Lindsey Stapel
President
In 2005 Lindsey began her career with Futura Language Professionals as a Spanish teacher, serving the Madison area schools for two years. Lindsey cultivated her interest in Spanish education while studying at the University of Wisconsin Madison and during the study abroad experience in Oaxaca, Mexico with volunteer opportunities at a bilingual Elementary school. This opportunity not only enhanced her language skills, but also inspired her love of the Mexican culture. It was there that she realized her desire to spread the goals of second language acquisition, primarily Spanish, in the United States. Lindsey graduated with Distinction from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with degrees in Spanish and Latin American, Caribbean, and Iberian Studies.
Lindsey has also traveled, volunteered, and studied at Escuela La Union, in Antigua, Guatemala as well as traveling to Costa Rica and Puerto Rico. In 2013, Lindsey was promoted to the leadership role as the Director for Futura working alongside the President and founder to oversee management as well as coordinating company goals and strategies. Lindsey has continued to grow Futura’s programs in Wisconsin, Minnesota and live virtual settings on a mission to provide dynamic and enriching language learning opportunities. As a co-writer on the curriculum development team, Lindsey continued to develop theme-based Vamos lessons for Elementary students, cultural resources, and a comprehensive adult curriculum.
As of September 2020, Lindsey took over ownership of Futura Language Professionals and is driven to continue promoting the company’s mission through quality Spanish education programs. As a mother of two Elementary age children, she values the opportunity to provide Spanish courses to students sparking their love of language learning and fostering cultural awareness. She continues to gain travel, language, and cultural experiences with her husband during recent visits to Chichén Itzá in Mexico and Machu Picchu in Peru.
Telephone: 414-793-9698
Email: LindseyM@FuturaAdventures.com
Sandy O’Keefe
Program Manager for Wisconsin and Minnesota
Sandy joined Futura Language Professionals in 2011 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Human Development and Family Studies from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Her education emphasized the importance of introducing children to diverse cultural experiences early on, helping them grow into confident, well-rounded individuals with a deeper appreciation for life.
Sandy is a skilled administrative and marketing professional with over two decades of experience working directly with children and their families. For 13 years Sandy served as Futura’s Program Coordinator and recently advanced to the role of Program Manager, where she leads the program’s strategic direction and implementation. Sandy serves as a vital link between families and our community partners.
Outside of work, Sandy enjoys spending time with her children—her daughter is a freshman at UW-Madison, and her son is a junior in high school. Sandy and her boyfriend are annual passholders of Walt Disney World, where they love to travel!
Sandy is dedicated to early language learning, believing it plays a crucial role in connecting cultures and expanding children’s horizons. Please contact Sandy with any questions related to our Enrichment programs.
Telephone: 262-719-9332
Email: sandyo@FuturaAdventures.com
Wisconsin Staff
Citlali Villafuerte
Bilingual Area Milwaukee Manager
Citlali joined Futura Language Professionals in 2022 as an Enrichment Instructor for the spring semester at three different locations and has since desired to become more involved with the company and program. She graduated from Alverno College in 2019 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology and Spanish/English Healthcare Interpretation. Citlali has spent time interning at both middle and high schools with a higher Hispanic population and at Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin to interpret for Spanish speaking families. Following her exposure with younger populations, Citlali knew she wanted to continue working with children.
Citlali grew up exposed to her family’s Mexican culture and explored other Latin cultures during cultural events at Alverno College. Both of these series of events inspired her to want to combine her love of culture and her enjoyment of working with children within her career, which led to her applying with Futura. Citlali looks forward to being able to work with Futura’s instructors to inspire the love of Spanish as a language and the cultures that come with it to schools across the Milwaukee Area.
Please contact Citlali regarding employment opportunities in the Milwaukee area:
Telephone: 262-622-2637
Email: Citlali@FuturaAdventures.com
Iveth Lopez
Bilingual Area Madison Manager
Iveth joined Futura Language Professionals as a Spanish teacher in 2023. She received the Professionalism Award during her first semester, which was a very rewarding moment in her career. In 2024, she became the Bilingual Manager for the Madison area. Her main goals are to recruit teachers who share her same passion for teaching and to impart her knowledge and ideas to our teachers and students.
