We are so proud of our dedicated staff!
Phyllis O’Neill (left of picture):
As co-director of ECI, Phyllis, together with Marie, is responsible for all decision-making involved in the planning, development and implementation of ECI operations both in Europe and the US. Residing in Berkeley, she is also responsible for overseeing US operations.
Phyllis has a Master’s degree in Education, extensive teaching experience, and a love for travel and adventure. Her enthusiasm and dedication to quality keep her passionate about ECI’s commitment to offer the most enriching language and cultural experiences possible.
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Marie Harris (right of picture):
As co-director of ECI, Marie, together with Phyllis, is responsible for all decision-making involved in the planning, development and implementation of ECI operations both in Europe and the US. Residing in Europe, Marie is also responsible for overseeing the European operations.
Marie has taught in high schools in both Vienna and England, has a Master’s degree in Education, and considerable experience leading educational programs both in Europe and the US. She is committed to maintaining ECI’s reputation for excellence and quality.
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ECI Berkeley Office
William Wardlaw
William is one of ECI’s Outbound Coordinators who helps organize our programs abroad for U.S. high school students. As ECI’s Information Systems & Social Media Manager, William also oversees our information technology and online outreach efforts. William spent two summers studying abroad in Germany and hosted three German exchange students while in high school. While at UNC – Chapel Hill, he spent a semester abroad in London through the Honors Program.
William is an avid music fan, performs as a DJ, and produces electronic music. He also has a passion for eclectic films and shooting photographs.
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Jeannette Northern
Jeannette works in ECI’s main Berkeley office as an Outbound Coordinator, assisting students and parents prepare for their study abroad experience. She earned a BA in Psychology from California State University, Chico.
She has traveled to England, France, and Italy. Jeannette has worked in education most of her life, and spent 4 years in Honolulu experiencing Hawaiian culture. She loves spending time with her family, sharing the Art of Jin Shin Jyutsu, writing poetry, and taking long walks in nature.
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Valerie Pollock
As ECI’s Immersion Coordinator, Valerie oversees the logistics for all aspects of our French, Spanish, German and Austrian students’ immersion homestays in the San Francisco Bay Area. She has been in the marketing field for over 15 years and has also taught at L’ecole Bilingue Elementary school in Berkeley.
An experienced traveler herself, Valerie is the mom of two young children. She loves theater, tennis, lounging at any beach, fine food, and interacting with people from all over the world.
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Sheila Larson
As Educational Travel Coordinator, Sheila designs inbound student itineraries and works with teachers, families and students on all aspects of ECI’s programs. Sheila studied English at San Jose State University and has traveled extensively in Europe. She has been with ECI for nine years and brings a wealth of experience to her role.
In her spare time, Sheila loves hosting memorable dinner parties, going to the theater and of course, traveling to far away places.
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Holly Means
As ECI’s student travel presenter, Holly teaches students about study abroad opportunities. She enjoys informing students about our fun, exciting, and educational summer study abroad programs. She recently graduated from UC-Santa Barbara and studied abroad in Costa Rica for a semester learning Spanish and Latin American politics. Holly and her family have hosted Australian and Chinese exchange students. She loves learning about other cultures and languages.
She also enjoys bike riding, hiking, and swimming. She loves wakeboarding in the summer and snowboarding in the winter.
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Vanesa Diaz
Vanesa is ECI’s Applications Coordinator for our Spanish students who travel to the US to improve their English. She is also our highly experienced Host Family Coordinator for our Customised Total Immersion program for US students travelling to Spain.
She lives in the beautiful town of Estepona on the southern coast of Spain and enjoys introducing American teens to her country. In addition to working with ECI, she is a professional photographer. She studied at CEV (high school for Communication, Image, and Sound) in Madrid. She has travelled extensively after her studies, living and working in London, Paris, India, Barcelona, and Madrid. Vanesa has a wide range of interests and hobbies, including yoga, cooking, music, and the arts. She’s currently juggling a busy family life with learning French.
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Marie Decroix
Marie coordinates ECI’s French programs from the beautiful city of Aix-en-Provence. For the last four years, she has been welcoming American ECI students coming to France, in addition to coordinating the departures of ECI French students to the US.
Marie graduated from Marseille Business School as well as Aix en Provence Law University. She spent four years in the US working in NYC in the marketing field and graduated from California Lutheran University in Los Angeles. Passionate about travel, she designs tailor-made trips in France for an international clientele. She loves Provence, contemporary art, travel, and tasty restaurants.
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