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Faculty

David Davenport

David Davenport

Associate Professor

David Davenport is an Associate Professor under the ASL/Interpreting Program at Salt Lake Community College. He joined full-time Fall 2013 after serving 11 years as Adjunct faculty member. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Sociology from Brigham Young University and a Master of Arts degree in Sign Language Education from Gallaudet University. He has been teaching ASL for over fifteen years and has mentored many interpreters in various programs. David is a versatile individual with a wide range of talents such as teaching, storytelling, coordinating, training, remodeling, video editing, and other technology-related skills. David has developed ASL curriculum and assessment tools incorporating a new modern style of teaching and technology for his classes to enrich the learning experience for students. His interests are the modeling of language processing, linguistics, bilingualism, and early intervention and language development in Deaf and Hard-of-hearing.

Course Coordinator

  • ASL 1010 Beginning Level 1
  • ASL 1020 Beginning Level 2
  • ASL 1300 Conversation 1
  • ASL 2010 Intermediate Level 1
  • ASL 2020 Intermediate Level 1
  • ASL 2100 Proficiency Development
  • ASL 2300 Conversation 2
  • ASL 2700 ASL Literature
  • ASL 2900 Special Topics

Campus:

Taylorsville

Building:

AAB

Room:

237 AT

Phone:

801-590-6554

Email:

David.Davenport@slcc.edu

Duane Kinner

Duane Kinner

Assistant Professor

Duane Kinner is an Assistant Professor of the American Sign Langauge & Interpreting Department at Salt Lake Community College. He joined full-time Fall 2002 after serving one year as an Adjunct faculty member. Before joining SLCC as an ASL faculty, he served as a Sign Language Consultant at the Sign Language Studio.

After months of taking the Certified Deaf Interpreter (CDI) training sessions with the Interpreter Certification Advancement Network, he passed his CDI Certification in 2012. His certification is under the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (RID) organization.

Outside of SLCC, Duane served as a Language Mentor and ASL Trainer for the Utah Interpreter Program at the Division of Services to the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, Utah School for the Deaf, Video Relay Service Interpreting Institute Pathway and Compass Program at Sorenson Communications, Inc., and Interpreter Certification Advancement Network at the Utah Interpreter Program.

Since 2001, Duane has served on the Utah Association of the Deaf, Utah Interpreter Certification Advisory Board, Utah-American Sign Language Teacher Association.

Education

  • Bachelor's degree in Computer Information Systems from Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C., 1999
  • Certified Deaf Interpreter (CDI), 2012-Present

Expertise

  • ASL Language Instruction
  • Deaf Studies
  • Deaf History & Culture

Courses

  • ASL 1010 - Beginning ASL I
  • ASL 2010 - Intermediate ASL I
  • ASL 2020 - Beginning ASL II
  • ASL 1300 - Conversation
  • ASL 2300 - Conversation II
  • ASL 2900 - Special Topics

Campus:

Taylorsville

Building:

AAB

Room:

237 AV

Phone:

801-590-6235

Email:

Duane.Kinner@slcc.edu

Connie Spanton-Jex

Connie Spanton-Jex

Professor

Connie Spanton-Jex is a Professor and Coordinator for the American Sign Language/English Interpreting Program. Connie began her tenure at Salt Lake Community College as a full-time interpreter in the Disability Resource Center during Fall 2001. In 2002, after completing her master's degree in Deaf Education from Western Maryland College, she joined the ASL/I program as a full-time faculty member. She lived and worked in the Metro Washington D.C. area from 1989-1999 interpreting at a variety of theater performances, government meetings, medical appointments and in 1993, President Clinton's inauguration ball at the Kennedy Center. She has held national ASL/English interpreting certification (CI/CT) from the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (RID) since 1991 and continues to work part-time as an interpreter where she freelances in the local community and provides video relay service interpreting for Sorenson Communications (SVRS). In 2016, she was awarded the Kim Maibaum Lifetime Achievement Award by the Utah Chapter of RID. Since 2017, she has served on the board of SLCC's Utah Women in Higher Education Network as an event coordinator. Connie is passionate about interpreting and ensuring that those who do not know ASL can communicate with those who do.

Education

  • Master of Science (MS) in Deaf Education, Western Maryland College (McDaniel College), 2002
  • Bachelor of Science (BS) in Broadcast Journalism, Utah State University 1988
  • Associate of Science (AS) in Theater, College of Eastern Utah (USU Eastern) 1984

ASL/English Program Coordinator

  • INTR 1000 Introduction to Interpreting
  • INTR 1100 Connections to the Community I
  • INTR 1110 Connections to the Community II
  • INTR 1200 Interpreting I
  • INTR 1300 Ethics/Professional Standards
  • INTR 1400 Interpreting II
  • INTR 1500 Comparative Linguistics
  • INTR 1600 Internship I
  • INTR 2100 Connections to the Community III
  • INTR 2200 Interpreting III
  • INTR 2600 Internship II
  • ASL 1010 Beginning American Sign Language I

Campus:

Taylorsville

Building:

AAB

Room:

237 AU

Phone:

801-957-4642

Email:

Connie.Spanton-Jex@slcc.edu

Adjunct Faculty

Emily Beech

Emily Beech

Instructor

Credentials:

  • M.Ed Utah State University, 2008
  • B.S. Utah State University, 1999
  • A.A. Salt Lake Community College, 2005

Campus:

Taylorsville

Phone:

801-957-4642

Email:

Emily.Beech@slcc.edu

Amber Sidwell

Amber Sidwell

Instructor

Credentials:

  • M.Ed Utah Valley University, 2016
  • B.A. Utah Valley University, 2011
  • A.A.S. Columbus State Community College, 2007

Chante Wilson

Chante Wilson

Instructor

Credentials:

  • M.Ed University of Utah, 2016
  • B.A. Brigham Young University, 2007
  • A.A./A.S. Salt Lake Community College, 2004

Sarah Johnson

Sarah Johnson

Instructor

Credentials:

  • MS in ASL / English Interpreting; Interpreting Pedagogy from the University of North Florida
  • BA in Deaf Studies; Interpreting Emphasis from Utah Valley University
  • National Interpreter Certification from the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (NIC RID)
  • Utah Professional Interpreter Certification

Derrick Lopez

Derrick Lopez

Instructor

Credentials:

  • B.S. University of Utah
  • A.S. LDS Business College 2014
  • Utah Certified Deaf Interpreter

Michelle Heathington

Michelle Heathington

Instructor

Credentials:

M.A. Gallaudet, 2016

B.A. California State University, 2015

A.A. Long Beach City College, 2001

Donovan Heathington

Donovan Heathington

Instructor

Credentials:

M.A. University of Northern Colorado 2022

B.A. California State University 2016