The Cordell Hull Foundation presents in-person orientations around the country on the East and West Coasts and in between, depending upon the number of new teachers in a given year.  We consider the orientation the most important part of the J-1 Visa Teacher Exchange Program, training in the complicated J-1 visa and preparation for culture shock and the inevitable adjustments to living in a different culture.

ORIENTATION TRAINERS

Kevin GLASS

Kevin Glass, innovator and prominent International Baccalaureate Head of school in the US, has been the Cordell Hull Foundation’s foremost guest orientation moderator and lecturer for the past fifteen years.  When he can fit it into his schedule, he travels to New York City on a weekend in September to present the orientation to the ever-growing number of teachers who are sponsored under the Cordell Hull Foundation’s sponsorship and mentoring in the New York/New Jersey metro corridor.  Born in England, his career in education includes leadership and teaching positions in South and West Africa, Central and North America, and Central Asia. Prior to joining Atlanta International School, Kevin was Director of Tashkent International School in Uzbekistan for five years.

Kevin has held office and served on various local, national and international Boards, including the Association for the Advancement of International Education (AAIE), the Academy for International School Heads (AISH), the Center for the Advancement and Study of International Education (CASIE), Horizons Atlanta, the Atlanta Area Association of Independent Schools (AAAIS) and the Buckhead Coalition.

He holds a Master of Arts in Educational Leadership from Framingham State College (USA), a Post Graduate Certificate of Education in Biology and Chemistry from Cambridge University (UK), and a Bachelor of Science (Hons.) Degree in Bacteriology and Virology from Manchester University (UK).

You can find Kevin’s personal presentation on strategies for teachers in Independent Schools to communiate with student’s parents:  www.vimeo.com/184075184
He also appears as the principal commentator in the Cordell Hull Foundation International Bacccalaureate School video describing the structure and benefits of the curriculum in:  www.vimeo.com/440890446

Francisco CAJARAVILLE 

For several years Francisco Cajaraville has narrated CHF orientations in Spanish for Visiting Teachers from Spain and other countries. He held a scholarship from AFS (American Field Service) and graduated from high school in Connecticut.  In Spain he is a Technical Advisor and Robotics program teacher trainer in Educational Technologies tenured in the Spain Ministry of Education.

Since 2021, he has helped CHF translate updated sections of orientation programs, narrated CHF orientation videos, and presented orientations on Zoom.  He has helped CHF monitor teachers in J-1 visa status in Connecticut. While working as a visiting teachers for five years in New Haven, CT, he spent time advising visiting teachers from Spain how to adapt and settle during their US stay.

In New Haven, home to Yale University, he worked for five years as a Computer Science Teacher of Educational Coding and Robotics for students from KG to 8th Grade.  He is a Lego Education Master Educator.  An exuberant and articulate communicator, Fran Cajaraville is passionate about sharing his broad knowledge of computer science, robotics, and the Spanish language to students.  He Spain, he is fluent in Spanish and English.

Tara McHUGH

A dynamic and compelling presenter, Tara has been a valuable member of the CHF Team, giving multiple orientations annually for the Cordell Hull Foundation in New York City and in Garden City, New York for the past three years plus she has presented Zoom orientations for CHF J-1 teachers sponsored in the Bay Area in California.  She has also collaborated in creating Culture Shock skits for live presentations at CHF orientations.Recognized consistently for performance-based excellence and contributions to success in education, she has worked in several New York City Charter Schools where she has also been called upon to learn Spanish and teach an increasing number of young students from Spanish speaking countries who have very little command of English. She has demonstrated a commitment to building inclusive classroom settings that offer world class curriculum and instruction to the students being served. She has strong classroom management in classrooms of up to 30 students at a time.

Tara has 14 years of experience teaching a variety of subjects in elementary schools in Ireland and in New York City.  She has also worked as a basketball and football coach.  She holds a personal trainer certification from Setanta College in Ireland, is a certified Trauma Support practictioner, and holds a Bachelor of Education from St. Patrick’s College in Dublin.

Aibing JIA

Aibing Jia was born and educated in China, earning Bachelors and Masters degrees in English linguistics at East China University of Science and Tech and in English literature at Beijing Foreign Studies University. She also holds the Certificate in Teaching Chinese to Speakers of Other Languages (TCSOL) jointly from Teachers College at Columbia University, New York City and Beijing Foreign Studies University, in Teaching Chinese by Nanjing University, and in Teaching Mandarin to Non-Chinese Speakers by Dalian University where she received Confucius Institute pre-job training. Aibing speaks Mandarin, English and Spanish and is also fluent in French. She lived in Luxembourg for over a year from 2014 to 2015. She has lived and worked in Hangzhou and Shanghai, China, in New York City, and currently in Vancouver, Canada, where she teaches English.
Aibing has presented several orientations for the Cordell Hull Foundation in New York City. She wrote the script and exhibits and narrated the CHF instruction video explaining to Chinese teachers how to prepare the CHF Cultural Activity Report, viewable on https://vimeo.com/294063500
She will present the CHF orientation in Mandarin for the Chinese Exchange program in Kentucky in July 2021.  A video will be produced and available for viewing on the Cordell Hull Foundation website later in the year.

