CASLI (formerly known as AVLIC)
All inquires about new memberships, lapsed memberships, and membership fees can be sent to casli@casli.ca
*the CASLI Board of Directors and committee coordinators / members are volunteer positions. Click here to see the biographies of the current Board of Directors.
| CASLI Board | Name | E-mail Address |
|---|---|---|
| President | Jessica Siegers | president@casli.ca |
| Past President | vacant | pastpresident@casli.ca |
| Vice President | Taedra Harris | vicepresident@casli.ca |
| Second Vice President | Theresa Barker-Simms | 2ndvicepresident@casli.ca |
| Treasurer | Campbell McDermid | treasurer@casli.ca |
| Secretary | vacant | secretary@casli.ca |
| Evaluations Officer | Carmelle Cachero | evaluations@casli.ca |
| Director (Member at Large) | Laura Patterson | mal1@casli.ca |
| Director (Member at Large) | vacant | mal2@casli.ca |
| Standing Committee Coordinators | Name | E-mail Address |
| Bylaws, Policy & Procedures Committee | vacant | avlicbylaws@gmail.com |
| Educational Interpreting Issues Committee | Taedra Harris | avliceii@gmail.com |
| Evaluations | Carmelle Cachero | evaluations@casli.ca |
| Public Relations Committee | Carmelle Cachero | avlicpr@gmail.com |
| Publications Committee | vacant | publications@avlic.ca |
| Mentorship Committee | Beth Erven | tba |
| Ad-Hoc Committee Coordinators | Name | E-mail Address |
| Anti-Audism Strategy Development Committee | ||
| Deaf Interpreter Task Force | ||
| PCRP Implementation | ||
| VRS Position Paper | ||
| Active Membership Criteria Investigating | ||
| CASLI Staff | Name | E-mail Address |
| Executive Director | David Kerr | exec_dir@casli.ca |
| Administrative Assistant | Sally Scheel | casli@casli.ca |
Biographies
President
Jessica Siegers - President
Biography coming soon
Past President
vacant - Past President
Vice President
Taedra Harris - Vice President
Biography coming soon
Second Vice President
Theresa Barker-Simms - Vice President
Biography coming soon
Secretary
vacant - Secretary
Treasurer
Campbell McDermid - Treasurer
Biography coming soon
Evaluations Officer
Carmelle Cachero (she/her) - Evaluations Officer
Biography coming soon
Director
Laura Patterson (she/her) - Director
Biography coming soon
Director
Executive Director
David Kerr (he/him) - Executive Director
David graduated from the Sir James Whitney School for the Deaf (Belleville, ON), then went on to receive a bachelor's degree in political science from both Gallaudet University and McMaster University. He has been an activist in the Deaf community and leader within various Deaf organizations since the 1980s.
With over 20 years of experience in senior management, David has worked specifically in interpreting services as well as the delivery of social and health services. Previously, he held senior management positions including Executive Director of Durham Deaf Services (Oshawa, ON), Regional Director with the Canadian Hearing Services (formerly The Canadian Hearing Society) (Windsor, ON), and Deputy Director of DCARA – Deaf Counseling Advocacy and Referral Agency (California).
David is familiar with and has been actively involved in social justice-based work in his roles as community leader and senior manager in Deaf organizations and Deaf services. He has worked with interpreters to provide comprehensive and equitable services to the communities they serve. David recognizes and understands the many challenges interpreters face daily and is ready to offer his support to us in this new role.
In his own words: “Hello! I’m thrilled to be working with you all, members of CASLI. I’m looking forward to working together and everything that’s to come!”
Administrative Assistant
Sally Scheel (she/her) - Administrative Assistant
Please click here to see ASL video.
A Deaf woman herself, Sally comes from an extensive Deaf family; Deaf parents, Deaf children (son and daughter), Deaf relatives, and four Deaf grandchildren. She currently makes her home in Ontario.
Prior to joining the CASLI team, Sally worked for 25 years with a non-profit agency that provides a variety of services across Ontario. Holding various union and management positions, Sally worked with interpreting services, interpreter training, ASL services, and the after-hours emergency interpreting service. She’s proud to have been the one to develop and establish this long-running after-hours emergency interpreting service that continues to serve Ontarians across the province.
Additionally, for many years Sally has served as an ASL rater for a number of agencies and associations, including AVLIC in the past. An avid theatre-goer, she also coaches interpreters on ASL translations for theatrical productions.
In May 2005, Sally was honoured to be recognized by the Ontario Association of Sign Language Interpreters (OASLI) for her outstanding contributions to the association. She has participated in ethics discussion panels and has presented provincially and nationally on numerous topics. In July 2008, Sally co-led training for AVLIC’s Internal Resource Persons/Team (IRP/IRT) of the Dispute Resolution Process (DRP). And, in July 2010, Sally gave one of the keynote addresses at the AVLIC Biennial Conference in Ottawa, entitled “An Exploration and An Invitation to View the World Through Deaf People’s Eyes”. Sally has a passionate interest in making a difference.
She now works for Canadian Association of Sign Language Interpreters (CASLI).
