- First an international student in Mexico City, Barbara built a faculty career while training to be a Spanish-to-English translator
- Co-founded SpanTran Educational Services, Inc. in 1980 in Houston, Texas
- Has over 100 activities as a committee member, consultant, panelist, moderator, session presenter, and workshop leader and continues to work in translation and help educate newcomers to the field
- Contributing member of (past and present):
- American Translators Association
- National Association of Credential Evaluations Services (NACES)
- NAFSA: Association of International Educators
- Committee on Records Fraud and Abuse of the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO)
- Texas Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (TACRAO)
- Association of International Credential Evaluators (AICE)
- Charter member of TAICEP
EDUCATION:
- Bachelor of Arts in Spanish, with minors in Linguistics and French; Universidad de las Américas, Mexico, D.F.; June, 1967.
- Master of Arts in Romance Philology, Applied Linguistics and Spanish; Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge; January, 1969.
- Twenty-seven hours toward Ph.D. in Romance Philology and Linguistics; passed reading examination in French and doctoral qualifying examination; LSU, 1969-1971.
ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIP:
- 2002, San Jacinto College District; founded and funded the Willy Glave Memorial Scholarship in Process Technology.
AWARD:
- October, 2015, recipient of NAFSA, Association of International Educators, Region III 2015 Outstanding Service Award.
CREDENTIALING EXPERIENCE:
- November, 1982 to May, 2007, (co-) owner of SpanTran Educational Services, Houston:
- Duties: check authenticity of academic and professional documents; send for routine verification; review and certify document translations; review primary, secondary, and tertiary transcripts / diplomas; compare foreign educational accomplishments to U.S. elementary, secondary, and tertiary cycles; determine subject, credit-hour, divisional, grade, degree and professional qualification equivalencies; train junior evaluators; present at national conferences.
- May, 2007 to July, 2012: Consultant in international credentials analysis.
- August, 2013 to 2019, Credential Consultants; researcher, author and presenter.
- August, 2014 to present, SDR Evaluations and Translations; senior evaluator, trainer, researcher, author and presenter.
TRANSLATING EXPERIENCE:
- Summer, 1982, American Translators Association, passed Spanish-English examination of Committee on Accreditation leading to ATA Certification in September, 1982; ATA Certification Number 1634 continues in effect.
- 1980 to August, 2009, SpanTran Educational Services; Spanish-English-Spanish translator; in-house translator of academic documents written in Portuguese, French, Italian, and Latin; in-house reviewer of external translations.
- August, 2013 to 2019, Credential Consultants; translator of Romance languages.
- August, 2014 to present, SDR Evaluations and Translations; translator of Romance languages.
PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS:
- AACRAO-American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (via SDR employment) since 2014.
- AICE-Association of International Credential Evaluators, Inc. (via SDR employment) since 2014.
- ATA-American Translators Association: continuous member since 1982.
- HITA-Houston Interpreters and Translators Association: 2014-2016.
- NAFSA-Association of International Educators: continuous member since 1989.
- TACRAO-Texas Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers: to 2007, then 2014 to present (via SDR).
- TAICEP-The Association of International Credential Evaluation Professionals, member No. 41
PRIOR MEMBERSHIP:
- NACES-National Association of Credential Evaluation Services, Inc., 1996-2012.
CONSULTING EXPERIENCE / VOLUNTEERING:
- December, 1993 to June, 1995, Houston Independent School District; credentials adviser to Alternative Certification Program and to Superintendent’s Office.
- June, 2000, Supporting Education Programs in India/SEPI, Houston Community College System.
- December, 2002, Katy Independent School District; credentials adviser to registrars.
- Summer, 2004 to 2009, Region 4 Education Service Center; credentials analyst / adviser for teacher preparation program.
- Spring, 2006, training session on foreign medical credentials and verifications with Faculty Academic Affairs, U.Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston.
- Spring, 2006, training session on foreign medical credentials and verifications with Office of Institutional Analysis, U.Texas Medical Branch, Galveston.
