Maureen Collins Baker is a retired university professor with a Masters degree in French Literature, and a Doctorate in Language Pedagogy and Linguistics. She is bilingual. At the State University of New York’s Potsdam College, she served as Assistant to the President for Language and International Affairs; the job required writing and editing speeches and journal articles. During her Potsdam tenure, she also wrote successful proposals for $600,000 worth of federal grants. She then directed the proposed projects, which were supported by The National Endowment for the Humanities and the US Department of Education. The Endowment subsequently asked her to review similar proposals. Later, as a Dean at St. Xavier University, in Chicago, she single handedly wrote the 400 page accreditation report required by the state of Illinois.
Dr. Baker is the author of numerous academic articles. She has received awards and high praise for her innovative work. She conceived, directed, and played an on-camera role in an original 30-program television series for children. The project, shown on ITV and public television, was purchased for use in 40 states. For the past 25 years, she has lectured nationally on the importance of learning other languages and how to teach them. Currently, she speaks on the application of brain research to classroom instruction. Before her recent move to Rhode Island, she handled the marketing for her husband’s photography, while teaching adult language classes and courses at the University of Maine on ITV.
Now a widow, Maureen lives near her three children in Massachusetts and Vermont. When not writing, she reads political non-fiction, history, tales of serial killers, and true crime. A chanteuse, who will perform whenever the opportunity arises, she sings the blues in French or English in addition to Irish folk music. Modestly, she claims to make the best pecan pie on the eastern seaboard.
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