Dr. Stephen Benigno
Educational Background
Dr. Stephen Benigno completed his undergraduate studies at Pittsburg State University, his Master’s at the University of the Pacific and his Ph.D. at the University of Southern Mississippi.
Professional Experience
Dr. Benigno is currently an Assistant Professor at the University of Southern Mississippi in the College of Education. Previously he was an Assistant Professor at Texas A&M International University. He has been a school administrator, program director, a curriculum specialist, an EL coordinator and a teacher in U.S. public schools over the last four decades. Dr. Benigno has presented and published nationally and internationally on topics related to school administration, transformational leadership, school safety and new teacher orientation. He has also been involved in extensive training and research in the areas of teacher evaluation and program development.
Role in the Organization
Dr. Benigno is the founding director of IELI. He specializes in program development, instructional leadership, supervision of instruction, and curriculum development. His vision is to inspire, encourage, and support educational organizations throughout the world. He believes that the driving force in education today is teacher empowerment and transformal leadership
Mariela Larrosa
Educational Background
Ms. Mariela Larrosa, holds a Master’s degree in Education from the University of Buenos Aires, a Bachelor’s degree in Management from the University of Cordoba, and is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Social Work at the University of Michigan. Ms. Larrosa is also a Leadership Coach, certified by the Haute Ecole de Commerce – HEC Paris.
Professional Experience
Ms. Larrosa has extensive experience working at the international level. She has worked closely with NGOs in Argentina and Brazil, and governmental institutions and private organizations, internationally. Ms. Larrosa has held positions as the Board Chair of an educational NGO as well as General Manager of an institution for cultural exchange in Argentina. Currently, she is an instructor of Leadership and Emotional Intelligence at institutions in France, and she works as a leadership coach and educational consultant.
Role in the Organization
Originally from Argentina, and residing in Paris, France, Ms. Larrosa is co-Director of IELI. She is passionate about Social Justice and is a fervent believer in the power of Education as a factor of improvement and equality in our society. Her commitment to IELI is to effectively lead school transformation through leadership training. In order to create a positive school culture, she believes in fostering the well-being of school leaders, teachers, and students through Social and Emotional Learning.
Dr. Zita Tiamuh
Educational Background
Dr. Zita Tiamuh has an earned PhD in Educational emphasis in Research, Evaluation, Statistics, and Assessment, MS in Education, minor in Instructional Technology, and certificate of Institutional Research from the University of Southern Mississippi. She also has a Master’s of Business Administration and BA in Marketing degrees from Texas A&M- University-Commerce.
Professional Experience
Dr. Tiamuh currently serves as a Visiting Assistant Professor at the University of Southern Mississippi in the College of Education. She also serves in consulting roles, advising and guiding educational professionals and non-profit organizations toward research and evaluation practices. As a certified Quality Matters online course peer reviewer, she advises online course instructional design and development that meet quality standards for achieving targeted learning outcomes. In addition to her professional endeavors in education, she has been instrumental in guiding private businesses toward enhancing organizational development, operational efficiency, and leveraging technology innovation to support service delivery.
Role in the Organization
Originally from Cameroon, Africa and educated in Ottawa, Canada, Dr. Tiamuh joins IELI as a co-director. She has expertise in applying research, technology, evaluation, and assessment strategies that support data-driven decision-making. She believes that leveraging data and technology are the cornerstone of teaching, learning, and institutional effectiveness.