The FluencyGroup test development and management team encompasses more than 30 years' experience, insight, and vision in the corporate language education business. Comprised of the finest individuals in the fields of language training, test design, marketing, and technology, the FluencyGroup management team has a proven ability to recognize, hire, and manage an effective knowledge force. Key contributors and executive include:
Heidi Schumann: Founder, President, and CEO
Owen Walton: Founder and Chief Operating Officer
Maggie Simpson: Director of Marketing Projects
Charles Stansfield, Ph.D.: Lead Test Developer
Daniel A. Reed, Ph.D.: Test Team Advisor
Janice Scheuneman, Ph.D., Psychometrician (Consultant)
In addition, FluencyGroup has in-house resources administering FluencyTest to
ensure its 24/7 operation employing state-of-the-art Internet technologies.
The company is also continually developing affiliations with partners around
the world (governments and businesses) to ensure FluencyGroup's ability to fully
understand and address the cultural and educational issues that affect local
and global language training and proficiency programs.
Heidi Schumann
Founder, President, and CEO
Heidi Schumann's role as CEO and president of FluencyGroup is firmly grounded
in 14 years of corporate language training experience and eight years of business
management experience, during which time she co-founded and managed the International
Language Institute (I.L.I.). of Seattle, a nationally accredited training consultancy
with clients including IBM Germany, Visio, Starbucks, and Mitsubishi. Ms. Schumann
also applies her expertise in an advisory capacity to several agencies: In 2000,
U.S. Commerce Secretary William Daley appointed Ms. Schumann to a three-year
term on the District Export Council, and in August 2002, Washington Governor
Gary Locke appointed Ms. Schumann to the board of directors for the Washington
Technology Center.
Ms. Schumann spent three years as a United Nations Association Language Testing Officer for the Association's biannual English language proficiency tests while living in Japan. She has proven experience developing and managing high-profile international education projects involving local, national, and foreign governments as well as the private sector and the media. In addition, Ms. Schumann's educational work has resulted in 22 newspaper articles in three countries and a 30-minute documentary that was broadcast nationally on ABC TV in Japan. She has a B.A. in political science and international relations from the University of Wisconsin.
Owen Walton
Founder and Chief Operating Officer
Owen Walton brings 14 years of experience in international business and education
to FluencyGroup, including co-founding the International Language Institute
(I.L.I.). of Seattle. Mr. Walton lived and worked in Japan as a corporate trainer
and United Nations Association Language Testing Officer. His first-hand experience
as a teacher and translator adds deep insight into client business needs, test
subject mindset, and resulting usability requirements. As a former manager from
the private side of the education industry, he also has a rich understanding
of the interplay between education and government.
Mr. Walton has a broad knowledge of natural languages (Swedish, French, and Japanese) and holds an M.A. in modern Japanese and Chinese history from the University of Washington. This specialized background and his expertise with technology enable him to effectively develop and implement FluencyGroup's core product offering and associated programs.
Maggie Simpson
Director Marketing Projects
Maggie Simpson joined FluencyGroup in October 2000. Prior to her current role
at FluencyGroup, Ms. Simpson was vice president of public relations at CNN,
developing and implementing national public relations campaigns for CNN talent
and public affairs programs including Larry King Live, Crossfire, and Burden
of Proof. She also managed extremely successful PR initiatives surrounding CNN's
coverage of the 1996 and 2000 presidential elections, including the creation
and oversight of the network's presidential debate press halls serving over
500 representatives of national and international media.
Ms. Simpson lived in Tokyo from 1986 to 1989, where she worked as a corporate English trainer, and later, as an anchor and reporter for NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation) and Japan Cable Television. Ms. Simpson has a B.A. in international affairs and political science from the University of California at Berkeley. She is fluent in French.
Charles Stansfield, Ph.D.
Lead Test Developer
Charles Stansfield is a leading authority in the language-testing field, with
sixteen years of professional test development experience. He has published
12 books and 55 monographs and has developed more than a dozen language tests.
In addition to being the founder and President of Second Language Testing, Inc.
[link to 2lti.com], Dr. Stansfield spent eight years at the Center for Applied
Linguistics as a program director. He also led the team that developed the Test
of Written English section of the TOEFL and was Program Administrator for the
TOEFL at ETS from 1981 through 1986.
Dr. Stansfield also obtained funding for, developed, and published the Portuguese Speaking Test, Hausa Speaking Test, Indonesian Speaking Test, Hebrew Speaking Test, Japanese Speaking Test, Spanish Speaking Test, French German Test, and German Speaking Test and ancillary rater training kits. In addition to several other related degrees, he holds a Ph.D. in second/foreign language education from Florida State University.
Daniel A. Reed, Ph.D.
Test Team Advisor
Daniel Reed worked on cutting-edge projects at the University of Minnesota Center
for Advanced Research on Language Acquisition (CARLA) and at the University
of Indiana. At CARLA he was responsible for supervising the CARLA Assessment
Team in test analyses of University of Minnesota language proficiency tests
in French, German, and Spanish and of other tests developed through CARLA. Dr.
Reed has worked most recently on a new section of the GED examination for non-native
students wishing to demonstrate their proficiency in English. He holds an M.S.
and a Ph.D. in TESOL and Applied Linguistics from Indiana University.
Janice Scheuneman, Ph.D.
Psychometrician (Consultant)
Janice Schueneman has worked on test validation through psychometric evaluation
for more than 22 years, including 15 years at Educational Testing Services (ETS)
and seven years with her own company, Quality Assessment Services. Ms. Scheuneman
is a specialist on high-stakes and computer-based testing implementation and
has consulted for many national standards organizations including the Commercial
Investment Real Estate Institute, the National Council of Examiners for Engineering
and Surveying, the National Technical Services Association, the American Association
for Medical Transcription, the American Board of Preventive Medicine, and the
American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. Her recent publications
have focused on computer-based testing ("CBT") and computer-assisted
testing ("CAT"). She holds a Ph.D. in educational research from Indiana
University.