Meet your new Secretary-Elect: Andrea K Smith!
Andrea K Smith, MA, CI & CT, SC:L, NIC
Hello! My name is Andrea K Smith, and I am honored to stand before you today as a candidate for the position of Secretary of RID’s National Board. With 25 years of experience in interpreting, I bring both a deep passion for growing our profession and improving our delivery of services to the Deaf community we serve.
I began my career in the Pacific Northwest, receiving my AA from the Seattle Central Community College Interpreter Training Program. I spent a year in the Portland, OR area before heading to Washington, DC and establishing my private practice. I worked in the DC area for 15 years, specializing in legal and scientific/technical work. While there, I completed a BA in Interpreting through the University of Cincinnati and a Master’s degree from the European Sign Language Interpreting (EUMASLI) program.
After DC, I spent two years in Dublin, Ireland serving as a designated interpreter. I then found my dream job working with a Deaf attorney at the American Civil Liberties Union where I have been for nearly five years. I currently live in Colorado. I love the Colorado mountains and spend most winter weekends snowboarding and summer weekends hiking.
I have served on more than a dozen different Boards, committees, and taskforces in my career. I have previously served National on the Bylaws Committee and done three tenures on the Certification Committee.
As Secretary, I hope to continue demonstrating my commitment to volunteer service for our community. RID is engaged in a complicated transformation process. I have paid close attention to this work and done deep dives into the governance of our organization and am prepared to serve in the role of Secretary for the next three years.
Representation is incredibly important to me. I have considered Board service for many years, but have been hesitant to take up space from members of our profession with marginalized identities. I am still mindful of this and commit to proactively seeking the perspectives of marginalized communities in shaping the work that the Board will do should I be elected. In lieu of diversity factors, I hope you will find my robust experience and demonstrated commitment to the Deaf community through improving the field of interpreting through academics, professional practice, and volunteer roles compelling enough to earn your vote.
Thank you for considering my candidacy. I look forward to your support and to the opportunity to work with each of you in advancing our mission.
More About Andrea
Andrea K Smith, MA, CI & CT, SC:L, NIC (pronouns: she/her/hers) has been an interpreting professional for twenty years, primarily in legal settings with an emphasis on domestic violence and sexual assault. She works as the staff interpreter at the ACLU Disability Rights Project in San Francisco. She received her Master’s degree from the European Masters in Sign Language Interpreting with her thesis on Signposting: Neutral Channel Communications in Deaf-Hearing Interpreting Teams. She recently completed a two-year assignment in Ireland and engaged in community collaboration on the development of the Irish Sign Language interpreter regulations. Her current research examines Deaf professionals and designated interpreters in pursuit of her PhD at the University of Wolverhampton. In her personal time, she travels extensively with her spouse and twins.
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September 4, 2024: New Board of Directors Member Sworn into Office