Our President
Educated
Annette Epstein holds the following Degrees and Awards:
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MBA in Executive International Business Management
Lake Forest Graduate School of Management
2001-2003, Lake Forest, Illinois
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International Educational Certificates from:
- Europe: (England, France, Cambridge)
International Study Abroad MBA Program
- Asia: (China, Thailand)
International; Study Abroad MBA Program
- Latin America (Argentina, Brazil)
International Study Abroad MBA Program
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Master of Science in Civil Engineering
National University of Civil Engineering and Architecture, 1965-1971, Kiev, Ukraine
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"Silver Cup" from Cambridge University, UK for the "Best Student Project"
She is a longtime and active member of National and International Associations:
- ATA (American Translators Association), 2002-Present
- EAIE (European Association of International Educators), 2001-Present
- NAFSA (National; Association of International Educators), 1992-Present NAFSA II team member, Advocacy policy team member
- TAICEP (Association for International Credential Evaluation Professionals (international professional association that has the single purpose of supporting and serving the profession of international credential evaluation) 2016 -Present
Language Skills:
Fluent English, French, Russian, Ukrainian, Polish
Experienced
In Ukraine, Kiev (the Capital) Mrs. Epstein worked as Civil Engineer in main USSR Engineering Companies. Her talent, language skills and ambition secured her a 1st place in scriptwriting competition at famous Film Enterprise.
She became a professional scriptwriter for an educational film series in the former USSR and authored more than 25 documentaries and scientific films.
After 1987 “Perestroyka” and President Gorbachev’s permission for private entrepreneurship, Mrs. Epstein
was the founder and the Director of the First Private Language School in the whole former USSR which served around 1000 students on monthly basis.
In 1989 she and her son arrived as refugee through 6 borders (Ukraine, Belarus, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Austria, Italy) with to USA (Chicago).
In three months after arrival responding to the requests of recent immigrants, Ms. Epstein established Express Learning Center the first bilingual language School for Eastern-European refuges in Chicago, IL.
Her School soon was invited to become an ESL site for Kennedy-King College, Chicago, IL with Mrs. Epstein as a Program Coordinator. This ESL site served 35 groups with about 1000 people in constant attendance.
Articles about her achievements have appeared in major Chicago newspapers and magazines: such as
Chicago Sun-Times, Reader, Today's Chicago Woman, Lerner Newspaper. She has been profiled by WMAQ-TV, the NBC affiliate in Chicago.
In 2010 interview with Mrs. Epstein was published in Forbes magazine.
For a number of years, she hosted a radio talk show "America, My Own" and weekly two hours TV program "America, My Own" designed to provide immigrants with information about educational and professional employment opportunities in their new country.