Yvonne MacKay Bio

Born and raised in Cheyenne, Yvonne is pleased to have the opportunity to work for the Wyoming Department of Education as a Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Outreach Consultant. Following graduation from high school, Yvonne attended the University of Wyoming where she studied Sociology and English. Upon graduating, Yvonne worked in residential settings for youth, and later in mental health settings for adults–specifically with persistently mentally ill populations. 

After marrying, Yvonne moved to Washington State, where she pursued training in American Sign Language Interpreting. Much of her interpreting career has been in K-12 classrooms and in post-secondary settings. Yvonne has also worked in many other settings as an interpreter. Eventually, she and her husband made their way back to Wyoming where Yvonne worked at UW as a Disability Support Services Coordinator. In that employ, she served students who were Deaf and hard-of-hearing, while also serving students having a variety of disabilities.

After the economy tanked in 2008, Yvonne spent several years in Tennessee and Maryland. During those years she worked as a freelance interpreter and also as a freelance editor. She continues to edit on a freelance basis, and still works on an as-needed basis for a publishing house. (As an editor, Yvonne has strong feelings about the Oxford comma, hyphens, and em-dashes.) Yvonne is happy to be back home in Wyoming where she is near family and long-time friends. 

With her family, Yvonne enjoys riding bikes, hiking, and camping. One of her favorite things to do is to write; she has had a handful of articles published. A home-body-at-heart, Yvonne was surprised to find that she enjoys traveling–especially via Amtrak. She has also enjoyed spending time in places Amtrak doesn’t reach–Canada, Germany, the British Virgin Islands, Mexico, and Guatemala. Inspired by her experiences in Spanish-speaking countries, Yvonne is studying to become conversationally fluent in that language.