Meet the 2017-2019 ARID Board!
These individuals volunteer their time and energy to ensure that our professional organization is one of the best around.
Katelyn Wilson -President
Katelyn Wilson is a licensed interpreter and has been interpreting in the Arkansas Deaf community since 2007. She currently holds Mid-America Quality Assurance Screening Test (QAST) and EIPA credentials.
Katelyn began her studies at Delgado Community College, New Orleans, LA, however she relocated to Central Arkansas in 2005 to attend the University of Arkansas at Little Rock (UALR) Interpreter Education Program. She received a B.A. degree in ASL/English Interpretation in 2008. In addition, she received her Master of Education in Special Education degree with an emphasis in ASL/English Interpreting from the University of North Florida in 2011.
Katelyn is a member of the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (RID), Arkansas Deaf Blind Community (ADBC), and Arkansas Association of the Deaf (AAD). She completed two internships at Helen Keller National Center in New York and currently remains involved in her local Deaf-Blind Community.
Katelyn served as Secretary for the Arkansas Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (ARID) Board of Directors from January 2012-June 2015 and has served ARID on various committees. She currently works as an Adjunct Instructor and Grant Assistant at UA Little Rock and is a community and video relay interpreter.
In her down time, Katelyn enjoys reading and listening to audiobooks. Her favorite thing to do is to spoil her nieces. She enjoys traveling, hanging out with her friends and colleagues ,and she loves to spend time with her family.
Cheri Courtright- Vice President
Cheri Courtright, Interpreter of 20+ years, Educator of 15 years, advocate and mentor to developing interpreters. She is a graduate of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock Interpreter Education Program and the University of Arkansas.
She currently works at the University of Arkansas-Pulaski Technical College as a full-time ASL instructor and adjunct ASL instructor at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, freelance interpreter and mentors developing interpreters. Her experience includes but is not limited to community, business, medical, mental health, religious, educational settings, video relay, recreational/entertainment, government, conference and non-profit.
In addition to her interpreting and teaching experience, Cheri provides professional development initiatives for interpreters including workshops and trainings. She provides group and individual mentoring. She has presented nationally, on the state level and as well as locally. Her skills include research and development, instructional design, development planning and curriculum planning.
She is passionate about learning, teaching, sharing and giving back to the community. She is a DPI (Deaf-Parented Interpreter) CODA and has an extensive personal and professional background in the ASL community.
Gwenyth Sutphin- Secretary
Gwenyth Sutphin is a licensed interpreter working as a full time staff interpreter for University of Arkansas at Little Rock. She has been working in the field since 2002.
Gwenyth holds an Associates of Arts and Bachelor of Arts degree in Interpreting ASL/English and a Masters of Education in Special Education concentration in Interpreting ASL/English.
Gwenyth has previously served as Chair of the Scholarship Committee for ARID and Chair of the Nomination Committee.
In her spare time (I know what’s that??), Gwenyth enjoys all sorts of crafts and spending time with her family.
Nicholas Winchell- Treasurer
Nick grew up in upstate New York. While attending community college he became involved with the local deaf community and realized he’d found his calling. His favorite aunt and uncle, now retired to Hot Springs Village, encouraged Nick to come visit UALR’s interpreting program. Swayed by southern charm and ice-cold sweet tea, Nick found his home at UALR.
While at UALR, Nick served as a student representative for the ARID Biennial conference in 2013 (Springdale, Arkansas) and 2015 (Little Rock, Arkansas). He also served as the Member-at-Large and President for the campus sign language club, Sigma Lambda Kappa.
Nick served as a support staff member at the Region IV conferences in 2014 (Des Moines, Iowa) and 2016 (Houston, Texas).
Nick received his Bachelors degree in Interpretation: ASL/English from UALR. Since then he has moved to Maumelle and has been employed in private practice. He most recently served as the conference fundraising committee chair. He enjoys interpreting for individuals who are DeafBlind and any medical setting.
Nick was recently elected Treasurer and looks forward to serving ARID.
NeCol Whitehead, NIC – Member-at-Large (District 1)
NeCol Whitehead lives in Fayetteville, AR were she currently works as an Independent Living Specialist at Sources. Sources provides services, support, and advocacy for individuals with disabilities, their families and the community. NeCol has been involved in the Deaf community for approximately 15 years. She previously held a Quality Assurance Screening Test (QAST) level and is currently working on taking the QAST again. She is also working on meeting requirements for national certification. NeCol is a current active ARID member. NeCol supports Deaf individuals and activities in NorthWest Arkansas. She is completing a degree in Public Policy with a emphasis in Disability Policy. She is working on completing her dissertation entitled “Legislating Social Inclusion: Middle Level Students Perception of People with Disabilities”.
Mary Adams- Member-at-Large (District 2)
Bio to come soon.
Ashley Beaty – Member-at-Large (District 3)
Currently, Ashley holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Arkansas Little Rock, National Interpreter Certification (NIC) and an Educational Interpreter Performance Assessment (EIPA) 3.5. She is a licensed Arkansas Interpreter and an approved Support Service Provider through Arkansas Rehabilitation Services (ARS). Ashley is a full time staff interpreter at University of Arkansas Little Rock. Ashley enjoys volunteering for Deaf-Blind retreats: she has volunteered five years in a row and plans to attend the retreat this fall.
Ashley is currently the Member-at-Large District 3 of the Arkansas Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (ARID), a certified member of the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (RID) and a member of Arkansas Deaf-Blind Community (ADBC).
Since 2013, Ashley has lived in Benton, Arkansas with her wife and two dog-children. Ashley loves to travel to Texas to visit her family, craft just about anything and spend time with her niece and nephews.
Ashley has served as: chair to ARID’s Membership Development Committee, Co-Chair of the 2015 Biennial Conference and as Editor for Sigma Lambda Kappa (Sign Language Klub, SLK). Ashley has served on the ARID board at the Treasurer(2015-2017) and is happy to have another chance to serve.
District 1 Counties: Baxter, Benton, Boone, Carroll, Cleburne, Conway, Crawford, Franklin, Fulton, Izard, Johnson, Logan, Madison, Marion, Montgomery, Newton, Perry, Polk, Pope, Scott, Searcy, Sebastian, Stone, Van Buren, Washington, and Yell
District 2 Counties: Arkansas, Clay, Craighead, Crittenden, Cross, Faulkner, Greene, Independence, Jackson, Lawrence, Lee, Lonoke, Mississippi, Monroe, Phillips, Poinsett, Prairie, Randolph, Sharp, St. Francis, White, and Woodruff
District 3 counties:Ashley, Bradley, Calhoun, Chicot, Clark, Cleveland, Columbia, Dallas, Desha, Drew, Garland, Grant, Hempstead, Hot Spring, Howard, Jefferson, Lafeyette, Lincoln, Liver River, Miller, Nevada, Ouachita, Pike, Pulaski, Saline, Sevier, and Union
Have you ever thought, “I know I have ideas that would really benefit the interpreting community”? Or, “How can I be more involved?” Joining the ARID board would be just the way to do it. It’s also an excellent opportunity to learn more about our profession and our community and to network with interpreters across the country. It’s an excellent opportunity that you won’t find anywhere else! Contact the ARID President if you have an interest in a leadership position with ARID.