Presenters
Meet the Presenters
Star grew up in south Florida – Stuart and Jensen Beach, Florida – where she developed her love for the outdoors. She went on to attend NTID in Rochester, NY and graduated from RIT with a Bachelor of Science in Professional and Technical Communication. She went on to earn her Master’s degree in Deaf Education in 2009 from McDaniel College, Westminster, MD. Star currently holds a CDI and ASLTA-P certification. From working in Norfolk, VA as the Program Chair for the ASL and Interpreter Education Program at Tidewater Community College to being the Director of Testing for CASLI, Star has been very active in the Virginia Deaf community, as well as within her profession presenting workshops and facilitating statewide conferences and events.
Ritchie R. Bryant is a dynamic Black Deaf Texan with a passion for cultivating and teaching American Sign Language (ASL). He currently works as a staff interpreter for Gallaudet University in Washington, DC. Ritchie has been presenting ASL/Deaf-related workshops for over twenty years. With his experiences as an ASL mentor and ASLPI/SLPI evaluator, he trained Deaf people to become ASL mentors for signers from the Community Interpreter Grant program. Ritchie obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in American Sign Language from Gallaudet University and a Master of Science degree in Deaf Education from McDaniel College in Westminster, Maryland. He has been a certified Deaf interpreter since 2007. He served on the RID board as Deaf Member at Large from 2015-2017 and provided consulting services ranging from deaf-interpreting to developments of evaluations for future deaf and hearing interpreters to various organizations and agencies. His interests include traveling, storytelling, and video editing.
Andrea has been a professional sign language interpreter since 2007, with a wide variety of post-secondary, conference, medical and freelance work. Her career began in Michigan, took her to Austin Texas and now to Denver Colorado. Andrea is a graduate student at Western Oregon University in the MA in interpreting studies program and this workshop is in part, a result of her research and final professional project. After years of lessons learned while being a self- employed freelance interpreter and conversations with multiple colleagues, the idea for this workshop was born. In her spare time she enjoys rock climbing, meditation, snuggling her dogs.
Andi Chumley has been a working interpreter for over 20 years, primarily in the medical and post-secondary settings. Throughout her career she has learned the importance of collaborative relationships when working toward common goals. Andi has served in various leadership roles over the last decade and aims to show other interpreters the value and benefits that come with volunteer leadership roles. She finds value in education and continually strives to expand her knowledge and learning in the field of interpreting. She received her B.S. from MacMurray College in Deaf Education.
Anicia has been interpreting in a multitude of settings from Video Relay Service, medical, and community etc, for over 7 years. As the founder of Secure Interpreting Solutions, her passion is empowering Interpreters of Color to achieve their goals with confidence, despite limitations others have set for them. Anicia’s ultimate goal is to educate others on how to create a more equitable field in Sign Language Interpreting by removing racial boundaries.
Ms. Frazier has over 17 years of professional interpreting experience in a variety of settings. She has held the National Interpreter Certification (NIC) from the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (RID) since 2008. Ms. Frazier currently works as a freelance interpreter in the Washington, DC metropolitan area. Throughout her career, she has, not only continuously sought professional development opportunities, but has also looked for opportunities to give back to the profession. She served a two year term on the board of the Potomac Chapter of the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (PCRID) as Member at Large for Maryland. Ms. Frazier is a Mentor and adjunct instructor for the Community College of Baltimore County- Catonsville’s Interpreter Preparation Program.
Colleen Ticherich has been interpreting professionally in Ohio for 12 years in educational settings from preK to graduate school. Currently a graduate student at Western Oregon University, she also works in theatre, mental health, and VRS settings. She is a mom to six grown children (4 currently in college!). Grandma to 3 grandchildren, and servant to 1 Great Dane named Eeyore.
Cory lives in rural Vermont by way of Boston, has been credentialed since 2000. While she has great breadth in the nature of her interpreting work, her skill is working in Deaf professional environments and rendering into spoken English. Cory also interprets in graduate/postgraduate environments and for advanced medical trainings.
