TLC Executive Director Announces Retirement; New Interim Director Named
Dr. Janice Snow Rodriguez, the Executive Director of the Tennessee Language Center (TLC), has announced her retirement, effective February 1, 2024. Eric Amos, currently Director of TLC’s Interpretation and Translation Services (ITS), has been named Interim Executive Director, a position he will assume on Dec. 1, 2023.
Dr. Rodriguez joined TLC (formerly the Tennessee Foreign Language Institute) in 1999 and has been the executive director for 22 years. She leaves a legacy of substantial contributions, notably the introduction of a certification program for court interpreters in Tennessee, which gained state adoption.
Dr. Rodriguez’s career at TLC included extensive community involvement across various boards, including the Tennessee Supreme Court’s Access to Justice Committee, the Metro Nashville Police Department’s El Protector Program, and the Metro Nashville Human Relations Commission. Additional boards on which Dr. Rodriguez has served include the Japan-America Society of Tennessee, the College of Public Service Board of Advisors at Tennessee State University (TSU), Sister Cities Nashville, and the International Education Advisory Board at TSU.
Her efforts have earned multiple accolades, including the Nashville Area Hispanic Chamber of Commerce’s Bridges Award and recognition from TSU as an Outstanding Doctoral Alumna. Under her guidance, TLC and its precursor, the Tennessee Foreign Language Institute, garnered significant honors, including the Nashville Business Journal’s Leaders in Diversity and Best Places to Work awards, and a Level Two Baldrige National Quality Award from the Tennessee Center for Performance Excellence.
Amos, the new Interim Executive Director, joined TLC as a project manager for Interpretation and Translation Services in 2018. He was named interim director of ITS in November 2022 and was named director of ITS in June 2023. His recent receipt of the University of Tennessee Institute for Public Service’s Pinnacle Award underscores his commitment to excellence. He has both bachelor‘s and master’s degrees in Intercultural Studies.
As we navigate this transition, TLC remains committed to our mission of fostering language and cultural understanding in Tennessee and beyond.
