By Eve Bodeux & Cris Silva
CTA Elections Committee
Dear CTA members:
Board elections for the Colorado Association of Translators will be held in April 2016.
In compliance with our bylaws, please find enclosed the candidate statements for all candidates: President, Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer. Please review these statements below, so that you familiarize yourself with the individuals running for these positions and so that you can vote wisely.
The election is currently scheduled for April 11 – 15, 2016 and will be conducted electronically. You will receive further instructions at the beginning of the election period.
We look forward to a good turnout and we thank you for your participation in the election process.
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CANDIDATE STATEMENTS – 2016 CTA BOARD ELECTIONS
CANDIDATE FOR PRESIDENT MARION RHODES
I would like to formally declare my candidacy for the position of president of the Board of the Colorado Interpreters & Translators Association. I have been serving as interim vice president member of the CTA Board since the summer of 2015, and I would like to continue my service to the association.
I started volunteering for CTA in January 2013, when CTA was looking for a social media coordinator. That role provided me with a great way to observe the workings of the Board and a way for me to get to know many fellow CTA colleagues. I also learned a lot about our association and our industry as a whole during the two and a half years I held that position. When I stepped in as interim vice president, I initially did so to fill a gap, but now, I feel a sense of commitment to CTA. As the only member of the current Board who is seeking re-election (or, in my case, election), I would be the most experienced member of the CTA leadership team. I believe continuity is important for effective governance of an organization, and I hope to be able to provide that for the new Board.
By now, I have helped organize three CTA conferences, as well as various workshops and social events. I also helped initiate a webinar series to bring continuing education to our members and colleagues across the state and beyond. This is an area I would like to expand further in the future, as I believe CTA has a lot of talent within our ranks with a wealth of information to share. This would be both beneficial for our members and to promote CTA.
CITA is a wonderful association, and as a translator, I could not have picked a better state to live. I am grateful for the opportunities I have been given so far and hope to be able to continue to serve CTA in the new capacity of president.
Sincerely,
Marion Rhodes
CANDIDATE FOR VICE PRESIDENT
ROSABELLE WHITE AGUIRRE DE RICE
Over the past 20 years, I have provided excellent interpretation services to end clients using knowledge gathered from being born and raised in Ecuador, United States, Mexico and England. I have been certified as a Federal Court Interpreter since 1995 and as a Health Interpreter since 2011 in the Spanish Language. I help bridge gaps in understanding between both Northern South American Dialects of Spanish in addition to various Mexican variations of Spanish. I have been an avid reader and writer from the age of 3, and wrote my first book of poems in English at the age of
11. After being formally reintroduced to Spanish at Colegio Marymount para Señoritas from 1979-
1985 it was off to Notre Dame to study English, History, Archeology, Spanish, a bit of French and whatnot.
Upon graduating from Notre Dame in 1989, a dear friend talked me into staying in the US instead of returning to Puebla, Mexico to teach English under the table. She invited me to live with her in Memphis, TN where I met Debra Chaves Norwood the original founder of the Tennessee Language Access Program. We were trained by Janis Palma and Dagoberto Orrantia in Consecutive Interpretation, I decided to complete a Masters in Romance Languages, and, in 1993, I received my M.A. in Romance Languages from the University of Memphis.
I began my career as a small translation agency providing translations into English, Spanish and Chinese. I also provided interpreters in less than common languages for the Immigration Court Subcontractor. As a legal interpreter, I have translated many legal documents into my “B” language.
I know the difficulty and the rewards of being a freelance language professional and am cognizant of the ennui of working alone for hours on end and I hope to continue the monthly meetings for coffee with CTA.
Some of the pertinent past experiences on boards that I feel will be an asset for CTA are those of: Past Director, Colorado Association of Professional Interpreters ( CAPI): 2010-2012
▪ Provided leadership to Colorado’s Interpreter Organization.
▪ Provided and helped coordinate program and hospitality services for 2011
Membership Meeting.
▪ Provided and helped coordinate hospitality services for 2011 Summer Picnic
Acting Chair, Latino Advisory Board to the City of Lafayette, 2015 also Past Chair, 2014,
2012 and founding member
PTA President for Escuela Bilingue Pioneer, Lafayette, CO 2010
Board Member, Parent Engagement Network of Boulder, Member of Equity and Outreach
Committee 2013-2016
My greatest joy would be to give back to an organization that has been characterized by being kind and collegial. I hope to be a standard bearer and a servant leader.
Rosabelle White Aguirre de Rice
CANDIDATE FOR SECRETARY KATJA YEATS
Dear CTA Members:
I am excited and happy to volunteer for the position of secretary this year. One of my New Year’s resolutions was to become more involved, and volunteering seems to be the perfect fit! I became a member of the CTA this January, but had been a member in the past as well.
I was born in Germany and came to the U.S. in 1992 to complete an exchange year at Montana State University in Bozeman. I met my (now) husband there and permanently moved to the U.S. in 1993. I graduated from the University of Illinois at Chicago with an M.A. in German literature. I have been working as a freelance English to German translator since 2001.
I look forward to supporting the CTA in any way I can and meeting all of its members in the near future!
Thank you,
Katja Yeats
CANDIDATE FOR TREASURER MICHELLE BRADLEY
For quite some time I’ve been trying to clear some space to give back to our wonderful CTA community. My business and two kids in high school keep me quite occupied, but we’re all busy and I have a feeling I always will be.
I have always had both feet in “languages”… growing up biculturally, living abroad, being a project manager, translating/transcribing Spanish>EN, and improving cultural competency. I’ve seen such changes and growth, and the collaboration amongst colleagues is astounding – the technology connecting us is complex and miraculous.
Previously, I served as Treasurer for another Board of a similarly sized organization, and considering this past experience, I feel very comfortable taking on this role for the CTA. It would be a pleasure to serve and collaborate with the CTA Board members.
Michelle Bradley