Cory has had the good fortune to work with many incredible Deaf people and amazing interpreting colleagues across the country, and are indelibly grateful to the Deaf community for shaping who they are as interpreters.
Dale is Heritage signer from the Albany, New York area. Certified since 1996, a majority of his interpreting work focuses on R&D, engineering and advanced manufacturing settings working with Deaf professionals with advanced degrees.
Dale has had the good fortune to work with many incredible Deaf people and amazing interpreting colleagues across the country, and are indelibly grateful to the Deaf community for shaping who they are as interpreters.
Elisabeth Zerkle is a Certified Emergency Nurse with over eight years of experience in nursing. She spent the first six years of her career working in a Level I Trauma Center in downtown Chicago, IL.
After that, she moved into pediatrics and currently works for Ann & Robert Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago. The most enjoyable aspect of her job is connecting with patients and their families.
I am Ge Moody. My formal education stopped when I was twelve years old and I dropped out of high school. However, I love to read and therefore, have never stopped learning. I earned my GED when I was thirty and I started my interpreting career in 2010. I graduated from Oakland Community College with an associate degree of applied science: sign language interpreting and I just graduated from Saint Catherine University with a bachelor of arts special major: ASL/English interpreting studies with concentrations in medical interpreting and ethics. Currently, I am a full time VRS interpreter and occasional workshop presenter.
James is currently a staff interpreter at Michigan Medicine, University of Michigan Health System, and owner/performing interpreter with Synergy On Stage. He is a graduate of, and formerly an instructor at, Baker College’s Interpreter Training Program, and he earned his BA in Interpreting Studies from Madonna University. He maintains a private practice and specializes in medical, political, business, and entertainment interpreting. He is also interested in physical health and repetitive motion injuries. He has been a certified interpreter since 2010, and a licensed trainer of The Community Interpreter® International since 2018.
Jordana Avital is a full time freelance interpreter working in the Denver metro area. Jordana received her B.S. in linguistics from the University of Southern Maine and her M.A. in interpreting from St. Catherine University. Her thesis on interpreting in mental health and addiction recovery support groups was the first of its kind and is still a topic she is exploring.
Keith Wann has been performing since 2002, starting with a Sign Language Improv group, and then in 2004 his solo career quickly took off due to several parody music videos going viral. He semi-retired his live stage comedy show in 2017 to focus on web/studio projects (www.SignItASL.com).
Combining side splitting physical humor, with heartfelt real life stories from his childhood as a hearing child with Deaf parents, has become his comedic trademark among the ASL Community, and is an original breakthrough performing ASL artist who has been featured in several short films with ASL and currently stars in a popular ASL Children's APP called Signed Stories. He has also done several commercials for Pepsi, appeared in High Maintenance, Quantico, Law and Order, and several short films with Deaf Directors and Actors.
Frank is a Rio Grande Valley (south Texas) native. He moved to San Antonio, TX where he received his A.A.S. in American Sign Language – Sign Language Interpreting and A.A. in American Sign Language and Liberal Arts from San Antonio College. Frank works in a variety of settings including post-secondary, K-12, medical, conference, theatrical, cruise/tourism, VRS, and now virtually. He is currently the Past President for the Texas Society of Interpreters for the Deaf. He will be graduating from William Woods University with a B.S. in Interpretation Studies ASL-English this December and currently resides in Houston, TX where he continues to interpret, develop workshops, and works with students in a variety of ways. He also currently holds his Board for Evaluation of Interpreters (BEI) – Advanced level and his Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf – National Interpreter Certificate. When not working, he spends time with his loving husband and their dog-son, Newt Scamander. He is also a Harry Potter and Marvel fanatic and loves to go to conferences!
