Dr. Ruslana Westerlund

With 30 years of experience in public education, she has served as a consultant, ESL district program coordinator, school administrator, instructional specialist, and teacher.

Kelly specializes in instructional design, language development, program evaluation, curriculum development, and system-level program planning. She holds a Master’s degree in Instructional Systems Development and multiple certifications, including Elementary Education, Spanish, ESOL, and School Administration. A National Board Certified Early Childhood Generalist, she also earned a TESOL ELT Leadership Management Certificate.

As an international workshop facilitator and former WIDA Certified Facilitator, Kelly has trained educators worldwide, equipping them with the tools to create equitable, effective learning environments for multilingual learners. Through English Learner Portal, she continues to lead professional learning, coaching, and program development initiatives that empower educators to maximize English proficiency growth for multilingual students.

Dr. Ruslana Westerlund is a distinguished language development specialist with extensive experience in research, curriculum development, and teacher preparation. As a former researcher in WIDA's Research and Development Division, she co-authored the WIDA 2020 English Language Development Standards, contributing to foundational frameworks that guide multilingual education nationwide.

Ruslana is also an adjunct faculty member, teaching ESL and bilingual licensure programs at several universities. Her expertise extends to supporting refugee students and developing innovative teacher preparation programs.

Currently, she contributes to English Learner Portal as a course developer, creating professional learning opportunities that equip educators with the skills and strategies to support diverse multilingual learners.