The ATA Chronicle - September/October 2020 - 8

ATA 2020 ELECTION: CANDIDATE STATEMENTS continued

DIRECTOR | Three-Year Term
VERONIKA DEMICHELIS, CT
veronika@veronikademichelis.com
I'm honored to be
nominated to run for ATA's
Board of Directors.
Since 2016, ATA has
been my home and my
community that helps me
grow and inspires me. All the events that
have unfolded this year have shown us
that now is not the time to stand still and
that we need to be creative and proactive
to shape our future and the future of our
profession. It would be my honor to help
do that for ATA.

My Background
I'm an ATA-certified English>Russian
translator based in Houston, Texas.
I have an MA in linguistics and
intercultural communication, an MBA
in human resources management, and a
certificate in translation and interpreting.
I'm an adjunct professor in the
Translation and Interpretation program
at Houston Community College, where
I teach localization and audiovisual
translation and serve on the program's
advisory board.
Before starting my freelance career, I
worked in the oil and gas industry for 18
years in such areas as human resources,
communications, ethics and integrity, risk
management, and social responsibility.
This experience shaped my specialization,
skills, work ethic, and values.

My Volunteer Experience
I enjoy giving back to the translation
and interpreting community. I served as
the professional development director
for the Houston Interpreters and
Translators Association (HITA) from
February 2018 until June 2020, and I
continue to serve HITA by creating a
mentoring program for its members. I
helped ATA's Slavic Languages Division
start its own podcast, which I co-hosted
until November 2019. As a volunteer
on ATA's Membership Committee, I
help ensure that membership in ATA
is valuable and highly regarded. As
chair of the Professional Development
Committee, I focus on offering ATA
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The ATA Chronicle | September/October 2020

members a variety of relevant, highquality professional development
opportunities that strengthen their skills
and professional future.

My Goals
I believe that volunteering is not just
about good intentions, passion about our
profession, and great ideas. It's also about
being willing to put in time and effort,
engaging in dialogue and understanding
other people's opinions, and working hard
to strengthen our association and bring
value to our members.
More importantly, I know that being a
Board member is not about what I think
is right, but what you as members want
ATA to represent-both for you, for our
profession, and for the outside world.
If elected, I will continue to live up
to these values and beliefs and work
tirelessly to strengthen ATA. To this effect,
I would focus on:
■	

Making ATA a trusted source of excellent
professional development opportunities
that help members improve their skills
and grow their businesses.

■	

Offering our members the services and
resources they need.

■	

Advocating on behalf of members,
with their best interests at heart, and
increasing awareness of translation,
interpreting, and localization.

■	

Helping integrate ethics and social
responsibility into the processes and
best practices of our profession.

I would be honored to get your vote,
represent you on the Board, and use my
expertise and skills for the benefit of ATA.

DIRECTOR | Three-Year Term
ANTONIO GUERRA
aeguerra@aol.com
During the past three
years, I've been privileged
to serve as an ATA
director. None of us on
the Board could have
anticipated the demands
of governance in these unprecedented
times during the pandemic. However,
we tackled this enormous challenge as
a team. We've remained focused on our

mission and priorities while responding
to the constantly changing parameters of
the crisis.
In the midst of this disruption,
never has unity, clarity, collaboration,
and deliberate visionary resolve been
more important for the survival of our
great association. The Board and ATA
Headquarters consist of a brilliant,
thoughtful, and committed group
that continues to work tirelessly to
make certain we weather this storm
successfully, much stronger, and with
a well-grounded path to ensure ATA's
prospects. We've all been deeply
impacted professionally, socially,
economically, and personally, both
physically and mentally. As such, ATA's
role as the voice of interpreters and
translators is now more important
than ever.
COVID-19 has affected all ATA Board
activity and committee work, from initial
response time, to short-term planning,
and ultimately long-term financial,
structural, and organizational forecasts.
The following are essential to ATA's future:
Adaptation/Flexibility: We must
accommodate the "new normal." For
example, the Board voted unanimously to
hold ATA61 virtually and conduct Board
meetings online.
Vision: This means facing the pandemic
head-on and strategically anticipating
the outlook for the industry, calculating
members' needs, and meeting the
shifting professional development
requirements in the depths and eventual
wake of the pandemic.
Economic Solvency: The substantial
financial losses for ATA as a result of the
modified Annual Conference platform
requires judicious and sound financial
stewardship, which the Board has
carefully calculated and will implement.
Advocacy: Members look to ATA to
represent their interests and concerns
to the general public. ATA's Public
Relations (PR) Committee, on which
I serve, continues to actively promote
our profession.
Information: Because this pandemic is
as unpredictable as it is potentially lethal,
www.atanet.org
http://www.atanet.org
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