About Us
K.C. Cato: Administrative assistant/scheduler
K.C. Cato has been handling scheduling duties at Interpreter Services since October 2006. She graduated from Eastern Michigan University in 1993 with a degree in journalism. After graduating, she worked for 12 years doing customer service at a software development company called Baseview Products. In her spare time, K.C. likes to make jewelry and basketry, which she sells in arts and crafts shows about once a month. She lives with an elderly cat named Daisy, a “temperamental Calico” who won’t let anyone but K.C. pet her.
Chi-Wei Chang: Chinese Interpreter
Originally from Taiwan, Chi-Wei has lived in the U.S. since 1988. She received her bachelor’s degree in nursing from the National Taiwan University. After coming to the U.S., she continued her higher education at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she received her MS in early childhood education. Chi-Wei has worked as a preschool teacher and administrator, and is also a licensed Kindermusik educator. She joined Interpreter Services in 2003 as a contract interpreter, and became a staff Chinese interpreter in 2004. Apart from interpreting, Chi-Wei also works at St. Joseph Mercy Hospital as a R.N.
Jane Chang Miller: Chinese Interpreter/Authorized Trainer, Bridging the Gap Medical Interpreter Training
Jane is a native Chinese speaker who grew up in Taiwan. She earned her BA in educational psychology and English from National Taiwan Normal University in 1981. She also received her teaching certificate and school counselor certificate the same year. While teaching high school English, she served as a director of her school’s student counseling center. In 1987, she returned to graduate school, majoring in school administration. Two years later, Taipei’s city education bureau selected her to study a teacher training program at California State University, Fresno. She then spent three years as principal of the Fresno Chinese School. Prior to her current job, she worked as a translator at Madonna University in Livonia. Jane is currently a staff Chinese medical interpreter and interpreter training coordinator at the UMHS. She is also the cultural education consultant for the sociocultural medicine program at the U-M Department of Medical Education.
Andi Chumley: Sign Language Interpreter
Andi is certified as a QA III Sign interpreter in the state of Michigan and is currently pursuing national certification through the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf. She attended MacMurray College in Illinois where she received her BS in Deaf Education. She previously worked as a teacher at the Illinois School for the Deaf, where she taught math in the junior high school. Andi attends various workshops and training to further develop her interpreting skills. She also serves as the coordinator of the Sign Language on-call system. She and her husband returned to her native Michigan in the summer of 2005 and are the proud parents of a beautiful daughter!
Sun Joo Chung: Korean Interpreter
Sun Joo was born in Seoul, South Korea. She has a wide range of international experience, having received her education in Korea, Switzerland and the United States. After graduating from college, she worked as a translator for international conventions and meetings, then moved on to work for the Seoul branch of a French bank. She came to Ann Arbor in 1986, when her husband began his graduate program at the University of Michigan. For the next 15 years, she stayed home as a full-time mom, raising two children that she is very proud of. Then, in 2001, she was hired by the Ann Arbor Public Schools as an ESL (English as a second language) tutor. She has worked as a staff Korean interpreter at the UMHS since 2003. Sun Joo loves her job and takes great pride in helping the Korean community.
Monika Domke : Office Assistant
Monika was born in Poland in 1979 and moved to Michigan when she was eight years old. She currently lives in Livonia with her husband and young son. She is finishing up her Master's in social work at Eastern Michigan University, and will complete her degree in June 2009 with a certificate in school social work. Monika likes to spend time with her family and friends, especially her son. She loves showing him new things, going to parks, museums, festivals, libraries and orchards. She also enjoys cooking, reading and taking pictures. When she goes to Poland to visit family, she often takes the opportunity to travel in Europe. She's been to England, Scotland and Germany, and hopes to see more next time she visits.
Fawzi El Shafei: Arabic Interpreter
Fawzi was born in Libya. He received his degree in dentistry and was a research fellow scientist for 10 years at the University of Michigan Dental School. He started working as a volunteer interpreter at the UMHS in 1992, and was hired in 2000 as an Arabic interpreter and translator. Fawzi serves on the Institutional Review Boards of the U-M Medical School as a non-physician scientist and advocate. He also has broad experience in medical writing and pharmaceutical research and development.
