Edmonds resident Nancy Burkhalter, PhD, has been selected by the U.S. Department of State for an English Language Specialist project teaching journalism to professional journalists working in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, at the country’s only English-language newspaper, Arab News.

Burkhalter is part of a select group, as her project is one of approximately 240 that the English Language Specialist Program supports each year.

Since earning her two master’s degrees in English education and journalism and a doctorate in linguistics, Burkhalter has worked as a journalist, an academic writer, and editor. She has taught writing and journalism in the U.S. as well as Saudi Arabia, Germany, Kazakhstan and Russia.

The project in Riyadh begins Nov. 15 and will last three months.

According to a State Department announcement, the English Language Specialist Program is “the premier opportunity for leaders in the field of teaching English to speakers of other languages (TESOL) to enact meaningful and sustainable changes in the way that English is taught abroad. Through projects developed by U.S. Embassies in more than 80 countries, English Language Specialists collaborate with local teacher trainers, educational leaders and ministry of education officials to exchange knowledge, build capacity, and establish partnerships benefiting participants, institutions, and communities in the United States and overseas.”

English Language Specialists are counted among the more than 50,000 individuals participating in U.S. Department of State exchange programs each year. The specialist program is administered by the Center for Intercultural Education and Development at Georgetown University.