President

Agustín Servín de la Mora, BA, CMI, FCCI

Agustin was born and raised in Mexico City, Mexico, where he earned a degree in psychology from the Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana. He has been a professional freelance and staff interpreter for the last 30 years. He is one of the Supervisor Raters for the National Center for State Courts and has been a lead rater for the federal and consortium oral exams for court interpreters. He was the lead interpreter for the Ninth Judicial Circuit for over a decade and served as member of the Project Advisory Committee responsible for the creation of the National Standards for Healthcare Interpreter Training Programs for the National Council on Interpreting in Health Care. He was a member of the Florida Court Interpreter Certification Board and a voting member of the Technical Committee of the National Consortium for Interpreter Certification. He is a federally-certified court interpreter, as well as a certified medical interpreter. He has been a consultant for the Administrative Offices of the State Courts, conducting orientation seminars and advanced skills workshops for interpreters in at least 15 states, including Florida. He has been featured as a speaker and presenter in several national conventions, including those of the National Association of Judiciary Interpreters & Translators, the American Translators Association, the International Medical Interpreters Association, and the National Association of State Chief Administrators. 

Program Coordinator

Claudia Eslava

Claudia has an Associate of Arts degree in Mass Communication and Media Studies from Valencia College in Florida. She has been with DE LA MORA since 2016 and has worked in sales and event coordination since 2009, when she earned a reputation of having the highest sales company-wide in her first job position. She was part of the marketing team that launched the visionary Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts in Orlando, FL, and in her time with DE LA MORA Institute of Interpretation has tripled the scope of the Online School, coordinated the creation of a two-year interpreter training curriculum for Widener University in Pennsylvania, and managed contracts for interpreter training programs for various other state governments. Under her leadership, DE LA MORA has seen the reinstatement and expansion of its annual interpreter conference, as well as the creation of a new blog, podcast, library of self-paced courses, and monthly membership program – all focused on the training and professional development of interpreters.   

Special Projects Coordinator

Katie McKay, BA

Katie earned a bachelor’s degree in Spanish, a certificate in Spanish Translation and Interpretation, and a certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages from the University of Central Florida. She has worked for DE LA MORA Institute of Interpretation since 2017 coordinating the company’s state court exam rating program, as well as managing course continuing education credits, web design, contract project planning, and technical support. She is also the instructor for DE LA MORA’s Accent Reduction Training course.

Director of Marketing and Customer Service

Kayla Applys

Originally hailing from Montreal, Quebec, Kayla now works for DE LA MORA Institute of Interpretation as the manager of social media campaigns and customer service. She has more than 6 years of experience in office administration, email marketing, and social media management, and has developed skills in using a variety of digital media to contribute to the reputation and growth of the company. She also coordinates the DE LA MORA Online School to support both student and instructor.

Nicole Basiewicz, BS

Nicole earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Health Administration from the University of Central Florida, and has worked with DE LA MORA Institute of Interpretation since October, 2019 managing logistics in the creation of interpreter education programs for private and state government clients. Her previous experience in administration in the private and medical sector makes her a key component in helping DE LA MORA’s education programs run smoothly. Her ability to navigate industry-specific systems and processes offers support to many different projects and initiatives within the school.

Ana M. Toro-Greiner

Ana is a federally certified Spanish interpreter with 17 years of professional experience. She’s been teaching her craft since 2010, most recently at New York University.  Currently, she works as a contract interpreter for federal courts and as a language consultant for companies in tech and education.

Beatriz Craney

Beatriz Craney is an AOC-approved interpreter with over 10 years of experience. Her professional fields of expertise include conferences, legal, medical, education and business. In 2008, Beatriz started her own agency: Craney Interpreting Services. Beatriz also teaches Judicial Consecutive Interpreting at Brookdale Community College. Since 2014 Beatriz has worked for DE LA MORA Interpreter Training by hosting and organizing seminars, boot camps, and skill-building events, and she is now an instructor for the Live Online School.

Carola Green

Carola E Green, holds a BS in Communication, is a federally certified English/Spanish court interpreter and former California state court interpreter, and is originally from Guatemala. She served as key staff for the Federal Court Interpreter Certification Examination (FCICE) and the Consortium for Language Access in the Courts (CLAC) programs at the National Center for State Courts. She has over twenty years of experience in professional interpreting in the legal and medical fields. Carola also has extensive experience in developing interpreter training curricula, teaching and training interpreters, and all aspects of interpreting test development, test administration, and test rating activities.

