All teachers

Ashley Benton, MSW is a resourceful advocate with 20 years of experience in providing
a wide array of services to the Deaf, Hard of Hearing and DeafBlind communities. She
has been recognized for outstanding leadership and service within these communities.
Ms. Benton is currently the Deaf/DeafBlind Services Coordinator and a member of the
Executive Management Team with the NC Division of Services for the Deaf and Hard of
Hearing (DSDHH). Prior to joining DSDHH, she was a Licensed Clinical Social Worker
and a Mental Health and Substance Abuse therapist. She is DeafBlind with Usher
Syndrome and communicates using tactile American Sign Language, ProTactile and
Haptics. Ms. Benton received her MSW with Deaf, Hard of Hearing, and DeafBlind
specialty certification from East Carolina University. Her experience includes serving as
director of the NC Deaf-Blind Associates (NCDBA) DeafBlind Weekend at Camp
Dogwood, board member of DeafBlind Citizens in Action (DBCA), long-time
representative of the DeafBlind community on the NC Council for the Deaf and Hard of
Hearing, board member of the NC Interpreters and Transliterators Licensing Board, and
member of the National Task Force on DeafBlind Interpreting. Ms. Benton grew up on a
farm in eastern NC, is married to an interpreter and has a teenage son. She enjoys
reading, socializing with friends, and riding her tandem bike.

Ben Jarashow, a California native, graduated from Gallaudet University in 2004 with a Bachelor’s degree in Deaf Studies. He obtained his Master’s degree in Deaf Studies: Cultural Studies in 2006, also from Gallaudet University. His Master’s thesis focused on developing criteria for a better quality of ABC storytelling. At the moment, he is pursuing his Ph.D. in the division of Philosophy, Art and Critical Thought of the European Graduate School. He teaches at University of South Florida with the Deaf Studies program in the department of Communication Sciences & Disorders. He lives in Provo, Utah with his wife, Kat, their children, Boone, Cypress, Wilder, and their dog, Roseanne Barr, a smelly Boston terrier.

Brett Best is a UK-based, certified American Sign Language (ASL), British Sign Language (BSL) and English interpreter. She holds a BA degree in Deaf Studies from Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C., an MSc in European Masters in Sign Language Interpreting (EUMASLI) from Heriot-Watt University in Scotland, and a Graduate Certificate in Teaching and Learning in Higher Education through University of Wisconsin-Milwuakee. She regularly works in multi-national contexts and specialises in conference interpreting, politics and higher education and is currently serving on the Board of Directors for the Association of Sign Language Interpreters (ASLI) of the United Kingdom. 

Greetings to all! My name is CM Hall and I work as the project coordinator of the Western Region Interpreter Education Center at Western Oregon University (WOU). I’ve worked in this position since 2007. I hold a bachelor’s degree in ASL/English Interpreting from WOU and completed WOU’s one-year interpreter training program (1992-93) prior to that. I also hold a Master’s in Education from Oregon State University in Higher Education Leadership with an emphasis in multicultural and LGBT student services competency. My interpreting background has ranged from work in the K-12 setting to post-secondary environments and I also have considerable experience with platform and Deaf-Blind interpreting. I hold RID NIC Advanced certification as well as EIPA Ed: K-12 credentials.

In addition to my work for WRIEC, I teach Deaf-Blind Interpreting in WOU’s interpreting program and LGBTQ Studies for the Sociology/Political Science Departments. This is my second term on RID’s Diversity Council and also my second term as the chair of BLeGIT, RID’s LGBT Member Section. I have also been the Secretary for the Deaf-Blind Member Section for the last two years. In my professional work I am a part of the team that developed www.DiscoverInterpreting.com, recruiting and encouraging folks to consider interpreting as a profession. I coordinate a regional mentorship program, and I’m involved with the National Task Force on Deaf-Blind Interpreting. I’ve also had the opportunity to train educational interpreters on Guam and Saipan who have limited access to professional development opportunities.