- Fall, 2006, delivered two training sessions on Mexican university credentials, Region IV Educational Service Center, Houston.
- Winter, 2007, training session on Nigerian education with a branch office of the Texas Work Source, Houston.
- May, 2009 to May, 2016, NAFSA Trainer Corps for Core Education Training in Foreign Educational Credentials Analysis.
- September 1, 2009 to July, 2012: Consulting researcher, author, presenter, and trainer for SpanTran Educational Services, Inc.
- May, 2012, volunteer (15 hours) for NAFSA national in Houston.
- October, 2013 to present: Translator, Senior Editor and Research Adviser, Credential Consultants, Inc., Houston.
- February, 2014, member of 2014 NAFSA Trainer Corps Application Review Team.
- October, 2014 to present: Translator, Senior Editor and Research Adviser, SDR Educational Consultants, Inc., Houston.
- September, 2014, member of 2015 NAFSA Conference Proposal Review Team.
- September, 2015, member of 2016 NAFSA Conference Proposal Review Team.
- September, 2016, member of 2017 NAFSA Conference Proposal Review Team.
- August, 2017, member of 2018 NAFSA Conference Proposal-Review Team.
- August, 2018, member of 2019 NAFSA Conference Proposal-Review Team.
- September, 2019, member of 2020 NAFSA Conference Proposal-Review Team.
- September, 2020, member of 2020 NAFSA Conference Proposal-Review Team.
PAPERS / PANELS / WORKSHOPS / PRESENTATIONS:
- October 18, 1991, NAFSA Region III, Houston; “Separating Fact from Fraud.”
- October 15, 1992, NAFSA Region III, Oklahoma City; “Reading Academic Documents from the Americas: Spanish, French, and Portuguese.”
- October 1, 1993, Translation Studies Research Forum, University of Texas – Brownsville; “Translating Academic Documents from Spanish into English.”
- November 2, 1993, TACRAO, San Antonio; “Separating Fact from Fiction: International Credentials.”
- April 17, 1994, AACRAO, Boston; fraudulent records workshop: “Train the Trainer,” section on foreign documentation.
- April 19, 1994, AACRAO, Boston; repeated 4-17-95 presentation.
- June 1, 1994, NAFSA National, Miami; “Reading academic documents from the Americas: Spanish, French, and Portuguese.”
- June 24, 1994, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston; SETACRAO Fraudulent Documentation Committee presentation on fraudulent credentials; case study on fraudulent health-science credentials from Peoples Republic of China.
- October 15, 1994, American Translators Association, Austin; “Educating Translators to Translate Education.”
- November 2, 1994, NAFSA Region III, Fayetteville, Arkansas; “Crossfire! When Quality and Quantity Collide”; led panel discussion of intl. admissions dilemmas.
- November 8, 1994, TACRAO, South Padre Island, synopsis of NAFSA Region III “Crossfire!” for admissions section.
- February 6, 1995, SACRAO, Jackson, Mississippi; “Fraudulent Credentials: Teaming Academia and Business”; section on foreign documentation, case study on alternative certification program.
- March 10, 1995, UT Medical Branch, Galveston; SETACRAO Fraudulent Documentation Committee presentation on fraudulent credentials; section on international credentials: Detecting fraudulent credentials, detecting faulty translations, I.N.S. and embassy contacts.
- April 16, 1995, AACRAO, Indianapolis; fraudulent records workshop: “Train the Trainer,” section on foreign documentation.
- May 16, 1995, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston; SETACRAO Fraudulent Documentation Committee presentation on fraudulent credentials; section on international credentials: Detecting fraudulent credentials and faulty translations.
- May 31, 1995, NAFSA National, New Orleans; “Traduction Traître… Treacherous Translation”; presentation on how inaccurate or faulty translations can mislead credential analysts.
- June 1, 1995, NAFSA National, New Orleans; session chair: “An Updated Overview of the Brazilian Educational System.”
