Aaryn has been an interpreter for 20 years, earning her first certification in 2010. Aaryn values collaboration and strives to establish best practices within interpreting communities for managing vicarious trauma, navigating ethical decisions and building our businesses. The majority of her career, Aaryn has served on designated interpreter teams for medical professionals, PhD candidates and government employees. Aaryn has extensive experience working with CDIs. Her practice currently specializes in conference and business travel interpreting. Aaryn is a practitioner first, which is reflected in her interpreting practice, presentation topics and business relationship style. Each of her workshops include intrapersonal awareness and interpersonal navigation components for consideration. Aaryn fosters spaces in which participants co-create knowledge and understanding.

Dr. Topher Ávila is a filmmaker, BEI/RID Comprehensively Certified Deaf Interpreter (CCDI), community organizer, curriculum developer, and writer. Rooted in his LSMASL Deaf familia, Topher carries those raíces/roots into everything he does today. Abolition, Disability Justice, and Language Justice inform his work, blending advocacy with artistic creativity. Topher has worked as an interpreter since 2016. In his free time, he enjoys writing scripts, binge-watching TV shows, swimming, and skating.

Corey Axelrod, MBA, is the founder and CEO of 2axend, a Deaf-owned strategic consulting and training firm working with organizations to provide user-centric experiences to Deaf and hard of hearing individuals. Prior to founding 2axend, Axelrod served in several business development roles for Communication Service for the Deaf, as well as principal and digital marketing consultant for Synergetic Business Solutions, digital marketing coordinator for Purple Communications and director of marketing and business development for Hager Productions. Axelrod earned his master of business administration (MBA) with a concentration in marketing and sales management and his bachelor of science in business administration from the Rochester Institute of Technology.

Pauline Ballentine, Ed.D., CDI, is an Interpreter Education Specialist with the Sorenson Interpreter Academy at Sorenson Communications and a freelance Deaf Interpreter in Colorado. She brings more than 20 years of experience in interpreter education, ASL instruction, and professional development across a variety of settings, with particular experience and interest in legal interpreting. Pauline holds the Colorado Legal Credential and has experience interpreting in legal settings. Her work as an educator and presenter emphasizes the interpreting process, including message analysis, decision-making, language and cultural considerations, and the intentional choices interpreters make when navigating complex interactions. She has been involved with the Integrated Model of Interpreting since 2012 and remains committed to its intentional and sustained application to interpreting practice. Pauline is actively engaged in local and regional committees and professional organizations and has presented workshops for interpreters, K–12 educators, and parents of Deaf children. Her broader professional interests include interpreter education, language development, literacy with Deaf children, and strengthening interpreting practice through reflection and deliberate skill development. Outside of her professional work, Pauline enjoys life with her Deaf husband and their three Deaf adult children. She loves hiking in the mountains, reading, and caring for her animals, including chickens, cats, and a Deaf dog.

An applied sociologist by training, Dr. Jeremy L. Brunson holds a Ph.D. in Sociology alongside graduate degrees in Sociology, Justice Studies, and Disability Studies. His scholarly work—encompassing publications and presentations on legal interpreting, Video Relay Service, the invisible labor of Deaf individuals, and institutional ethnography—bridges his academic expertise with practical, systems-level application. As part of his interpreting practice, Dr. Brunson brings more than two decades of experience as a legal interpreter. He has worked in various jurisdictions, including City and Justice Courts, Superior Courts, U.S. District Courts, and the Supreme Court of the United States. His legal interpreting experience spans civil, probate, criminal, and juvenile matters, and includes interpreting more than 200 competency assessments in forensic mental health settings.

