Meet the Staff 

We are happy to introduce to you the Eurocentres Silicon Valley administration and faculty.

Gerald Brett, Executive Director
Ruth Kirby, Centre Manager
Miyoko Imai, Client Services
Ann Lafargue Balin, Instructor
Will DeWalt, Instructor
Sarah Dwight-Gilroy, Instructor
Eric Bakke, Instructor
Gloria Buonocore, Instructor
Sean Edgley, Instructor
Michael Selic, Instructor
Rick Murno, Instructor
Rebecca Wescott, Instructor
Tim Murphy, Instructor


Gerald Brett, Executive Director
Gerald Brett started the school in 1979, and continues to own and operate the school in its 28th year. Additionally, Gerald is a passionate collector of art and sculpture, and much of his collection is on display in Eurocentres Silicon Valley.

Email Gerald



Ruth Kirby, Centre Manager
Ruth Kirby began at the school in 1990 as an instructor after teaching high school English in the United States and ESL in Switzerland. She became a director in 1996. She enjoys people, reading, and the outdoors.

Email Ruth




Miyoko Imai, Client Services
Miyoko Brett grew up in Japan, graduating with a degree in library science. She joined the school in 1996, and enjoys interacting with students and coordinating much of the weekly activities.

Email Miyoko




Ann Lafargue Balin, Instructor
Ann joined the school's faculty in 2000. Prior to that, she worked in marketing, project management, public relations, and editing. She enjoys travel, languages, and the arts.



Will DeWalt, Instructor
Before coming to this school in 2003, Will was a Peace Corps ESL instructor in Bahrain, Peace Corps Staff Director in Yemen and instructed as well as directed ESL courses at various schools in the United States.



Sarah Dwight-Gilroy, Instructor
Sarah has always loved teaching and has taught subjects ranging from rock climbing to animal protection. She has taught ESL to adults and high school students in the US and Kenya. Sarah loves dogs, tap dancing, and being outdoors.



Eric Bakke, Instructor
Erik has been an adjunct teacher here since 1988. He has taught at private schools and public universities in Japan, Poland and the US, in addition to working as an artist and editing an art magazine. He enjoys art and hiking.



Gloria Buonocore, Instructor
Gloria began teaching at this school in 1998. Before that, she was an editor at a city magazine and then at an advertising agency. She enjoys reading, cooking and film.



Sean Edgley, Instructor
Sean is a recent graduate of the University of California, where he contributed to a variety of campus newspapers and creative writing journals. He spent the year 2007 as a public school teacher in Seoul, South Korea. Teaching abroad again, as well as returning to school for his MFA, figure into his future plans. He is an avid reader of modernist literature and French symbolist poetry and enjoys cooking, traveling, and making music with friends in his free time.



Michael Selic, Instructor
Before becoming an ESL teacher, Michael spent 20 years as owner and operater of a photography business and was an arts administrator. He joined our faculty in 2000. He enjoys hiking, backpacking, gardening, and reading, especially crime novels; is a oenophile; plays the tumpet; has a house on a Greek island; is CFO of an organization that collects, preserves, and presents educational films; and is legally authorized to perform marriages by the State of California.



Rick Murno, Instructor
Rick joined the staff in 2004. He has taught ESL, French, and Spanish to secondary school students as well as to business and academic professionals. Rick also has an extensive marketing background and worked for nine years at major Silicon Valley companies. His interests include international film, rollerblading, exploring beaches, and learning new languages.



Rebecca Wescott, Instructor
Rebecca joined our faculty in 2007. She has taught ESL since 2001 in England, Canada and the US. She loves meeting people from different countries, hiking, snowboarding, walking on the beach, and listening to other languages.



Tim Murphy, Instructor
Tim joined the staff in 2003, and in 2006, spent a year in China teaching ESL. Tim also has extensive experience as a business writer, having served on the editorial staffs of several trade publications. He enjoys traveling, cycling and listening to music.
 

The World of Eurocentres

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Currently at Eurocentres Silicon Valley 

Click for Menlo Park, California Forecast Menlo Park has mild winters and cool summers. The warmest month is July, the coolest, December.

Eurocentres SV Four to Six Year College Affiliates 

Eurocentres Silicon Valley is partnered with Menlo College and Notre Dame de Namur University. Menlo College is in the neighborhood of our school, just two blocks away, and is a four year school. Notre Dame de Namur is a four to six year institution. If your dream is to attend a four to six year American school, let us help you make it reality.

Eurocentres SV Two Year College Affiliates 

Eurocentres Silicon Valley is partnered with Foothill College, De Anza College, College of San Mateo, Canada College and Skyline College. Each is excellent, yet accesible for international students. If your desire is to attend a two year institution, look no further than Silicon Valley.