Earlier this year, STAR and AAERT hosted the Unity Summit — the first joint conference bringing together all types of professionals from across our industry. Attendees spoke of the remarkable energy and optimism that emerged when we came together around a shared truth: that it’s YOU, the professional in the room, who safeguards the capture and conversion of the spoken work to text, and it’s all of us together who shape the future of our field.

To carry that momentum forward, we invite you to a Townhall Webinar where we’ll reflect on the Summit, share what’s ahead for STAR and AAERT, and hear directly from industry leaders about where court reporting is strong, where challenges remain, and how we can thrive in the years to come. This open forum is an opportunity for collaboration, reflection, and vision. The future of court reporting will not just unfold. It will be built by all of us, together.
 

About the Speakers:

Andrea Wecker, CSR, RDR, CRR, CRC
President, STAR

Andrea discovered her passion for court reporting at the age of 16 and now has more than two decades of experience as a freelance court reporter and captioner locally, nationally, and internationally. In 2015, Andrea became the owner of Associated Reporting & Video, a full-service litigation support and consulting firm headquartered in Boise, Idaho. In 2022, ARV joined the Veritext family. Andrea is now a Veritext Principal in charge of the Idaho offices and enjoys contributing to many aspects of the business.

Andrea served as president of the Idaho Court Reporters Association from 2017 to 2019 and has been an active member of the National Court Reporters Association for nearly three decades. She spends countless hours mentoring students and new reporters, as well as educating the legal community on the important role that court reporters play in our judicial system.

Andrea is married to the love of her life, Will. In her “spare” time, Andrea is an avid kickboxer (call it stress relief) and also enjoys competing in speed and realtime contests whenever she has the opportunity.

Susan LaPooh, CER, CDR
President, AAERT

Susan LaPooh started her transcription career in 1996 when she was expecting her first daughter. She wanted to stay home with her children "and make some mad money at the time," she says. However, what started out as a side hustle became her career. She says, "I know all about feast or famine, tennis and golfer’s elbow, and the joy you feel when you complete a challenging transcript. Transcribing was very, very good to me. And I still consider myself a transcriber at heart."

Recognizing the value of good audio and log notes, Susan was also very interested in the reporting side of the business. The opportunity to train as a digital reporter came up several years ago and she jumped at the chance. She worked for a large court reporting company for two years before joining Remote Legal just before COVID hit.

At the time, Remote Legal was a new company and Susan helped build it to where it is today. The company has approximately 50 full-time digital reporters and a large group of transcribers as well. She says, "My passion is to train and equip my staff with the tools needed to provide a stellar in-deposition experience as well as a clear verbatim transcript."

She continues, "This is an exciting time in our profession. Things are progressing rapidly. It is imperative that we set the tone that AAERT-certified CERs and CETs are qualified, well trained, highly skilled workers who have integrity and a devotion to the work they do.

"I used to always say to my kids, 'Don’t let fear dictate your future.' Some people are afraid of change, but we have nothing to be afraid of with the changes we are seeing in our industry. The changes are opportunities. Let’s embrace new ideas, new technologies, new opportunities."

Matt Riley, CAE
Executive Director, AAERT (Moderator)

Matt Riley, CAE, is the Executive Director of the American Association of Electronic Reporters and Transcribers (AAERT), the largest organization for professionals engaged in digital speech-to-text reporting, transcribing, and associated roles. 

In addition to serving in senior leadership positions in other professional associations, he was also the founder and CEO of The Conference Agency, based in London, England, providing event management, association management,  and strategic planning to European and North American clients. Immediately prior to joining AAERT, Matt oversaw the association management and association conference planning division of International Conference Services, Ltd., based in Vancouver, Canada. 

A Certified Association Executive, Matt is an active member of the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE), and has served on the International Associations Advisory Council (IAAC). Matt has also been tapped to write articles, give presentations, and serve on committees for numerous industry organizations including the Association of Association Executives (AAE), the International Association of Professional Congress Organizers (IAPCO), Conference News, and others.

He lives in New York City with his wife, Jacque, and when they’re not working or traveling the world, they enjoy amateur motorsports racing in a spec Miata named Kristen. 

NOTE: This webinar is valid for 0.1 CEU. You must participate live to earn CEUs. CEUs are not currently available for viewing recorded AAERT webinars.