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Management Team

About Us

Management Team

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Tenja Smith

ASL Scheduler

Tenja is a proud Colorado resident, hails from Minnesota. She graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree from Gallaudet University. She found her passion in the ASL scheduling/interpreting field since the year of 2020. As a deaf individual, she has deep roots in the Deaf Community and used to work in education. Tenja loves spending time at home with her other half and cats or exploring new places and doing outdoor activities, such as skiing and hiking. Tenja also thrives to learn to be more eco-friendly on a daily basis!

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Serafina Paladino

Security Specialist
Serafina, a native of Colorado, joined the Translation Excellence ASL/CART team as a scheduler and security specialist. Serafina is an independent researcher who received their Bachelor’s degree in Italian studies from the University of Colorado and a Master’s degree in comparative literature from the University of St Andrews in Scotland. Throughout their studies, Serafina has worked with many Romance Languages but she considers Italian to be her favorite. Outside of academia, Serafina has experience as a travel coordinator for the Department of Energy. In their down time Serafina enjoys reading, writing, watching Star Trek, and playing with her pet rabbit, Lucina.
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Samantha Grossinger

ASL Scheduler
Samantha is from St. Paul, Minnesota. She graduated from Gallaudet University with a Bachelor’s degree in Communication Studies. She is a highly experienced scheduler with over 8 years of experience in ASL scheduling. As a member of the Deaf Community, she has worked with the Deaf Community throughout her career. In previous positions, she developed programs and activities to raise awareness of Relay services for D/HoH residents in Virginia and Washington D.C., and designed and implemented ASL curriculum for an interpreter training program for a past employer. This mom has her hands full with two babies (ages 2 and 1) and two beloved dogs. In her free time, she loves working out at a gym and spending time with her family and friends.
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Rebecca Cornell

Scheduling Team Manager

Rebecca has lived in Colorado almost her entire life. She has a strong background in languages and culture and has studied closely Spanish, Russian, Latin, plus many more languages. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Anthropology from UCCS and a Master’s degree in Linguistics from the University of Colorado at Boulder, and has solid experience working with many different types of languages and cultures, clients, and technology. Rebecca spends her free time with family & friends, listening to music, and enjoying life in Colorado.

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Nisar Nikzad

President, CEO

Nisar, the dynamic force behind Translation Excellence, stands tall as its founder and CEO. This isn’t just any company—it’s a global heavyweight in boutique language services. Hailing from the vibrant city of Kabul, Afghanistan, Nisar brought his passion and expertise to the U.S. shores in 2001. In the realm of languages, he’s a titan. With 19 years under his belt, he’s worn hats from a linguist and instructor to a cultural bridge-builder and curriculum craftsman. And if you’re talking about federal government contracts? Nisar’s the name that echoes as a byword for success. Armed with an Executive MBA, a Bachelor’s in Biology and Chemistry from the University of Colorado at Denver, and a tech-edge with an Associate’s degree in IT, Nisar is the epitome of a modern Renaissance man. When he’s not reshaping the linguistic landscape, you might catch a glimpse of him spiking a volleyball, blazing a trail up a mountain, carving down snowy slopes, or chasing the horizon on a run.

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Melissa Halverson

 ASL/CART Scheduler

Melissa Halverson “also goes by Elli” is a native of the Land of 10,000 Lakes, Minnesota. She is an experienced ASL scheduler who utilizes her creativity, leadership and organizational skills to provide top quality scheduling services to Deaf and Hard of Hearing communities. In addition to that, it is her newfound passion to create bridging opportunities and connections among the sign language community. She is fluent in ASL and has done work as an ASL tutor for the University of Minnesota. Melissa holds a Bachelor of Science in biology from Bemidji University. She has 3 C’s addictions: coffee, cheese, and chocolate, and her getaways are often at beaches.

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Mary Jarrett

Government Account Manager

As Government Account Manager she oversees all government sales. Mary performs research to identify Government procurement opportunities and build pipeline, develops effective communication plans and strategies for potential and existent contracts with emphasis on developing key value-added relationships, and works effectively to maximize new procurement potentials. As a former CEO, she has over 25 years of experience in sales with Federal Government. She was awarded “Who’s Who in the World” for her contributions in helping our world become more environmental. She studied Ethology at University of Colorado and conducted Animal Research throughout the United States. Mary and her husband enjoy camping and the outdoors. She administers three popular Facebook pages on Colorado outdoor activities.

