2011 Board Meetings
IMIA Board Meetings are held the first Thursday of each month from 11-1pm EST;
January 6, February 3, March 3, April 7, May 5, June 2, July 7, August - no meeting, September1, October 6, November 3, December 1.

2011 Officers Meetings
IMIA Officers Meeting held every other Friday via conference call at 10am Pacific / 12pm Central / 1pm EST; Meeting Duration: 30 minutes
January 7 & 20 - February 4 & 18 - March 4 & 18 - April 1, 15 & 29 - May 6 & 20 - June 3 & 17 - July 1, 15 &20 - August - no meetings - September 2, 16 & 30 - October 7 & 21 - November 4 & 18 - December 2, 16 & 30. 

The organization is governed by an Executive Board of Directors, consisting of a President, Vice-President, Secretary and Treasurer, and Directors. Together, the Executive Committee (President, VP, Treasurer, Secretary) and the Directors comprise the Executive Board of the organization.


President
Lola Bendana has a degree in international relations with a specialization in Latin American Studies and English-Spanish interpreting and translation. She worked in Costa Rica as a cultural/foreign affairs facilitator with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and as head of international relations with the Nicaraguan Committee for Refugees. After immigrating to Canada, she worked as a freelancer for the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada offering pre-departure and intercultural effectiveness courses on Nicaragua and Costa Rica.

Lola has been involved in the translation and interpreting field for over 20 years; since 1997, she has been the Director of Multi-Languages Corporation.

In the past, she served as a member of the Board of Directors of the Healthcare Interpretation Network, she chaired the Terminology Committee and the Policy Committee where she lead the project to create the national standards of Canada for Community Interpreting; she participated in the Critical Link Canada Standards of Practice and Training Committee; she was selected as a voting member of the technical Committee of the Canadian General Standards Board that created the Canadian national translation service standards CAN CGSB 131.10-2008; she was voted as Canada’s representative of the International Medical Interpreters Association (IMIA).

Presently, she serves on the Board of Directors of the Language Industry Association of Canada - AILIA, is the Vice-Chair of the Association, Chair of the AILIA Communications Committee and member of the Translation and Interpreting Committee. Lola is a member of the Canadian Advisory Committee to ISO TC37 where she participates as an expert delegate to create international standards for translation and interpreting. Lola has served on the IMIA Executive Board and is currently the President of IMIA.  Contact:  president@imiaweb.org


Vice President
Anita Coelho Diabate is a Portuguese Medical and Mental Health interpreter with the Cambridge Health Alliance, Adjunct Professor of Mental Health Interpreting at Cambridge College and "2012 Interpreter of the Year" at Cambridge Health Alliance. Anita holds post-secondary certificates in both Medical and Mental Health interpreting from Cambridge College. In her role at the Cambridge Health Alliance, she works both within their internal Call Center and on the hospital units fielding Medical and Mental Health interpreter assisted calls and face-to-face requests while serving as a multilingual Information Specialist.

As Vice President, her responsibilities include developing innovative ways in which to promote Medical Interpretation internationally, incorporating "best practice" orientation and member feedback into new programs for furthering professional interpreter development.  As an IMIA Board Director, she is committed to sharing vital information on National Certification for the advancement of Professional Medical Interpreters. Contact: vp@imiaweb.org.


Treasurer
Juana Horton is the CEO of Horton Interpreting Services Inc., the largest interpreting and translation company in Rhode Island, working in over 85 languages with over 200 professional translators and interpreters. Ms. Horton, who is Venezuelan-American, has over 15 years of practical application experience in translating and interpreting. Member of; IMIA, RIMIA, ATA, National Association of Judiciary Interpreters and Translators and the New England Translators Association. She attended SMU in Dartmouth, MA. In the course of her career, her achievements have been recognized with the following awards: 2000, "Small Business Leader of the Year" the Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce. The U.S. Small Business Administration's "RI Minority Small Business Person" of the year 2002 and 2003, Rhode Island and New England's "Minority Small Business Advocate of the Year". 2004, YWCA's Hallmark Women Award, "Women's Economic Empowerment". 2008, "Woman in Business" from the Women's Center of RI . 2007, "Entrepreneur" RI Genesis center. 2006, "Healthcare Business Leader of the Year" national Association of Hispanic Healthcare Executives. 2009, " Influential Women Behind Hispanic Chambers " Morris County Hispanic chamber of Commerce.  Ms. Horton currently serves on the following Boards; U S Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Boston Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, New England Association of Schools and Colleges, RI Hospital Board of Governors, Butler Hospital Board of Governors, Phoenix House of New England, RI School of Design Arts Committee, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of RI, Providence Foundation, Disciplinary Board of the Supreme Court of RI, Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce, and the Providence Economic Development Partnership Board. Contact: treasurer@imiaweb.org.


