My career began with the Jacksonville Hospital where I served as the Human Resources Manager for 24+ years. My interest in American Sign Language began in 1991 and I registered for my first sign class around that same time. After completing all available sign classes with the university, I then enrolled and completed all available classes at the Alabama Institute for the Deaf and Blind.
While still employed with the hospital, my new career in deafness began as a contract interpreter with the university in 1997. Currently I serve as the Transition Specialist in Deafness at Jacksonville State, a contract interpreter for the Alabama Institute for the Deaf and Blind, the Alabama Department of Vocational Rehabilitation Services, and Lead Interpreter at Hill Crest Baptist Church.
My sign language credentials include an Advanced Level rating on the Signed Communication Proficiency Interview, a Level II from the National Association of the Deaf, successful completion of the Interpreter Ethics/Knowledge Test, a candidate for certification and ASLTA Provisional Status (pending).
I have successfully completed training as a C-Print Captionist and Trainer. C-Print is a computer aided speech-to-print transcription system developed at the National Technical Institute for the Deaf (NTID) as a support service option for some students who are deaf and hard of hearing in mainstream educational environments.
I attained my certification in Reality Therapy in June, 2003. Reality Therapy is a method of counseling which teaches people how to direct their own lives, make more effective choices, and how to develop the strength to handle the stresses and problems of life. The core of Reality Therapy is the idea that regardless of what has "happened" in our lives, or what we have done in the past, we can choose behaviors that will help us meet our needs more effectively in the future.
I currently reside in Anniston, AL with my husband, Sam, and a French Poodle named Hampton Sebastian Traywick, better known as "Tray". We have a son, Heath, who is an attorney with the law firm of Bodker, Ramsey, Andrews, Winograd & Wildstein, also based in Atlanta.
