Team
Felicia Jennings-Winterle, MA
Founder and Educational Coordinator
Felicia holds a degree in Music Education with a specialty in Psychomotor Education and a master's degree in Music Education with emphasis in Cognition from New York University. Since 2009, Felicia has been teaching Portuguese through various initiatives. Felicia was the director at the first Brazilian Preschool in the US from 2009 to 2014, and from this practice she has developed specific didactic material and a philosophy for teaching and celebrating PHL. Felicia is the writer of a method of teaching spouses and family members, another for writing and reading in Portuguese for heritage speakers, and has organized a pioneering academic publication uniting the experiences of 14 women. She has published a variety of articles and has presented workshops and papers in various conferences. Felicia is the creator of the Day of PHL that had its inaugural celebration on May 16th, 2014 and of an Annual Conference for the debate themes of Teaching, Development and Maintenance of PHL, which had its 5th edition in 2018.
Founder and Educational Coordinator
Felicia holds a degree in Music Education with a specialty in Psychomotor Education and a master's degree in Music Education with emphasis in Cognition from New York University. Since 2009, Felicia has been teaching Portuguese through various initiatives. Felicia was the director at the first Brazilian Preschool in the US from 2009 to 2014, and from this practice she has developed specific didactic material and a philosophy for teaching and celebrating PHL. Felicia is the writer of a method of teaching spouses and family members, another for writing and reading in Portuguese for heritage speakers, and has organized a pioneering academic publication uniting the experiences of 14 women. She has published a variety of articles and has presented workshops and papers in various conferences. Felicia is the creator of the Day of PHL that had its inaugural celebration on May 16th, 2014 and of an Annual Conference for the debate themes of Teaching, Development and Maintenance of PHL, which had its 5th edition in 2018.
Patricia Fincatti
Executive Coordinator
Patricia holds a degree in Education from the University of Campinas (UNICAMP) and another in Biomedical Sciences from UNIFESP. She has worked as a translator and English teacher for more than ten years before moving to the USA. Since 2014 has been actively involved in the activities and events promoted by Brasil em Mente and today is the Executive Director of the organization.
Executive Coordinator
Patricia holds a degree in Education from the University of Campinas (UNICAMP) and another in Biomedical Sciences from UNIFESP. She has worked as a translator and English teacher for more than ten years before moving to the USA. Since 2014 has been actively involved in the activities and events promoted by Brasil em Mente and today is the Executive Director of the organization.
Cassiana da Silva Joaquim
Executive Coordinator in Europe
Cassiana holds a degree in Social Communication. At Brasil em Mente she is the Executive Coordinator in Europe. She also organizes various events for bilingual families, coordinates an initiative that promotes Portuguese as a Heritage Language in Rome, where she lives, co-administers a discussion group on social media and is part of the Brazilian Citizens Board, in Italy.
Executive Coordinator in Europe
Cassiana holds a degree in Social Communication. At Brasil em Mente she is the Executive Coordinator in Europe. She also organizes various events for bilingual families, coordinates an initiative that promotes Portuguese as a Heritage Language in Rome, where she lives, co-administers a discussion group on social media and is part of the Brazilian Citizens Board, in Italy.
Priscilla de Almeida Nogueira, PhD candidate
GEPLH and LINCOOL Coordinator
Priscilla de Almeida Nogueira is a doctoral candidate both at the University of Sao Paulo (USP) and the Universität Tübingen. She develops research projects in Brazil and in Germany regarding the acquisition of Portuguese in the perspective of Applied Linguistics in three contexts: as a heritage language, as second language, and as a foreign language. She holds a bachelor degree in Portuguese and German from USP, where she also received her master's degree. Her main research interests are gramaticalization, syntactic coding of inaccuracy, intersubjectivity, complex linguistic constructions, cognition and heritage language. At Brasil em Mente she coordinates the Group of Research about Portuguese as a Heritage Language and LINCOOL, an online scientific journal about Language and Culture.
GEPLH and LINCOOL Coordinator
Priscilla de Almeida Nogueira is a doctoral candidate both at the University of Sao Paulo (USP) and the Universität Tübingen. She develops research projects in Brazil and in Germany regarding the acquisition of Portuguese in the perspective of Applied Linguistics in three contexts: as a heritage language, as second language, and as a foreign language. She holds a bachelor degree in Portuguese and German from USP, where she also received her master's degree. Her main research interests are gramaticalization, syntactic coding of inaccuracy, intersubjectivity, complex linguistic constructions, cognition and heritage language. At Brasil em Mente she coordinates the Group of Research about Portuguese as a Heritage Language and LINCOOL, an online scientific journal about Language and Culture.
