Dr. Debra Russell

Dr. Debra Russell is a Canadian ASL–English interpreter, educator, researcher, and global consultant with over 40 years of experience. Known for her leadership within both interpreting and Deaf communities, Debra’s work spans medical, legal, mental health, and conference settings.

She formerly held the David Peikoff Chair of Deaf Studies at the University of Alberta, where her research focused on interpreted education, legal interpreting, and Deaf–hearing interpreter teams. Her leadership continues through international service roles, including as Honorary President of the World Association of Sign Language Interpreters (WASLI), past Commissioner for the Commission on Collegiate Interpreter Education (CCIE), and current Chair of Canada’s ISO Mirror Committee for Technical Committee 37 on language and terminology standards.

In this Lead Different episode, Debra joins host Shane Feldman to explore relationship-based leadership within the interpreting profession, when to step back versus step up, and concrete ways leaders in the interpreting profession can build trust in their leadership and within and across both the Deaf and interpreter communities.