BMC Facilitators Bios

Theresa Barker-Simms was raised in a large Deaf Family and is fourth generation Deaf. She currently lives with her husband who identifies as Non-Status Metis and their daughter, along with 2 dogs in Ontario, Canada. 

Theresa started interpreting at a young age for her parents, friends and family. She became involved with Deaf-Blind interpreting as a teenager, and that started the interpreting spark. Becoming a Deaf Interpreter was not something that Theresa thought she could do, as it was not a well-known profession in Canada. Only later in life was she able to meet others who were doing Deaf Interpreting and that inspired her to further her education and take workshops to work towards her goal of becoming an interpreter full-time. 

Theresa has lived in various places- in two completely opposite sides of the globe, from Africa to the Northwest Territories in Northern Canada. She is also currently the president for Canadian Association of Sign Language Interpreters (CASLI) formerly AVLIC. 

Theresa has taken various trainings in the US, as well as multiple workshops under the IMI seminars. To date, Theresa is currently the only Deaf Interpreter in Canada who has taken the Mental Interpreting Health Training workshop. She is one of 3 other Deaf Interpreters in Ontario that work full-time as a freelance interpreter. She often works in court, legal, mental health, medical, media interpreting and various other settings. 

Theresa started taking seminars from BMC in 2018 and that was when the light bulb went off and  IMI just made sense! Theresa is always eager to take further workshops under BMC as well as others, most recently, Our Vygotskyan Journey. Theresa has also recently joined the facilitating team here at BMC. She enjoys talking, reading, walks, camping/hikes and being outdoors with her family. 

Lianne Moccia from northern NH has been a certified interpreter in private community practice for 40 years. By a stroke of good fortune she was introduced to Betty Colonomos (and MJ Bienvenu and The Bicultural Center) at the beginning of her interpreting journey. She began workshops and courses at TBC and then worked with colleagues to bring Betty and the IMI to Vermont and New England. Lianne has many times cycled through all levels of Foundations, understanding something different each time. She has been assisting at Foundations and other workshops for over 10 years and was the coordinator of The Etna Project NH from its inception until it ended two years ago. With Betty, Lianne co-authored “Process Mediation as Mentoring” which was published by RID.  

Pauline has participated in the Deaf Foundations of Interpreting Seminar Series multiple times. She has mentored with Betty and been an active co-presenter and facilitator of Deaf Foundations. She incorporates what she's learned of the IMI in her work as a CDI, as a teacher, and in conversations with other Deaf Interpreters.

Kelly is highly invested in the development of the interpreting field. Since 2005, Kelly has been working throughout Region I in private practice. She is engaged in leadership at the local, regional and national level of the interpreting profession. She has coordinated and implemented countless community based projects and events primarily focusing on social justice and Deaf-parented interpreters. Her articles regarding ethics in teaming and how interpreters frame the task of interpreting can be found on Street Leverage. Kelly’s article, co-authored with Betty Colonomos, tilted ​Mastery in Mentoring​ is available via the RID VIEWS. As an Integrated Model of Interpreting (IMI) practitioner, Kelly is involved in the dedicated practice of reflective dialogue at the Etna Project.

Jeremy is an interpreter in the Washington, D.C. metro area. He began working with Betty and the Integrated Model of Interpreting in the fall of 2016 when he took Foundations I for the first time while studying at Gallaudet University for his Master of Arts in Interpretation. He was deeply intrigued by the way in which IMI spaces allow for non-evaluative and non-judgmental discussion of the work and the interpreting process in a completely new way, de-personalizing the conversation and allowing for authentic exploration of the cognitive process of interpreting, which subsequently led him to pursue and complete the rest of the Foundations series. That same spark and the desire to see those spaces manifest across the field of sign language interpreting is what motivates him as a facilitator and keeps him coming back to the IMI community.

Anne has been practicing interpreting in the DC/ Maryland area since 1997. She currently works in government, community, VRS and mental health settings. Anne was first exposed to the Integrated Model of Interpreting (IMI) work at The Bicultural Center in the early 90’s. She has been a part of The Etna Project for ten years. Her on-going study of the IMI allowed her to be more introspective and reflective about her work and the decisions she makes. Anne has recently begun facilitating Foundations and IMI seminars, both in person and online. This has allowed her to further her understanding of the IMI and to see the benefits to learning and discovering with a Vgotskian framework.

Kendra Timko-Hochkeppel, MCDHH State-Screened Deaf Interpreter. She received her B.S. in Education from Northeastern University and a M.A. in Social Work from Salem State University. She works full-time as an interpreter in private practice. She is 3rd generation Deaf, and was born and raised in Connecticut. She currently resides in Massachusetts with her husband and 2 KODA teen daughters. She has extensive experience at the Deaf Foundations of Interpreting Seminar Series, including facilitation. Kendra has also been a part of the BMC Facilitators Roundtable and Sharing our R: Unpacking our Formative Experiences. She is an IMI practitioner through and through. In her free time, she enjoys spending time camping with her family, reading a good book and playing disc golf when she has the chance. 

David N. Evans (he/him) is a student of the Integrated Model of Interpreting (IMI), which allows practitioners to view and analyze their work in holistic and non-evaluative terms. He is dedicated to the practice of reflective dialogue at the Etna Project: A Community of Reflective Practitioners. A nationally-certified practitioner providing ASL-English interpretation and translation services professionally since 1987, David works extensively in conference and platform arenas, 12-step/recovery, and a variety of community settings. He has been one of the primary interpreters for Bread of Life Deaf Lutheran Church since 2014, and one of the primary interpreters for a Lutheran Seminary since 2019.

Educating interpreters for over 25 years, David has benefited greatly from his own work and study with the Bilingual Mediation Center (BMC) and Betty Colonomos. Rather than the traditional approach of lecturing, David now strives to provide activities to engage in and then reflect on through dialogue. This allows participants to make their own discoveries about their work and process, thereby enabling them to interpret more effectively.

David makes his home in Minneapolis. He is a voracious reader, loves playing Frisbee, roller skating, disco, and walking around the city's many lakes.

JANIS COLE, PhD., RSC, CDI, Feminist, ASL/English Interpreter/Translator; Educator/Consultant, and community forum leader/facilitator, and social justice. Janis does interpreting work in private practice throughout the country. She has served in multiple roles at the local, regional, national and international levels within the RID and has co-led the community forum at RID. Janis is involved with the Integrated Model of Interpreting (IMI) as a practitioner in the practice of reflective dialogue under Betty Colonomos's Bilingual Mediation Center (BMC) guidance. As a vital member of a groundbreaking program designed to revolutionize perceptions and practices in ASL and English literacy instruction, The Magical Literacy Camp (1997) which led her focus on translation studies and identity. Over 35 years, Janis taught at Boston University, Northeastern University and Gallaudet University presented various topics related to interpreting/translation and Deaf/Cultural Studies courses. Currently, Janis teaches at several universities as an adjunct with a focus on interpreting and translating and as president/CEO of LesDeux2 Language Production Company.

Kathy Goodson has been a practitioner of the Integrated Model of Interpreting (IMI) for twenty years.  Her passion for the cognitive process of interpreting is fueled by a practice grounded in reflective dialogue with colleagues. Kathy works as a staff interpreter for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Center located at Mt. San Antonio College in Southern California. She has a Master’s degree in Linguistics and Communication Studies and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Deaf Studies from California State University, Northridge.