In addition to my 20 years as an interpreter, I have a background in fundraising and politics. I’ve run several national and statewide races as well as ballot initiative campaigns. I currently am chair for our state’s LGBT PAC that elects pro-equality candidates for office.

I am a proud native Oregonian committed to equality and social justice. My wife Kendra and I have two dogs, Riley and Lucy, and we live in SE Portland. Lastly, I am also fiercely addicted to playing Words with Friends.

Danielle Hunt is an instructor and the MAI Program Coordinator in the Department of Interpretation at Gallaudet University and has been teaching in the department since the fall of 2011 becoming full-time faculty the fall of 2013.

She began interpreting professionally in Corpus Christi, Texas, in 2000 and most recently worked as a staff interpreter at Gallaudet Interpreting Service from 2009-2013. She has experience working in a variety of settings including: medical, emergency, business, government, video relay, close-vision/tactile, and educational interpreting. Although she has a solid background in many areas of interpreting, her specialty in the field is performing arts.

As a graduate of the MAI program, Danielle has had the unique experience of being both a student and an instructor in the Department of Interpretation. She is currently in the process of finishing her dissertation in which she is conducting a qualitative study rooted in an interpretivist theoretical perspective making use of hermeneutical phenomenology along with the use of auto-photography in order to look at the lived experiences of professional identity development of ASL-English interpreters. Her other research projects have included gendered communication and interpreting; action research for tracking students’ progress by using Blackboard discussion boards; employing adaptation principles of translation; and expertise in signed language interpreting. She has served as a research assistant for Dr. Elizabeth Winston, Dr. Laurie Swabey, and Lawrence M. Siegel, Esq.

In addition to her research efforts, Danielle served as part of a committee of signed language interpreters to develop a modular curriculum for online instruction on Deaf/Hearing Interpreting teams as part of an initiative funded by a grant managed by the National Consortium of Interpreter Education Centers (NCIEC). She co-authored and coordinated the proposal for the recently approved MAI:IR program passed by the Gallaudet University Faculty Senate in 2013. She is revising the policies and procedures for the student code of conduct within the department and co-authoring an article on the process with Dr. Brenda Nicodemus.

Debra Hook holds a master’s degree and is a licensed Registered Dietician. She provides clinical services at various hospitals in Orange County, California and is the owner of Nutrition Solutions, for which she provides home-based services, focusing primarily on diabetic issues and children’s health.

Gail Price-Wise is the Founder and President of the Florida Center for Cultural Competence. She received her Master’s degree from Harvard School of Public Health. She had developed on-line and in-person training curricula in cultural competence, language access, and health literacy for the US Department of Health and Human Services, the US Agency for International Development, and the Florida Department of Health. Ms. Price-Wise speaks Spanish and has worked or traveled in 24 countries. She is the author of the biographical account of Willie Ramirez, An Intoxicating Error: Language, Culture and Medical Tragedy.

Giulia Petitta, PhD, is an Italian Sign Language interpreter and linguist. Her research interests lie at the intersection between linguistics and interpreting studies. She conducted research on sign language discourse, sign language representation, and simultaneous interpretation. Currently she is Visiting Scholar in the Department of Interpretation at Gallaudet University.

Gloria Guzman is a Certified Medical Interpreter from the State of Washington DHHS. She is a full-time Spanish interpreter and interpreter Trainer at the University of California Irvine Medical Center.

Hoda Shawky is a licensed Pediatric Nurse Practitioner (PNP) and certified Lactation Consultant
who practices in Orange County and Los Angeles (California), having received her undergraduate
and graduate degrees from UCLA. In addition to working as a PNP in clinical settings since 2003, in
2011 she founded a business called Baby’s First Nurse, which provides home-based support
services to new mothers and their families. Ms. Shawky is multilingual, speaking fluent Arabic and
Spanish in addition to English.

