CEA GlobalCampus: Madrid Faculty

Rubén Darío Alves López

Born and raised in Galicia, Rubén has always been interested in other cultures and languages. When he was sixteen, he decided to travel to London to experience a "new way of life." Because he loved the experience, he decided to spend the following four summers there. He made the most of it, travelling and discovering places such as Scotland and Wales. He also spent two weeks in Paris when he was seventeen and learned a little French.

Rubén studied at Antonio de Nebrija University (Madrid), where he received a Masters Degree in Teaching Spanish as a Second Language. He also received a B.A. in English Language and Literature from University of Vigo (Galicia).

Rubén has been a teacher of Spanish as a foreign language for 7 years, working as a translator for different companies and universities such as Antonio de Nebrija, San Pablo CEU, and Carlos III (Madrid). He has taught several courses in grammar, history studies, and arts not only to students from all over Europe and the U.S but also to Spaniards. Being so closely involved in the Spanish university system, he has participated in several congresses and has published a number of articles related to the teaching of foreign languages.

His working experience covers a wide range of academic and educational fields. Apart from having translated official documents and websites for different companies, he has been collaborating with different European academic projects such as the E-times Project developing new contents as well as assessing the results of the courses (in Madrid, London, Vienna, Sofia and Athens) for 2 years.

Rubén enjoys walking his dogs as well as meeting up with friends whenever he can. He also loves travelling and discovering new places.

Francisco Olmedo Bernal

Francisco was born in a village of La Mancha (in Spain) where he lived until he began college. He had a desire to work in the world of culture and earned a B.A. in Hispanic Philology. After finishing his degree, he spent his graduate work doing literary research with a strong interest in Spanish Theatre. He also worked teaching Spanish courses for foreigners at the same university where he studied as well as in several American universities.

For almost two years, Francisco was a Lecturer of Spanish at the University of Aquila in Italy. He directed a cultural group in collaboration with his Italian students which aimed to promote Spanish culture. For the past thirteen years, Francisco has worked in the educational field as a teacher of Spanish in its various fields: grammar, literature, and culture. In addition, he has been developing the teaching of Spanish through theater.

Francisco feels very passionately about his profession as an educator, and he loves working with people from different countries and cultures.

Isabel Carrasco

Isabel Carrasco was born in Madrid and loves the study abroad atmosphere. In fact, she has been a part of various programs in Italy, Ireland and Greece. She speaks fluent English, Modern Greek and basic French.

Isabel is currently preparing a defense of her dissertation in the Department of Philosophy at the Complutense University (Madrid), where she is completing research on the aesthetic interactions between Images and Writing. She holds a B.A. in Art History from the Complutense University (Madrid).

She has been teaching Art History and Spanish Language & Literature to American students for the past 5 years at various American universities in Spain, such as Colgate University and CIEE, while working as an Assistant Director and Cultural Activities Coordinator for numerous American Programs in Spain. Isabel also works as a Resident Director in Madrid for Marist College and Stetson University. Her research interests focus on the study of writing as a plastic phenomenon in general and of Greek alphabet in particular. In addition, she participates in the seminar Writing and Image at the Complutense University (Madrid) in collaboration with the University of Paris VIII and the University of Turin. Her articles have been published in numerous Spanish and Greek academic journals.

Isabel practices karate and loves traveling and walking. In her free time, she enjoys roller skating in Retiro Park (Madrid).

Carlos Echeverría Jesús

Born and raised in Madrid, Carlos Echeverría Jesús has always been interested in international politics and travel. His academic background is focused on Political Science and International Relations, in which he received his Master's Degree (1987) and PhD (1993) from the Complutense University (Madrid).

In 1988, Carlos travelled through North Africa and Southern Europe researching his doctoral thesis on the relations between European Communities and the Maghreb countries. Between 1992 and 1994, he was a professor of International Law at the Open University-UNED (Madrid). Between 1994 and 1999, he worked abroad on behalf of the Western European Union (WEU) and the European Union (EU) and was a lecturer on North Africa at the NATO Defense College (Rome) between 1992 and 2000.

