Michelle Pinzl (she/her/ella) is an Associate Professor at Viterbo University, where she directs the Community Interpreting Certificate program and teaches courses in Spanish, French, and Interpreting Studies. She holds a PhD in Translation and Intercultural Communication from the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona in Spain and an MA in Foreign Languages and Intercultural Management from the Université de Limoges in France. A certified Spanish-English Court Interpreter for the Wisconsin State Circuit Courts, as well as a Certified Healthcare Interpreter through the Certification Commission for Healthcare Interpreters (CCHI), Michelle brings over two decades of experience in the field. She has been training aspiring interpreters since 2015 and has provided language access services across a wide range of sectors, including healthcare, social services, education, and business, with a focus on both rural and urban communities in Wisconsin.

Jodie Novak is an American Sign Language (ASL) and interpreting studies instructor at Viterbo University and the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. With nearly 20 years of professional ASL <> English interpreting experience, she has worked to provide language access in technical and government settings, medical and mental health, higher education, and human services. She holds a master’s degree in Linguistics from Gallaudet University in Washington, DC, a bachelor’s degree in Interpreting from the University of New Hampshire, and a bachelor’s degree in Education from Winona State University in Minnesota. She is nationally certified through the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (NIC) and maintains interpreter licensure in multiple states. At Viterbo University she teaches within the English and World Languages Department where she leads the department in curriculum design and teaching for the ASL and Deaf Studies Minor. In this role, she also contributes significantly to the Communication Sciences Degree and the Community Interpreting Program. As a curriculum developer, she balances innovation with a deep respect for tradition and Deaf culture. Passionate about community collaboration, she strives to inspire life-long learning and engagement in her students. Outside of work, she enjoys traveling, caring for and spending time with her dogs.

Jennifer M. Flamboe holds a master’s in foreign language and literature from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee with concentrations in Spanish linguistics and translation and a bachelor’s in Spanish from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. In addition to being a nationally certified Spanish interpreter (CHI™) through the Certification Commission for Healthcare Interpreters, Jennifer has more than 20 years of experience translating and interpreting in a variety of settings both domestically and internationally and has presented to groups at the local, regional, and national level on topics relevant to her field. Jennifer is recognized as a subject matter expert and has been contracted as a consultant for curriculum design, training, skills assessments, and program evaluations for for-profit and non-profit entities. With nearly two decades of teaching and leadership experience in higher education, Jennifer recently transitioned out of academia to focus more on her entrepreneurial venture, Equalingua LLC, a language solutions and consulting company. In her spare time, she enjoys adventures with her family, socializing with friends, fostering community through volunteerism, and spending time outdoors.