- November 6, 1995, TACRAO, Corpus Christi; SETACRAO Fraudulent Doc. Committee presentation: “Admission Dilemmas in Professional and Graduate Schools”; sections on professional vs. graduate international education and WHO-listed medical schools lacking regional (US) or national (US or foreign) accreditation.
- April 17, 1996, AACRAO, Reno; AACRAO ad hoc Committee on Fraudulent Documentation presentation on fraudulent credentials; section on international credentials; update on Alternative Certification Program, Houston Independent School District.
- June 6, 1996, NAFSA National, Phoenix; “Update on Peruvian Education: Focus on Non-university Post-secondary Institutions.”
- October 17, 1996, NAFSA Region III, Tulsa; session chair: AACRAO Country Guide Series… from A to Z; session hand-out on African Francophone vocabulary.
- November 3, 1997, TACRAO, Fort Worth; co-presenter, “Policies and Practices in Evaluating Foreign Credentials.”
- November 10, 1997, NAFSA Region III, Lafayette; “Every Quack with a Mac: Detecting Fraud in International Credentials.”
- February 9, 1998, SACRAO, Corpus Christi; “Traduction Traître…Treacherous Translation”; presentation on how inaccurate or faulty translations can mislead credential analysts.
- April 4, 1998, MITA, Dallas; “Translating Educational Documents: Mountains and Molehills” [separate presentations in Spanish and English].
- April 14, 1998, AACRAO, Chicago; “Traduction Traître… Treacherous Translation.”
- April 15, 1998, AACRAO, Chicago; “Report on Country Profile-Peru”
- October 21, 1998, NAFSA Region III, Galveston; “Graduate Panel.”
- April 20, 1999, AACRAO, Charleston; chair: “Evaluating Brazilian Educational Credentials.”
- June, 2000, SEPI, Houston Community College; “Overview of Indian and US Educational Systems: Focus on University of Delhi and Houston Community College.”
- November 3, 2000, NAFSA Region III, Monterrey, Mexico; “Overview of Indian Education: Focus on the University of Delhi.”
- April 25, 2001, AACRAO, Seattle, “Every Quack with a Mac: Detecting Fraud in International Credentials.” April 25, 2001, AACRAO, Seattle, “Admissions Dilemmas in Professional and Graduate Schools.”
- November 8, 2001, NAFSA Region III, Fort Worth; “Every Quack with a Mac: Detecting Fraud in International Credentials.”
- April 14, 2002, AACRAO, Minneapolis; “New Methods of Dealing with International Admissions Record Fraud.”
- April 15, 2002, AACRAO, Minneapolis; “Fraud: Not So Elementary My Dear Watson.”
- May 29, 2002, NAFSA, San Antonio; “Reading Academic Documents from the Americas: Spanish, French, and Portuguese.”
- May 30, 2002, NAFSA, San Antonio; “Engineering and Technology Education in the Americas: Current Developments.”
- November 5, 2002, PACRAO, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada; “Essentials of Spotting Fraudulent Documents.”
- November 18, 2002, Texas International Education Specialists, University of Texas, and NAFSA Region III; “Essentials of Spotting Fraudulent International Credentials.”
- February 11, 2003, SACRAO, Biloxi; “Every Quack with a Mac: Detecting Fraud in International Credentials.”
- February 27, 2004, TX State NAFSA, Houston; “Grades, Marks, Notes, Calificaciones.”
- November, 2006: Participation in TACRAO / Texas Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers, Austin.
- December, 2006: Participation in TASPA / Texas Association of School Personnel Administrators, Austin.
- January, 2008: AACRAO: Reviewer and supplementary writer for Edge Project: Mexico.
- May, 2008: NAFSA, Washington, DC; Co-Chair of Poster Session: “Reviewing Credentials from Secondary Schools for Recruitment and Admissions.”
- May, 2008: NAFSA, Washington, DC; “Reviewing Credentials from Secondary Schools for Recruitment and Admissions: MEXICO.”