Ineke Crezee was born and educated in the Netherlands, where she completed a number of degrees in English and Translation Studies and translated several novels and nursing texts. She also worked as a Registered Nurse in both the Netherlands and New Zealand. After arriving in New Zealand, Ms. Crezee became involved in teaching translation and interpreting at Auckland University of Technology, with healthcare interpreting being her area of special interest. She has recently published a textbook entitled Introduction to Healthcare for Interpreters and Translators.

Jack Hoza, PhD, is a native ASL-English bilingual and is Professor and Director of the bachelor’s degree program in Sign Language Interpretation at the University of New Hampshire at Manchester.  He has published several books and articles on linguistic politeness, team interpreting, decision-making process of interpreters, and how the unconscious and conscious work when interpreters are “in the zone.”

Jean Kelly, MA, CSC, CT, has been a community and educational interpreter since 1974 and an interpreter trainer since 1987.  As an active member of RID since 1978 she has served in the capacity of a Chapter President and Chair for the 1985 RID Convention, and is was a member of the RID Professional Development Committee.   She has taught in two ITP programs in San Diego and currently teaches at Troy University in their ASL/ITP program online courses.   She has an undergraduate degree in Communication and a MA in Organizational Leadership from Chapman University. Jean has published three books, conducted workshops across the country, as well as spoken at Regional and National Conventions.

Jennifer Francisco is the Educational Interpreter Project Coordinator for Florida; she works with all K-12 educational interpreters across Florida.  She holds certifications in: Elementary Education, Reading Education, Deaf Education, and an endorsement in ESOL. She is passionate about Deaf Education and providing the best access to education and language for all Deaf and hard of hearing students.  Jennifer believes in working with all staff members who work with Deaf and Hard of hearing students because we all should share the same goal of providing the best of best for our DHH students.  When she is not working, she is with her husband and two children, Mason and Molly, exploring what is out there to be seen and enjoyed. Jennifer and her family enjoy traveling and visiting new states.

Juan F. Gutiérrez is the former Cross Cultural Health Care Program’s Curriculum Developer since and is currently the executive director of the National Institute for Coordinated Healthcare. He has a medical degree from his native Colombia and a master’s in public health from Western Kentucky University. For the past decade Dr. Gutiérrez has been a Language Access Coordinator, as well as faculty for Western Kentucky University. He is a licensed Bridging the Gap trainer. He served as the International Medical Interpreter’s Association (IMIA) state representative for Kentucky, the Kentucky Hospital Association Committee for Effective Communication in Hospitals, and the board of the South Eastern Medical Interpreter’s Association (SEMIA).

Katharine Allen, Co-President of InterpretAmerica, LLC, comes from the community and healthcare interpreting fields, including extensive work in international environmental interpreting and translating. She has worked as a freelance English/Spanish interpreter, translator, trainer and consultant since 1991, specializing in healthcare, education, disability, general legal, the environment and international policy issues. She has been owner of Sierra Sky Interpreting & Translation since 1994. Ms. Allen is co-author of the California Healthcare Interpreting Association (CHIA) Organizational Assessment Tool for Linguistic Access, which is used to help hospitals improve their language access programs. She is also a certified trainer for the Connecting Worlds 40-hour Healthcare Interpreter Training and the CHIA Standards Trainings for interpreters and administrators. Ms. Allen holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Community Development from Brown University and a Master’s Degree in Translation and Interpretation (MATI) from the Monterey Institute of International Studies.

Kathleen To, a licensed social worker, is the Manager of Linguistic Services at Swedish Medical Center in Seattle. She has managed a Refugee Resettlement & Social Services program in Illinois, taught ESL, and provided family support services to refugee & immigrant families for over twenty-five years. She has trained organization staff in immigration, cultural competency, cross-cultural healthcare & literacy topics.

