Graciela joined MasterWord in 2018 as a Language Access Solutions Advisor. She brings with her over 30 years of experience in language access, with specific focus in the healthcare and legal fields, including her roles as a patient advocate and interpreter for Texas Children’s Hospital, Manager of the Language Access Program at Harris Health System, interpreter and translator for court proceedings, and a manager of the translation department for Lopez Negrete Communications, the largest Hispanic-focused advertising agency in the US. Graciela has also created her own training tracks for medical and court interpreters, and has been providing training for the past 12 years. She has been invited to teach some of her own training courses at the University of Houston – Downtown campus.
Active in the professional community, Graciela served as Director of Professional Development for the Texas Association of Healthcare Interpreters and Translators (TAHIT), as Treasurer and later as Vice President of the board of the Houston Interpreters and Translators Association (HITA), and held the positions of Director, Vice Chair and Interim Chair for the National Board of Certification for Medical Interpreters (NBCMI).
Originally from Mexico City, Graciela has lived in the Houston area for over 25 years. She is a Certified Medical Interpreter, a Master Licensed Court Interpreter and an ATA Certified Translator, and is fluent in both English and Spanish.
