Meet the 2023-2025 ARID Board!
These individuals volunteer their time and energy to ensure that our professional organization is one of the best around.
Sebrena Westcott
President
Email: president@arkansasrid.org
Sebrena Westcott is a certified Interpreter for the Deaf with over 30 years of experience, holding the National Interpreter Certification (NIC). Specializing in medical interpreting, she has worked in a variety of settings throughout her career. Sebrena is also a dedicated mentor, providing guidance and support to aspiring interpreters.
She is a passionate advocate for the Deaf and interpreting community, having served in several leadership roles within the Arkansas Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (ARID), including Member-at-Large for District 1, Co-chair for the Biennial Planning Committee, Chair of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee (DEIC), and as a member of the Program Committee.
Currently, Sebrena is the President of ARID and the Chair of the Arkansas Licensure Advisory Board. Under her leadership, she hopes to enhance professional development opportunities and strengthen community ties. Residing in Russellville, Arkansas, she is a dedicated mother and grandmother who enjoys crafting in her spare time. Married for 33 years, Sebrena balances her professional dedication with a strong commitment to family and community.
Vacant
Vice-President
Vacant
Rhonda Read
Secretary
Email: secretary@arkansasrid.org
Rhonda Read is a 2019 Graduate of the University of Arkansas Little Rock Interpreter Education Program (UA Little Rock IEP). Rhonda is currently beginning her third year at he Arkansas School for the Deaf as an administrative assistant and doing some community work in the deaf community.
Prior to being elected to the ARID Board, Rhonda participated in many volunteer opportunities including the ARID Biennial Conference (2017), the RID Region IV Conference (2018), and the ARID Biennial Conference (2019).
Rhonda has previously served as Treasurer for Sigma Lambda Kappa, the sign language club sponsored by UA Little Rock (2018-2019), as well as, ARID Member at Large for District 2 2019-2023.
When not focused on furthering her interpreting skills, or philanthropic activities, Rhonda enjoys spending time with her husband, five children, their spouses, and her two grandchildren. She is eagerly anticipating her 3rd grandchild due in January 2024. Rhonda is very much looking forward to the opportunity to serving ARID as Secretary for the 2023-2025 term.
Donna Gibson
Treasurer
Email: treasurer@arkansasrid.org
Donna Gibson has been working as a professional interpreter for ten years. She is licensed through the state of Arkansas, and currently holds a Mid-America Quality Assurance Screening Test (QAST) level 5/4. She plans to take her National Interpreter Certification (NIC) test soon. Donna has worked as a VRS interpreter with Sorenson since 2017. She also regularly interprets in the community here in Central Arkansas and enjoys medical and artistic settings the most. Donna is a proud CODA and incredibly passionate about advocating for and supporting our Deaf community; her grandmother, Janet Joplin Surratt, was the first graduate of the Interpreter Training Program at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock in 1980!
Donna currently resides in Central Arkansas with her husband, Michael, and two children, Jude (14) and Zeke (10). In her free time, she loves gardening, swimming, volunteering at her children’s schools, and performing at shows as the vocalist of her band, Lypstick Hand Grenade, which her and her husband formed back in 2014. She has been a member of Arkansas Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf since 2012 and is excited to serve our members as Treasurer for this term.
Kyra Hawkins
Member at Large - District 1
Email: MAL1@arkansasrid.org
Kyra Hawkins graduated from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock (UALR) in 2018. While at UALR Kyra served on the board of SLK, the sign language club, as Treasurer and Vice-President. Since graduation Kyra has worked in both video relay and the community in Northwest Arkansas and is excited for another avenue to work with her
community.
Kyra moved to NWA from Little Rock in 2018 and currently lives in Springdale with her wife, Mikayla, and an ever growing number of cats. In her free time, she enjoys personal writing projects, her weekly game of Dungeons and Dragons, and whatever topic her ADHD has hyper fixated on at the moment.
Jamie Lane-Ross
Member at Large - District 2
Email: MAL2@arkansasrid.org
Jamie Lane-Ross is a 2010 graduate from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. She has a bachelor’s degree in Interpreting: ASL/English and a minor in Educational Interpreting. She has been interpreting professionally for 15 years. Jamie is a licensed interpreter for the state of Arkansas and has the following credentials: QAST 5/5, EIPA 4.4, and BEI-Basic. She is a long-time member and supporter of various Deaf and/or Interpreting organizations such as ADBC, ARID, RID, and NAD. Additionally, Jamie’s oldest brother is Deaf, and she treasures the title of ‘SODA’ (Sibling of a Deaf Adult).
Upon graduating in 2010, Jamie worked as an educational interpreter for approximately four years. She then shifted her focus from working within the public education realm to freelance interpreting. In addition to freelance interpreting, she began working for Sorenson Video Relay in 2014. Jamie continues to work as a part-time Video Interpreter as well as a Community Interpreter.
Jamie was born and raised in Oklahoma and enjoys traveling. She has lived in various locations such as: Arizona, North Carolina, Florida, and Scotland. Currently she resides in Cabot, Arkansas, with her loving and supportive husband of 17 years, Todd Ross. Together, her and Todd have 8 offspring ranging in ages from 43 to 15. Jamie is extremely proud of all her kiddos, and she takes pride in knowing that they are all making a positive contribution to society. Additionally, she is especially enamored with her curly headed four-year-old grandson and her 2 older Labrador dogs (one is Deaf) and her 2 Bernedoodle puppies.
Aaron Johnson
Member at Large - District 3
Email: MAL3@arkansasrid.org
Have you ever thought:
"I have ideas that would really benefit the interpreting community!!"
"How can I be more involved?"