- November 4, 2008: TACRAO, Corpus Christi; double presentation approved: “Detecting Fraudulent Credentials-USA” & “Detecting Fraudulent Credentials-International.”
- March, 2009; Texas State NAFSA, Houston; “Update to NAFSA Guide to Systems Abroad; ACE Network section of NAFSA website.”
- October 13-15, 2009: IIE Houston; Lead presenter / trainer for NAFSA 12-hourOn-Demand Workshop: “Foreign Educational Credentials Analysis.”
- October 25-26, 2009: NAFSA Region III, Addison; Contributor to “Foreign Educational Credentials Analysis” preconference workshop.
- November 9, 2009: TACRAO, Lubbock: Double presentation: “Detecting Fraudulent Credentials-USA” & “Detecting Fraudulent Credentials-International.”
- May 3, 2010: TX State NAFSA, Plano; “Determining Transfer Credit.”
- October 25-26, 2010: NAFSA Region III, New Orleans: Trainer Corps co-presenter for “Foreign Educational Credentials Analysis” preconference workshop.
- October 28, 2010: NAFSA Region III, New Orleans: “Determining Transfer Credit.”
- October 28, 2010: NAFSA Region III, New Orleans: “Update on Eastern European Education: Poland.”
- November 15, 2010: TACRAO, Galveston: “Apples vs. Oranges: Finer Points of International Transfer Credit.”
- November 16, 2010: TACRAO, Galveston: Proposed poster session for SpanTran staff: “Speed-Dating Around the World” (accepted and held).
- April 1, 2011: TX State NAFSA, College Station: Proposed poster session for SpanTran staff: “Speed-Dating Around the World” (accepted and held).
- October 24-25, 2011: NAFSA Region III, Oklahoma City: Trainer Corps lead trainer for “Foreign Educational Credentials Analysis” preconference workshop.
- October 25, 2011: NAFSA Region III, Oklahoma City: “Update on Education in Selected Balkan Countries.”
- October 27, 2011: NAFSA Region III, Oklahoma City: “RAP: Hands-on Practice in Analyzing International Credentials.”
- February 24, 2012: TX State NAFSA, Sherman: “RAP: Hands-on Practice in Analyzing International Credentials.”
- May 30, 2012: NAFSA National, Houston: “Challenging Credentials: Three Case Studies in Academic Level and Recognition.”
- May 31, 2012: NAFSA National, Houston: “Ask Credential Doctor III – China.”
- October 14-15, 2012: NAFSA Regions III-VII, San Juan, PR: Trainer Corps co-presenter for “Foreign Educational Credentials Analysis” preconference workshop.
- October 17, 2012: NAFSA Regions III-VII, San Juan, PR: “Credentials from Brazil, Cuba, Mexico, Puerto Rico: Characteristics and Updates.”
- February 15, 2013: TX State NAFSA, San Antonio: “Determining Transfer Credit.”
- October 22, 2013 NAFSA Region III, Northwest Arkansas: “Elementary-Secondary Education in Mexico.”
- October 23, 2013: NAFSA Region III, NW Arkansas: “Determining Transfer Credit.”
- November 9, 2013: ATA National, San Antonio: “Opening or Closing Doors? How the Translation of Educational Documents Affects the Analysis of Credentials.”
- February 7, 2014: Houston Interpreters and Translations Association, Houston: “Introduction to credentialing.”
- February 21, 2014: TX State NAFSA, Corpus Christi: “Speed-Dating Across the Globe: presentation on Mexican elementary-secondary education.”
- May 25-26, 2014: NAFSA National, San Diego: Trainer Corps co-presenter for “Foreign Educational Credentials Analysis” preconference workshop.
- November 2-3, 2014: NAFSA Region III, Ft. Worth: Trainer Corps co-presenter for “Foreign Educational Credentials Analysis” preconference workshop.
- November, 2014: NAFSA Region III, Ft. Worth: “The jig is up! Part I: Fraud Detection Guidelines” and “Part II: Fraud Detection Practice” (approved double session).
