Meet the Board

Julia A. Villaseñor, PhD

President

Dr. Villasenor is a freelance English <> Spanish translator and interpreter who specializes primarily in medical and legal/immigration interpreting. She completed her undergraduate degree in Spanish at the Universidad de las Américas Puebla (Mexico), holds a M.A. in Spanish from the University of Akron and a Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction from Kent State University, and more recently completed the M.A. in Translation Studies from Kent State (2018). Prior to making the transition into translating and interpreting, Julia had a long career in teaching Spanish and ESL at both the university level as well as in non-profit contexts and has also served on numerous professional boards and councils. In addition to her free-lance work, she is currently employed by Akron Children’s Hospital as a medical interpreter.

Anne Chamali

Vice President

Hannah Sampson, MA

Secretary

Ms. Sampson is an ATA-certified Spanish to English translator and editor based in Kent, Ohio. She holds a B.A. in Latin American Studies and Spanish from Ohio Wesleyan University and an M.A. in Spanish Translation from the Institute for Applied Linguistics at Kent State University. Hannah has collaborated with the Black Squirrel Translator Collective since 2019. She specializes in medical and legal translation.

Christine Mack Joyce, MA

Membership Chair

Ms. Joyce is a freelance French>English translator. Ms. Joyce holds a master's degree from Bowling Green State University, a master's degree from Case Western Reserve University, a Diplôme Supérieur de Français des Affaires from the Chambre de Commerce de Paris, in addition to advanced studies at the Institut de Touraine and the Sorbonne. Ms. Joyce has substantial organizational experience as a non-profit administrator and extensive experience in curriculum development as an academic dean of a private academy. Most recently, she has worked on translations for an international human resources firm and has provided general and technical translations to an international technology company.

Anne Chemali

Vice President

Jill R. Sommer, MA

Event Chair

Ms. Sommer is a full-time freelance German>English translator. She holds a BA in German and a BA Russian from Bowling Green State University and an MA in German Translation from Kent State University. She lived and worked as a freelance translator in Germany for six years. After moving back to the U.S. in 2001, she continued freelancing and specializes in medical translation. She has attended the ATA conference and presented regularly there since 2002. She served on the Ethics Committee in 2012 and then again from 10/2016 to the present, serving from 10/2018-10/2021 as Chair. Over the last few years of her tenure as Chair she oversaw the rewriting of the Ethics Code and Procedures, which will be unveiled this October at the annual conference.

Rita Pavone, PhD

Public Relations Chair

Dr. Pavone has been an interpreter, a translator, and a cultural competence consultant for over 20 years. She is also a Policy/Regulations Researcher and Educational Consultant and has taught higher education courses in Communications, Conflict Management, Criminal Justice, Critical Thinking, Healthcare Administration, Political Science, and Public Administration since 2011. Furthermore, she is a conference and webinar presenter. Dr. Pavone holds an Advanced Degree in Foreign Languages and Cultures, an MA in Communications Management, an MPhil in Advanced Research/Public Policy and Administration, and a PhD in Public Policy & Law AND Criminal Justice. She recently completed an MS in Forensic Psychology. She has been part of several committees, such as the NAJIT Advocacy Committee (2014-2017), and served as the Program Coordinator and Speaker for the Austin Area Translators and Interpreters Association (AATIA) Interpreter Special Interests Group (ISIG) (2013-2023).

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