I manage recruitment and professional advising for students in the 5 Master's programs in the Dept of Linguistics. I also deliver tailored career management training and professional development for 200+ graduate students and undergraduate linguistics majors/minors per year in order to provide pathways to employment outside of academia in business, government, non-profit and tech organizations.

The M.A. in Language and Communication is a professionally-oriented degree in applied sociolinguistics. I've coached hundreds of linguists with all levels of experience to position themselves for rewarding careers in industry, government, technology and NPO/NGOs with >95% placement rate for program graduates.I connect with professionals in corporate, government, nonprofit and tech organizations to build awareness of what linguists do and what value and skills they bring to… Show more The M.A. in Language and Communication is a professionally-oriented degree in applied sociolinguistics. I've coached hundreds of linguists with all levels of experience to position themselves for rewarding careers in industry, government, technology and NPO/NGOs with >95% placement rate for program graduates.I connect with professionals in corporate, government, nonprofit and tech organizations to build awareness of what linguists do and what value and skills they bring to the workplace. I create opportunities for linguists to use their skills to solve organizational and communication problems. I'm also a Sociolinguistics faculty member with research, teaching and professional experience in: • Intercultural (mis)communication • Language, gender and leadership in the workplace • Career management & professional development • Perceptions and evaluations of confidence / competence in the workplace • Family communication • How language & power affect outcomes of gatekeeping encounters such as visa interviews & job interviews • Society, culture and language in JapanAvailable for interviews, keynotes and workshops: alexandra.johnston@georgetown.edu Show less

Providing intercultural communications development training tailored to client needs

I provide the Leadership and Professional Development training component of the US Department of State's Middle Eastern Partnership Initiative Student Leadership Program held at the program's flagship campus at Georgetown University. Every year, 60 student leaders are selected from Middle Eastern and North African countries to attend a 5-week leadership program at one of 4 universities in the US, directed and administered by the team at the Center for International Education and Development… Show more I provide the Leadership and Professional Development training component of the US Department of State's Middle Eastern Partnership Initiative Student Leadership Program held at the program's flagship campus at Georgetown University. Every year, 60 student leaders are selected from Middle Eastern and North African countries to attend a 5-week leadership program at one of 4 universities in the US, directed and administered by the team at the Center for International Education and Development (CIED) at Georgetown University. All students are selected for leadership potential and their ability to devise and complete a community engagement project in their home country upon return. Show less

Integrity Communications is a professional learning and development firm that focuses on transformative improvement in how our clients present, negotiate, and communicate at work. We deliver 1- and 2-day courses in effective communication skill building to Fortune 100 company talent across the globe from our locations in Des Moines, Iowa, and Washington, D.C.As a program facilitator and coach, I deliver intensive training in the physical skills of effective public presentations. I work… Show more Integrity Communications is a professional learning and development firm that focuses on transformative improvement in how our clients present, negotiate, and communicate at work. We deliver 1- and 2-day courses in effective communication skill building to Fortune 100 company talent across the globe from our locations in Des Moines, Iowa, and Washington, D.C.As a program facilitator and coach, I deliver intensive training in the physical skills of effective public presentations. I work closely with clients to close the gap between how they would like to be perceived and how they are actually perceived by their audience, whether they have an audience of one or hundreds. As a certified intercultural communication trainer, I also guide people on the path towards what some call "global fluency" and others call "intercultural competence". What it boils down to is how to be open to and thrive in a diverse, global environment, full of differences in communication style. In a world where even members of the same family have different ways of communicating that can result in misperception, argument, and stalemate, I provide strategies for breaking through assumptions about communication and finding ways to move beyond misunderstanding. Show less