- February 20, 2015: NAFSA Region III Texas State Meeting, Houston: Chair, “Practice in Detecting Fraudulent Credentials.”
- November 21, 2015: NAFSA Region III, Norman: Chair and presenter, “International Credentials Analysis: Understanding Documentation.”
- June 2, 2016: NAFSA National, Denver: “Analysis and Discussion: How Translation May Impact Credentials Analysis.”
- November 7, 2016: NAFSA Regions III-VII, New Orleans: Seminar (double session): “Benchmark Credentials for Undergraduate Admissions: Latin America”
- November, 2016: NAFSA Regions III-VII, New Orleans: “The Credential Doctor is In! The Americas”.
- October 16, 2017: NAFSA Region III, San Antonio: Presenter: “Benchmark Secondary Credentials from India, Nigeria, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Vietnam.”
- October 17, 2017: NAFSA Region III, San Antonio: Poster: “Benchmark Secondary Credentials from Cuba (with focus on falsified transcripts and diplomas)
- October 17, 2017: NAFSA Region III, San Antonio: Poster: “Benchmark Secondary Credentials from Mexico.”
- October 18, 2017: NAFSA Region III, San Antonio: Chair and Presenter: “The Impact of Faulty Translations on International Admissions and Transfer.”
- October 4, 2018: TAICEP Conference, Philadelphia: Presenter: “Más allá de lo inicial: Una mirada avanzada a la educación mexicana.”
- February 28, 2020: NAFSA Region III Texas State Meeting, College Station. Co-presenter: “Analysis and Discussion: How Translation May Impact Credentials Analysis.”
- July 22, 2021: San Antonio International Educators’ Forum. Lead presenter: “Changing landscape of grading practices in certain Latin-American countries”.
- October 7, 2021: NAFSA All-Region Summit (virtual): Presenter: “Changing landscape of grading practices in certain Latin-American countries”.
- November 17, 2021: TAICEP Conference (virtual): Co-Presenter with Shelby L. Cearley, Walden University, and Ena Chaisson, MacEwan University: “La Educación en México: Una Breve Guía para Evaluadores de Credenciales.”
COMMITTES / CHAIRMANSHIPS / PARTICIPATING IN PUBLICATIONS:
- March, 1993 to 1998; SETACRAO Fraudulent Documentation Committee.
- March, 1995 to March, 1997; ADSEC (Admissions Section) Chair, NAFSA Region III.
- Spring, 1995 through Spring, 1998; AACRAO Committee on Records Fraud and Abuse.
- Spring, 1996; AACRAO publication Misrepresentation in the Marketplace and Beyond: Ethics under Siege, edited by Peggy Askins; contributed checklist for detecting fraudulent credentials to “Foreign Documents” section.
- April, 1997 to April, 2000; secretary, National Association of Credential Evaluation Services Inc. / NACES.
- April, 2000 to March, 2002; membership committee member, NACES.
- March, 2002 to May, 2006; membership committee chair, NACES.
- November, 2008; author of NAFSA Updated Guide to Educational Systems Around the World—Online Edition: Mexico.
- January, 2009; author of NAFSA Updated Guide to Educational Systems Around the World—Online Edition: Argentina.
- June, 2010; lead author of NAFSA Updated Guide to Educational Systems Around the World—Online Edition: Puerto Rico.
- July, 2010; author of NAFSA Updated Guide to Educational Systems Around the World—Online Edition: Peru.
- February, 2013; lead author of NAFSA Updated Guide to Educational Systems Around the World—Online Edition: Albania.
- February, 2013; co-author of NAFSA Updated Guide to Educational Systems Around the World—Online Edition: Sudan.
- September, 2013; lead author of NAFSA Updated Guide to Educational Systems Around the World—Online Edition: Dominican Republic.
- April, 2014; author of the overview of Mexican education for NAFSA IEM Spotlight.
- April, 2014; lead author of NAFSA Updated Guide to Educational Systems Around the World—Online Edition: El Salvador.