Since 2000, Carlos has been a professor of International Relations at the Open University-UNED. He is fully involved as a expert on defense and security matters, focusing mainly on terrorism and area studies, with a number of think tanks, university departments and media in Spain and abroad.

He is married and he has two children.

Zara Fernández de Moya

Born and raised in Madrid, Zara Fernández has long been in contact with other cultures and languages. Zara studied at Complutense University (Madrid), where she received a B.A. in Spanish Language and Literature. She then received a scholarship to study at Ottawa University (Canada) where she received a Masters in Teaching Spanish as a Second Language. She is currently pursuing her PhD through Autonoma University in Madrid.

Zara has been teaching Spanish for 14 years, working for Complutense University as well as foreign universities such as Carolina University (Prague), Ottawa University (Canada), New York University in Madrid, and Accent (University of California in Madrid). Being deeply involved in the Spanish university system, she has participated in several congresses and has published textbooks for Spanish courses and a number of articles related to the teaching of foreign languages. She has also taught courses on Spanish cinema and culture.

Zara spent two summers in Paris as well as time studying Arabic in Morocco. In her free time, she loves travelling, reading, and going out with friends. She also greatly enjoys the cinema and jazz music.

Francisco Frisuelos Krömer

Francisco was born in Sidi Ifni, the former Spanish territories in the Sahara, but he grew up in Sevilla, where his family moved when he was three. His early interest in other cultures led him to travel around Europe and study foreign languages. During his senior year in high school, he was an exchange student in Paris where he learned French. Later, after earning his university degree, he studied abroad in the US to perfect his English.

Paco, as everyone calls him, is currently working on his PhD in Film Studies at the Universidad Autonoma (Madrid). He also received an MA in Humanities from the Universidad Carlos III (Madrid) and a Bachelor’s in Art History from Universidad de Sevilla.

Francisco has worked as a professor for several American universities and study abroad programs teaching Spanish Cinema, Art History, and Spanish culture. He has extensive experience working with study abroad students as a Resident Director, and he takes great pride in being able to make the students' time in Madrid enjoyable.

In his spare time, Paco enjoys writing, music, film, photography, art, traveling, reading, and going to the theater. He is fluent in Spanish, English, French, and Italian. Paco believes that studying abroad is the best experience any student can have because it’s challenging, rewarding, and fun to learn a new language and culture as well as experience exciting places and new situations. Moreover, Paco knows that studying abroad is a great opportunity to meet lifelong friends.

Leonor Montilla Gil

Leonor has a degree in Spanish Philology from Universidad Complutense de Madrid. Since 1997, she has been teaching Spanish for Foreigners at her alma mater as well as for the Erasmus program (an exchange program between European universities). She is also an examiner for DELE.

Leonor also enjoys traveling, lecturing, and cinema.

Isabel Piera

Isabel Piera is a native of Spain and received her Master's degree in Spanish and Latin-American Literature from the University of Wisconsin, Madison in 1985. She then completed her PhD courses at the Complutense University in Madrid. Presently, she is finishing her thesis on Spanish language lexicon. Isabel Piera also speaks fluent English and basic French.

Isabel has been teaching Spanish language courses to American and international students for the past 20 years and Spanish Culture and Civilization courses for the past 10 years. She has also participated in cultural site visits to different parts of Madrid and nearby locations such as Toledo, Segovia, El Escorial, and Avila.

In her free time, Isabel has been taken singing lessons for 4 the past years and performs jazz and Latin American songs in Madrid's local pubs several times each year.

Mitchell Strom

Mitchell Strom is an American teacher of EFL (English as a Foreign Language) as well as a professor of American Literature and International Business. He has been living and working in Madrid since 1983 and speaks Spanish, German, and some French.

He is currently working in three business schools and one English language program. He holds two BA degrees, one in English Literature and the other in German Literature, and has an MBA in International Business from Schiller International University. Mitchell has been teaching International Business for the past three years and began working for CEA in the spring semester of 2007.

Mitchell has been an active member of TESOL (Teachers of English to Students of Other Languages) since 1995, is an avid reader, and enjoys practicing yoga.