Interpreter Spotlight

Jolene Greaney

Interpreting For: 10 Years
Fun Fact: She’s the ultimate night owl of the Workforce!

Jolene’s passion for interpreting began early, growing up with Deaf neighbors and falling in love with the language and culture. After completing her degrees in interpreting and Deaf education, she’s spent over a decade in the field.

She joined RISE a little over two years ago as an Interpreter A, bringing warmth, flexibility, and dedication to every shift. Night work suits her perfectly, it allows her to stay present with her young family while continuing to serve the Deaf community she deeply values.

Signing Aide Spotlight

Tammy Mitchell

Experience: 30-year career as an Administrator at CSDR
Fun Fact: Has a passion for quilting, wants to become a certified instructor of quilting techniques!

We are excited to welcome Tammy Mitchell to RISE Interpreting as our new part-time Behavioral Intervention Supervisor within the Signing Aide Department.

Tammy is joining us after a distinguished 30-year career as an Administrator at CSDR, where she gained a wealth of experience working with teachers and support staff. Most importantly, she brings a deep love and passion for working with Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing (DHH) students across all grade levels.

Although retired from CSDR, Tammy has agreed to fill this vital, part-time role. A key area of her responsibility will be supporting our field employees by offering advice, tips, and a listening ear when needed. We encourage everyone to reach out and get to know her!

In addition to her dedication to Deaf education, Tammy’s retirement will allow her to pursue her personal passion for quilting. Her goal is to become a certified instructor of quilting techniques, with a dream of providing training to fellow enthusiasts across the country as she travels with her family.

Welcome, Jasmine McElroy, to the Scheduling Team!

We’re excited to share that Jasmine has joined our Office Staff as a Service Coordinator! She isn’t new to RISE, as she’s transitioning from her previous role as a Signing Aide, where she has already been a great support to students and staff.

Please join us in giving Jasmine a warm welcome!

Shout-Out to Sophia Iocolano and Amanda Egerer 🎉

We’d like to recognize Sophia Iocolano and Amanda Egerer for their continuous hard work, and dedication for the RISE team.

As Service Coordinators III, they carry a significant workload; from handling urgent requests, on-call support, and complex scheduling decisions. They support the full range of Service Coordinator duties: coordinating service providers, addressing customer concerns, processing urgent requests, and keeping communication flowing smoothly across the team.

Thank you, Sophia and Amanda, for everything you do behind the scenes to keep our services running smoothly. We appreciate you! 🙌

Miranda Rights Workshop!

Date: Saturday, December 14th, 2025
Time: 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM (PST)
Location: Held remotely via Zoom
0.3 CEU’s Provided!

REGISTRATION VIEW FLYER

RISE End-of-Year Party 🎉

Date: Friday, Dec 19th, 2025
Time: 12:00 PM – 3:00 PM
Location: Riverside, CA
RISE employees, don’t forget to check your inbox and RSVP to our End-of-Year celebration. We can’t wait to see you there!

MATA Expo – November 8, 2025

What an honor to see so many of you at this year’s MATA Expo as it celebrated its 20th anniversary! The day was filled with connection, discovery, and celebration of our vibrant Deaf, Hard of Hearing, and signing community.

A huge thank you to all of the interpreters, exhibitors, and volunteers who helped make the event accessible and run smoothly from start to finish. Your energy and dedication were felt in every corner of the expo hall!

We’re already looking ahead to the next MATA Expo and to continuing this work of community, advocacy, and access together.

OPEN ENROLLMENT

December 9th – January 19, 2026

During this time, you have the opportunity to enroll in medical, dental, and vision benefits, as well as make any necessary changes to your current coverage.

BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR EMAIL FROM HR

Important!

Please verify that your personal information on Insperity is correct and accurate. Ensuring your details are correct now will help us make sure your tax information is sent out accurately at the beginning of next year

NOVEMBER Birthday Club!

Isaac Sanchez
Karisa Harriman
CJ Hartsock
Laura Mendez

Jessica Garcia
Jeannine De Loye
Irma Noel
Kambrina Clark

Jonathan Figueroa
Rocio Ramirez
Laura Killen
Joshua Raby

Anna Valencia
Hilary Wagner

1938

Deaf Consumers Served

23

Professional Development Meetings

4

RID & EIPA
Tests Proctored

Epiphany
Noun

A moment of sudden revelation or insight.
“A few years ago, I had an epiphany”

Monthly Tidbits:

25th Summer Deaflympics

Over 3,000 Deaf Athletes from more than 80 nations will be coming together to compete in the 25th Summer Deaflympics being held November 15th- 26th in Tokyo Japan! This will be Japan’s FIRST time hosting the games. Opening and Closing Ceremonies will be held at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium.

This year’s Deaflympics marks 100 years since the first International Silent Games were held in Paris in 1924. The first edition brought only 148 men and 1 woman from 9 countries, the amount of growth and support in 100 years is amazing!

In addition to being an elite athlete, to qualify participants must meet a hearing requirement (have at least permanent hearing loss of at least 55 decibels in their better ear) and they are not permitted to compete using hearing aids or implants.

The Deaflympics also brings awareness to gaps in policies and accessibility, for example, Brazil’s 2022 games influenced new national inclusion laws for Deaf citizens.
https://deaflympics2025-games.jp/en/#gsc.tab=0

THANKSGIVING

Fun fact about Thanksgiving! The first Thanksgiving was a 3-day feast. The initial celebration in 1621 involved 50 Pilgrims and 90 Wampanoag Indians and lasted for three days to celebrate a successful harvest.

Two satellites got married.
The wedding ceremony was okay, but the reception was amazing!

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