- August, 2014; lead author of NAFSA Updated Guide to Educational Systems Around the World—Online Edition: Paraguay; update completed June, 2020; submitted to NAFSA editor December, 2020;
- July, 2014; lead author of NAFSA Updated Guide to Educational Systems Around the World—Online Edition: Equatorial Guinea.
- 2015 to date; member of the AICE Membership Committee.
- 2016 to date; member of the AICE Scholarship and Publications Committee.
- 2015 to date; frequent presenter at monthly AICE Credential Forums.
- 2022, co-author of update to AACRAO EDGE profile on education in Mexico, with Shelby L. Cearley, Adtalem Global Education; in progress.
NOTE: This version of curriculum vitae excludes all university teaching experience from 1967 to 1983.
Guide to abbreviations
| AACRAO | American Association of Collegiate Registrars & Admissions Officers |
| AATIA | Austin Area Translators and Interpreters Association |
| AICE | Association of International Credential Evaluators, Inc. |
| ATA | American Translators Association |
| EDGE | Electronic Database for Global Education |
| HITA | Houston Interpreters and Translators Association |
| IEM | International Education Management: NAFSA Knowledge Community |
| IIE | Institute for International Education |
| MITA | Metroplex Interpreters and Translators Association: Metropolitan Dallas-Ft. Worth |
| NACES | National Association of Credential Evaluation Services, Inc. |
| NAFSA | National Association for Foreign Student Affairs (previously): Association of International Educators |
| NAFSA Region III | Regional chapter of the Assn. of International Educators: Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Texas |
| NAFSA Region VII | Regional chapter of the Assn. of International Educators: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North and South Carolina, Tennessee, Puerto Rico and US Virgin Islands |
| PACRAO | Pacific Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers: States of Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, and Washington; territory of Guam; provinces of Alberta and British Columbia |
| SACRAO | Southern Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia |
| SEPI | Supporting Education Programs in India |
| SETACRAO | Southeast Texas Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers: Austin, Brazoria, Brazos, Burleson, Chambers, Colorado, Ft. Bend, Galveston, Grimes, Harding, Harris, Jefferson, Liberty, Montgomery, San Jacinto, Waller, Walker, Washington and Wharton Counties |
| TACRAO | Texas Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers |
| TAICEP | The Association of International Credential Evaluation Professionals |
PUBLICATIONS & PRESENTATIONS:
Barbara authored or co-authored ten country profiles for the NAFSA Online Guide to Educational Systems Around the World. These are available via https://www.nafsa.org/professional-resources/publications/nafsa-guide-educational-systems-around-world; NAFSA charges a separate fee for each profile.
1. Argentina, May, 2009;
2. Mexico, July, 2009;
3. Puerto Rico, June, 2010;
4. Peru, August, 2010;
5. Albania, February, 2013;
6. Sudan, February, 2013;
7. Dominican Republic, September, 2013;
8. El Salvador, April, 2014;
9. Paraguay, October, 2014; update was drafted in 2019 and revised in 2020 but not posted;
10. Equatorial Guinea, July, 2015.
2013 NAFSA R-III Arkansas session, Determining Transfer Credit (1)
ATA SanAntonio 2013 session, How trans of ed dox affects cred analysis (1)
NAFSA bi-reg NOLA 2016, Benchmark Credentials for Undergraduate Admissions (1)
NAFSA IEM Spotlight, Vol. 11, Issue 1 – April 2014 (1)
NAFSA natl 2016 session, Inaccurate translation (1)
NAFSA R-III 2017, Benchmark secondary India Nigeria Pakistan SaudiArabia Vietnam (1)
NAFSA Tx St 2-20-15 session, Practice in Detecting Fraud (1)
TACRAO 2008 session, Detecting Fraudulent Credentials – International (1)
TAICEP 2018 Mirada Avanzada a la Educación Mexicana (1)
TAICEP 2021, Educación en México, PPT upgraded 2-2022 (1)
PHOTOS:
