Meet Christina

Founder+Director. Language Education Leader. Italian Specialist.

"Speak! began with my love of teaching and learning languages. More than twenty years later, I believe even more strongly that bringing people together through language, culture, and conversation is one of the most meaningful things we can do.

— Christina Ball, Ph.D

Christina Ball, Ph.D.

Christina Ball has spent her life helping people connect across languages and cultures. A former university professor with a Ph.D. in Italian Language and Literature from Yale University and a Fulbright Scholar in Bologna, Italy, she has spent more than three decades teaching Italian and inspiring others to discover the joy of language learning.

After studying Art History at Bowdoin College, Christina's passion for Italy led her to Yale, where she specialized in Italian language and literature. She later led educational and study abroad programs throughout Italy, creating immersive experiences that brought language and culture to life far beyond the classroom.

In 2004, Christina founded Ecco Italy, the seedling of Speak!, to create a more personal, conversation-based approach to language learning, one that values curiosity, cultural understanding, and genuine human connection as much as grammar and vocabulary. Today, she continues to guide Speak!'s programs and team of over 50 instructors while studying Spanish and French herself, believing that the best language teachers never stop being language learners.

Before founding Speak!, Christina also wrote about film, food, travel, and popular culture for magazines, another expression of her lifelong curiosity about people and the stories that connect us. When she's not working with students or collaborating with Speak!'s talented team of instructors, she enjoys acting, theater, yoga, fitness, art, travel, and exploring the world.

She lives in Charlottesville, Virginia, with her husband, Enrico, an Italian professor.