Norma Lopez-Burton is the Director of the First Year Spanish Program at the University of California Davis. Her areas of expertise include second language acquisition and curriculum development. She has been honored twice with university-wide awards and numerous grants.
Dr. Rafael Gomez is Professor of Spanish at the School of World Languages and Cultures, California State University, Monterey Bay. His areas of expertise include second language acquisition, distance education, and cross-cultural communication. In addition to RUMBOS and other Spanish instructional texts and materials, he also authors the Latinoamerica website.
Jill Pellettieri is an Associate Professor of Spanish at Santa Clara University. Her areas of expertise include second language acquisition, computer-assisted language learning, and second language writing. In addition to RUMBOS and other Spanish instructional texts and materials, she also authors the best-selling PLAZAS Workbook.
Dr. Robert Hershberger (Ph.D., University of Kansas) is Associate Professor of Spanish at DePauw University. Before working on PLAZAS, Dr. Hershberger authored Heinle's Tu Dirás! and INTERCAMBIOS CD-ROMs and was the lead author and project manager for the TEMAS CD-ROM. Most recently, Dr. Hershberger served as a co-author on Heinle's second-year Spanish program, RUMBOS. In addition to his teaching at DePauw, Dr. Hershberger is Chair of the Department of Modern Languages and a Tenzer University Professor in Instructional Technology. In 2005, Dr. Hershberger received the Exemplary Teacher Award by DePauw University and the United Methodist Church. In 2008, Dr. Hershberger received the Edwin L. Minar Scholarship Award for exceptional scholarly achievement in the field of foreign language pedagogy.
Susan Navey-Davis is Assistant Department Head for Student Affairs in the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures at North Carolina State University. She serves as Coordinator of Lower Division Spanish courses, Supervisor of Second Year Graduate Teaching Assistants, and Director of Undergraduate Advising. She has received numerous awards for teaching, advising, and extension service. She recently received regional and national recognition for advising and has received regional, state, and university awards for excellence in teaching. At North Carolina State University she is a charter member of the Academy of Outstanding Faculty Engaged in Extension and is a past chair of the executive council for the academy. She has been secretary of the board of directors of an organization that provides health care in Nicaragua. In addition to being a co-author of PLAZAS: LUGAR DE ENCUENTROS, Navey-Davis is also co-author of Heinle's intermediate textbook, RUMBOS. She holds an MAT in Spanish from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
