Sonja Smith, MA, RID NIC, BEI Master, BEI Court, has been interpreting for over 20 years, working in private practice for approximately 15 years in Austin, Texas, working briefly in Michigan, and now in Kentucky.  She has a BA in Deaf Education and an MA in Interpreting Studies, with an emphasis in interpreter education. She is currently the Director of the ASLIS Program at the University of Louisville, in Kentucky. Her primary practice focuses are conference interpreting, legal interpreting, and working from ASL to English. She is also a former RID Region IV representative and has held various volunteer leadership positions throughout her career. Her passions include mentoring, technology, squishy faced dogs, beaches, and a good charcuterie.​Sonja is looking forward to working with KyRID to help support the interpreting and Deaf communities of the Commonwealth.

Bio coming soon.

Bio coming soon.

Melissa Kelly has a BA in Deaf Education with a minor in ASL from EKU.  She is currently working on her master's in Literacy and Second Language with a concentration in Reading.  
Melissa worked as a Deaf interpreter for four years while working at the University of Cincinnati as an ASL instructor. She taught ASL for 9 years. Melissa is involved in the community, such as KOI silent dinner, KY Hands and Voices, KCDHH commission as a service provider.  
Melissa is married with two wonderful children.  Her family loves hiking, games, music, marching bands, and movies.  She also enjoy quiet time with crafts. 

Bio coming soon.

Bio coming soon.

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Marva Johnson, NIC, began her professional interpreting career in 1999. As a heritage language learner, Marva trained by attending workshops and networking with experienced colleagues. After earning the NIC in 2008, Marva completed an Associates of Applied Science/Criminal Justice at Harrison College in Evansville, IN. She went on to train as a facilitator with Project CLIMB (Cultivating Legal Interpreters from Minority Backgrounds) which led to several opportunities to facilitate communities of learning. In addition, Project CLIMB provided the opportunity for her to participate in an ad hoc national advisory body tasked with identifying Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSA) essential for legal interpreting. Marva works as a private practitioner in Indiana, Ohio, and Kentucky in a variety of settings. She is most invested in interpreting work within legal and social justice fields. One of her passions is community service which has led her to serve in multiple leadership roles at the local, state, and national level.Currently, she is serving as Chairperson for Kentucky Board of Interpreters and is immersed in training to become an Integrated Model of Interpreting (IMI) practitioner. She prides herself in being a life-longlearner and sharing knowledge with colleagues in the interpreting field by presenting on various topics. In her free time, Marva enjoys spending time with her granddaughter, Juliona, and running marathons across the U.S.A.