Leah Subak is employed by Sorenson Communications and currently is working on independent projects. Credentials include degrees in Speech/Audiology, a degree from Gallaudet University and Ph.D. from Kent State University in Curriculum and Instruction. Certifications held include CI/CT, NAD, and EIPA. She is a qualified administrator of the Intercultural Development Inventory. Subak is a co- producer of a movie about Angie Orlando, a writer who is DeafBlind which is slated to premiere Spring 2022. Subak formerly held full-time faculty positions and has held offices in professional interpreting organizations, chaired various conferences and has presented at conferences locally, regionally, and nationally.
Lisa Cryer is a seasoned Deaf professional from Illinois who works as a Deaf ASL teacher/language development specialist, as well as teaching "niche" areas with a focus on tech and educational spaces. She presents across the US as a visiting lecturer, storyteller, and presenter. As a Deaf Mentor and Advocate, she serves families and individuals across the U.S. providing strategic resource consulting services, networking for DHHDB rights and ASL access needs across tech, medical, and mental health spaces.
Marsha Moore is an Adjunct Professor at Columbus State Community College, where she teaches American Sign Language (ASL) and Deaf Culture classes. A lifelong member of the Deaf community, Moore is a certified SKI*HI Deaf mentor, working with families with deaf children to help them embrace the deaf community, language, and customs. Moore has a bachelor’s degree in business from Muskingum University, a master’s in Public Administration from the Ohio State University and is currently over 2/3 of the way through doctoral studies in Strategic Leadership at Liberty University. She has presented at many conferences both locally and regionally.
Olivia Krise is a faculty member for the American Sign Language/English Interpreting program at Kent State University. She is an alumna of Kent State receiving her B.S. in Deaf Education and Educational Interpreting and her M.Ed. in Early Childhood Intervention. Olivia spent 10 years in post-secondary interpreting and coordination of D/HH services.
She has held a National Interpreter Certification-Advanced since 2009. In addition to working in VRS, Olivia worked in the medical field as a staff interpreter with the Cleveland Clinic Foundation. Her experience with CCF challenged her skills and she is grateful for the interpreter and medical professionals that she had the opportunity to work collaboratively with. In her down time, you are likely to find her drinking coffee, eating chocolate and spending time with her family.
Patricia Bettis-Eddie is grateful to the Deaf and Deaf-Blind communities of Cleveland for sharing their language and culture. Patte began honing deaf-blind interpreting skills in 1985 under the tutelage of Sherry Raymont of The Cleveland Sight Center. She completed an internship at the Helen Keller National Center for Deaf-Blind Youth and Adults, NY. In 2015, she retired from Beachwood City Schools where she was employed as an educational interpreter. Patte is currently employed with Cuyahoga Community College in her second-year lectureship teaching American Sign Language. Credentials include; B.A. in English from Cleveland State University and M.Ed. from Cleveland State University.
Sandra has been an interpreter for over 20 years. Through the years she has spent time specializing in medical, legal, and technical interpreting. Three years ago she returned to working full-time in K-12 education. Sandra has served in various leadership roles at the state and national level and believes in the power of small actions and that change starts with the individual. She received her B.S. in Interpreting from Northeastern University and her M.A. in Interpreting Studies from Western Oregon University.
Shawnese is a Sign Language Interpreter with over 4 years of experience. She has worked in various settings such as educational, medical, VRS and Deaf-Blind. Her mission is to educate and bring awareness to the lack of diversity in the field of Interpreting. She works closely with Secure Interpreting Solutions (S.I.S) as a co-founder to fulfill this message.
Sonja W. Smith holds BEI Master, BEI Court, and RID NIC certifications. She has a BA in Deaf Education and an MA in Interpreting Studies. She is currently the ASL Interpreting Studies Director of Undergraduate Studies at the University of Louisville in Kentucky. Sonja has been interpreting for over 20 years, and has been working in private practice for over 15 years, focusing on conference and legal interpreting. Sonja is a former RID Region IV representative and has held various volunteer leadership positions throughout her career. Her passions include mentoring, technology, squishy faced dogs, beaches, and a good charcuterie.
