Meet Our Team
Carrie Wood
Director, Interpreter
NIC, EIPA
Carrie began her interpreting career in 1999 after graduating from the Interpreter Training Program at Iowa Western Community College. She is permanently licensed to interpret in Iowa and holds a national certificate, NIC, from the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf. She started working as a staff interpreter for Life Interpretation, Inc. in 2019 and became a director in 2023. Prior to working at Life Interpretation, Inc., she worked in a variety of settings: K-12 schools, post-secondary, medical, VRS, and community interpreting. Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with her two daughters.
Danja Hirsch
Staff Interpreter
BEI Master, NIC
Danja (pronounced Dan-ya) is a heritage learner of ASL having been exposed to the language and culture since birth by two Deaf parents affording her the experience of being raised bilingual. She is an only child born and raised in Iowa.
She graduated with an associates degree in Sign Language Interpreting in May 2011 from DMACC. In 2012, Danja moved to Austin, TX where she obtained BEI Advanced certification in June of 2016 before being awarded Master certification in July of 2019. In 2021, she moved to Denver, CO, moving back to Des Moines Feb 2023. Danja joined Life Interpretation as a staff interpreter in March 2023 with 13-years experience in Video Relay Service and 12-years experience as a Nationally Certified Interpreter working in a wide array of settings and registers including: Post Secondary, K-12, Medical & Emergency/On-Call Services, Mental & Behavior Health, Platform, Music, Workplace & Professional Settings, Cruises, and Weddings.
Jeff Reese
Director, Interpreter
RID: CI & CT
Jeff is one of the founders and directors of Life Interpretation based out of Des Moines. Jeff’s aunt is deaf and that is the origin of his fascination with sign language. He has a degree in sign language interpreting and obtained two national certifications from the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf, Certificate of Interpretation and Certificate of Transliteration. He has been providing interpretation (professionally) since 1986. He finds the act of connecting people from divergent backgrounds extremely rewarding. He, his spouse, and two dogs reside in Polk County, Iowa.
Peggy Chicoine
Director, Interpreter
RID: CI & CT
Peggy Chicoine is the oldest child of Deaf Parents and has been interpreting for 40 years. American Sign Language (ASL) is her first language and English is her second language. Peggy attended St. Paul Technical Vocational Institute and graduated with a certificate of completion of the Interpreter Training Program. Upon graduating, she became a freelance interpreter in a variety of settings: medical, legal, educational, social services, post-secondary, mental health, workplace settings, religious settings, and platform interpreting (conferences, workshops, and trainings). She also has been serving the Catholic Deaf Ministry for over 33 years. Peggy received her national certification in 1987, and additional certifications in 2000, from the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf.
Rose Chicoine-Hartung
Operations Coordinator/Scheduler
Rose joined Life Interpretation in August of 2022, as the Operations Coordinator. Rose manages interpreting requests, scheduling changes, and coordinates company events.
Rose has 12 years of experience being a small business owner. She has 18 years of experience in customer service and two years of project management experience. In Roses’ free time you will find her with her husband and four children enjoying the outdoors or cheering on her kids in all of their activities!
Susan Hardine
Director, Interpreter
EIPA
Susan is an Iowa native. She received her training at Pima Community College in Tucson, Arizona. While attending the interpreter training program, she also worked at the Arizona School for the Deaf and Blind. Where she received a crash course in American Sign Language from working with the high school students.
Susan worked as an educational interpreter for 15 years before she decided to move to community interpreting. She loves what she does and enjoys meeting amazing people from the Deaf Community who influence her life. She also loves the opportunity to work with other interpreters and continuing to learn and grow.
Susan and her husband Mick have three grown sons and they have two beautiful granddaughters.