Kristen Guynes grew up in a large Deaf community in south Texas, where she learned to sign.  As a high school student, she volunteered in a self-contained DHH elementary classroom, and eventually taught DHH students for eight years.  For five of those years, she served as the coordinator of a public school DHH program.  She has since obtained her PhD in Special Education (with a focus on DHH education) and currently teaches college full-time in the School of Communication Sciences and Disorders (while still teaching K-12 part-time!)  Advancing the field of educational interpreting continues to be a personal and professional priority.  Other specializations include: inclusion teaching, facilitating language development, and compliant documentation.  To access the materials referenced in the webinars, as well as other resources, please visit www.dhhdocumentation.com.

Laura Holcomb is a Certified Medical Interpreter (NBCMI) with over 5 years of Spanish medical interpreting experience in rural Georgia and New York City. Ms. Holcomb holds a bachelor’s degree in Spanish & Latin American Studies from Wolford College and she is currently pursuing a master’s degree in conference interpreting from Glendon College.

Dr. Lucia Roncalli is a hospitalist at Ukiah Valley Medical Center and is finishing an MPH at Johns Hopkins with a dual focus on humanitarian assistance and human rights. She has been doing medical and psychological evaluations of survivors of atrocity who apply for asylum in the United States since 2007, and is teaching residents to do this as she develops a longitudinal residency curriculum in health and human rights. Dr. Roncalli is board certified in both family medicine and integrative medicine, and completed her family medicine training at the Santa Rosa Family Medicine Residency Program. She is a certified Somatic Experiencing Practitioner, and relies on the pioneering work of Dr. Peter Levine in all these endeavors.

Lynne Carter is Head of Equality and Diversity at NHS Bradford and Airedale. She joined the equality and diversity team at NHS Bradford and Airedale in July 2008, her first job within the NHS, after a 23 year career in further education. She began as a teacher of ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) and worked in several colleges in West Yorkshire and eventually joined the senior management team at Keighley College. There she had responsibility for equality and diversity in addition to her main job as director of teaching and learning. In her current role, Ms. Carter supports colleagues across the commissioning organization to embed equality and diversity in their work. She runs training, supports teams to carry out equality impact assessments and leads a wide variety of projects.

Marcelle Castro holds a BA in Translation from the University of Brasília (2002), an MA in Language Studies from the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro (2007), and an MA in Translation and Intercultural Studies (2011) from the Universitat Rovira i Virgili (URV). She has worked as a freelance conference interpreter since 2001, and as a trainer since 2004. Currently, in addition to conference interpreting, she is an instructor at Universidade Gama Filho’s degree course in Conference Interpreting, and is part of the curriculum development team at Glendon College Master of Conference Interpreting program.

Maria R. Moreno has a Masters in Public Health from Columbia University and BA in Community Health from Brown University. She worked at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) evaluating hypertension-related mortality among Latinos, assessed health care access among minorities in NYC, participated in the Latino Health Scan proposal for RWJF, developed prenatal classes for LEP patients in East Denver, partnered with a Family Van Program for low-income minorities in Providence, designed a health education bi-lingual program for US border town, and taught Spanish health education classes in developing communities in the Dominican Republic. Currently, she is heading the evaluation of select Sutter Health Community Benefit projects and The California Endowment Grant on language access and cultural competence. Ms. Moreno created and chairs Sutter Health’s Cultural Linguistic Access Taskforce, which is focused on enhancing language assistance services across the system.

Mary Sondag holds a masters degree in physical therapy and is a licensed Physical Therapist with a private practice located in Laguna Hills, California.

Dr. Maryam Rahimi is an Associate Clinical Professor in the Division of Internal Medicine, Department of Medicine, at the University of California, Irvine School of Medicine. She is Board Certified in Internal Medicine, and received her degree from the Indiana University School of Medicine.

