High Expectations
Intensive English Language Program
MEET THE TEAM
Lynn A. Leonard
Chief Executive Officer
Lynn is the founder of High Expectations. She received a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Suffolk University and a Juris Doctor degree from New England School of Law. She spent many years practicing law with a focus on Civil Rights and Children and Family Law. Prior to founding High Expectations, she served as an educational advocate and represented both students and teachers in employment and civil rights matters.
Robert W. Klemm
DSO/Facilities Manager
Bob studied Business and Financial Planning at Boston College. For the past 30 years, he has owned and operated Find Real Estate, an independent real estate and property management firm. Bob currently manages our 16,500 square foot facility and also serves as a Designated School Official at High Expectations.
Michael Buckley
Director of School
Michael graduated from Framingham State University with a Bachelor of Arts in History and a Master's in Public Administration. During his 20 plus year career, he has worked as a teacher and an educational consultant. In 2001 and 2002, Michael received the ‘Outstanding Teacher’ and ‘Excellence in Teaching and Student Preparation and Education’ award during his tenure at Marian High School. He also taught history and served in an administrative role at Minuteman Regional Vocational Technical High School.
Kimberly Duong
Director of Faculty and Program Development
Kimberly graduated from Syracuse University College of Arts and Sciences with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Linguistic Studies. She earned a Master's Degree in Linguistics from the University of Massachusetts in Boston. She joined our team as an ESL teacher and wore many hats in the organization prior to becoming the Director of Faculty and Program Coordinator. Kimberly is bilingual in English and Vietnamese.
Guilherme Locks
Director of Recruiting and Admissions
Guilherme received an Advertising and Marketing degree from Unisul University in Brazil. He owned and operated a marketing agency in Brazil from 2010 to 2016. He was responsible for numerous successful marketing campaigns throughout his career prior to relocating to the U.S. Guilherme was the Marketing Manager at High Expectations before assuming the role of Director of Admissions. He is bilingual in English and Portuguese.
Dylan Snyder
Designated School Official
Dylan received a Bachelor of Science degree in Communications from Salem State University. He came to High Expectations as summer intern and worked on various projects including the creation of a resource database for ESL teachers and the development of social media content. He also authored articles for international students related to education in the U.S. After graduating, he joined our team as a Designated School Official.
Thomas Scanlon
ESL Teacher
Tom graduated from Boston College Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature. He became certified to teach English in 2016. Before joining High Expectations, he taught ESL in Italy, in the Boston Public Schools and in various Boston English language schools. He also teaches ESL at North Shore Community College.
Paul Ventura
ESL Teacher
Paul received a Bachelor of Arts degree in International Studies from Endicott College with Magna Cum Laude honors. He initially worked for High Expectations as a summer intern assisting with the IELP accreditation process and creating a teaching resource database for ESL teachers. He earned a TESOL certificate in 2023, before joining High Expectations as an ESL instructor.
James Compton
ESL Teacher
James graduated from the University of Nebraska at Omaha with a Bachelor’s and Master of Arts degree in English Language and Literature. As a part of his Master's program, he completed an apprenticeship where he worked as a Composition Instructor. In 2022, he received a certificate in TESOL.
Christopher Hall
ESL Teacher
Christopher received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Secondary Education from the University of Alabama. In his 17 years of ESL teaching, he has worked with students from a lengthy list of countries ranging from the Middle East, Africa, Europe, Brazil, China, Haiti, Cape Verde, and the Dominican Republic. He most recently has taught ESL in Chelsea Public Schools’ Intergenerational Literacy Program.
Decio Silva
ESL Teacher
Decio received a degree in Pedagogy from Nove de Julho University in Brazil. For a decade and a half, he had multiple ESL teaching and administrative positions in Mexico. This includes being the CEO of the Mexican affiliate of the platform SmrtEnglish, which offers online classes to people from all around the world.
Aicha Nezzar
ESL Teacher
Aicha graduated from the University of Batna in Algeria with a Bachelor’s degree in English Language and Literature. She received a Master’s degree in Language Sciences and TEFL from the University of Jijel. She relocated to the US and became certified to teach TESOL, TESL and TEFL. Aica speaks English and Arabic.
Carolina Coxa
ESL Teacher
Carolina received a Bachelor’s degree in Literature and a Postgraduate degree in Education from the University of Sao Paulo. During her time teaching in Fisk Centro de Ensino, her reputation among colleagues was being well organized, willing to help struggling students and referred to as one of the best teachers they ever had there.
Doa Le
ESL Teacher
Doa received a Master’s degree in TESOL. She initially was a self employed ESL instructor and taught a wide range of Vietnamese students from children to adults through online. Since 2022, she has taught ESL at the International School of Advanced Learning in Allston before coming to High Expectations.
Jennifer Mulvey
ESL Teacher/Academic Advisor
Jennifer received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology and Anthropology from Brandeis University and a Master’s degree in Elementary Education from UMass Boston. She has had a wide range of opportunities to teach all different walks of life during her 26 year career, which includes a tenure at the Boston Asian Student Center as an ESL instructor.
Mark Censky
ESL Teacher
Mark received a Bachelor’s in Philosophy, Management and Psychology and Master’s degree in Educational Leadership from Miami University in Ohio. Before venturing into the ESL world, he spent time as a Workforce Development Manager for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and has worked many other marketing and management positions over 20 years. He now implements his past experiences as a ESL teacher.
Geno Spina
Comptroller
Geno graduated Bentley University with a degree in Accounting and Business Management. In over 30 years, he has utilized his financial savvy for many different companies including Tufts Electronics Group, Kentron Technologies and NuView Systems, Inc. He is currently the Comptroller at High Expectations with responsibility for financial compliance and reporting.