Affectionately known as “La Maestra”, Ms. Ordóñez is the original developer of Inglés Para Progresar, the series of study-at-home courses providing instruction in English as a Second Language (ESL). She also is the instructor for the series. Inglés Para Progresar is informed not only by her academic training – she has a BASc from the University of California Northridge and an MEd Multi-Cultural Education from the University of San Francisco -- but by the challenges she herself faced as an immigrant coming to the United States knowing no English, then studying ESL and going on to complete high school and university studies and become an ESL instructor, all without ever encountering materials suitable for learning English in a way that is practical and relevant to the immigrant experience. In 1987, spurred by encouragement from her ESL students, she published her own learning system to at last address the lack of appropriate ESL materials. That system today is known as Inglés Para Progresar.

For 25 years, “La Maestra” has taught ESL at Garfield High School in Los Angeles. There, thousands of students have learned to speak English and Spanish in her classroom, earning her wide recognition for her dedication, compassion, creativity and instructional accomplishments. Now, with Ingles Para Progresar, countless others can benefit from her talent, experience and insight.

Michael Downey is the president of Para Progresar, Inc. and is responsible for the strategic direction and operations of the company. He has been an Internet business development executive for most of his career. He spent 5 years at America Online from 1996 to 2000. There, he built a team to deliver local content and sell online advertising, growing his organization from $0 to $25 million while he was with the company. Mike subsequently served as director of business development and international sales at Yahoo! for 4 years before starting Para Progresar. At Yahoo! Mike gained invaluable leadership experience, organizing and motivating his teams for success and generating $300 million in annual new business revenue from search advertising distribution partnerships. He also acquired a wealth of insight about doing business internationally and a deep understanding of global Internet business models. Mike holds an MBA from the Graziadio School of Business at Pepperdine University, and a BA History from the University of California at Santa Barbara. He participated in exchange programs in Mexico and Spain when he was younger and took formal Spanish training throughout
college. He is fluent in Spanish and has been passionate about Hispanic culture and language most of his life.

Ms. Plaza is a bilingual advertising professional with extensive experience in marketing to Hispanics in the Americas. Before coming to Para Progresar, Ms. Plaza, a Fulbright scholar who graduated Wittenberg University with a BA Geography and a minor in Global Studies, provided services to the multicultural departments of some of the region’s – indeed the world’s – largest corporations, including The Walt Disney Company, Verizon, Sears and General Mills. A native of Peru who has lived in the United States since 1998, Ms. Plaza is delighted to engage her personal and professional experience to ensure the success of Para Progresar and its family of products.