Rita Galin: Russian Interpreter/Medical Terminology Instructor
Rita was born in Tallinn, Estonia. She received her M.D. from Tartu State University and completed an internship in neurology at the University Health Center in Tartu. She practiced neurology at Tallinn Adolescent Clinic, acting as a medical doctor, counselor and advisor, and handling a variety of issues concerning teenagers. She later completed a course in adolescent pathophysiology and medicine in the Continuing Medical Education Institute in Leningrad, USSR. After moving to the U.S. in 1994, she took many English classes to hone her skills, and in 1994 she started to do some volunteer medical interpretation/translation at the UMHS. In 1998, she became one of Interpreter Services’ first two staff interpreters. Rita works closely with both the Russian-speaking community and the Jewish Community Center of Ann Arbor. She also volunteers at the Russian Club, does educational presentations about Russian culture, and co-teaches the Medical Terminology and Body Systems course for interpreters. She accepted the position of Lead Interpreter in 2007, helping administer the department’s growing staff alongside her colleague Denise Hermans.
Daniel Gardner: Program Assistant
Daniel simply cannot rave enough about this department. He loves working with people who enjoy their jobs and take great pride in the work they do. Daniel has lived in Michigan most of his life, but his brother and sister were born in South Carolina, where their father was stationed with the Marines. Both of his parents have always worked, so it taught him at a young age how to be responsible. In many ways this experience shaped who he became, and it enables him to handle stress well, and to actually thrive on it. He now lives very close to the rest of his family in Romulus, along with his partner Jerry. Daniel enjoys dining out with friends and family, and he studies world religions and Mandarin Chinese in his spare time. He is also a huge pet lover - he has four dogs, a cat and some fish.
Oliver Gatonez: Spanish Interpreter
Born and raised in the Dominican Republic, Oliver has worked as a medical translator/interpreter since 1998. From 1998 to 2002 he worked in the Spectrum Health System in the Grand Rapids area, and he also served as a judiciary interpreter for Kent and Ottawa counties. Oliver joined the UMHS in late 2002, when he moved to Ann Arbor with his wife Diana to pursue a master’s degree in urban and regional planning, with a concentration in urban design and international planning. In his spare time he enjoys playing tennis and reading books on religion, architecture and art history. What he enjoys most about working for Interpreter Services is the opportunity to serve the local Hispanic community, and the personal contact with patients from all over Latin America.
Michelle Harris: Director
Michelle has been with Interpreter Services off and on since 1992, and permanently since 1998. She has coordinated a comprehensive medical interpreter training program, and she trains providers on how to work effectively with interpreters. Michelle’s areas of interest include regulatory and compliance issues in the medical setting, as well as an interest in financing the cost of interpreters.
Rose Hawver: Sign Language Interpreter
Rose is an American Sign Language interpreter who grew up using sign language as her primary mode of communication, since her parents were both deaf. Sign language interpreters adhere to the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf’s strict code of ethics, and they must pursue a certain amount of education every year to maintain a high standard of professionalism and practice. Rose is certified at Michigan Quality Assurance level III – the highest rating. She is also currently studying to pass the National Association of the Deaf’s certification program.
Denise Hermans: French Interpreter
Denise was born in Montreal and has been living in Michigan for over 16 years. She started working at the U of M as a contract interpreter in 2001, and became a staff interpreter in 2003. She speaks English, French, some Spanish and a little Malinque. Denise is the coordinator of Interpreter Services education at the Nursing Blitz, and she also teaches French to UMHS staff. She accepted the position of Lead Interpreter in 2007, helping administer the department’s growing staff alongside her colleague Rita Galin.
Jeanette Kibler: Japanese Interpreter
In 2000, Jeanette came to Ann Arbor from Tokyo where she had lived for 18 years. She began working at the UMHS as a contract Japanese interpreter in 2001. She holds an MA in Japanese literature from the U of M, where she also completed the course work for a Ph.D. and taught Japanese during her studies. She enjoys interpreting because it allows her to work with others and help people in need. Japan has a big place in Jeanette’s heart, and she is thankful for the opportunity to speak Japanese and connect with Japanese people living in Michigan. She became a staff interpreter for Interpreter Services in 2006. She also enjoys training new interpreters and meeting with her fellow Japanese interpreters to continually hone their skills.
James Militzer: Spanish Interpreter/Copywriter
James was born in Michigan, and learned Spanish while living in Mexico. He started working as a contract Spanish interpreter in 2003, and was hired on staff in 2007. He has a BA in broadcasting from Central Michigan University. Alongside his interpreting duties, James provides copywriting and editing to Interpreter Services. He edits the department’s newsletter and web content, and writes grants, reports and publicity materials. When he’s not occupied at the UMHS, he works as a freelance writer/editor and pursues hobbies that include music, travel and photography.
