Upon her aliyah from New York to Israel in July 1961, Dvora began teaching in Ramat Gan. Faced with the reality of the Israeli classroom, Dvora was lucky to be taken under the wings of a group of veteran teachers who met monthly. This support group was certainly the harbinger of ETAI as it provided a venue for teachers to share ideas and learn from each other.

In 1975, she was approached by Ziona Kronfeld to work with her and the late Sheila Been at Educational Television. This experience enabled Dvora to develop both as a teacher trainer and a materials writer. Dvora expanded her work as a teacher trainer at Bar Ilan University.

Dvora still enjoys the challenges offered by the teaching profession as a volunteer and finds excitement and satisfaction in every aspect of teaching.

In addition to her work and her involvement in various committees, Dvora helped initiate ETAI under the chair of Elite Olstain and Ephraim Weintroub. Dvora took ETAI very seriously as a member of the Executive Committee, by giving teacher training workshops around the country and convening with others both the first and second International ETAI Conferences.

Dvora's contribution to the field of English teaching in Israel and to the history of ETAI makes her a fitting recipient of our 2010 Outstanding Contribution Award.

Ann Shlapobersky was born in the USA and came to Israel in 1978, where she married and settled on Kfar Kisch, near Mt Tabor. She has been happily married for 31 years and has three daughters.

She taught English for 18 years, in Kfar Kama, Kibbutz Gazit and En Dor, and Wizo, Nir Haemek. She also worked for CET and the Rural Education Department of the Ministry of Education as a CALL counselor. In 2000 she completed her MA in Teaching International Communications in English at London University. Since 1998, she has worked for Eric Cohen Books in marketing and as the webmaster for ECB Online.

Ann has been an active member of ETAI for 15 years, and started up the ETAI web site in 1999. Ann gives unstintingly of her free time to update, expand and improve the website. She is never flustered by the constant and complex demands ETAI makes on her, and manages to combine efficiency and professionalism with personal warmth, collegiality and a sense of humour.

Ann is one of the key people who has enabled this ETAI conference to fulfil its aim of Linking Through Language, and we are delighted to present her with this year's Outstanding Contribution Award.