Luciana Lessa, PhD
Director of the research group about bilingualism and Portuguese as a Heritage Language
Luciana is a speech therapist, graduated from UNESP/Marília. She holds a master's and a doctorate in Linguistics from the Institute of Language Studies (Instituto de Estudos da Linguagem) at UNICAMP. Her major interest, in practice and research, has always been towards the processes of language acquisition (oral and written). She teaches at Georgia State University. At BEM, Luciana conducts the research group about bilingualism and Portuguese as a Heritage Language, which will promote courses of continuing education this year for teachers and other professionals involved, as well as publishing articles and studies.
Director of the research group about bilingualism and Portuguese as a Heritage Language
Luciana is a speech therapist, graduated from UNESP/Marília. She holds a master's and a doctorate in Linguistics from the Institute of Language Studies (Instituto de Estudos da Linguagem) at UNICAMP. Her major interest, in practice and research, has always been towards the processes of language acquisition (oral and written). She teaches at Georgia State University. At BEM, Luciana conducts the research group about bilingualism and Portuguese as a Heritage Language, which will promote courses of continuing education this year for teachers and other professionals involved, as well as publishing articles and studies.
Cristina Marrero
Former Library Director
Cristina is from Argentina and is a naturalized Brazilian. She graduated from UFSC in Literature, started her master’s studies in Translation, but through her passion for children’s books and stories, she chose to follow the path of reading and studies of interpretation on her own. She loves to read to her two favorite listeners and to give voice to the characters is a pleasurable and fun task. She writes a column for the blog Brasileirinhos (www.brasileirinhos.wordpress.com) in which she makes adventures, discoveries and fantasies out of the Brazilian literature and gives suggestions and book reviews.
In addition, Cristina is the director of the Brazilian Children’s Library Patricia Almeida, coordinating its events and establishing partnerships with publishers and authors.
Email: biblioteca@brasilemmente.org
Former Library Director
Cristina is from Argentina and is a naturalized Brazilian. She graduated from UFSC in Literature, started her master’s studies in Translation, but through her passion for children’s books and stories, she chose to follow the path of reading and studies of interpretation on her own. She loves to read to her two favorite listeners and to give voice to the characters is a pleasurable and fun task. She writes a column for the blog Brasileirinhos (www.brasileirinhos.wordpress.com) in which she makes adventures, discoveries and fantasies out of the Brazilian literature and gives suggestions and book reviews.
In addition, Cristina is the director of the Brazilian Children’s Library Patricia Almeida, coordinating its events and establishing partnerships with publishers and authors.
Email: biblioteca@brasilemmente.org
Patricia Almeida
Honorary Counselor
Patricia Almeida is from Rio de Janeiro. She is a journalist and works in the public service part of the Ministry of External Relations, was recently vice-consul at the General Consulate of Brazil in NY as chief of the department of assistance to Brazilians.
Founder and general coordinator of Inclusive – Inclusion and Citizenship, which received the Education prize in Human Rights and Autistic Pride in 2010. She is also the strategic coordinator of the Institute Meta Social, from the campaign “Being different is normal”, Honorary President of the DFDown Association from Brasilia and collaborator of the organization Down Syndrome International.
At Brasil em Mente Patricia fills the role of overseeing strategic and executive decisions, drawing on her experience in public service.
Honorary Counselor
Patricia Almeida is from Rio de Janeiro. She is a journalist and works in the public service part of the Ministry of External Relations, was recently vice-consul at the General Consulate of Brazil in NY as chief of the department of assistance to Brazilians.
Founder and general coordinator of Inclusive – Inclusion and Citizenship, which received the Education prize in Human Rights and Autistic Pride in 2010. She is also the strategic coordinator of the Institute Meta Social, from the campaign “Being different is normal”, Honorary President of the DFDown Association from Brasilia and collaborator of the organization Down Syndrome International.
At Brasil em Mente Patricia fills the role of overseeing strategic and executive decisions, drawing on her experience in public service.
