective novels ("Krimis") in German.

Elena Buzuleciu Koledin - Italian Instructor

Elena Buzuleciu Koledin was born and raised in Romania and went on to earn a degree in Chemistry. She later lived in Italy for 12 years, where she taught Italian to Romanian immigrants. She has traveled all over the world, including over 3 months in Africa, over 6 months in Asia, and 7 months in South America. She has also traveled extensively in Europe and Australia. She moved in the U.S. in 2007 and enjoys playing golf in her free time.

Kimberly Gough - Business Manager

Kimberly Gough joined the team at The Language Academy of the Carolinas in July 2011. She graduated from The University of Texas at San Antonio with a Bachelors degree in Business Administration with a focus in Accounting and a Master of Taxation degree. She has lived in Charlotte over 13 years and enjoys sewing, crocheting, and spending time with her family.

Elizabeth Cardona - Spanish Instructor

Elizabeth Cardona was born and raised in Medellin, Colombia. She studied at the University of Antioquia and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration. After her graduation in April 2008 she moved to Charlotte, NC with her husband who works for a charter school in Union County. She likes taking pictures, painting and loves to take care of her two year old boy Thomas. She joined the Language Academy in 2010 and currently teaches Spanish in the mornings and evenings.

Diana Marcela Toro - Spanish Instructor

Diana Marcela Toro was born and raised in Manizales, Colombia, the heart coffee country. She is an experienced English and Spanish teacher and earned a Bachelor’s degree in Modern Languages as well as a Master’s degree in English from Caldas University in Colombia. Diana has taught English and Spanish to children, adolescents and adults in a variety of settings. Diana spent the last 12 years teaching English, Spanish and other subjects such as Science and Social Studies. She has experience in curriculum design and teacher training, Diana is new to Charlotte and has recently joined The Language Academy of the Carolinas. She is currently doing what she enjoys the most: TEACHING!!