My commitment to translation and interpreting began in 1981 at the Monterey Institute of International Studies (MIIS), where I earned an MA in translation and interpreting. I then spent 11 years as a freelance interpreter and translator, an experience that gave me a very clear understanding of the need to improve interpreters’ working conditions, compensation, and professional standing.

That experience laid the foundation for my next role as the first director of interpreting services and staff interpreter ever contracted by the federal court in Washington, DC, where I built a professional working environment grounded in the realities of professional practice. I’m especially proud to have contributed to achieving a significant increase in the federal rate paid to court interpreters after years of stagnant fees, a reminder that sustained advocacy can produce meaningful changes. After 28 years at the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, I retired in 2023 and returned to freelance work, where I continue to engage actively with the evolving needs of our professions.

Throughout more than 40 years in the field, my guiding purpose has remained the same: to leave the professions stronger than I found them. I’ve advanced professional standards through position papers I coauthored while chairing the National Association of Judiciary Interpreters and Translators (NAJIT) Position Papers Committee and serving for four years on NAJIT’s board of directors. Since 1997, I’ve also contributed to the development of industry standards through my work with ASTM International, where I currently chair the Interpreting Subcommittee. Just as important, I’ve helped prepare new generations of interpreters and translators through workshops, presentations, and teaching as an adjunct instructor in the Graduate Studies in Interpreting and Translation Program (GSIT) at the University of Maryland.

We’re living through a defining moment for translation and interpreting as AI reshapes professional practice. Some fear that human expertise is being displaced, but I believe our role is evolving and we must help shape that evolution. We need to understand what AI can offer while protecting the judgment, accountability, ethics, and quality that human practitioners bring to our work. ATA is already working to raise awareness among professionals, and our Association must continue to be a strong voice in determining how technological change affects translators and interpreters.

As a director, I would contribute a long record of advocacy, standards development, teaching, and practical experience, along with a commitment to ensuring that innovation strengthens our professions rather than diminishes them.