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Jennifer Smith

 ASL Scheduler

Jenny Smith-Hastings, ASL Scheduler for Translation Excellence, is a native Minnesotan. She graduated from Gallaudet University and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Interpreting and enjoys mentoring, and doing ASL-related work. She has years of experience working with interpreters for the Deaf community. Jenny is a crazy cat lady, she loves cats (owns 7 cats) and is a regular volunteer at Furball Farm Pet Sanctuary. When she is not on the go, Jenny enjoys playing volleyball and spending time with family and friends.

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Jason “JJ” Klein

 Certified ASL Staff Interpreter/Scheduling Team Manager

Jason Klein “JJ”, a midwesterner from the Queen City (Cincinnati, OH), is our certified ASL staff interpreter and scheduling coordinator at Translation Excellence. JJ is a native user of American Sign Language and started his interpreting career in 2010 upon receiving his Associate’s degree from Cincinnati State Technical and Community College. Later, he transferred to Gallaudet University in Washington, DC and earned his Bachelors Degree (2014) in interpreting and played three years of baseball. He has spent most of his professional career around our nation’s capital interpreting in the community with a focus in government. In his free time, JJ enjoys going to the gym, golfing, playing recreational softball, and spending time with family and friends.

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James Dolores

 Project Manager

James Dolores is one of the few remaining natives to Denver Colorado. Born and raised. He studied at the University of Colorado Denver for Bilingual Education and went on to be a Spanish teaching for Denver Public Schools after graduation. His passion for linguistic diversity led him to Translation Excellence and is now a Project Manager. He is in charge of ensuring all of our translation projects make it from start to finish in a timely manner by coordinating with the QA team and our extensive network of linguists to ensure that the client always walks away satisfied with a high quality translation. In his free time he loves being outdoors, playing video games, and occasionally binge-watching reality TV shows.

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Gilda Graves

 Quality Assurance Officer

As a Quality Assurance Manager with Translation Excellence, Ms. Graves has high-level authority at in the areas of evaluating, designing, and implementing our QA policies for all our service delivery programs. Ms. Graves utilizes her creativity, leadership, and multi-tasking and organizational skills to manage quality control of contracts and to provide complete satisfaction in a customer service role. Gilda is a native Spanish speaker and graduate of the Sacred Heart University in Puerto Rico. She has many years of experience teaching Spanish to children and adults, and working with interpreters in the US and abroad. In addition, Gilda has extensive experience in the development, administration and scoring of language assessments. In her free time, she enjoys reading, and spending time with family and friends.

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Farid Bayot

CFO

Farid Bayot joined Translation Excellence in December of 2015. He has extensive experience in a wide range of leadership, management and advisory positions. As Chief Financial Officer, he oversees all aspects of the company’s finances, including the development and management of budgets, preparation of financial statements and reporting. Farid brings over a decade of financial management experience in the private and public sectors, with a focus on developing policies and procedures to improve performance and productivity. Farid earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Business from Metropolitan State College of Denver, an Executive MBA from University of Colorado and a MS in Finance from University of Colorado. In his free time, Farid enjoys spending time with his family, reading, snowboarding, playing soccer and listening to music.

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Emma Newcity

 ASL/CART Scheduler

Emma Newcity is a proud New England (Southeast MA/RI) native and currently lives in the Denver, CO area. Emma graduated from Hofstra University in 2018 with a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology. After college she worked in the nonprofit sector specializing in behavioral health and addiction treatment. Her former position as a case manager introduced her to the world of scheduling interpreting services. In her free time, Emma enjoys writing and performing music, gardening, cooking, watching New England sports, and spending time with family and friends

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Debbie Dellacroce

CART Scheduler/Transcriptionist

Deborah Dellacroce, aka Debbie, is a project manager with a focus on transcription services for Translation Excellence. She is a Colorado native and grew up in Colorado Springs. She graduated from UCCS with a Bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry, which has served her well in the language industry. In her prior employments, she has worked as a scientific writer and editor. In her free time, Debbie loves attending concerts, appreciating the visual arts, and spending time in nature with her small dog.

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Cristian Horga

Quality Assurance Coordinator

Born and raised in Bucharest, Romania, Cristian Horga has a bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Philosophy and a master’s degree in Philosophy. During the first ten years of his career, he worked as a journalist, writing articles for magazines and interviewing tv celebrities. He also has a background in advertising and online marketing. After moving to the US 4 years ago, Cristian collaborated with some of the biggest localization companies as a linguistic software tester, before joining the Translation Excellence team in the summer of 2022. In his free time, Cristian enjoys reading, cycling and riding motorcycles, spending time with his family and exploring the natural wonders that Colorado has to offer.

