At Capital Region Language Center we pride ourselves on four main things: our commitment to student success, the rigor of our program, our welcoming teaching facilities, and the quality of our staff.

Our instructors have chosen to teach English as a Second Language and English professional development as their profession.

FOUNDER, DIRECTOR, esl instructor &
professional development facilitator

Kim Andersen

Kim Andersen has an MS in Education with a focus on TESOL and a BA in Spanish from The George Washington University. She has a passion for language learning and teaching, cultural exchanges, and international travel.

Kim started her ESL teaching career in Washington DC and then taught in a bilingual and ESL math and science program in San Francisco. The desire to teach abroad brought her to Paraguay for four years. She opened Capital Region Language Center in 2003 and Empire State English in 2012. Empire State English has closed, but Capital Region Language Center is busier than ever. 

Capital Region Language Center is the region’s leading world language and professional development training institute in 2003.

ESL INSTRUCTOR & professional development facilitator

Sean Fagan

Sean Fagan has taught and worked in administrative capacities at boarding/day schools in this country and abroad where he spent four years at an American international school in Dalian, China. He is TEFL certified and completed the ISS World Language Summer Institute Certificate in Princeton, New Jersey. Sean has traveled throughout Asia and Europe, always gravitating to and energized by international communities. Experiencing different cultures and learning about their histories, customs and languages has enriched his life. Originally from Troy NY, Sean has lived in the Pacific Northwest, the Southwest, and the Southeast before returning to the area. He enjoys travel, writing, coaching various sports and spending time with family.

Team member since 2025

assistant director & korean instructor,
capital region language center

Sonya Kim

Sonya was born in the United States but raised in South Korea until she returned to the States for graduate school. She holds a BA in History and English language & literature from Korea, and earned her MA in TESOL from University of Pennsylvania. She volunteered teaching English, especially for adult immigrants, in a variety of settings while she was in Philadelphia. She also developed TOEFL prep books when she went back to Korea after completing her studies in Philadelphia.

Her family moved to the Capital Region in 2019 due to her husband’s relocation from Korea. As a non-native speaker of English herself, she understands the challenges that English learners have. Sonya loves working with the international community and helping English language learners. She joined Capital Region Language Center in 2019 as a Korean instructor.

 ESL INSTRUCTOR & professional development facilitator
 capital region language teacher

Tom Nygren

Tom Nygren has over fifteen years of experience teaching ESL in a variety of colleges and universities, most recently at the University of Pennsylvania. Prior to that, he spent three years teaching English at Sunway University in Malaysia. He worked with Afghan refugees in Pakistan for two years during the 1980s (he also spent part of his childhood in Pakistan). He loves meeting new people and learning about other cultures and has traveled extensively in Africa and Southeast Asia. Tom has a Master of Education in Teaching English as a Second Language from the College of New Jersey and a Master in Public Affairs from Princeton University.

Team member since 2021.

ESL INSTRUCTOR & professional development facilitator
capital region language center

Linda Wien

Linda Wien completed a CELTA degree through the University of Cambridge in 2006 and earned her MS TESOL degree from the University at Albany SUNY in 2013. In addition to teaching in the Capital Region, she has taught ESL in Honolulu, and as a volunteer in Guatemala and Nicaragua. She loves teaching people from a variety of cultures in diverse settings. Her passion for teaching ESL is evident in her abundant energy!

Team member since 2013.