Jean Daugherty received her B.A. in History with a Minor in Spanish with an emphasis on Native and Latin American History from Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. During that time, she also lived in the Canary Islands for over a year and was able immerse herself in the Spanish culture and language. After graduating, she spent a year as a teaching assistant in a high school ESL program, and she decided to pursue a career in this field. Upon moving to Atlanta, Georgia, she enrolled in Georgia State University, and she received her M.A. in Applied Linguistics and Teaching ESL there. She taught in the Intensive English Program at Georgia State University for 14 years, and then she moved to Denver, Colorado in August of 2015. She has been teaching at the ESL Academy since October 2015. She spent 5 years as the Associate Director, and then in July 2025, she became the Director of the program. She enjoys all aspects of teaching the English language, but especially seeing the growth in her students as they acquire a new language. When she is not teaching, she enjoys spending time outdoors with her children and her 2 dogs; baking; playing the piano; and painting.