Melissa is a professor in and the director of the ASL-English interpreting program at Palomar College in San Marcos, California. She earned doctoral and Master’s degrees in Teaching and Learning from the University of California, San Diego, and a BA in Spanish with a minor in American Indian Studies from San Diego State University. Her doctoral research explores the practices and decisions of interpreters working in public schools and was published by Gallaudet University Press as More than Meets the Eye: Revealing the Complexities of an Interpreted Education (2103). Her extensive background in education, her own experiences as a second language learner, and her work as an interpreter and interpreter educator allow her to examine the work of educational interpreters through multiple lenses. More importantly, as the parent of a Deaf teenager, she brings a unique perspective to her work and presentations.

Miako Villanueva, PhD, CI/CT is an assistant professor in the Department of Linguistics at Gallaudet University. Miako has been interpreting professionally for 10 years, working primarily as an independent contractor and specializing in advanced educational, government, business, religious, and performing arts settings. Miako teaches undergraduate and graduate level interpretation and linguistics courses. She has also provided numerous workshops on linguistic and interpreting topics, including Visualization & Conceptual Blending, Constructing Dialogue and Action Through Blends, Variation in ASL, and Ethics of Expansion for Deaf Interpreters. She specializes in Applied Linguistics – incorporating the knowledge, approaches, and understandings gleaned from linguistic research on ASL directly into interpretation and language teaching.

Michelle Scott is a bilingual (Spanish) Registered Nurse and founder of Voices For Health, Inc. (est. 1997), a small business with offices in Michigan and California. In addition to the administrative tasks of growing this language agency from a local leader to a nationally recognized venture, she has experience in medical interpreting (over 5 years), medical translation project management (over 10 years, including editing and QA review), interpreter training (over 15 years), curriculum development (over 10 years) and multilingual research projects (over 15 years). She has bachelor’s degrees in Spanish and Nursing and a master’s degree in Medical Anthropology, all from Michigan State University. Her professional nursing background includes supervising a migrant clinic, coordinating migrant camp outreach programs and providing maternal support services. Ms. Scott promotes professionalism in medical interpreting through leadership in language associations and conference presentations. Currently, she is working to develop video content for VoicesAcademy.com, a virtual conference website providing relevant preparation for language accommodation to linguists and healthcare providers. She joined the board of the California Healthcare Interpreting Association (CHIA) in 2015, having previously served for 2 years as the Vice Chair of the Interpreter Service Provider (ISP) Division of the International Medical Interpreters Association (IMIA) and 2 years as the West Michigan Division Chair of the Michigan Translators/Interpreters Network (MiTiN). She is an experienced interpreter trainer who has presented at numerous professional conferences throughout the U.S.

Michon Shaw, a Florida native, matriculated at the University of South Florida (USF) where she earned her Bachelor’s of Arts degree in the Interpreting Training Track. Holding National Certification from the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (RID), has worked as a full time Sign Language Interpreter, in a variety of settings, including, but not limited to Religious, Mental Health, K-12, Post-Secondary, and Video Relay Service (VRS).  Michon Shaw completed her Masters of Science degree, Interpreting Pedagogy from the University of North Florida (UNF) in 2015. In August 2018, after a three year run as USF’s Hand on USF (HOUSF) Interpreter Coordinator, Mrs. Shaw transitioned to the role of Full-time Instructor. Happily married since 2006, she and her husband are the proud parents of three daughters.

Nathalie Johnston is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC). She earned her bachelor’s degree in Psychology and her master’s degree in Mental Health Counseling from Gallaudet University in Washington, DC.

Upon completion of her education, Nathalie worked at Tampa Bay Academy as a therapist in the Deaf Program providing mental health services for deaf/hard of hearing youth in the psychiatric residential treatment program. In addition to providing direct services to clients, Nathalie has lectured on a variety of topics related to Deaf Mental Health, including the importance of using properly trained and certified interpreters with training in mental health interpreting.

