Staff
Karen Henriksen
Director
Location: College Hall 209
Phone: 360-650-7754
Karen has lived and worked in Whatcom County for 31 years. She completed the TESOL certification at Western in 1996 and began teaching English to immigrants in the mid-nineties. Karen has been working at Western since 2000, first as an event coordinator and most recently as the Director of the Korea University Program. Karen has always enjoyed working with people from other cultures, and helping them as they adjust to life in the United States and pursue their goals. Karen enjoys reading, local theater, gardening, hiking and sailing on Bellingham Bay.
Faculty
Karen Stuen
Faculty Member
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Karen teaches the Language and Culture class and has been an instructor with KUCP since it began in 2004. She completed her BA in English and a 5th year Teaching Certificate at San Jose State University in California and received her TESOL Certification and Masters of Education from Western Washington University. To help her students meet Americans and practice speaking English, Karen has developed the Conversation Interactions with TESOL students, organized the Dinner Club visits with local families, and created intercultural activities at a local grade school. Karen is a native of Seattle but enjoys living in Bellingham. She and her husband have raised their four sons here, and they love getting outdoors for walks in our local parks and skiing at Mt. Baker. Other favorite activities include traveling, gardening, and reading.
Maureen Stewart
Faculty Member
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Maureen Stewart started with the Korea University Program in 2005 as a teaching assistant. She began teaching Conversation and Academic Writing courses after receiving her master's degree and TESOL certificate from Western Washington University in the summer of 2006. As part of the Conversation courses, she has collaborated to create English-speaking interactions with American TESOL students on Western's campus. Maureen also creates the souvenir movie each quarter as a memento of the students' trip to Bellingham. In addition to her KU courses, she teaches ESL courses at Whatcom Community College to immigrant/refugee and international students from beginning to advanced level. Maureen lives in Ferndale, WA with her husband Jon, and son, Collin. She loves spending time with her family, watching movies, and baking when she has time.
Trish Navarre
Faculty Member
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Trish has lived and worked in Whatcom County for 30 years and has enjoyed an extremely successful 20+ year career in the field of development and public relations. With a BA in Chinese language and linguistics and a Master’s in Education from Western Washington University, she brings a unique combination of life-work experience with a passion for teaching. Trish received a TESOL degree from Western after completing a practicum at Shanghai International School in China. She started with the Korea University Cultural Program in 2006 and also is on the faculty at Whatcom Community College, teaching in the Intensive English Language Program and Adult Basic Education Program. Trish enjoys cooking, hiking, kayaking and tending the gardens and woods of her 8 acres nestled in the foothills of Mt. Baker.
Connie Martin
Faculty Member
Connie has a BA (Bachelor's Degree) in English and Comparative Literature from Ohio University, a TESOL (Teaching English) Certificate from Western Washington University, and a Master's Degree in Continuing and College Education (Adult Education), also from Western. Connie also worked in publishing for many years (Princeton University Press and Wadsworth Publishing Company) and in corporate environments (Microsoft), both as an editor and as a print production manager. Sign language (SEE) triggered Connie’s interest in teaching, and she very much enjoys teaching English to both international students and immigrants. Connie has had an interest in traveling since she was about six years old, and has been to Africa (Kenya, Tanzania, and the Seychelles), Europe (France), and Canada and Mexico. She hopes to visit Korea some day, in part because she wants to visit with previous students who have been in the Korea University Program at Western. San Francisco is one of Connie’s favorite cities in the United States so she has included a picture of herself at the Golden Gate Bridge on a windy day.