Sheila M. Murtha

Sheila MacKechnie Murtha joined the ELP as a lecturer in 2006. Having completed a double major in oral communication and English, Ms. Murtha has found a perfect fit teaching Conversation and Culture. With an MA in Communications, she began a diverse career in education at William Paterson University, where she taught Speech and Interpersonal Communication. Additionally, she has consulted for corporations, and provided presentation skills workshops for a child-abuse prevention non-profit in NYC. As her family grew (and moved), Ms. Murtha taught speech communication at Francis Marion University in South Carolina. She has taught English literature and ESL for many years, and she has earned teaching certifications in ESL, English, Speech, and Drama in three states.

Ms. Murtha also provides ESL professional development training for teachers through the NJ Professional Education Portal, and she has been a contributing member of the NJ Department of Education Advisory Committee for ESL/Bilingual Education. Additionally, she has served in multiple leadership capacities at ETS, evaluating teacher candidate responses in assessments.

Ms. Murtha has coached winning academic championship teams, and has received numerous awards for exemplary teaching, including two Teacher of the Year awards, as well as corporate recognitions.

She is co-authoring an English reference handbook for English Language Learners.

While a love of travel has brought her to such locales as a loch-side tent at Loch Lomond, Scotland; Torres del Paine, Chile; and Perito Moreno, Argentina, Ms. Murtha is convinced the most fun and edifying look at diverse cultures can be found in conversations with her students.