Board Members

Maria del Carmen Rodriguez, President: president@catiweb.org

Maria Rodriguez was born in Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico. She is currently working as the Program Director for the Spanish Community Interpreter Program A.A.S. at Cape Fear Community College in Castle Hayne, NC, as well as, a Freelance Medical Interpreter. She is a Certified Medical Interpreter (CMI-Spanish). She holds a Master’s degree in Spanish from the University of North Carolina in Charlotte, with emphasis on Spanish Literature and Culture. Maria served as a Director (Conference Coordinator) for the CATI board from 2002 to 2010.  She is a member of the following organizations: CATI, IMIA, and NCIHC. Maria is passionate about interpreting, spending time with family, books, and helping her community.

Monica Rodriguez-Castro, Vice-President: cati_vicepresident@catiweb.org

I am an assistant Professor at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte (UNCC). I teach specialized translation practice, computer-assisted-translation tools and project management. My primary research interests include empirical studies in translator satisfaction, translation pedagogy and post-editing.

In addition to my expertise in education, I have been involved with the ATA. I held a leadership position as elected Assistant Administrator & Interim Administrator for the Educators Division.

Rhode Thomas, Secretary: Secretary@catiweb.org

Rhode grew up in the Dominican Republic. After earning her degree in arts and

sciences, she worked as an art teacher, teaching Spanish-speaking children in

elementary through high school.. After relocating to the United States, she began her

linguist profession at the New York English Academy. When Rhode was given the

opportunity to move to the Netherlands, she spent a significant amount of time

translating religious materials from English to Spanish and traveling throughout

Europe. Following her return to the United States, she started working as a freelance

professional interpreter.

Rhode works as a professional interpreter and translator with over 20 years of

experience. Certified and experienced in the medical and educational fields. Serving

in various sectors, including education, community, legal, healthcare, mental health,

religious, industrial, social services among others.

Jaime Russell, Treasurer: Treasurer@catiweb.org

Jaime is originally from the Washington, DC metro area, but lived in Argentina for 15 years. While in Argentina she received her Licenciatura (5- year) degree in Business Administration and worked as a Spanish>English translator during and after university. Upon moving back to the US, she worked in the international development, philanthropy and nonprofit sectors, which provided her with experience in nonprofit management and governance. After that, she pivoted back to language full time (medical specialization) and is a certified healthcare interpreter (CCHI), a certified translator (ATA), and a licensed interpreter trainer. She is a volunteer translator for the National Language Service Corps (NLSC), Translators Without Borders (TWB) and Ashoka.
Currently she is the Interpreter Services Education Specialist at UNC Health, which is the largest hospital network in North Carolina. She is extremely interested in professional development and continuing education for translators and interpreters and wants to raise awareness of language access rights and delivery compliance for LEP communities, especially in medical settings. In 2024 she joined the board of directors of the American Translators Association (ATA) and is extremely excited to begin that work within the most recognized T&I association in the country.

Marc Tamarit-Galdón, Director at Large - NC: NCdirector1@catiweb.org

Hailing from Spain, Marc earned a Bachelor’s degree in Translation and Intercultural Communication (Spanish, English, and German) from Universidad Europea de Valencia, a Master’s degree in Spanish Translation from Kent State (Ohio), and a Doctorate degree in Educational Leadership from California State University, Fresno. A Certified Healthcare Interpreter and Assistant Professor at the University of Louisville in the Department of Classical and Modern languages, he has collaborated with many organizations in the United States and Europe. Marc ultimately wants to improve the lives of students and disenfranchised populations, especially those identifying with the Rainbow family.

 

 

Aniella Vivenzio, Director at Large - NC: NCdirector2@catiweb.org

My name is Aniella Vivenzio and I am a Certified Healthcare Interpreter (CCHI, Spanish). I have been serving the ATA in several leadership positions. I am a member of the Leadership Council of the Translators Company Division and the Submissions Coordinator of the Newsletter Deep Focus in the Audiovisual Division. We were able to provide division members with updates on new technologies and new trends relevant to their field. 

We were able to provide continuing education opportunities through webinars and seminars, and increase our social media presence. These opportunities have allowed me to bring new initiatives to the ATA’s membership, and I would like to organize similar events as CATI’s NC Director. 

I would like to continue empowering our interpreters with new learning opportunities and new events. I would like to propose additional performance-based workshops for our professional interpreters to move their interpreting skills to the next level. 

Sandra Aidar-McDermott, Director at Large - SC: scdirector1@catiweb.org

Sandra Aidar-McDermott is a certified court interpreter, an ATA certified translator and a conference interpreter. She works mostly in
court, but also interprets in mental health, education, and social services encounters. She holds a Master of Conference Interpreting
from Glendon College, York University, a Master of Science in Political Science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and a
Licenciatura in Ciencias Políticas from Universidad Católica Argentina. She is a Fulbright recipient, a former electoral officer for the
UN and the OAS and was a policy advisor in the Argentine Senate. Sandra has been a board member of a dance company, a charter
school and a playground association, and recently joined the fantastic board of CATI. She grew up in Patagonia and now calls
Columbia, SC her home, where she lives with her husband, sometimes their daughter and two lovely female cats. She is excited for
what the future holds.

E. Zoe Schutzman, Director at Large - SC: scdirector2@catiweb.org

Born in Queens (New York), I grew up in Seville (Spain) and moved to Connecticut where I completed my BA in East Asian Studies and Architectural Design at Wesleyan University. I received my MA in Linguistics from the City University of New York Graduate School, pursued Translation and Interpretation Studies at Hunter College, became a New York State Certified Spanish Court Interpreter and Certified Healthcare Interpreter (Spanish) professional. Co-founder and CEO of Cloud 18, a global multidisciplinary creative enterprise, I am a published author, presenter, trainer, mentor, consultant, who has provided linguistic and culturally responsive acumen to varied teams and endeavors, directed new avenues for sustainable professional growth, and forged high-value partnerships with community and institutional stakeholders. My contributions have encompassed meaningful access to healthcare/community services and justice for limited English proficient and languages of lesser diffusion communities; sociolinguistic, language acquisition, language documentation, and performance projects; analyses of internal and national regulatory policies; and the development, trans-creation, and translation of literary, research, outreach, and educational materials. From 2020 to 2023, I had the pleasure of serving as Commissioner at the Certification Commission for Healthcare Interpreters (CCHI).