Utah Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (UTRID)

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Utah Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (UTRID)

UTRID is the local chapter of the national RID, servicing sign language interpreters and the Deaf community for Utah.

BOARD MEMBERS 2021-2023, President: Teddi von Pingel; Vice President: Tanner Vance; Secretary: Mandaria Taylor; Treasurer: Makayla Johnson; Members at Large:
Allison Bedont (conference ), Teresa Edwards (silent weekend), Kenzie Allen (PR), Pamela Mower (Deaf community Liaison), Noelle Lind (PD)

25/09/2026

Join us for theatrical fun & fundraising for Sub for Santa! 🎁
🚨 The second All Hands, Sorta Planned Deaf/ASL Improv show is coming on Friday, October 9th!
🎭 Last year’s show sold out the theatre and raised over $2,000 for the Sego Lily Center for the Abused Deaf.
This year’s show consists of 20 short plays all performed in 90 minutes. But, there’s one catch: you choose the order. The performers make it happen. Plus, pay-to-play games to help control the chaos. All content is family friendly.
🎄 Net proceeds benefit UTRID and Sego Lily’s Angel Tree, supporting local Deaf families and survivors of domestic violence who may need extra support providing holiday gifts for their families.
Come laugh, play, and help make this year’s show even bigger!
🎟️ Get your tickets now! Seats are limited.
https://square.link/u/v1hfKTMa

17/08/2026

Grow. Connect. Give Back. 🌟

The UTRID Emerging Interpreter Committee is excited to announce that our Mentoring Program is now accepting applications for both mentees and mentors!

Whether you’re looking to grow your skills, gain guidance, or share your experience, this is a great opportunity to connect, learn, and support one another. And the best part? CEUs are available for all participants!

Ready to get involved? Apply today!

UTRID Mentoring Application 🔗
https://utrid.com/mentoring/application

For more information, visit the UTRID website or email [email protected]

04/08/2026

Mentorship plants the seeds for future growth—discover how intentional guidance and reflective practice help interpreters branch out with confidence and purpose in Tiffany Harding’s workshop “From Seedlings to Giant Oaks: Sharing Knowledge and Resources Through Mentorship.”

Tiffany started learning ASL through peers at Mountain View High School in Orem Utah. She worked her way through and AAS at Salt Lake Community College and a BA from University of Northern Colorado. After working for many years as an interpreter, she became interested in teaching and received her MS through the University of North Florida. She now works as the Chair of the ASL/English Interpreting program at Utah Tech University.

Only 2 days left to register online and save $25! Register through this link: https://utrid.com/product/2026-conference-full-registration-all-days/

03/08/2026

Beneath every thriving professional journey are the deep roots of connection, collaboration, and community—discover how your network can help you grow and help others rise in the workshop “Lessons from the Aspen Tree: Rising From Shared Roots” presented by Michelle Draper, Jenifer Burton, and Mikayla Monnie.

Michelle Draper is a native of West Jordan Utah. She has been professionally interpreting since 2002. She has a Master’s degree from the University of North Florida in Interpreting Pedagogy, a Bachelor’s degree from Utah State University in Mathematics and Statistics Education, and an Associate Degree from Salt Lake Community in ASL/English Interpreting. Michelle holds the following RID certifications NIC, SC:L, ED:K-12 and Utah Professional. Michelle has worked in various settings including post-secondary, medical, vocational rehabilitation, courts, and video relay to name a few. Michelle has been teaching and mentoring since 2007. She has been involved with the Salt Lake Community College Fast Track program, Utah Interpreter ICAN Program, VRS Interpreting Institute School-to-Work, Pathways and Deaf Interpreter Academy Programs, Northstar Mentorship Project, and USU IMET program. Her current full-time employment is working for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as the Developing Languages team lead for translation and interpretation in global sign languages. Michelle loves everything about interpreting! Her greatest accomplishment, however, is being a wife and mother of 3 children.

Mikayla Monnie has a Bachelor’s in Deaf Studies interpreting emphasis and a Master’s in Deaf Education. She is certified Utah professional and mostly works K-12 for USDB and Purple VRS. She recently started doing more freelance and religious interpreting. She is an Oregon native who is an avid reader, foodie and adventurer. She loves being in nature and in water!

Jenifer Burton has a Bachelor’s degree and is a certified Utah Interpreter. She works for Purple communications and does freelance. She will be starting a new adventure this month as a ASL teacher at Sage Canyon. She is a family woman, and has been married for 19 years and we has three children. She loves spending time with her babies and cheering them on in their journey.

