Administrative Staff
Dr. Felecia Lucht
LPO Academic Director, WISLI Director, and Interim MEDLI Director
L50 Pyle Center
702 Langdon St.
Felecia Lucht is the Academic Director of the Language Program Office and the Director of the Wisconsin Intensive Summer Language Institutes (WISLI) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Dr. Lucht has an MA and PhD in German with a PhD minor in Second Language Acquisition from UW-Madison. She holds an MA in International Affairs with a concentration in Comparative and Regional Studies from the School of International Service (SIS) at the American University in Washington, DC. She has a BA from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point where she completed a double major in German and International Studies, and a minor in Russian. Prior to her role as WISLI Director, Lucht taught language classes and courses in second language acquisition, foreign language methodology, and foreign language testing. Lucht has studied German and Russian (and some Dutch), and is currently learning Arabic, Brazilian Portuguese and Turkish.
Kerry Uniyal (she, her)
Administrative Director, Project Global Officer (Project GO), WISLI Summer Language Coordinator for the Intensive Summer Multilanguage Seminar (MULTI) and the Summer Intensive Portuguese Institute (SIPI)
L50 Pyle Center
702 Langdon St.
Kerry Uniyal is the coordinator for the Middle Eastern and Mediterranean Language Institute (MEDLI), the Intensive Summer Multilanguage Seminar (MULTI), and the Summer Intensive Portuguese Institute (SIPI) at the Wisconsin Intensive Summer Language Institutes (WISLI). She’s also the Administrative Director for Project Global Officer (Project GO) at the Language Program Office (LPO). She holds an MA in French and Francophone Studies with a concentration in French Translation and Interpretation from Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi, India. She has a BA from UW-Madison where she completed a double major in French and Languages and Cultures of Asia, and a Certificate in South Asian Studies. In 2011, she studied and interned abroad in India through UW and has been involved in international education ever since. Prior to her role as MEDLI Coordinator, she worked as a Program Advisor at the Institute for Study Abroad (IFSA) for study abroad programs in Asia, Australia, and the Middle East, as well as for customized faculty-led programs worldwide. Kerry speaks Hindi, French, has studied some Spanish and Mandarin, and is currently studying Persian.
Katie Pratt (she, her)
Student/Program Assistant
Katie Pratt is a student/program assistant at the Language Program Office (LPO) specializing in MEDLI (Middle Eastern and Mediterranean Language Institute), MULTI (Summer Multilanguage Seminar), Summer Intensive Portuguese Institute (SIPI), and ProjectGO (Project Global Officer). She is an undergraduate student majoring in International Studies with an emphasis on global security, as well as majoring in Dance. Along with working at the LPO, Katie is the cohort representative for the 2026 Dance Department graduating class, volunteers as a Peer Mentor for the Dance Department, and teaches ballet at Storybook Ballet. She is also proficient in Spanish and hopes to become fluent at the end of her four years at UW-Madison. Outside of the university, Katie enjoys spending time outside by the lakes, discovering new places to eat, and travelling to her hometown in Houston, Texas.
Language Pedagogy Consultants
Fatemeh Mirsharifi
MEDLI Persian Pedagogy Consultant & Elementary Persian Instructor
Fatemeh Mirsharifi received her PhD in Second Language Acquisition with an emphasis on Less Commonly Taught Languages from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. In the past, she has taught Persian at the University of California-Berkeley and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Moreover, she has collaborated on projects with the Center for Advanced Research on Language Acquisition (CARLA) at the University of Minnesota as well as the College Credit Recommendation Service (CREDIT), American Council on Education.
Her research interests include second/foreign language acquisition and pedagogy with emphasis on developing pedagogical materials for the foreign language classroom, motivation in language learning, and the role of learner attitudes in L2 motivation. She also has a passion for educational technology, creating engaging and interactive learning content to ensure a successful instructional experience.
Salah Algabli
MEDLI Arabic Pedagogy Consultant and Advanced Arabic Instructor
Salah is an Arabic Lecturer with considerable experience in the field of teaching foreign languages, NGO work, and intercultural exchange programs. He has taught Arabic language and Culture in various universities in the US, Yemen, and Germany. He enjoys working on cultural, educational issues, and his long-term goal is to develop online foreign language programs in high schools and universities in the US.