Who we are

Jennie Toner Algin, M.Ed. – Istanbul IN Founder and Head 

Jennie has lived and worked in Istanbul, Turkey since 2009. She is a university instructor and instructional designer. She has also worked in the education sector in Ecuador, Japan and Cambodia. In her most recent past life she worked in training for corporate America in a diverse range of industries including health insurance, logistics, sales and customer service, until she escaped in January 2009 to work her way around the world. She ended up in Istanbul and has been exploring the world from her new home ever since.

Sian Fairley, M.A. – Primary and Middle School Education SIG Lead

Sian arrived in Istanbul in 2008, shortly after graduating from Oxford University in Modern Languages. Plans to teach for a year and research Turkish-German migration soon turned into an extended stay and she now calls Istanbul home. She has taught students from lower primary up to university level. After a one year break to complete her Masters at the University of Manchester she returned to teaching, and has since found her niche in middle school.

Meara Heubach – Secondary/ High School Education SIG Lead

Meara’s first experience with Istanbul was in 2002 when she first came to the city on a Rotary exchange. Since 2007 she has been teaching both English and Spanish in public and private institutions in Turkey, Mexico and the United States, and from 2009-2010 she completed a Fulbright Teaching Fellowship in Uruguay. She has taught students of all ages, from kindergarteners to university students to adults, and currently teaches prep and ninth grade at Üsküdar American Academy.

 

 

Brooks Emerson, M.A. TESOL – Private Lessons SIG Lead

Brooks Emerson has been living and working in Istanbul since August, 2002. He is the founder of Emerson Educational Services and teaches both English and Turkish. He has a Master’s in TESOL from Hunter College, the City University of New York.

 

 

 

 

Lia McCoskey, M.A. – Administration/ School and Program Management SIG Lead

Originally from Detroit, Michigan, Lia has lived and worked in Istanbul since 2009. Since earning her MA in English and Creative Writing from Temple University, she has focused on teaching academic, discipline-specific, and creative writing at a variety of levels. Her research interests include intercultural rhetoric, literacy studies, curriculum design, and experimental writing. Lia previously served as the Director of the Academic Writing Program at Koç University, before stepping down to pursue other projects.