Hard-of-Hearing and a fourth-generation member of a Deaf family, Clyde Catron has lived a journey spanning academia, homelessness, incarceration, addiction, treatment, and recovery. His experiences have taken him from six years at Gallaudet University to the streets of Skid Row, Los Angeles as a homeless person for 7 years, ultimately leading to a life of recovery and purpose. Today, Clyde is four years and three months clean and four years and one month sober. He has returned to school to study Addiction Studies and is passionate about educating others about drug prevention, addiction, recovery, homelessness, the criminal justice system, and treatment. As an enculturally Deaf man navigating a hearing world, Clyde also presents about the unique communication and accessibility challenges Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing individuals face in courtrooms, jails, treatment programs, schools, and everyday life. Through webinars, schools for the Deaf, colleges, churches, and community settings, Clyde shares his story to raise awareness, promote prevention, and advocate for better communication and recovery resources within the Deaf community. His mission is simple: share his experience, educate others, and help ensure that no Deaf or Hard-of-Hearing person is left unheard when they need help most.

A certified Deaf interpreter since 1979, Eileen Forestal has worked primarily in legal and medical settings. For 36 years, she served as a coordinator and professor in ASL/Deaf Studies and Interpreter Education programs in New Jersey before retiring in 2015. She later continued teaching as an adjunct professor in New York City, Princeton University and Montclair State University in New Jersey, and at the University of North Florida as well as a visiting professor for University of Southern Maine (2016-2017). As a national and international educator, Forestal has presented on Deaf interpreting, Deaf-Hearing interpreter teams, legal interpreting, ethics, and related topics. She is also listed as a legal interpreter trainer on the NCIEC Legal Interpreting website. Her publications include The Emerging Professionals: Deaf Interpreters and Their Views and Experiences in Training (2005); Deaf Interpreters: The Dynamics of Their Interpreting Processes (2014); Deaf Translation: Socio-Cultural Perspectives (co-author, 2018); and Deaf Translation: Pedagogical Perspectives (co-author, 2021), among others. She remains deeply committed to advancing the practice and understanding of Deaf-Hearing interpreter teams.

"James Frost is a Deaf attorney with more than 25 years of legal experience and the founder of Signing Edge, a Deaf-owned law practice based in St. Peters, Missouri. His practice includes family law, estate planning, Social Security disability matters, personal injury, and other legal services, with an emphasis on providing accessible legal representation to Deaf and Hard of Hearing individuals. Throughout his career, James has advocated for communication access and the rights of Deaf, Hard of Hearing, and DeafBlind individuals. His advocacy has included collaborating with interpreter training programs, Deaf advocacy organizations, healthcare providers, and the Missouri Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing to improve communication access in healthcare, legal, and other settings. In 2014, James successfully advocated for a major healthcare system to provide sign language interpreters in emergency room settings following reports that Deaf patients had been denied interpreting services. In 2026, he collaborated with Clio, a legal technology company, to advance ASL-accessible client intake processes, helping reduce communication barriers for Deaf individuals seeking legal representation. These efforts reflect his longstanding commitment to improving institutional accessibility and meaningful access to essential services. That commitment took on an even deeper personal significance when James was diagnosed with advanced liver cirrhosis and subsequently underwent a liver transplant. Navigating the complex medical decisions, uncertainty, and emotional challenges associated with transplantation reinforced his understanding of how essential effective communication and qualified sign language interpreters are when individuals face life-altering circumstances. Drawing on his experiences as an attorney, advocate, and Deaf individual navigating the healthcare system, James brings a distinctive perspective to the intersection of legal practice, interpreting, and communication access. His professional and personal experiences have deepened his understanding of how emotional distress, communication barriers, and complex information can affect an individual's ability to understand their options, make informed decisions, and meaningfully participate in matters affecting their life, rights, and family."