Maria Militzer: Spanish Interpreter/Medical Terminology Instructor
Maria was born in Coatzacoalcos, Veracruz, Mexico - a tropical port city on the Gulf of Mexico. While in Mexico she earned a bachelor's degree and specializations in veterinary medicine and animal production. She moved to the United States in 2000 and joined Interpreter Services’ staff as a Spanish medical interpreter in 2002. Two years later, she received a master's degree in Spanish and international trade at Eastern Michigan University. Maria created the Spanish on-call program and co-teaches the Medical Terminology and Body Systems course. An American Translators Association-certified translator, she directs Interpreter Services’ Translation Division. She is also active in the Hispanic community, and in 2003 co-founded Latinos Unidos Inc., a not-for-profit organization serving Latinos in Washtenaw County.
Oksana Moceri: Russian Interpreter
Oksana came to Michigan from Odessa, Ukraine on July 4, 1998. She received a degree in economics and engineering at the State Academy of Telecommunication in Odessa. She started working at Interpreter Services in July of 2006 as a contractor. On December 11 of that year, she was hired as a staff Russian interpreter. Oksana and her husband live in Northville with their two sons. In her spare time, she loves to cook.
Christa Moran: Sign Language Interpreter
Christa is a sign language interpreter who joined Interpreter Services in the spring of 2006. She has a BA from the University of Michigan (go blue), a post baccalaureate degree in education from Eastern Michigan University, and a Masters Degree in Special Education/Deaf Education Certification from the University of Minnesota. She was a teacher of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing for a number of years in Minnesota before moving back home to Michigan. She completed her interpreter training at Lansing Community College where she is now currently an adjunct faculty member. Prior to joining the Interpreter Services Program, she completed a one-year internship with a hospital staff interpreter here at the UMHS. She travels all over the country taking workshops and classes to perfect her interpreting skills and to gain more knowledge regarding the rights of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. She currently holds a state of Michigan QAIII level of interpretation and is working on attaining her NCI Certification through the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf.
Angélica Paz Snyder: Spanish Interpreter
Angélica is from Guadalajara, in the state of Jalisco, Mexico. She studied Desktop Publishing at Rancho Santiago College in Santa Ana, CA, and also attended Kellogg Community College in Battle Creek, MI. From there, she transferred to Eastern Michigan University, where she finished her bachelor’s degree in both Spanish and communications. Her hobbies include doing crafts, restoring furniture, redecorating, sewing and dancing. She found out about Interpreter Services in 2001 during a Spanish class, where a classmate mentioned that the UMHS was looking for interpreters. She signed up as a contractor the following day, and worked for a year for the department. In 2002 she became a program assistant at the Program for Multicultural Health, which is part of the UMHS, where she worked for two and a half years. After taking some time off to raise a family, she returned to Interpreter Services as a staff interpreter in 2007. She currently serves as the coordinator of the Spanish on-call system.
Megumi Segawa
Megumi was born and raised in Osaka, Japan. After completing undergraduate studies in Japan, she obtained her M.A. and Ph.D. in education in Vancouver, Canada. Her specialization is cross-cultural adaptation and education. She is also a certified conference interpreter with the Japanese Interpreters’ Association of Japan. Megumi started working for the Interpreter Services Program as a volunteer in 2005 and became a staff member in 2007.
Wendy Sielaff: Billing and Payroll Specialist
Wendy is an administrative assistant at Interpreter Services. She handles payroll, billing, language classes, social events and lots of other things. She has been with Interpreter Services since December 2003. Before coming here, she worked at Kellogg Eye Center. Outside of work, Wendy is very active in the theater. She is an award-winning director, and she has co-founded a local theater group, Destination Theatre.
Linda Steinke: Arabic/Farsi/Chaldean interpreter
Linda was born in Iran, where she went to Arabic school. In her home country, she spoke Chaldean, Arabic, Farsi and Assyrian. She moved to the United States in 1974. She attended nursing school, and now lives in Ypsilanti with her three kids. After working as a contract interpreter, Linda was hired on staff in 2001. She loves her job and all the people she works with.
Gabriela C. Wilson: Spanish interpreter
Gabriela was born in Caracha, Michoacan, Mexico Nov. 1, 1978. In 1996, after graduating from high school, she went to Boston to study English, then returned to Mexico to go to college. She graduated in 2000 and went to work in the state government. She became a leader of her political party, organizing the successful campaigns of state senators and representatives in Michoacan. In 2003 she met her future husband, an American visiting Mexico on a fishing trip. The couple got married in 2004, and had their son Nicolas later that year. She started working as a Spanish contract interpreter in 2006, and in August 2007 became part of the staff.
Ayako Yamasaki: Japanese interpreter
Ayako was born in Hiroshima, Japan, and moved to Michigan when she was eight years old. She was hired as a contract interpreter in 2003 and became a staff interpreter in 2005. She has a BA in English from the University of Michigan, but is now back in school as an undergraduate studying linguistics.