Secretary
Anastasia Antoniou has a diverse interdisciplinary educational and professional foundation. By nature, she is an entrepreneur with a strong work ethic, an extensive operations management background and believes that all situations can be optimized if there is an accurate identification of the key drivers as the cornerstone to design and implement a strategy for success. She has presented in diverse settings with the common theme to empower individuals to indentify and pursue their aspirations and dreams - at times acting as a personal or team “coach”. Currently developing InspireForALifetime.com designed to offer on-line, hybrid courses and live audience presentations with a focus on Personal Growth and Development and Motivational Speaking. A freelance Greek Medical Interpreter she also represents the International Medical Interpreters Association (IMIA) as the Massachusetts State Chair. In this capacity, she promotes the benefits of being an IMIA member, mentors members to assist in making their goals and dreams a reality and promotes Medical Interpreting as a viable career option. Ms Antoniou has a B.S. (Accounting) and an M.B.A. (Product Development/Communications) from UMass Lowell, is a trained Mediator and an avid life-long student with self directed studies that include Anthropology, Business Development, Legal and Consumer Issues research. Contact secretary@imiaweb.org.

Directors

Maria Gatej
Maria Gatej graduated from the University of Cluj, Romania with a Bachelors of Arts in Romance Languages and Literature (French, Romanian and Italian).  She pursued her graduate studies at UMass North Dartmouth/Southern New England School of Law where she received her Juris Doctor degree in 2000. She is currently working as the Director of Educational Interpreter Services for the Merrimack Valley Area Health Educational Center, under the auspices of the UMASS Medical School. In this capacity, she is in charge with the management of all Merrimack Valley AHEC grants and programs related to the medical interpreter field. Maria is closely involved as a faculty member and preceptor/language specialist in the 54-hour Medical Interpreter Program. She is also a member of the Statewide AHEC Network team, working in a joint project of revising and redesigning the Statewide AHEC 54-hours Medical Interpreter Program curriculum. Maria is serving in the MMIA for the past seven years as a regional co-director for the Merrimack Valley area. This position, in addition to being the chairperson for the Merrimack Valley Interpreter Services Task Force, enables her to promote a healthy communication and collaboration between MMIA and local medical institutions and related agencies. Contact: MGatej@imiaweb.org

Cynthia Schenck
Cynthia Schenck is married and lives on the North Shore. She lived and studied Spanish in South America and became a medical interpreter at Union Hospital NSMC in 1994. Cynthia and husband William own and operate Medical Interpreters of the North Shore.  They enjoy eating Vietnamese food and frequently hold Latin and Ballroom Dance Extravaganzas at their home. Cynthia joined the MMIA in 1994.  "If you can walk you can dance, if you can talk you can sing." African Proverb. Contact: cschenck@imiaweb.org





Fanny Tchorz
Fanny Tchorz was born in Ecuador. She was educated in South America, Europe, and the United States.  At the present time, Fanny works at Saint Anne?s Hospital in Fall River, MA, where she currently serves as Director of the Interpreter Services Department, chair of the Hispanos Unidos, and co-chair of the Multicultural Health Committee.  Fanny is also a trainer in cultural competence in health and human services from the Cross Cultural Health Care Program of Seattle, WA, a member of the Health Access Collaborative, and a member of Oiste?, a Massachusetts Latino political organization working with The Gaston Institute for Latino Community Development and Public Policy.  Fanny pledges to achieve her goals in spreading culture, education, awareness, and providing quality health care excellence to the people of Southeastern Massachusetts. Contact: Ftchorz@imiaweb.org .


Ira Sen-Gupta
Ira SenGupta, Executive Director of the Cross Cultural Health Care Program (CCHCP) has actively contributed to the field of culturally and linguistically appropriate health and human services as a speaker, trainer, researcher and community advocate.  She has served CCHCP in several capacities for the past eighteen years while representing the organization in multiple venues.

A leader in her own community, Ira has extensive experience working with ethnically diverse communities, and has gained a deep understanding of diverse perspectives on health care. She has served her community as an interpreter in three languages from India, as the President of the India Association of Western Washington and currently as a board member of Ragamala which promotes the performing arts of South Asia. She was appointed by Governor Christine Gregoire to the Board of Trustees of the Renton Technical College and is serving her second five- year term. A co-founder of the Society of Medical Interpreters, Ira continues to serve her professional community as a member of the national advisory board for the Diversity RX conference series and on the board of the International Medical Interpreters Association (IMIA).  Contact:  isengupta@imiaweb.org


Eric Candle
Eric Candle holds an MS in Computer Science and Computer Translation, and an advanced certificate “Creating and leading Strategic Growth” from the Rochester Institute of Technology.  His college graduation work was executed and presented in English and Russian languages.  Eric is a qualified medical interpreter with 15 years of professional experience at the largest NY State hospitals, a credentialed translator, and a licensed Community Interpreter trainer. He is an adjunct professor of medical interpreting at the State University of New York.  He has studied, worked and taught in Germany, Austria, Russia, and Ukraine.  Eric is currently the IMIA NY State and Regional Representative.  He is a passionate advocate of the meaningful LEP patient’s access to healthcare services. Eric has delivered numerous presentations on the National Certification for Medical Interpreters.  Eric Candle is the President of ECdata, Inc., a NY-based language training and information management company.  Contact: ecandle@imiaweb.org.


