David Quinto-Pozos, Ph.D. RID CI/CT, Assistant Professor, Department of Linguistics, University of Texas, Austin. David’s research focuses on signed languages, and he works on various topics (register variation, language contact, the interaction of language and gesture, developmental signed language disorders, and trilingual VRS interpretation). He has directed the ASL programs at the University of Pittsburgh, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and currently co-directs the program at UT-Austin. In addition to his research work, David teaches courses at UT on bilingual first language acquisition and signed language linguistics. David is a certified interpreter and he served on the Panel of Experts for the Texas Trilingual Initiative Test Development.

Martin Vásquez, A.A.S.; NIC, BEI: Advanced, Trilingual-Advanced; Instructor South Texas College (STC) ITP, McAllen, TX.
Martin currently works as an ASL/Interpreter Training Instructor; Interprets in the Community, Educational, Trilingual, and Video Relay settings. Vásquez’s initial training was in Spanish interpretation & translation and Romance Languages (Latin, Spanish, Italian, & French). He graduated from Austin Community College’s IPP in May 2010, but has been BEI certified since July 2001. Martin is originally from the Rio Grande Valley of South Texas, and has traveled extensively, living all over the US. Vasquez has also live in Europe, the Caribbean, and Southeast Asia. This spring, Martin is teaching Trilingual Interpreting and Latino Interpreting Issues at STC.

Mathew was raised principally in Colorado and New Mexico amidst rich cultural surroundings of Ute, Navajo, Chicano/Latino, and Anglo cultures. He has mixed roots from Mexico to Ireland. Most his family continues to reside in the Southwest. He and his siblings had lots of exposure to Spanish growing up but Mathew was not completely fluent until serving a two-year LDS mission in Guatemala (1998-2000). Mathew and his wife Marleny have been married since 2002. Marleny, a Native American originally from Guerrero, Mexico, is a passionate cultural consultant. They have one daughter born on Mathew’s birthday in 2009.
 
Mathew’s youngest sister was born deaf. She was raised in a hearing but caring world in which the entire family and many Church members learned Signing Exact English to communicate with her. While Mathew was on his mission, his sister moved to Utah and discovered a large Deaf community. She learned ASL and found a Deaf identity, thus ushering in a new era for the entire family. Their older brother was the first in the family to become fluent and go on to become a certified interpreter and business owner. After returning from Guatemala, Mathew studied Spanish and ASL but graduated with a B.S. in Sociology from Brigham Young University in 2003. He and his wife then moved to Sacramento, California. While working as a full-time Spanish-English medical interpreter, he went back to school for an A.A. degree in sign language interpreting from American River College. He graduated in 2008, received his EIPA 4.8 that same year, and his NIC in 2009. He awaits his CMI results (certified medical interpreter, Spanish-English).
 
Mathew has worked in many venues as a trilingual interpreter and translator. His passion lies in working with Hispanic/Latino families with deaf/hard of hearing children. He is the author of several articles including a chapter about trilingualism of Hispanic/Latino deaf children in Kathee Christensen’s 2010 book Ethical Considerations in Educating Children Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearingpublished by Gallaudet University Press.
 
Besides trance music, he loves spending time with his wife and daughter Quetzaly.

Nydia Hernández was born in Puerto Rico and raised in New York, where she graduated
from the LaGuardia Interpreter Training Program. Nydia has worked as an American
Sign Language, Spanish, and English trilingual interpreter for the past 20 years. She
holds CI and CT certifications as well as a Master’s Level-Berlitz Test of Proficiency. In
addition to serving as Treasurer for Mano-a-Mano, Nydia is currently involved with the
NCIEC National Task Force on Trilingual Interpreting.

Anthony has a Deaf brother and has interpreted professionally for over 15 years. As a freelance trilingual interpreter fluent in American Sign Language, English and Spanish, he has worked at numerous high profile conferences around the world. Tony’s experience includes working with Gallaudet University, Visual Language Interpreting, and Sign Language Associates. However, he has mostly worked as an independent contractor. Tony makes his home in the Washington, D.C./Baltimore metropolitan areas.

Carmelo was born in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico and learned signed language at the young age of 11 by being a volunteer to assist a marginalized group in his community. At the age of 14 he had his was involved in his first work as an interpreter at the same vocational school where he studied electronics. At that time he interpreted language courses (Spanish and English) and typing, among others. He has taken courses that form part of the Bachelor’s level degree plan of Special Education at the University of Puerto Rico. For more than 13 years he has worked as an interpreter in Puerto Rico in various settings: legal, medical, educational, artistic/performance, and television. Currently, he resides in Florida and he continues to work as a signed language interpreter in the trilingual community.

Mónica Gallego holds her BEI basic and has been interpreting professionally for 8 years in community and video relay settings. She was born and raised in New York by her amazing Colombian family and moved to Austin, Texas in the summer of 2009.  She has her A.A. in Liberal Arts from Nassau Community College and she graduated from LaGuardia Community College’s ITP in June 2008. She passed her trilingual written test and is preparing for her performance. In addition to being Region IV Representative for Mano a Mano she also leads a trilingual group that meets monthly in Austin. She will be presenting during summer 2011 at the Texas State Interpreters for the Deaf Conference in Corpus Christi.  She is very excited for this opportunity to present and support her colleagues.

Caleb López, AA, BA, EIPA.
Caleb has been involved with the Deaf Community since 1995. His interest in Sign Language started because some deaf members of his community did not have interpreting services. He received a Bachelor’s degree in Finance in 1996 and an Associate’s degree in Deaf Studies and Interpreting from American River College in 2008. He has been a member of SaVRID, the RID local chapter, since 2004 and of RID since 2006. Caleb is working in the Sacramento area. He received EIPA Certification in 2009 and is currently working to achieve his NIC certification. Caleb has been member of Mano since 2007. Caleb co-chaired the 2009 and 2011 Mano a Mano National Conference in Philadelphia and in Atlanta.