Five leaders of Linguistics Beyond Academia (a Special Interest Group of the Linguistics Society of America) organized an inaugural one-month intensive "boot camp" for career-curious linguistics students, faculty, and professionals in career transition. We delivered 40+ hours of career management seminars and panel discussions that featured 100 linguists with jobs in business, government, non-profits, and tech organizations. During the 19 business days from July 6-30, 2021, we also… Show more Five leaders of Linguistics Beyond Academia (a Special Interest Group of the Linguistics Society of America) organized an inaugural one-month intensive "boot camp" for career-curious linguistics students, faculty, and professionals in career transition. We delivered 40+ hours of career management seminars and panel discussions that featured 100 linguists with jobs in business, government, non-profits, and tech organizations. During the 19 business days from July 6-30, 2021, we also provided informal office-hours, on-the-spot mentoring, and Career Mixers with 100 linguists. We raised funding through corporate sponsorships. Featured organizations seeking to hire linguists joined our Career Expo that brought job seekers and employers together in an interactive virtual platform. Outcomes surveys show that our registrants accepted over 30 job offers and counting, higher compensation and benefits packages, experienced greater optimism about the job search, and gained a concrete set of skills for managing their job search that lasted far beyond the program. The 2nd Linguistics Career Launch in Summer 2022 is a fully free, virtual and accessible program running 16 weeks from May to August over Twitter, Slack, Zoom and email. Show less

I design and deliver professional development programs for corporate, non-profit and academic organizations. I want to help every client build their communication skill set so that their personal communication style will be a central asset to achieving their goals. Organizations hire me to deliver interactive, hands-on, practical programs in Intercultural Communication, Communication for Women Leaders, Leveraging Communication Style Differences in the Workplace, and Networking 101. I… Show more I design and deliver professional development programs for corporate, non-profit and academic organizations. I want to help every client build their communication skill set so that their personal communication style will be a central asset to achieving their goals. Organizations hire me to deliver interactive, hands-on, practical programs in Intercultural Communication, Communication for Women Leaders, Leveraging Communication Style Differences in the Workplace, and Networking 101. I also provide individually tailored executive coaching in a wide range of communication skill areas. Show less

I managed training and development for over 50 U.S. chapters that represent the community of 100,000 U.S. Fulbright Program alumni. The Fulbright Association is a national nonprofit organization that serves the Fulbright Program as their advocacy organization and member-based association for U.S. alumni. In my capacity as Director of Chapter Relations, I also administered the Chapter Grant program funded by the Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. I allocated… Show more I managed training and development for over 50 U.S. chapters that represent the community of 100,000 U.S. Fulbright Program alumni. The Fulbright Association is a national nonprofit organization that serves the Fulbright Program as their advocacy organization and member-based association for U.S. alumni. In my capacity as Director of Chapter Relations, I also administered the Chapter Grant program funded by the Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. I allocated over $135,000 to 32 chapters who applied for competitive funding for their outreach and enrichment events. I also selected the winners of the first annual Chapter Awards, a competitive award program that recognized chapters for outstanding achievement in Advocacy, Events, and Outreach. As Director of Communications, I developed messaging for the Fulbright Association across communication platforms, including our social media channels and our Annual Appeal. I also managed media coverage for our 49th Annual Conference in Washington, DC. The Fulbright Association is the official alumni association for anyone who has been awarded a U.S. Fulbright Program grant. The FA mission is to provide networking, mentoring and enrichment for U.S. Fulbright Program alumni and international Fulbright students and scholars placed in educational institutions across the U.S. The Fulbright Association also spearheads advocacy initiatives to support robust Congressional funding of the Fulbright Program, the flagship international educational exchange program of the U.S. Department of State. Show less

I design and deliver training for corporate clients for a professional development, training and coaching firm. Primary focus: intercultural communication (with regional specialization on Japan and East Asia), interpersonal communication style analysis, gender and generational communication differences, personal coaching.