Marianne MASON

As part of her work leading the Cordell Hull Foundation (CHF), Marianne Mason has designed and presented orientations for new incoming foreign teachers granted J-1 visas through CHF in New York City, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Portland, Chicago, New Orleans, Washington DC, Atlanta, Dallas and other US cities for the past thirty years, .  Upon invitation from the Greek and French governments, she traveled to Paris and Athens in 2009-10 to deliver J-1 teacher visa orientations for foreign teachers coming to the US to help them make the most of their experience in sharing their culture with ours.  Ms. Mason has overseen the growth of CHF’s teacher exchange program spanning two decades from 30 to 700 teachers annually.  

She earned a Masters degree in Non-Profit management jointy from Tulane University and New School University NYC in 2005, and a post-graduate certificate from Stanford University, upon invitation, for Non-profit leaders in 2008. 

Her book J-1 Visa Uncloaked–Complete Cultural Training Guide, is available on Amazon.com.  It contains the Foundation’s new-teacher orientation materials compiled over a decade of collaborating with professional foreign educators:  Orientation Manual, Pre-Arrival guide for exchange teachers, Visa and Immigration Booklets, and Orientation quiz materials in six languages.  Version II was updated in 2015, and the third edition is now being edited.

Ms. Mason belonged to two teachers unions while working as a public elementary school French teacher and adult technology teacher.  She achieved Feng Shui certification, studying in New York and China, and speaks French and Spanish.

Video summarizing CHF accomplishments:  www.vimeo.com/700102623

Betty YU, Ph.D

Betty Sheng-Huei Yu  于聖惠 was born in Taiwan and immigrated to the US when she was nine years old.  She is a fluent speaker of Mandarin Chinese.  She has given orientations for new teachers in J-1 visa status for the Cordell Hull Foundation for several years. Currently, she works as an Instructional Specialist for the Metro Nashville Public Schools.  She has twelve years of teaching and administrative experience in the K-12 public education system. Also Dr. Yu served four years as Associate Director for the Confucius Institute at Western Kentucky University (WKU).

Betty has a broad educational background including a BS in Economics from Vanderbilt University, Masters in Elementary School Counseling, Rank I in Supervisor of Instruction, and Education Doctorate in the Organizational Leadership strand from Western Kentucky University.

Susana GHIO

Susana Ghio served as an educator and administrator in Oregon public Schools for many years.  Susana has presented orientations to CHF Spanish teachers in Oregon, Detroit,  Indianapolis, Idaho and Utah.  She represented CHF at the Capacitacion in Puebla, Mexico in March 2016 where she presented an J-1 Visa orientation for 90 exchange teachers for the Mexican Migrant summer program and tested their English competence.

For the past few years, she conducted a mid-year Encuentra for CHF teachers of Spanish to obtain feedback on their challenges to adjusting to life in the US.

Susana narrated three CHF orientation videos which can be accessed on this website under Orientation:  https://cordell-hull.org//videos

Benjamin ORILLON

Benjamin Orillon is a bilingual American citizen, native to France.  He served as President of the Association of French Schools in North America, an organization of forty-five US and Canadian French-American schools certified to teach the national curriculum of France, from 2006 to 2010.

He has moderated CHF orientations in both French and English in San Francisco, San Diego, Portland, Oregon and Austin, Texas, and New York City.

Served as Lower School Head at the French American School of Puget Sound (near Seattle, Washington), he previously served as Chief Admin Officer of the Lycée Français de San Francisco, Head of the Lycée Louis Pasteur in Calgary, Canada, Lower School Principal of the International School of the Peninsula, in Palo Alto, California, and Head of School of the bilingual French-Japanese Kansai French School in Kyoto, Japan.

Benjamin earned a BA in Linguistics from University of Rouen and holds a teaching degree from Ecole Normale du Var, having also taught at various schools in France and the French International School in Hong Kong.

On June 22, a Presidential proclamation blocked the issuance of J-1 teacher visas until January 1, 2021.  Teachers receive notices of seminara scheduled directly from the Cordell Hull Foundation. 

2025-26 Draft SCHEDULE