Iliana Rivera
In a time where Northwest Arkansas was adapting to diversity in the community Mrs. Iliana Rivera worked to break language barriers from the youngest to the oldest. She began her journey by organizing an economical after-school program that offered children an exposure to a second language and cultural enrichment, which allowed working parents a safe environment for their children. Iliana Rivera also began a program at the local schools that provided bilingual senior students to assist in breaking communication barriers between parents and school faculty. Northwest Arkansas school districts adapted this program and it is currently still successfully running. As the need for bilingual office staff grew in the community, Iliana Rivera later offered a program that provided female minorities skills to prepare them for the workforce and self-enhancement. These skills readied her when the opportunity to pioneer a program that would introduce a change to the Northwest Arkansas healthcare industry. She took that opportunity, began her research, and has developed the only hospital-based program in Northwest Arkansas that provides free language assistance within the hospital and its affiliates. Her work has been featured in local media as well as a physician’s journal.  She has now joined the Nursing Administration team at Washington Regional Medical Center and continues her dedication for better healthcare quality for all. Contact: irivera@imiaweb.org


Maurizio Di Fresco
Maurizio Di Fresco studied Economics for two years at the University of Palermo, Italy, and then attended the Higher Institute of Interpreters and Translators, where he graduated in 1992. While working as a freelance interpreter, he studied Political Sciences at the University of Palermo, then started working as a full-time interpreter at the Department of Tourism & Transportation of Sicily, Italy. From 1999 to 2008, he worked as an in-house interpreter at the Mediterranean Institute for Transplants and Highly Specialized Therapies (a public hospital based in Palermo, Sicily, created in 1999 as the result of a public-private partnership between the city’s two largest hospitals and the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center). In 2006 he obtained a second University Degree in Language Mediation. In 2008 he left the Language Services Department of ISMETT and became one of the two International Patient Services Coordinators who now manage all the administrative and logistic activities concerning foreign patients, including recruiting and directing interpreters and cultural mediators for many languages. In addition to being an International Patient Services Coordinators at ISMETT, Maurizio Di Fresco works as a freelance conference interpreter. Maurizio is also a Board Director of the International Medical Interpreters Association. Contact mdifresco@imiaweb.org


Lluís Baixauli-Olmos
Lluís Baixauli-Olmos is a PhD student at Universitat Jaume I (Spain), where he also studied his BA in Translation and Interpreting and a specialization course on interpreting in the healthcare and cultural mediation. He has taught translation and interpreting courses at university level. He has contributed to several conferences with papers and posters. His research interests are professional ethics of the interpreter and professionalization processes. He is committed to preparing a recommendation of ethical guidelines for public service interpreters in Spain.  Contact lbaixauliolmos@imiaweb.org.

Executive Director
Izabel S. Arocha, M.Ed., CMI, is a nationally certified medical interpreter and the Executive Director of the International Medical Interpreters Association, the representative association of medical interpreters worldwide. Arocha serves as Secretary General of FIT, The International Federation of Translators, representing over 100 translator, interpreter, and terminologist associations worldwide. She is also a member of the Global Advisory Board, and is an ASTM an ISO Expert US Committee delegate on their respective interpreting standards. She worked as a professor at Boston University and Cambridge College and advocates for academic education as a means to professionalization. Her Multidisciplinary Competency Model provides a generalist to specialist interpreter identity schema. She was an advocate for the IMIA charter from 1986 to implement certification and as IMIA President, co-founded the National Board of Certification for Medical Interpreters in 2009. She advocates for the reimbursement of medical interpreters in Capitol Hill, and internationally for language rights as an international human rights issue.  She was born in Australia and raised in Belgium, Spain, Japan, Mexico, Serbia, and Brazil and is fluent in Spanish and Portuguese and speaks French well. She was the recipient of the Language Award in 2008 and the IMIA Lighthouse Leadership Award in 2010 and the Founders Award from the National Medical Interpreter Certification Forum in 2011. Arocha holds a Bachelor in Management from Lesley University, a Translation Certificate from University of Cambridge, England, from 1981, and a Masters in Education from Boston University. Currently she is a PhD candidate at Osaka University, Osaka, Japan. Her most recent international research explores the cultural interface role of medical interpreters. Contact: iarocha@imiaweb.org

IMIA Past Presidents:

Raquel Cashman (deceased)
Maria Durham
John Nickrosz (jdnickrosz@aol.com)
Joy Connell (Joy.Connell@state.ma.us)
Izabel Arocha 2006 - 2010 (iarocha@imiaweb.org)
Lola Bendana 2011 (translations@multi-languages.com)

IMIA Board Hall of Fame
http://www.imiaweb.org/about/boardhalloffame.asp