Who we are
ALL is run by teachers, for teachers, and has thousands of members across the UK and further afield.
ALL has a very active volunteer network, with hundreds of volunteers offering their time and commitment to support other language teachers, or learners of foreign languages.
Below you will find information about those members who volunteer specifically to support our governance structure. For information on other ways in which you could get involved with your subject association, see Getting Involved.
ALL Council
The ALL Council is chaired by the President of the Association. The ALL Council comprises of twelve ALL members, who are elected from the membership and serve for a period of three years. ALL's elected Officers, and at least one Invited Trustee, who all serve on the Board of Trustees (ALL's Management Board) attend Council meetings.
ALL Council's serving members
Elected members:
Clare Seccombe 2017 - 2021
Jackie Rayment 2017 - 2021
Laura Simons 2017 - 2021
Lisa Stevens 2017 - 2021
Kevin Dunne 2019 - 2021
Karine Harrington 2019 - 2021
Jane Driver 2019 - 2022
Duncan Broe 2019 - 2022
Deborah Morgan 2020 - 2023
Lisa Chung 2020 - 2023
Isabelle Jones 2020 - 2023
Helen Stokes 2020 - 2023
Darnelle Constant-Shepherd 2020 - 2023
Officers:
Professor Kim Bower (President 2020-2022)
Suzi Bewell (Honorary Membership Officer)
Dr Judith Rifeser (Deputy Honorary Membership Officer)
Other invited attendees:
René Koglbauer-Franklin (Chair of Management Board)
Richard Fairbairn (ALL Invited Trustee, Treasurer)
Anna Lise Gordon (ALL Invited Trustee)
Jane Harvey (ALL Invited Trustee)
Steven Fawkes (ALL Invited Trustee)
Find out about how the ALL Council works

Management Board
Our Elected Trustees

Kim Bower
ALL President (2020 - 2022)
Kim is a principal lecturer at the Sheffield Institute of Education, a Principal Fellow of the Higher Eduction Academy and a National Teaching Fellow. She is an experienced lecturer and researcher in the field of languages and teacher education and an expert in CLIL.
Her career as an initial teacher trainer started in 2000 at Hull University. Prior to this, Kim taught French and German for 16 years. During her time as a secondary language teacher and senior leader, she was involved in running exchanges and residential visits as well as a number of national curriculum projects. For instance, in 1990 Kim was seconded to undertake an Action Research project on the National Curriculum and MFL. Kim led two national pilots and innovations in MFL teacher education: French Extension Courses, which became known as subject knowledge enhancement (SKE) courses and the secondary Anglo-French bilateral exchange pilot for the Teaching and Development Agency (TDA). This CLIL pilot established a 4-week exchange of trainees between IUFM Nancy and the University of Hull. Kim sat on the international bilateral steering committee for two years. In her current role she has established a community of academics and practitioners of CLIL in Anglophone countries and is the conference chair of the Biennial International CLIL conferences hosted in June 2017 and June 2019 at Sheffield Institute of Education.

Suzi Bewell
ALL Honorary Membership Officer
Suzi Bewell is a well-known languages teacher and trainer. Until 2015, she ran the PGCE MFL course at York University. She has over 20 years’ experience of teaching French, Spanish and German, and more recently Mandarin in the UK and overseas, is a SSAT Lead Practitioner for language and also runs her own successful educational consultancy supporting languages teachers worldwide.

Dr Judith Rifeser
ALL Deputy Honorary Membership Officer
Judith is a languages teacher and a long-standing ALL London Committee Member. She is a lecturer on the PGCE Secondary Languages Programme at Goldsmiths, University of London. A German and Spanish specialist, she has been teaching languages in the UK, Spain, Italy and the US in the primary and secondary school sector, as well as in higher education. She is particularly passionate about teaching languages with and through film(making) and fostering intercultural understanding. Judith is a co-opted member of the Management Board.
Our Invited Trustees

Jane Harvey
ALL President (2018 - 2020)
Jane serves as President from September 2018 - August 2020. Jane has served as President Elect during 2017/18 and has been a member of the ALL Council. Jane also runs the ALL Border Marches Network. Jane taught French and Italian during her career and worked in the primary and secondary sectors. She finished her career in Further Education as Head of Learning at Gloucestershire College.

Richard Fairbairn
Treasurer (ALL Invited Trustee)
Richard works as a partner at a law firm in London. He has wide experience of most aspects of private client work including trusts, wills and probate and associated tax planning and his work is international,and as a French speaker his work is particularly focused on France and French clients in London.
Richard holds two French medals: Officer dans l’Ordre des Palmes Academiques, and Chevalier de l’Ordre National du Mérite.
Richard was a long serving Chair of ALL's Board of Trustees (ALL Management Board), and also serves on other language and education-based boards. From 01 September 2016, Richard became ALL's Treasurer on its Board of Trustees.

