Donald Tuten learned Spanish in Colombia and has lived in Spain. He received his Ph.D. in Spanish from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and is now Associate Professor of Spanish Linguistics at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. From 1996 to 2009 he served as Director of Emory's Spanish Language Program; in this role, he supervised design of the lower-division curriculum and training of new teaching assistants and instructors. In 2009 he received the Emory Williams Distinguished Teaching Award, Emorys highest award for excellence in teaching.