Instructor and Spanish SME

Claudia Villalba

Claudia E. Villalba is a freelance court interpreter with over 20 years of experience. She is certified at the federal level by the U.S. Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts; certified in the State of Florida, formerly a Master Level interpreter in the State New Jersey where she worked during the first ten years of her profession in Hudson and Middlesex County Superior Courts before moving to Florida where she was the Supervising Court Interpreter for the 7th Judicial Circuit for 11 years. She has been a subject matter expert for both the State and the Federal certification program for court interpreters; She has been an instructor for DE LA MORA Institute of Interpretation for more than 8 years providing on-site and on-line training and one-on-one tutoring. She is a Cali, Colombia native and is very passionate about the interpreting profession and  language access rights. She enjoys sharing her knowledge and experience with aspiring interpreters as a way of paying it forward.

Darinka Mangino

Darinka Mangino holds a Master in Advanced Studies for Interpreting Trainers from Université de Genève, Switzerland (2016); a PGC in Forensic Linguistics from Aston University, United Kingdom (2012) and a University Degree in Conference Interpreting from Instituto Superior de Interpretes y Traductores, Mexico City (2002). She is a Member of AIIC (International Association of Conference Interpreters) since Oct. 1^st, 2013 and appointed Public Relations Person for the Mexico, Central American and the Caribbean Region since 2015. She has also been a member of the Colegio Mexicano de Intérpretes de Conferencias since March 2006.

As of 2011 she provides interpreting services to the Office of the President of Mexico, the Protocol Section of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and other ministries for high profile assignments, state visits, working visits both in Mexico and abroad such as G20, UNGA, APEC, and G7, among others. Her professional services are contracted by the OAS and UN.  Darinka Mangino is an adjunct professor at the master in interpreting & translation program given by Universidad Anahuac and founder of the Lexica Aula Virtual para Intérpretes.

Instructor and Spanish SME

Dr. Lizbeth Mendoza, MD, CMI

Dr. Lizbeth Mendoza is originally from Mexico City, where she received her M.D. from the National Autonomous University of Mexico. Over the course of 23 years she has participated in different areas of Medicine including research, academics, and bilingual medical services as well as editing and translation of medical content. She is a Spanish Certified Medical Interpreter (CMI), freelance interpreter, and mentor for Medical interpreters. She is a member of the National Council on Interpreting in Healthcare (NCIHC), the International Medical Interpreters Association (IMIA), and the Colorado Association of Professional Interpreters (CAPI). She has contributed as vice-chair of the IMIA Colorado Chapter, Member of the Education Committee and the Commission for Medical Interpreters Education of the IMIA. She has been a provider of Continuing Education courses and credits approved by the IMIA and the CCHI. She is now in charge of the Medical Interpreters Continuing Education division of the De La Mora Institute of Interpretation and still Develops and Directs BVCMI. She is an advocate for humanism, professionalism, continuing education and excellence in any healthcare practice, as well as of student-centered learning approaches, patient-centered practices, collaborative learning environments, and the Problem Based Learning methodology at any level of training or education. .

Eliane Sfeir-Markus

Eliane grew up in Lebanon and received a Bachelor of Arts in Translation. In 2004, she moved to the States where she studied Communication and Journalism. After the birth of her girls, she started her career as a linguist. For nearly ten years, she has worn different hats in language field: she teaches, translates, interprets, and edits. Eliane is a Certified Healthcare Interpreter (CHI) and is working on her court certification. She is an adjunct professor at Widener University Delaware Law School and also contracts with language agencies as a quality assurance monitor for independently contracted interpreters. Her dedication and skill in the medical interpreting profession have earned her the recognition to train new and advanced interpreters, and her public speaking skills have opened the door for her to lead many presentations and training sessions. Eliane joined the Delaware Valley Translators Association’s (DVTA’s) Board of Directors in 2017 and currently serves as DVTA’s Vice President, as well as managing and coordinating DVTA’s events and education committee. 