Only 3 days left until the conference! Make sure you register if you haven’t already: https://utrid.com/product/2026-conference-full-registration-all-days/

02/08/2026

We have an exciting session to look forward to at our conference next week. Helen Taylor will teach us how improv skills can help us improve our interpreting process in her activity “The Interpreter’s Playground: Where Improv Meets Interpreting.”

Helen Taylor holds associate degrees in American Sign Language and Theatre, along with bachelor's and master's degrees in strategic communication. She discovered improv in college while looking for a way to strengthen her ASL skills and quickly realized it was her secret weapon for developing fluency. By emphasizing showing instead of telling, improv helped build confidence, creativity, and comfort with uncertainty which are skills that translate naturally to both language learning and interpreting.
Today, Helen combines her passions for ASL, theatre, and education by using short-form improv games to help others develop stronger signing skills, confidence, and expressive communication in a fun, low-pressure environment. She has performed with Improv Salt Lake & Salt Lake Community College, recently produced a fully Deaf/ASL improv show benefiting the Sego Lily Center for the Abused Deaf, and has served as a guest teaching artist for the National Deaf High School Theatre Festival.
When she's not making things up on stage, she's probably convincing someone else to join.

02/08/2026

Megan Johnson’s workshop “Grounded in Practice, Growing in Skill: Deliberate Practice for the EIPA and Beyond” will help you deepen the roots of your interpreting knowledge through research-based strategies that foster measurable growth, stronger performance, and lasting professional success.

Megan has been an ASL/English interpreter for over 20 years. A nomad at heart, she has provided services in every U.S. time zone as well as internationally. After many years as a freelance interpreter, she shifted to higher education where she interpreted and coordinated services for students with sensory disabilities. Megan is now back at Utah Valley University as a staff interpreter. Her life's work is to leave the world a little bit better than she found it, and she's thrilled to be back in the community that raised her.

Time is counting down with only 4 days left until this year’s conference! We can’t wait to see you there -make sure you register if you haven’t already: https://utrid.com/product/2026-conference-full-registration-all-days/

01/08/2026

Back by popular demand, we are honored to learn from a panel of Deaf and hard of hearing consumers and professionals who will share their enlightened perspective to help us as interpreters take on a more Deaf centered interpreting approach.

01/08/2026

Come learn how to strengthen the roots of self-awareness and grow into branches of advocacy, allyship, and meaningful change within the ASL interpreting profession at Ryan Cowley’s workshop “Social Justice in Interpreting.”

Ryan Cowley is nationally certified American Sign Language interpreter with more than 27 years of experience specializing in higher education settings. Ryan also has extensive freelance experience including medical, mental health, business, government, platform, and theatre.
Ryan spent a decade as a lead interpreter at Portland State University, where he supported program coordination and interpreter development. He is passionate about mentoring novice interpreters with work grounded in trauma-informed care and scaffolded skill development.
Holding a Master of Education with a concentration in Diversity and Equity in Education, Ryan is committed to fostering meaningful connections, building inclusive community, and engaging in transformational work.

Only 5 days left to register for our 2026 conference! You won’t want to miss out on all of the great workshops we have planned -register today: https://utrid.com/product/2026-conference-full-registration-all-days/

31/07/2026

Our 2026 conference is coming up next week! We will be doing a clothing drive for business casual clothing, shoes, and bags. Not only will you have the chance to give back to your community, you will also receive a raffle ticket for every item you donate for a chance to win a prize! We can’t wait to see you all there.

31/07/2026

In Nancy Macedone’s workshop “Clear minds, Confident Hands: Tools to Manage Test Anxiety” participants can cultivate deep roots of self belief, preparation, and perspective to be able to rise to the challenges of certification.

Nancy Macedone has been an ASL-English interpreter for over 35 years. She first certified in Utah in 1995 and again in 2012, she is a Utah Certified Professional Interpreter. She’s worked in medical, legal, mental health, and educational, conference, and stage settings—including concerts and plays. Nancy earned her Bachelors Degree in Family and Human Services from BYU-Idaho and is now working toward her graduate degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at Rocky Mountain University. She’s passionate about supporting interpreters at every stage of their careers and believes in lifelong learning. Nancy is a mom to five awesome kids, plus three more “bonus” kids who’ve joined the family by marriage. She’s happily married to her favorite person, and enjoys sharing what she’s learned—both in life and in her career—to help others thrive.

Register today so you don’t miss out on Nancy’s workshop. Today is the last day to take advantage of our “friends attend” discount that can save you $100 per ticket when you register with a friend through this link: https://utrid.com/product/2026-conference-full-registration-friends-attend/

Address

Telephone

+18012634860

Website

http://www.utrid.com/

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