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Catherine Diaz

 Director of CART and Captioning Services

Catherine Diaz is the Director of CART & Captioning Services at Translation Excellence. Catherine is responsible for managing the scheduling support and personnel related matters including performance evaluations and developing plans for improvement. She has been working with the Deaf and Hard of Hearing community since 2012 and has always enjoying meeting new people and serving her local community. She has traveled to Greece, England, Austria, and She lived with her sister in Chicago and her brother in Hawaii, but always calls Denver home. From 2003 to 2007, she lived and worked in Uganda establishing schools and medical clinics. When she is not working or traveling, Catherine enjoys playing games with her friends and family, live music, and antiquing.

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Ben Bohannon

Chief Operating Officer

Meet Ben: An entrepreneurial powerhouse with a flair for strategy and business expansion. For over a quarter-century, he’s been at the forefront of groundbreaking ventures, both local and global, creating ripples in fiercely competitive B2B and B2C landscapes. With a Midas touch, Ben doesn’t just build businesses; he crafts legacies. His magnum opus? The birth and meteoric rise of ANZEN Corporation, which soared as one of the world’s premier inkjet remanufacturing giants before catching the eye of discerning investors. From Media Products and Software to Semiconductors and Remanufacturing, there’s scarcely an industry he hasn’t infused with innovation. Beyond his pioneering ventures, Ben’s insights are a coveted treasure in the business world. As a strategic maestro, executive teams seek his counsel to catapult their initiatives to unparalleled success. Yet, beyond the boardroom and the accolades, Ben finds solace shredding snowy terrains on his snowboard and navigating rugged mountain trails on his bike. At the heart of it all, he treasures moments with his family, reminding us that at the core of every great success is a soul with passions and loved ones.

Judith Garcia

Program Manager/Spanish Instructor

Judith Garcia was born and raised in Puerto Rico. She holds a Ph.D. and moved to the mainland in 2012, where she worked for different public and private institutions such as: The Department of Education, The Air Force Culture and Language Center, The Department of Defense, and currently, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

 

She has been the Program Manager of the Detention Spanish Program with Enforcement and Removal Operations for the last three contracts. During this time, she has overseen the program and ensured her staff delivers exceptional results. She has also acted as the Senior Lead Instructor presenting and implementing innovations to the training program as well to instructional methods delivery.

Marty Ryan

Spanish Language Instructor

A distinguished individual, Marty brings a wealth of experience to the table as a retired Immigration Service employee. A proud graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, Marty has not only excelled in academic pursuits but has also significantly contributed to the field of federal law enforcement. Marty served as an instructor in three distinct federal law enforcement academies, sharing his knowledge and expertise with the next generation of professionals. Furthermore, Marty is the co-creator of three separate federal law enforcement Spanish training programs, showcasing his commitment to enhancing communication and understanding within the field. Marty’s multifaceted career is marked by dedication, expertise, and a profound impact on the realm of immigration and law enforcement.

Victor Gonzalez

Spanish Language Instructor

Meet Víctor R González Santos, a proud native of Arecibo, Puerto Rico. With a Bachelor’s degree in Secondary Education Spanish from Jacksonville, Alabama, and a Master’s in Spanish Language and Culture from Salamanca, Spain, Víctor’s educational journey spans continents. Having dedicated 20 years to the United States Army, he transitioned into a fulfilling career as a teacher, committing 15 years to public schools. A veteran with a passion for education, Víctor seized an opportunity to work as a government contractor, imparting Spanish language skills to U.S. immigration agents—an endeavor he describes as the experience of a lifetime. Beyond his professional pursuits, Víctor is happily married to Cynthia, a Special Needs teacher, and together, they find joy in outdoor activities, walking, bird watching, volleyball, engaging conversations, and a good read.

James Eldridge

Spanish Language Instructor

James Eldridge is a seasoned language professional with an impressive track record spanning over two decades. His language journey began with a dedicated two-year immersion in Spain, mastering Spanish. Following this, James served as a Russian linguist for the United States Air Force, utilizing his linguistic skills for 12 years while also meeting the demands of missions that required proficiency in Spanish. Transitioning into education, he spent three years teaching Spanish in public schools before embarking on his current role as a Spanish instructor at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC), a position he has held since late 2018. James holds a B.A. in Spanish Language Studies and International Studies, complemented by a background in personnel management and leadership.

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