Carla Mathers practiced law in Maryland and the District of Columbia for over twenty-five years. She currently is an independent consultant teaching legal interpreters, and a practicing legal interpreter. Ms. Mathers’ law degree is from Howard University School of Law and her interpreting degree is from the College of Southern Idaho. She serves on the District of Columbia Courts Language Access Advisory Council and on the American Bar Association’s Advisory Group for Language Access Standards for the Courts. Ms. Mathers was a member of the RID Task Force on Legal Credentialing and of the Maryland Administrative Office of the Courts' Advisory Committee on Interpreters, its Sub-committee on Ethics and its Sub-committee on Testing and Training. Ms. Mathers served as the Legal Program Coordinator for MARIE Center/DOIT Center at the University of Northern Colorado. She served as an adjunct instructor for the Gallaudet University Department of Interpretation teaching legal interpreting. She was Vice President for the Conference of Interpreter Trainers and was on the Board of Directors for the Deaf Abused Women’s Network in Washington, D.C. Ms. Mathers is the author of Sign Language Interpreters in Court: Understanding Best Practices, a text for interpreters, attorneys, and courts to understand the principles underlying ASL court interpreting.

Alexandria is a Deaf employee at the Department of Justice who carries a rich experience of understanding how the language functions in the interpreting process. She has worked with sign language interpreters for more than thirteen years and is from a Deaf family where signing is the primary mode of communication. She has graduated from Seymour Joseph Institute's Interpreting in Training Program where she and others were the first Deaf CDIs to graduate from the program. Alexandria has taught classes at the Interpreting in Training Program; Ethics in Interpreting, Contrasting of the Interpreting Models, Legal Interpreting, and Working with the Deaf Interpreter. She obtained her Masters of Science in Criminal Justice Administration from Tiffin University and has worked in the Tri-States as a freelance Certified Deaf interpreter.

Christopher Tester, Ph.D., is the founder and visionary behind With Direction, LLC. As a Deaf individual with decades of experience in interpreting and consulting, Christopher brings a unique perspective that bridges cultural and linguistic gaps. His work spans various fields, including legal, academic, and corporate settings, where he ensures precise and impactful communication. An accredited International Sign Interpreter with the World Federation of the Deaf (WFD) and a member of the International Association of Conference Interpreters (AIIC), Christopher’s expertise is globally recognized. Throughout his career, Christopher has worked with high-profile organizations, including the United Nations and UNICEF, delivering interpretation and consulting services that are both technically accurate and culturally sensitive. He has a passion for enhancing the practice of sign language interpreting and works tirelessly to improve accessibility and inclusivity for the Deaf community. As an educator and consultant, he has shaped conversations about disability rights, interpreting practices, and cross-cultural communication through his workshops and presentations worldwide. His leadership at With Direction, LLC reflects his commitment to elevating communication standards and ensuring that every interaction is clear and meaningful.

Dr. Jaime Wilson is a Deaf prescribing medical psychologist and board certified neuropsychologist practicing across Washington State and beyond. With hospital privileges and collaborations with physicians, forensic experts, and allied professionals, he provides extensive neuropsychological insights for global care. He’s a recognized leader in inclusive practice, having served as Past President of the Association of Medical Professionals with Hearing Loss (AMPHL). He currently contributes to the Diversity Council of the Society of Prescribing Psychology and chairs the Diversity Committee at the American Board of Professional Neuropsychology. Dr. Wilson is the author of two heartfelt, empowering books:  Preserving the Etchings of the Mind offers an easy-to-read, hopeful guide to protecting the aging brain and safeguarding memory, especially in the context of hearing loss. With over 50 five-star reviews, it’s become a trusted resource for families and clinicians alike: https://amzn.to/3LHl8su  His newly released Bridge of Time: Caregivers & Care Receivers with Hearing Loss in Alzheimer’s & Dementia is a tender roadmap for navigating memory loss and hearing loss with compassion—available now: https://amzn.to/414duQO Born with a profound hearing loss, Dr. Wilson grew up using bilateral hearing aids and primarily communicated using spoken language, although he is also fluent in American Sign Language. He resides in Olympia, WA, with his equally Deaf wife (an RN), their three children, and their spirited King Charles Spaniel, Pepper Jack. Discover more about his work, connect online, or explore his books at www.WilsonClinical.com or via your favorite social media channels: https://linktr.ee/dr_wilson