Meet Our Team

Ingrid Christensen

President, Puts the ING in INGCO

Flipping through the newspaper at a cafe near her college campus, a help-wanted ad caught Ingrid Christensen’s eye. At the time, her career path was uncertain – even as graduation from the University of Minnesota loomed in a matter of days.

The job was for administrative work with a language services provider in the Twin Cities. It sounded better than her current job serving food at a sports bar, so Ingrid applied – and got offered the job. Just a few weeks into the role, Ingrid’s new employer discovered she was fluent in Spanish. They encouraged her to ditch the office work and become a Spanish interpreter for them.

It didn’t take long for Ingrid to fall in love with the profession of interpreting. From babies being born to people taking their last breath, she was present for some of the most profound moments in people’s lives. It was easy to see the impact her work had on those who desperately needed access to information in their own language.

Ingrid knew she wanted to go deeper into her newfound field, so she earned a certificate in Translation and Interpretation from the University of Minnesota. She spent several more years interpreting before realizing the pace she’d been keeping wouldn’t be sustainable forever. She earned an MBA from Hamline University so she could learn more about what it might take to run her own business someday or to work in another business setting.

While in grad school, Ingrid continued interpreting during the day. If she thought life was busy then, it was about to get much busier: Ingrid found out she was expecting a baby. With no family nearby to help with childcare, she frequently brought her infant son to classes.

As she wrapped up her MBA coursework, Ingrid started getting requests to do interpreting directly for those in her network. Soon, she had so many of her own clients that she did less and less for other agencies until she realized it was time to start her own company. INGCO International was born in 2006.

Seventeen years later, Ingrid is CEO of a thriving global translation and interpreting company. She sets the culture for the organization and coaches its employees, and she regularly speaks publicly about the importance of language to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion. Ingrid is active in the Twin Cities business community and is passionate about giving back and engaging in social justice issues.

“The thought of being able to be someone’s voice when they need to be heard in another language is so energizing to me,” she shares. “I can’t think of more important work to be doing.”

Ingrid lives in the Twin Cities with her now 17-year-old son. In addition to her business activities, she spends her time on personal development, exercise, music, friends, entertaining, and traveling the world to experience as many new cultures as she can.

Connect with Ingrid

Hannah Fazendin

Director of Operations, Harnesses the Power of Imagery

Hannah is the Director of Operations at INGCO International. She is a graduate of the University of Minnesota with a Bachelor of Fine Arts with a focus in sculpture and textiles. Hannah has developed a strong visual vocabulary, learning to tell compelling stories with single images and to deconstruct both visual and written content. She has an impressive command of the visual language and is an expert in imagery. Hannah has always appreciated the interaction of creativity and business. She believes in using the power of bold imagery and creative innovation to connect more effectively in a crowded and competitive business landscape.

In addition to her role at INGCO International, Hannah mentors students from kindergarten to 12th grade as they explore their creativity, goals, and aspirations. Outside of work, Hannah enjoys working with her hands, swimming, spending time with her family, and enjoying Minnesota’s outdoors.

Connect with Hannah

Laurence Tissot

Director of Translations, Wonderer, Wanderer, Word Nerd

Laurence is our Director of Translation at INGCO International. She has the honor of leading a team of experts, helping our clients connect with their communities through the languages they use every day. Laurence grew up in France, moved to Spain and Belgium for a master’s degree in Translation and Interpreting, and has worked as a proofreader, teacher, and translator for over two decades. She combines her extensive experience with project management, servant leadership, and ninja-like organization. In addition to being fluent in French, English, and Spanish, Laurence can read and write in Arabic and Russian, and even get by in Italian and Portuguese.

When not working, Laurence loves traveling and sports, listing no fewer than a dozen sports among her hobbies, and 18 countries as her favorites to visit! She also enjoys cooking, photography, nature, gardening, and reading.

Connect with Laurence

Florencia Artigau

Director of Interpreting, Matcha Tea Guru, Lifelong Learner

Flor serves as INGCO’s Director of Interpreting with experience translating, taking on administrative projects, and tackling issues with language barriers. She considers herself a Jane-of-all-trades, helping coworkers and clients make sense of the demanding environment in international communications. Florencia now hosts the company’s cultural awareness meetings promoting DEI (diversity, equality, and inclusion). In an industry with rich diversity, she deeply values spaces like these for discussion.

Florencia holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism and mass communications. She is currently working toward a second degree in advertising. She is bilingual in English and Spanish (and works on her French skills in her free time.)

Connect with Florencia

Callie Murray

Director of  Marketing & Sales

Callie is INGCO International’s marketing guru. She helps us tell our story, engage with our clients, and spread the word about how INGCO can help companies communicate more effectively with multicultural audiences through translation and interpreting services.

Callie was born and raised in Charlotte, NC, and began her career journey as many of us do: in the food service industry. Throughout college, she worked as a hostess, server, and trainer at a local restaurant and fell in love with serving others. Since graduating from the University of North Carolina – Charlotte, Callie has led marketing efforts for several Charlotte-based restaurant brands, including Firebirds Wood Fired Grill and Mac’s Speed Shop.

Away from work, Callie enjoys spending time with her husband, son, and fur-daughter. Since childhood, Callie has also had a passion for the arts with singing and dancing. Callie is looking forward to traveling the world again soon once her son is old enough.