ANDY SCHWIETER
Running for President of the NCIHC Board of Directors
I began interpreting in 2006. Sitting beside patients and families in their homes, in exam rooms, and for difficult conversations, I learned something that has guided my career ever since: language access is not about words. It is about trust, dignity, and the possibility of excellent care.
Today, I serve as Director of Language Access at Cincinnati Children's, where my team supports over 125,000 encounters in 90 languages each year. I hold an MBA in healthcare management and have spent my career moving between roles (interpreter, translation project manager, language access manager) because I believe we need to see this work from every angle.
As your Vice President, I have helped shape NCIHC's direction while also chairing the Policy, Education, and Research Committee. I have worked alongside board members and volunteers who care deeply about this field. And I have seen both our enormous potential and our central challenge.
We are at a crossroads.
Interest in language access has never been higher. Clinicians, health systems, and accreditors are paying attention. Technology is advancing rapidly. The question is not whether language access will change, but who will lead that change and on what terms.
If we do not lead, others will. And they may not understand what we understand: that this work is ultimately about patients, about families navigating an unfamiliar system in their most vulnerable moments, and about getting care right.
That is why I am running for President.
NCIHC must be the place where interpreters, clinicians, language access managers, and the communities we serve come together. Not in silos, not talking past each other, but in real collaboration. We must learn from one another, develop standards and guidance that reflect patients' reality, and speak with one voice about what is required to provide quality language access.
As President, I will focus on three priorities.
First, making NCIHC the definitive source for practical guidance and standards that interpreters, managers, and providers can actually use.
Second, strengthening our alliances with organizations like CCHI, The Joint Commission, policymakers, and other interpreter and translator associations so that our standards shape the landscape, not just describe it.
Third, ensuring NCIHC itself is strong: that our volunteers feel valued, our operations run smoothly, and our community continues to grow.
This is not work I can do alone. It is work we do together.
I am asking for your vote, and more than that, I am asking for your partnership. If you have ideas, concerns, or energy to contribute, I want to hear from you. The future of language access will be written in the next few years. Let's make sure we are the ones holding the pen.
Click the link below to view his resume.
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