Holly Thomas-Mowery 50th Committee Chair Holly Thomas-Mowery is an ASL/English interpreter living in the Boise area. She holds a masters degree in Management and Organizational Leadership. Holly is a licensed associate broker in real estate, and freelances as an interpreter as time allows. She has three adult children (one who is Deaf), and a beautiful almost 4-year-old grandson. Holly loves all things dark chocolate, reading, and live theater. She has two pups: Cooper and Blu. |
Ashley Camp Silent Auction Chair Ashley Camp is an ASL/English Interpreter who has lived in the Treasure Valley for the past 6 years. She was born, raised, and learned ASL in Alberta, Canada. Ashley holds a bachelor's degree in American Sign Language English Interpreting with an emphasis in Educational Interpreting and is currently working toward a master's degree in Advanced Interpreting Studies with an emphasis in teaching/mentoring. Outside of interpreting, Ashley loves music and theatre, reading, fibre arts, and spending time at the dog park with her sidekick Alfie. |
Bianca Leon Trilingual Chair
I'm from a little town in Nevada and now reside in Idaho. As a first-generation Latina sign language interpreter, I understand the struggles of feeling unheard. I was raised in a bilingual household where my parents' English proficiency was limited at the time. Because of my personal experience with language barriers, I can empathize the importance of having quality interpreters and resources available. Realizing this, I switched majors and took it upon myself to learn American Sign Language (ASL). Following my graduation from Idaho State University in 2021, I have embarked on the journey of becoming a licensed professional interpreter. As of now, I'm currently working as an educational interpreter. I'm excited for this new program which will enable better accessibility and improved quality interpreters in various settings so that everyone can feel included and heard. |
Amber Markham Awards Chair Amber moved back to Idaho in 2010 to be near family. Together with her significant other they have 2 teenage sons. She enjoys spending time outdoors camping and riding bikes with her family. She is an avid reader and loves all things craft related. Amber returned to school with the intent of being a nurse but after taking ASL 1 she changed her major and graduated from ISU's interpreting program in 2017. Amber has been working in Educational interpreting since graduation and is licensed with a 4.0 on the EIPA. Her goal remains to shift to freelance with a focus on Medical interpretation and she continues to take workshops and classes in order to meet this goal. |
Kayla Adams Hospitality Chair Kayla Adams grew up in the Treasure Valley. She received her Bachelor's degree in Sign Language Interpreting from Idaho State University in December 2020. Kayla works at the College of Western Idaho as an administrative assistant and is a substitute interpreter for K-12. She enjoys performance interpreting and plans to one day work as a medical interpreter. Kayla enjoys event planning and has been working with the Idaho Shakespeare Festival since 2019 to coordinate volunteers for the interpreted nights. Kayla and her husband have two adult children. | 
Shannon Stowe Event Favors Chair Shannon Stowe MS, NIC is the Independent Living Skills instructor at Idaho Educational Services for the Deaf and the Blind. She has worked in the education field for almost 20 years. She began working in the interpreting profession in 2004. In addition to her work as the Independent Living Skills instructor, she is also a certified American Sign Language interpreter and volunteer for the local refugee resettlement program working with Deaf refugees. She is a native signer and has many Deaf family members. Shannon enjoys being involved in the local Deaf community and spending time outdoors with her family and dogs. |
Jahaira Faber Currently working as the Outreach and Communication Coordinator at the Idaho Council for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, Jahaira enjoys developing collaborative relationships with a wide variety of organizations to support her community. She also serves as President of the ASL Club at Boise State University. Her passions include technology, animals, exploring, creativity, and being outgoing. |
Peter Forsman Peter Forsman lives in Boise and currently works in construction specializing in firestopping. Outside of work, he is interested in old cars and is part of a car club. He also enjoys woodworking when he's able to find the time. As a father of four, Peter enjoys adventures and going camping with his family. |
Dawn Wells Dawn grew up in the Deaf community and has been interpreting professionally for over 30 years. She is very passionate about working with organizations that serve ASL interpreters and Deaf senior citizens. Dawn has also enjoyed being involved with several event planning committees. |
Sierra McIver Sierra is a certified, professional interpreter (NIC, CoreCHI) working full time in private practice. She is a proud Idaho native who works primarily in the southwest Idaho area. Sierra also teaches Ethics and Decision Making of Interpreters as an Adjunct Faculty member at the Idaho State University ASL/English Interpreting program. She has served as the Technology Chair for the professional interpreting organization, Idaho Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (IdahoRID) since 2016. |
Leah McElwee Leah returned to Idaho in 2022 after spending a year as a staff interpreter at the Montana School for the Deaf and Blind. Currently working as the Executive Interpreter at the Idaho Council for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, her personal and professional experiences have given her a passion for improving the quality of services offered to deaf and hard of hearing students, especially in rural communities. She enjoys tea, cooking, hiking, and going on adventures - whether it be in her neighborhood or across the country. |
Jess Raschke Although originally from Colorado, Jess now calls Idaho home after moving to the Treasure Valley from Southeast Alaska. Having worked in both interpreting and non-profit management fields, she enjoys finding opportunities to work alongside and contribute to her community. In her free time, Jess can usually be found exploring the outdoors with her two rescue pups or picking up new creative hobbies. |
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