Nataliya Havdyda, Ph.D., is the Principal of Taras Shevchenko School of Ukrainian Studies in the Washington, D.C. area and a Ukrainian language instructor at the Ukrainian Institute of America in New York. Many of her students learn Ukrainian as a heritage language. Nataliya was born and raised in Ukraine, where she completed advanced education as a teacher of Ukrainian Language and Literature, a teacher of ESL and Foreign Literature, and a doctorate in Comparative Literature at the Ukrainian Studies Center of Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv. Until 2022, she worked as an Associate Professor at the Ternopil Ivan Puluj National Technical University in Ukraine. She is the author and co-author of more than 60 publications on Ukrainian literature and culture and methods of teaching the Ukrainian language in an English-speaking environment. She is the author of the monograph, Literary and Painting Discourse of the Creative Works of Bohdan Lepky and co-author of the textbook, Ukrainian Language for Foreigners, Level B1-B2.

Her strategy of teaching the Ukrainian language at all levels, including as a heritage language, is based on communicative strategies in the context of Ukrainian studies, which is an integrated discipline that combines history, literature, art, music, philosophy of mentality, and peculiarities of national cuisine.

Christina Pikhmanets was born and raised in Ukraine. She received her first Masters degree in Linguistics from Ivan Franko National University in Ukraine, followed by CELTA (Certificate of English Teaching to Adults) from the University of Cambridge. After moving to the United States, she received her second Masters in TESOL and Bilingual Education. At the same time, she started working as an Assistance Principle at the Saturday School of Ukrainian Studies in Manhattan, New York. She became a member of the Ukrainian Educational Council "Shkilna Rada" and took an active part in Hromada (the Ukrainian community of the United States). Christina is also a Ukrainian Language Instructor at the Ukrainian Institute of America located in New York, New York. Her academic interests are teaching Ukrainian as a heritage and foreign language, methodologies of teaching bilingual children, and curriculum development and materials creation.

Mariya Udud is the Vice Principal at the Ukrainian Heritage School in Jenkintown, PA, where she previously taught culture studies. Originally from Ukraine, she holds a BA (Honors) in Elementary Education and an MA (Honors) in Culture Studies. After relocating to the U.S., Mariya continued her educational journey, earning two Montessori certifications (children ages 0-6). She currently works as a Montessori teacher and is an active member of the American Montessori Society. In addition to her primary role, Mariya volunteers as a speaking buddy for Ukrainian adult learners abroad at ENGin and serves as an English-Ukrainian subtitle translator for TED Conferences.

A strong advocate for lifelong learning, Mariya's professional interests include integrating multilingual approaches into the curriculum and creating materials that promote intercultural awareness. Her two sons are being raised bilingual, both at home and in weekend school settings, with a deep connection to and appreciation of their Ukrainian heritage.