She is a native Spanish speaker from Peru who also speaks fluent English, basic German and has been learning Russian because one of her goals is to learn a different alphabet. She strongly believes that we never stop learning, which is why a teacher’s role is very important in our lives.
Iveth discovered her passion for teaching and learning about different cultures at a young age. She attended a British-Peruvian school, where she met people from all over the world. During her undergrad years, she had the opportunity to participate in many cultural exchanges in Germany, Spain and the Netherlands. After graduating from the University, she volunteered in a social project where she taught English and Spanish to young students in Brazil. Her passion for teaching foreign languages and learning different cultures has taken her to many parts of the world. She has taught English and Spanish onsite and online to children and adults in Peru, China and South Korea. She has experience in bilingual administrative roles as well.
Please contact Iveth with any questions related to our Enrichment programs in Madison.
Email: Iveth@FuturaAdventures.com
Rosa Ramirez
Bilingual Teacher Supervisor (Milwaukee)
Rosa joined Futura Language Professionals in 2023 as a Spanish teacher. Her experience in the classroom and care for the students led her to assume a position as a bilingual supervisor supporting teachers in the Milwaukee programs. She works alongside our area manager to recruit, train, and coach our teachers for success. She holds a bachelor’s degree in public administration and security, from Mexico. She recently continued her academic preparation by earning an associate degree in bilingual clerical and customer support. The use of bilingual skills is essential in communicating with students learning a second language. Rosa grew up and lived in Mexico providing her a rich cultural experience. She brings extensive knowledge of the Spanish language at a professional level along with the passion to share her language with others.
Email: Rosa@FuturaAdventures.com
Minnesota Staff
Juliann Hoffman
Bilingual Area Manager Minnesota Region
Juliann graduated in 2013 from Hamline University in St. Paul, Minnesota with a Bachelor’s Degree in Spanish and Sociology. She has taken every possible opportunity to travel the world and has been to many places – Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Curacao, Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Panama, Uruguay, Brazil…but the most memorable moments occurred when she traveled the true country sides of Panama (and climbing the highest volcano!), Uruguay, and Brazil. Her favorite part of those trips was staying with local families, experiencing their culture and delicious food, and getting to see the side of these beautiful countries that most tourists don’t get to see!
She has spent the last 5 1/2 years working in administration for a Spanish Immersion Intercultural preschool in Minnesota. In her time there, she grew professionally while leading a team of early childhood educators . She started learning Spanish at the age of 12, and she joined Futura to be able to inspire other children to learn a second language at a young age too! Her passion for not only the Spanish language but the beautiful culture that accompanies it are what have led her to Futura.
Please contact Juliann regarding Spanish programs or employment opportunities in Minnesota:
Telephone: (952) 261-4105
Email: Juliann@FuturaAdventures.com
Darina Gaievska
Bilingual Teacher Supervisor for Minnesota
Darina joined the Futura Language Professionals corporate staff as a Bilingual Teacher Supervisor in 2024, after having taught with Futura for some time. Darina realized that she had a passion for learning languages ever since she was a child. Originally from Ukraine, she grew up speaking both Russian and Ukrainian. After her family moved to the United States at the age of 12, she quickly acquired English speaking skills to assimilate to the new environment. Afterwards, Darina went on to learn French and Spanish in High School.
Darina continued learning Spanish in Miami, both in an academic setting and with friends. She graduated from the University of Miami in 2017 and recognized her interest in remaining a lifelong learner of Spanish.
Having grown up in three different countries, Darina enjoys exploring other cultures and expanding her mind on different perspectives, ideas, traditions. She loves to learn from other people and believes that cross-cultural exchange opens horizons beyond one’s wildest imagination. Darina takes this type of mindset into her classroom as well, where she intends to learn as much from the students as they from her.
Email: Darina@FuturaAdventures.com
Andrea Ryerson
Payroll Coordinator
Andrea joined Futura Language Professionals in 2023 as the Payroll Coordinator. With a keen eye for detail and a passion for efficiency, Andrea ensures smooth payroll operations for the team. Outside of her role as payroll coordinator, she is a devoted mother of three, who enjoys watching her children pursue their various hobbies and interests. She enjoys spending her remaining free time photographing families and reading.