James Plunkett

James Plunkett is a nationally-known interpreter instructor. He also trains new judges and court staff on how to work with court interpreters. He is certified by the AOUSC as a Spanish and English court interpreter. He is a rater for a national credentialing program for interpreters. He has worked as a court interpreter for the 13th Judicial Circuit in Florida and as the Coordinator of Interpreting Services and Language Access Program for the District of Columbia Courts. He speaks and trains at state court interpreter programs nationwide and through online teaching platforms. He holds a BA degree in General Social Studies from Providence College.  He was raised in Lima, Peru. He also communicates in Portuguese, some French and basic American Sign Language.

Jeffrey (Jeff) Miller

Jeffrey (Jeff) Miller began his interpreting career in 2008 as a school and community interpreter in Central Illinois. He graduated from Illinois State University with a BA in Spanish and minor in Latin America and Latino Studies, deciding to pursue medical interpreting full-time at a regional healthcare organization.

In 2014, after dabbling a bit in legal and business interpreting, he relocated to Los Angeles, CA, returning to medical interpreting full force at UCLA Health. In 2015, he graduated with a Masters in Translation and Interpreting from the University of Illinois, specializing in Conference and Community Interpreting. In 2017, he was honored to co-present on innovative simultaneous interpreting techniques at the annual California Healthcare Interpreting Association Conference in San Jose, CA. Later that year, he finally accomplished his long-time career goal of becoming a CERTIFIED HEALTHCARE INTERPRETER™ certificant.

Jeff recently returned from a one-year sabbatical in the United Kingdom, where he presented to and learned from others at the Centre for Translation Studies at the University of Leeds. It was also during this time that he and colleague Eden Bravo Montenegro co-founded Delve & Fathom, a startup that produces innovative software and hardware for interpreters of all fields. 

Jeff currently resides near family in Central Illinois, and provides over-the-phone and in-person interpreting for medical, business, and academic settings, as well as continues to develop Delve & Fathom. Over the years, Jeff has had the privilege of training a great number of interpreters.

Katty Kauffman

Katty Kauffman is a conference and legal interpreter, a graduate of Pedro de Valdivia School of Law in Santiago, Chile and the Certificate Program in Comparative US/Latin American Legal Reforms at Washington College of Law at American University in Washington, DC. A member of NAJIT and AIIC, she is a contributing author to the 2nd Edition of Fundamentals of Court Interpretation and a member of the Editorial Board of the 2nd Edition of Sandro Tomasi’s Criminal Law Dictionary. She is a frequent speaker nationwide on the criminal procedure reforms that have swept Latin America and a former staff interpreter with the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida. She is currently working as a freelancer from her home base in Miami.

Maria Ceballos-Wallis

Maria Ceballos-Wallis is a Georgia/Florida Certified Spanish-English Interpreter on staff with the DeKalb County State Court, in Decatur, GA. She has worked in multilingual communications since 1990. Maria received a certificate in translation studies from Florida International University and was certified as Spanish><English translator by the National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters in Australia. She is also a Georgia-registered civil and domestic mediator. Maria holds an M.A. in international studies from Florida International University (FIU) in Miami, FL and a B.A. in communication arts with a minor in French from Hofstra University in Hempstead, NY.  She has also taught English as a second language at Miami Dade Community College, lectured on mass communications as an adjunct at Florida International University (Spanish/English), taught online classes with DE LA MORA Institute of Interpretation and presented at NAJIT, AAIT and Emory Healthcare Interpreter Conferences. Maria occupied various key positions on the Board of Directors of the Atlanta Association of Interpreters and Translators from 2011 – 2016. In 2017 Maria was appointed to represent interpreters on the Board of the Georgia Commission on Interpreters.

Tamber Hilton

Tamber Hilton is a practicing community and court interpreter in Washington, D.C. She holds Virginia state court certification and interprets full-time in courts, hospitals, and clinics in the D.C. metropolitan area, with a special focus on immigration law and related legal proceedings. She is a long-time advocate for excellence in community interpreting and has trained hundreds of community interpreters in the U.S. and abroad. She has worked intensively training and mentoring interpreters who support U.S. refugee resettlement both in Asia and in Tucson, Arizona. She has also trained interpreters supporting refugee status determination interviews
with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), and in 2017 developed and oversaw the presentation of a workshop for the interpreters supporting human trafficking proceedings in the Thai court system. Tamber has devoted considerable time and energy to understanding how interpreters achieve mastery and is passionate about partnering with fellow interpreters to help them build their confidence and their skills as they engage in the complex and critical work that is interpretation.