Faculty

Emily Durham

Program Leader
UGLC 214
eadurham@utep.edu
(915) 747-5609

Dr. Emily Durham has a PhD in Asian Cultures, Languages and Media from the University of Minnesota (UMN) and an MFA in Creative Writing from Hamline University. She spent nine years teaching text analysis and writing at UMN until she and her family moved back to her husband's hometown of El Paso. Dr. Durham joined the Developmental English faculty in 2021 where she has taught Integrated Reading and Writing as well as Non-Course Based English classes. She seeks to empower UTEP students to take a collaborative role in their learning of reading and writing so that they feel confident and prepared in all their courses at the college level. Dr. Durham enjoys reading, knitting, and especially birding and hiking in the sweeping desert landscapes of the borderland.

Andrea Berta

Full Time Faculty
UGLC 206
anberta@utep.edu
(915) 747-7622

Andrea Berta has degrees in English and American Literature and Library and Information Science. She earned the 2007 Undergraduate Studies and Entering Student Program Outstanding Advocate for Entering Students Award. Ms. Berta has over 32 years of experience teaching developmental reading and writing, all at UTEP. In addition to developmental reading and writing, Ms. Berta taught a course on detective fiction for several years at UTEP. Ms. Berta’s goal is to help students recognize and build on their strengths while identifying areas needing improvement. Ms. Berta believes that students benefit greatly from hands-on experience and active learning and creates a classroom environment where students can practice what they learn. She has published articles on developmental writing and the first-year experience. In her spare time, Ms. Berta likes to read and garden.

Emiliano Villarreal

Full Time Faculty
UGLC 344
emiliano@utep.edu
(915) 747-6534

Dr. Emiliano Villarreal holds a Ph.D. in Teaching, Learning, and Culture from The University of Texas at El Paso, along with a Master of Science in Social Sciences and a Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Arts from Universidad Autónoma de Ciudad Juárez. His professional expertise spans public safety, emergency management, education, and cultural studies, with extensive experience in technical, tactical, and strategic analysis and planning. At UTEP, Dr. Villarreal emphasizes praxis—linking theory to practice—to foster student success through interdisciplinary approaches that connect academic learning to real-world applications.

Leadership Team

Denise Lujan Ed.D.

Entering Student Experience, Director
UGLC 312
cdlujan@utep.edu
(915) 747-6521

Alejandro Mena

Entering Student Experience, Associate Director
UGLC 310
alemena@utep.edu
(915) 747-6523