René Koglbauer-Franklin
Chair of Board of Trustees
Following nearly two-decades in secondary education and initial teacher education in Austria, Hungary, Oxfordshire and the North East, Professor René Koglbauer-Franklin is currently Dean of Lifelong Learning and Professional Practice at Newcastle University and was appointed Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (HEA) in 2017. René joined ALL when he started out his career as a language assistant in the UK in 1999.
After a period of time on ALL Council, René joined the Management Board as Honorary Finance Officer, was ALL President from 2014-2016 and continued as invited trustee. Since 2017, René holds the post of Chair of Management Board. Under his leadership, the Association underwent an organisational restructure. René represents ALL on various national and international steering groups, is a member of UCML’s executive board and is particularly interested in language curriculum, assessment and language policy.

Anna Lise Gordon
ALL Invited Trustee
Anna Lise Gordon has been a member of ALL since its inception. For the last 15 years, she has worked in initial teacher education as MFL PGCE tutor, as Academic Director for the PGCE provision at St Mary’s University, Twickenham, currently holding the title of Professor of Education at the same institution. She is a National Teaching Fellow and Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. Anna Lise's tenure as ALL President was from 1st September 2016 - 31st August 2018.

Helen Myers MBE
ALL Invited Trustee
Helen Myers teaches Languages at The Ashcombe School in Dorking, Surrey (a Language College since 1998). She is also the ALL London Branch Chair, a former President of ALL and currently on the ALL Management Board. Through her work at The Ashcombe School and ALL, she has helped many teachers across the country in their use ICT in the teaching of languages, and provided constant support to language teachers through moderating forums and resource websites. She combines senior management experience and a national perspective with the realities of teaching across the age and ability range, including AL and GCSE exam classes.

Steven Fawkes
ALL Honorary Membership Officer
Twice President of ALL, and long-serving Honorary Membership Officer, ALL Fellow and Chair of ALL North-East Branch, Steven Fawkes continues to support Branches, Networks, Hubs as well as Primary SIG, ITET and the ALL Literature project. Steven taught Languages in Co. Durham before working in curriculum development in special and comprehensive schools. At the BBC he developed TV, radio, print and internet resources for Schools Languages before taking the overview of policy across the schools area. He is a consultant and author and works in CPD and ITE contexts.
Our Patron
Our Observers

David Crystal
ALL Patron
David Crystal is an academic, writer, editor and broadcaster, and Honorary Professor of Linguistics at the University of Bangor. He is a patron of the Association for Language Learning (ALL) and of the International Association of Teachers of English as a Foreign Language (IATEFL), president of the Society for Editors and Proofreaders and the UK National Literacy Association, an honorary vice-president of the Institute of Linguists and the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists. He received an OBE for services to the English language in 1995, and was made a Fellow of the British Academy (FBA) in 2000. David lives in Holyhead, where he is the director of the Ucheldre Centre, a multi-purpose arts and exhibition centre.
Find out about how the Management Board works
ALL Past Presidents
Below you will find a list of Past Presidents, along with a short introduction which summarises the focus of the Language World conference which they hosted during their presidency. ALL's Presidents have all served ALL's members as trustees, and many of the Past Presidents continue to serve the ALL community, on working groups, as members of ALL Council, working in consultancy capacities on projects or research; and meeting fellow ALL members' training and development needs out in local ALL Branches, Networks and Primary Hubs.

Anna Lise Gordon
Teacher Trainer, Invited Trustee of ALL
Anna Lise hosted two Language World conferences during her tenure as President. In 2017 she welcomed delegates to East Midlands Conference Centre, Nottingham, where the conference theme was 'Progress for ALL'. In March 2018 she welcomed delegates to Jurys Inn Hinckley Island in Leicestershire, where the conference theme was 'Flying the Flag for Languages'. During 2017 and 2018 Anna Lise has chaired the Publications Task & Finish Group, a working group of the ALL Council. She has also chaired meetings of the Initial Teacher Education and Training (ITET) forum.

René Koglbauer-Franklin (2014-2016)
Executive Director of North Leadership Centre and Senior Lecturer at Newcastle University
In the first year of the ALL Connect project, which coincided with the first of a two year Presidency, René brought all of the ALL Connect strands together at Language World Conference 2015, under the banner ‘ALL Connected’. He also formally announced the launch of ALL’s Language Zones. The focus of the Language World Conference 2016 was on Curriculum Innovation, reflecting and preparing ahead of the changes to the language curriculum in September 2016

Rachel Hawkes (2012 - 2015)
Teacher of Languages and Deputy Principal at Comberton Academy Trust
Rachel is also a Languages Advisor for TES Resources, and, planned her Language World to get us 'ALL Joined up', reflecting her sense of the community of language professionals, and the importance of teachers working together and with others.