Stefanie Amiruzzaman, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor and American Sign Language/Deaf Studies Coordinator in the Department of Languages and Cultures at West Chester University (WCU) where she teaches ASL courses. She holds a Ph.D. in Evaluation and Measurement, a M.Ed. in Deaf Education, and a B.A. in ASL, all from Kent State University. Previous experience includes teaching undergraduate and graduate levels of ASL and Deaf Culture courses at the University of Akron, Kent State University, and Ball State University.
Steve Frank is an RID-Certified ASL-English interpreter who works in the Baltimore-Washington area. Steve interprets in a wide variety of settings and specializes in workplace, workplace, technical, deafblind and video interpreting. He established and ran a video remote interpreting (VRI) program in the early 2010s and now consults interpreting companies on VRI. In 1998, Steve started contemplating and experimenting with interpreting ergonomics and physical conditions. He invented the “Interpreter Mirror'' and eventually 15 other specialized apparatus for interpreting. Recently, Steve developed and has presented on his new concept, Interpretation Design, which methodologically supports use of specialized apparatus and techniques.
Sunny Pfifferling-Irons holds a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Florida. She holds a BEI 2 certificate with a Medical and Mental Health endorsement, and has been interpreting in Michigan and Indiana for 25 years.
She lives on a small farm in Goshen, Indiana with her wife and daughter, and enjoys hiking, riding her horses, tapping her maples and making syrup, and snuggling with her English Springer Spaniel puppy Crumpet.
A lifelong resident of Michigan, Valoree and has been interpreting for 22+ years. Her work has spanned a variety of roles including staff interpreter, independent contractor, camp director, and non-profit administrator. Valoree believes that the proverbial “interpreter car-office”, and the business skills associated are important aspects to include in the individual and collective growth of the profession. In her personal life, she is a mother, canicross trainer, crazy cat lady, beach seeker, and coffee addict.
Christine Multra Kraft has kept up her passion for teaching ASL and interpreting for over 25 years along with doing CDI work in the community. CMK served as Programming co-chair in for the 2019 RID National Conference and Secretary/Professional development chair on the ASLTA Board, 2013 – 2017 and continues to support ASLTA as an evaluator. Currently working as Community Programs Director for Sorenson’s Interpreter Education Professional Development, she oversees Compass interpreter training for heritage language users of ASL, the Corporate Consortium program and the Deaf Interpreter Academy. She enjoys family adventures with her husband and their 4 flown-the-nest Codas.
Marlee Dyce
Marlee Dyce is nationally certified interpreter holding the NIC-Adv., NAD IV, Utah state certification, and the SD State Level V certifications. She is also the Director of International Interpreting and Professional Development for Sorenson Communications. Previously, she served as the Program Director of Sign Language Interpreting at Augustana University in Sioux Falls, South Dakota for 13 years. Marlee has been a community interpreter for more than 20 years working in a variety of settings including medical, legal, mental health and Video Relay Service. Marlee has presented on such topics as ethical decision making, professionalism, cognitive management, infusing technology in interpreter education, and forming meaningful relationships between Deaf individuals, students, and interpreters.
Whitney Renee Weirick, PhD, NIC-Advanced, is a practitioner-researcher focused on improving interpreting for K-12 Deaf and hard of hearing students through critical examinations of how education-policy informs practice, particularly in supervision and coaching. She has worked in community, Video Relay Service and educational settings from Pre-K to PhD. Her work as both an interpreter and scholar is firmly rooted in respect for Deaf Communities at home and abroad. As a queer Mestiza person of mixed ancestry, she wants to welcome more people of color into the interpreting profession to better reflect the communities we serve.
*Email r3registration@ocrid.org with verification documents to
receive a Discount Code for Student rate PRIOR to registration.
For issues with registering via RID's CEC, please contact webinars@rid.org.
*Please note: There is a pre-conference activity we ask you to complete PRIOR to the start of the conference. All information will be kept confidential.