Nathalie has also been an advocate for deaf individuals to be proactive consumers when it comes to working with interpreters.  Just as one would be an educated and proactive consumer when shopping for goods and services, Deaf individuals need to advocate for themselves in working with an interpreter who best fits their specific communication style.  Nathalie emphasizes that the Deaf should not just “accept” an interpreter assigned to them, but should instead insist on working with an interpreter who best represents the individual as a whole, taking into account their communication and linguistic styles.  Deaf individuals should insist on an interpreter committed to ongoing education to enhance their level of skill to meet the unique qualities of the individual for whom they provide services. Ultimately, the fit between Deaf consumer and interpreter should be snug like a shoe, so that the Deaf individual conveys him/herself accurately to the hearing world.

In addition to mental health and advocacy work, Nathalie also leads an entrepreneur life operating a family business, which sells artistic house ware products to retail boutiques all over the world.  In order for her business to be successful, she depends heavily on VRS interpreters.   She has found the need to advocate for herself on several occasions in order to work with interpreters who best convey her message to her buyers clearly and accurately.  Her success as a Deaf businesswoman often depends on having a well-educated and skilled interpreter.

On a personal level, Nathalie is a bohemian, laid back mom with the love of her life and her two fun-loving children along with their sweet German Shepherd dog, Ziva.  They live in Austin, Texas (June, 2014). When Nathalie has time for herself, she buries her head into jewelry making and dreams of opening an online and boutique shop in Austin, Texas.

Nate is a current resident of Chicago, IL working as an independent contractor in the community focusing in post-secondary and medical settings. He teaches at Columbia College Chicago in the Interpreter Training Program as Adjunct Faculty. Nate received his Master of Science degree from University of North Florida in ASL/English Interpreting. In his free time, he loves to travel and enjoy the beautiful Chicago summers with his friends and puppy, Gus. 

Paula Browning has been interpreting nearly 40 years.  She has previously interpreted in such venues as Salk Institute inSan Diego, Deaf West Theatre, various community colleges and universities, as well as conferences such as RID Region IV,SERID,CAL-Ed, ADARA, and Alabama Interpreter Metamorphosis (AIM).

While currently work in the video relay field, Paula also has experience in education, community, conference and platform, mental health, legal, medical, and theatrical settings.   She also taught ASL classes at the community college and high school level; conducted workshops in Los Angeles, Las Vegas, New Orleans, Alabama, Tennessee, and Mississippi; and has been a mentor in California, Alabama, Georgia, and Mississippi as well as having been a mentor in the Video Outreach Mentorship Program sponsored by PEPNet’s WROCC.

Paula moved to Mississippi in December of 2003.  She is currently president of the Mississippi affiliate chapter of RID, secretary of the Mississippi Interpreter Registration Law advisory board, editor of the MAD newsletter, and member of the RID Historian committee.  Her passions are in ASL and bilingualism, Deaf culture, Deafhood, and history.

Rochelle Russell is a licensed Speech Language Pathologist at Orange Unified School District in Southern California. She holds a master’s degree in Speech, Language & Hearing Science from Loma Linda University.

Ron Coronado is currently an Admissions Nurse in the Desert Regional Medical Center Emergency Department, in Palm Springs, CA. In addition to being a clinical educator, his experience includes adult critical care, pediatric critical care, and various medical surgical specialties. He has been a nurse since 1992 after earning his bachelor’s degree in Nursing from Michigan State University.

Sabrina Smith, Ph.D., CI/CT, NIC:Master, EIPA K-12 has been an educational interpreter for 14 years. She works in VRS, freelance, and performing arts interpreting. She enjoys presenting various workshops. She devotes much time mentoring progressing interpreters who are local or remote. Feel free to contact her about mentoring, presenting, or just general questions about the field of interpreting at sabrina.tempie@gmail.com.

Sandra Roche’, a Florida native, has been a Sign Language interpreter for over 20 years. She attended Bishop State for her American Sign Language Interpreting Degree. Sandra became nationally certified in 1997.