I was a founding member and 5-term President of the Fulbright Association Iowa Chapter, one of the 50+ nonprofit Fulbright Association chapters that represent over 100,000 U.S. Fulbright alumni. Known as "Fulbright Iowa", our organization has established itself as the main source of connection for all things Fulbright in the state of Iowa. Fulbright Iowa represents over 500 U.S. Fulbright Program alumni in the state and supports international Fulbright scholars and students who come to… Show more I was a founding member and 5-term President of the Fulbright Association Iowa Chapter, one of the 50+ nonprofit Fulbright Association chapters that represent over 100,000 U.S. Fulbright alumni. Known as "Fulbright Iowa", our organization has established itself as the main source of connection for all things Fulbright in the state of Iowa. Fulbright Iowa represents over 500 U.S. Fulbright Program alumni in the state and supports international Fulbright scholars and students who come to research and teach in Iowa academic institutions from over 160 countries that have reciprocal exchanges. During my 5 years as Chapter President, I wrote successful grants that were awarded over $20,000 in U.S. State Department funding, created and managed all of our social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter, Wordpress), planned and executed over 100 statewide conferences and events that engaged over 5000 participants, increased our alumni membership by 25%, developed community partnerships, and implemented advocacy initiatives. I also participated in the Annual Fulbright Association Advocacy Day by joining over 50 fellow alumni on Capitol Hill to attend scheduled meetings with members of Congress and their staff to advocate for continued bipartisan support for the Congressionally-funded Fulbright Program, the flagship international educational exchange program of the U.S. Department of State. Show less

Taught Graduate Classes in the Program in Applied Linguistics, Dept. of English: Intercultural Communication Sociolinguistic Approaches to Discourse AnalysisProgram Coordinator | Intensive English and Orientation Program (IEOP)Coordinated the Homestay Program for the Japan-U.S. Teacher Exchange (JUSTE) Program, a 6-month professional development program for ESL teachers from Japan. Responsibilities: Placed 100+ adults from Japan in long-term (2-6… Show more Taught Graduate Classes in the Program in Applied Linguistics, Dept. of English: Intercultural Communication Sociolinguistic Approaches to Discourse AnalysisProgram Coordinator | Intensive English and Orientation Program (IEOP)Coordinated the Homestay Program for the Japan-U.S. Teacher Exchange (JUSTE) Program, a 6-month professional development program for ESL teachers from Japan. Responsibilities: Placed 100+ adults from Japan in long-term (2-6 month) homestays with local host familiesRecruited and screened over 100 local homestay familiesDeveloped and delivered homestay and cultural orientations to guests and hostsTaught Intercultural Communication seminar to visiting scholarsCoordinated 4-week practicum experience for visiting scholars to work with high school ESL classroomsI developed, implemented and coordinated Iowa State University's first Homestay Host Program on behalf of the ISU Intensive English and Orientation Program. I devised a screening protocol for potential homestay hosts, created training and orientation materials for both hosts and international visitors, and publicized the program in television interviews, print media, and social media platforms. I implemented feedback from hosts and guests to improve the program in real time and from year to year. In 100 homestay placements for this program (and over 600 total in my work in all homestay programs), I have had a 98% success rate as measured by the number of homestay re-placements. 98% of hosts and guests rated my performance as Host Program Coordinator as "excellent" or "outstanding". Over 50% of hosts choose to participate year after year.CBS affiliate KCCI-TV News segment on the JUSTE Homestay Program: http://www.kcci.com/news/homestay-host-program/29123648 Show less

Recruited/screened hosts for over 500 Japanese and German students; Matched student-host pairs; Acted as cultural and language interpreter for students, hosts, and overseas staff; Devised student and host questionnaires, evaluations, and screening procedures; Organized and led orientations for hosts/guests; Publicized the Host Program through radio and newspaper interviews; Developed and published handbook on hosting policies and procedures

Taught Oral Communication for Beginning, Low Intermediate, and High Intermediate learners of English (4 semesters); Taught English Pronunciation Elective (2 semesters); Developed syllabi and original materials; Contributed original instructional units (5-8 class hours) to the Institute’s instructional resource bank each semester

Fully-funded research grant plus stipend to study how Japanese children who have lived overseas readjust to school and society upon moving back to Japan.Designed and executed surveys in Japanese that I distributed to over 150 Japanese junior high school students (ages 12-15). Engaged in 20+ follow-up interviews in Japanese with students who had lived abroad to discuss readjustment issues after returning from their time overseas. Published results in the Osaka University… Show more Fully-funded research grant plus stipend to study how Japanese children who have lived overseas readjust to school and society upon moving back to Japan.Designed and executed surveys in Japanese that I distributed to over 150 Japanese junior high school students (ages 12-15). Engaged in 20+ follow-up interviews in Japanese with students who had lived abroad to discuss readjustment issues after returning from their time overseas. Published results in the Osaka University of Education Journal of the Department of Education. Show less