Our Instructors

The team behind ELA.

Experienced educators and language specialists — built from and for the Las Vegas community.

Maria Watson

Lead Instructor · Workplace English Specialist

Las Vegas, NV

Born in Jerez, Zacatecas, Mexico and raised in Las Vegas in a bilingual household, Maria knows firsthand what it feels like to navigate a new language in a new country. She brings that lived understanding into every class, helping students speak clearly, confidently, and comfortably — in the workplace, in the community, and in everyday life.

English (Native)Spanish (Native)French

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Education & Certifications

◆TEFL Certification — Workplace & Vocational English
◆B.A. Journalism & Media Studies — University of Nevada, Las Vegas
◆Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) Certified

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Experience

◆Lead Adult Learning Instructor — Las Vegas-Clark County Library District
◆Adjunct Professor — College of Southern Nevada
◆ESL & Vocational English — Culinary Academy of Las Vegas
◆ESL Instructor — Cámara de Comercio Colombiana, Las Vegas
◆Workplace ESL Solutions
◆Clark County School District

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Specializations

Multilevel ESL InstructionPronunciation Training & Accent ClarityVocational EnglishU.S. Citizenship Interview PrepCross-Cultural CommunicationLesson Planning & Curriculum DesignSpanish & French Bilingual Instruction

The Methodology

A methodology built on how the human mouth actually works.

Most communication coaching programs teach you a performance. They give you scripts, filler reduction drills, and breathing exercises. You improve at performing — but the moment you face a novel situation, you revert. The performance collapses under pressure.

The SPEAK Framework is built on a different premise: that professional communication is a physical skill, not a cognitive one. It is trained the same way a musician trains — through deliberate repetition of the exact patterns that matter in your context, until those patterns become automatic.

Every letter targets a distinct layer of competence. Strategic Structure addresses how you organize thought before you open your mouth. Precise Pronunciation targets the specific phoneme contrasts that create miscommunication in your accent profile — not generic "clear speech," but your exact patterns mapped against your target environment.

The result is not a polished performance you have to maintain. It is a new default — your natural communication, upgraded to match the environment you are operating in.

“The SPEAK Framework is not a curriculum. It is a training system. Like physical therapy for your voice.”

Master the executive frameworks that organize your ideas before you speak. Every sentence lands with precision and purpose — in boardrooms, pitch meetings, and high-stakes presentations across global companies.

Eliminate the frustration of being asked to repeat yourself. Phonetic coaching targets the exact sound contrasts that create miscommunication for non-native professionals, building the clarity that commands immediate trust.

Move beyond functional fluency to the precise language patterns that signal domain expertise and leadership. Acquire the vocabulary, idiomatic expressions, and register shifts that separate individual contributors from executives.

Your voice is your professional brand. Develop the pace, strategic pause, vocal projection, and tonal range that makes rooms go quiet when you speak — in meetings, client calls, and keynote addresses.

Research confirms that over 70% of communication impact is non-verbal. Align your body language, eye contact, and physical presence to reinforce your message and build instant credibility with any audience, anywhere in the world.

The Difference

What makes this different.

Area

Traditional Programs

ELA

Curriculum design

✗Generic corporate English modules

✓Built around your actual job, industry, and presentations

Accent work

✗"Reduce your accent" — erases identity

✓Precision phonetics — your voice, made command-ready

Session format

✗Group classes with minimal individual attention

✓Small cohorts (max 12) with individual assessment tracks

Industry vocabulary

✗Business English — not specific to IT, healthcare, or C-suite

✓Domain-specific vocabulary for your field and role level

Measurable outcomes

✗"Improved confidence" — no defined metrics

✓Specific outcome benchmarks defined at intake

Instructor expertise

✗English teachers with no workforce background

✓Adult educators with deep Las Vegas workforce experience

Prêt(e) à travailler ensemble ?

Book your free assessment call.

Réservez un appel de bilan gratuit de 30 minutes. Aucun engagement, aucune démarche commerciale — juste une conversation honnête sur votre situation actuelle et ce qui est possible.

What happens next

1Submit the form — takes less than 2 minutes.
2We review your profile within 48 hours.
3You'll receive a personal invitation to book your free assessment call.
4We match you to the right track and cohort.
5Enrollment opens — you get first access.

Prefer email?

info@elavegas.com