Ann Swarbrick (2011 - 2014)
Teacher trainer
Ann encouraged us at Language World to Imagine... having recently imagined the creation of the ALL ITET Special Interest Group for Teacher Educators. Ann' s current project is as editor of Barry Jones' selected writings.

Bernardette Holmes MBE (2010 - 2013)
Speak to the Future
'Languages for all - defining today, transforming tomorrow' expresses some of the passion that Bernardette continues to bring to her advocacy with Speak to the Future.

Cynthia Martin (2008 - 2011)
Primary Education Specialist
As befits someone with a specific interest in the early stages of language learning, Cynthia chose as her title for Language World, 'Building on Firm Foundations – Steps to Success'. The work she began continues with the ALL Primary Special Interest Group and the Primary Hubs around the country.

Pauline Swanton (2007 - 2010)
Tutor in Adult Education
Pauline's presidential challenge was about 'Grasping the nettles that beset us'. Pauline served as an Invited Trustee for a number of years beyond her presidential tenure.

Helen Myers MBE (2006 - 2009)
Teacher of French
Helen 'Pulled the Threads Together' at Language World. Her interest in assessment is visible on the web pages of ALL London Branch, which she continues to chair.

David Wilson (2005 - 2008)
BBC Languages
David encouraged us to focus on 'Expanding Horizons' and conveying positive messages about languages at the time of the Dearing Review. David continues to support ALL by acting as an objective reviewer and editor of ALL's web content.

Kathy Wicksteed (2004 - 2007)
SSAT Languages Coordinator
Kathy's campaigning work on behalf of CLIL is still as vibrant now as it was at 'Language World: Working Together'. She also led the Linked Up project for ALL and served on many ALL Committees and Councils. Kathy sadly died in 2018.

Barry Jones (2003 - 2006)
Teacher Trainer
Barry's theme at Language World, was 'Creating Opportunities'. This encapsulates many of his principles as a teacher and trainer. These are to be explored in ALL's publication of Barry Jones' selected writings.

Bill Musk (2002 - 2005)
British Council
'Reaching Out' was a suitable theme for Bill's presidency, reflecting his career in forging effective international education links. ALL maintains links with other teachers internationally through FIPLV, FIPF and IDV and its close co-operation with cultural agencies and the British Council.

Steven Fawkes (1999-2002) and (2002-2004)
BBC Policy Adviser / BBC Education Officer
Steven, now an ALL Fellow, is the only person yet to have been President twice; the first time around his theme was 'Motivation - for all' stressing the importance of teacher motivation, reflected in the current ALL-Literature wiki which he manages.
Steven chose 'Next Steps' as his theme for his second Language World, in the European Year of Languages, exploring issues of learner progression, but also of developing the work of the Association to be more readily available locally. Steven now chairs ALLNE Branch, one of the dozens of Branches, Hubs and Primary Hubs that have taken this idea forward.

Terry Lamb (2000 - 2003)
Teacher Trainer
Terry's presidential theme of 'Building Bridges' related to bridges between sectors and languages, especially with community languages, and is now continued in his work with FIPLV.

John Trafford (1998 - 2001)
Teacher Trainer
John raised the important issues around 'Celebrating Diversity', still relevant within ALL, as reflected in the work of the World Languages Special Interest Group.

Peter Downes (1997 - 2000)
Head Teacher
Peter's theme of 'Raising Standards' is reflected in his work with the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) and on Language Awareness.

Madeleine Bedford (1994 - 1997)
Adviser/Inspector
Madeleine's first Language World in York included the introduction of the European programmes (then called Socrates) while her second celebrated European Year of Lifelong Learning.

Margaret Tumber (1996 - 1999)
Teacher of German
Margaret's theme 'The Way Ahead: language strategies for the millennium' explored the potential for ICT and the way towards learner autonomy, and her talks always included the importance of diversification of language provision.

Bob Powell (1992 - 1995)
Teacher Trainer
Bob's Language World in Edinburgh brought language teachers together with teachers of EFL in the cause of promoting language learning and best practice.

Brian Page (1990 - 1993)
Teacher trainer
Brian's career encompassed teaching, teacher education, the launch of the European Actions and a keen interest in autonomy. See Looking back, moving forward (now available in the ALL Language Zones).