Professional Staff

Michelle Hager

Director

Writing Center

Michelle Hager is the Writing Center Director, and she has extensive experience in writing instruction and writing center administration. She is also an alum of San Jose State University, having earned her B.A. in English (with a Certificate in Professional and Technical Writing) and M.A. in English from SJSU.

Prior to becoming the Writing Center Director in July 2013, she served for four years as the Writing Center Associate Director. In this position, she developed the web presence of the Center and created and supervised a program for lower-division writing tutors. She has also worked with the Writing Across the Curriculum Director to develop and supervise the course-embedded writing tutors program at SJSU (which is now housed in the Writing Center). She has presented at national and regional conferences, including the Conference on College Composition and Communication (CCCC), the Northern California Writing Centers Association Conference (NCWCA), the Young Rhetoricians' Conference (YRC), and the Asian Pacific Americans in Higher Education Conference (APAHE). She recently completed the intensive summer institute through the International Writing Centers Association (IWCA).

During her 12 years of teaching at the university, Michelle taught English 1A and 1B (First Year Writing), English 22 (Science Fiction and Fantasy Literature), English 103 (Modern English Grammar), English 106 (Editing for Writers), English 112A (Children's Literature), and English 112B (Young Adult Literature). She sits on multiple committees--both at the university and within her professional organizations. She was also the program chair for the 2019 Northern California Writing Centers Association Conference, which was hosted at SJSU. She belongs to the National Council for Teachers of English, the Online Writing Centers Association, and the International Writing Centers Association.

Phone: 408-924-2249

Email: michelle.hager@sjsu.edu

Amy Russo

Coordinator of Multilingual Writing Support Services

Writing Center

Amy Russo is the Coordinator for Multilingual Writing Support Services at the SJSU Writing Center, working with both undergraduate and graduate students. She earned her B.A. in European Studies from Hendrix College and her Master of Library and Information Science from Louisiana State University. In December 2017, Amy earned her M.A. in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies (MIIS) at Monterey.

Prior to joining the SJSU writing team, Amy taught English for five years in Japan and tutored for two years at a graduate writing center. Over the last seven years, she has made numerous presentations at conferences about linguistics, language teaching, and writing, including the California TESOL Conference, the UC Davis Language Symposium, and the JET Skill Development Conference for English Teachers. Amy is actively involved in Toastmasters, a public speaking non-profit. In addition, she partners with the San Francisco Japanese Consulate to support the Japanese Exchange and Teaching (JET) Program through teacher training. Amy is the co-founder and former officer of the JET Alumni Association of Monterey Bay (JETAAMB).

In this position, Amy creates workshops and trainings for tutors about working with multilingual students (with Michelle Hager, Writing Center Director). She also builds materials and professional development opportunities for faculty on topics relating to the support of multilingual writers (with Dr. Tom Moriarty, Writing Across the Curriculum Director). Amy’s aim is to promote lifelong learning that is positive, flexible, and meaningful for students through careful content creation, learner strategy training, and collaboration with students, tutors, faculty, staff, and campus organizations.

Phone: 408-808-2101

Email: amy.russo@sjsu.edu

Seher Vora

Coordinator of Online Writing Support Services

Writing Center

Seher Vora is the Coordinator for Online Writing Support Services, providing online training and initiatives for students, faculty, and Writing Center employees. She holds a BA in International Studies and Linguistics from UC Irvine, an MA in International Relations from Tufts University, and an MFA in Creative Writing from San José State University.

Prior to the Coordinator position, Seher worked at the Writing Center for two and half years as an online writing tutor and served as the Associate Editor and then Interim Editor-in-Chief of The Write Attitude, the Writing Center's official blog. In addition, Seher has nearly seven years of experience as an editor and in student services. She was the Fiction Editor for the literary journal Reed Magazine, Copy Editor for the non-profit news outfit Global Press Journal, and Senior Editor at The Fletcher Forum of World Affairs, a journal of international relations. Seher also served as Professional Internship Program Manager at the UC Irvine Social Sciences Academic Resource Center for over two years.

Seher is passionate about helping students develop a well-rounded approach to writing that is informed by diversity, empathy, and openness, as well as encouraging an exploration of writing styles and techniques through different media, platforms, and collaborations.

Phone: 408-924-2351

Email: seher.vora@sjsu.edu