Sandra has worked as an interpreter in numerous areas of the interpreting field including community, medical, mental health, legal, performing arts, education, Video Relay Service (VRS), Video Remote Interpreting (VRI) and much more. She has presented locally and nationally on these topics as well and is known to be an expert in the field of VRI. Sandra is currently the co-owner of Accessing Sign Language Professionals (ASLP), a nationwide VRI provider.

Sandra believes in giving back to the community. She was an active member and held positions with both Florida Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf and BayFRID (Bay area chapter) to move the field of interpreting forward.

Sandra currently resides in her hometown of Pensacola, FL, with her family (including lots of animals). She is truly a life-long learner and an advocate for both the Deaf and Interpreting communities.

Sarah Wheeler holds an associate degree in health services administration from the Community College of the Air Force and a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Mt. Olive College. She also has a certificate in non-profit management from Duke Continuing Studies. During her time at Duke, she participated in Leadership Wayne County. It was during this time that she strengthened her understandings of how different agencies collaborate to provide social services. A few years later she received her M.Ed. Interpreter Pedagogy degree from Northeastern University. She currently is going back to school and is on the path towards a Ph.D. in Cognition and Instruction.

Growing up a coda she was immersed in Deaf culture and to this day she continues to be humbled by how much there is to learn about ASL, Deaf culture, and history. She is a nationally-certified interpreter with a license to interpret in North Carolina. She is teaching now as an adjunct professor, working as a freelance interpreter, presents workshops, etc. She is currenty serving with RID with the IDP group and has been involved with NCKODA. She seeks to share her knowledge and in turn learn from those who have so much experience and expertise within the interpreting field.

Shane H. Feldman is the former Executive Director of the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (RID) after having worked with the National Association of the Deaf (NAD). A native of the Metro D.C. area, has years of association management, business and advocacy experience. He received his Master’s degree in management from the University of Maryland University College and his Bachelor’s degree in Professional and Technical Communications from the Rochester Institute of Technology. Mr. Feldman is a staunch advocate for accessibility rights especially those related to closed captioning, although he serves the community in several other areas including his work with VRS and the FCC, the Maryland Office of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing and Maryland School for the Deaf.

Dr. Susan Potts is a fully licensed clinical psychologist and Marriage and Family Therapist with a private practice in Laguna Hills, California. She has operated her practice since 1984.

Teresa Sedano is a resident of Santa Rosa, California and a retired adjunct faculty at American River College, instructing sign language interpreting students in the area of Ethics and Professional Standards.  She continues to provide workshops and mentoring to interpreters and is particularly interested in the area of self-care.

In 2011, Teresa suffered an injury to her left side and retired from interpreting, focusing on teaching and mentorship while completing her Master’s degree in Contemplative Education at Naropa University in Colorado.

She has a passion for art, and is a member of the Northern California Art Therapy Association. Teresa has a certificate in “Expressive Art Therapy”, and has taught young pre-school children at “Young Rembrandts”, an after-school art program, as well as courses at the Crocker Art Museum in Sacramento, involving instruction in mixed media as well as working as an assistant in guiding patrons in basic meditation via their ongoing program, “Artful Meditation”.

Teresa is also the owner of Awakened Heart Designs, providing workshops and 1-1 instruction in contemplative art concepts: mindfulness, presence, and breath work, in order for each individual to explore the joy of self expression during the creative process.  It is Teresa’s desire that interpreters benefit from many of these post-assignment control techniques.

Teresa welcomes any and all questions or comments whether via email, phone call, texting, Skype, or snail-mail.

Thérèse Mirande is certified as a Spanish Medical Interpreter and Spanish Social Services Interpreter by the State of Washington DSHS. She holds a master’s degree in Spanish and a doctorate in Romance Languages, both from the University of Washington. She is currently a professor of World Languages as well as Language Interpreting at Pierce College. As a member of the National Council of Interpreting in Healthcare, Dr. Mirande played an integral role in the development of their Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice.