- 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
CV/Resume
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 Documenta-
tion 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 Documenta-
tion 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-hour
On-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.”
Committees/chairmanships/participation 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
Barbara and David