- Your Business/Occupation. In one or two sentences, explain your services or products.
I’m the Manager of Court Reporting Services for Florida’s Seventh Judicial Circuit. We’re official reporters monitoring and covering courts throughout our circuit that are required to be reported at public expense. - Our Industry. A. How would you describe the challenges and opportunities that our industry faces (in the Court, Agency, and Deposition markets)? B. What do you see as the challenges and opportunities.
I think the largest challenge in our industry is the ever-evolving methods of court reporting and the lack of legislation to accommodate the needs. With stenographic reporters retiring and the lack of new recruits in that field coming on board, I believe it gives Digital/Electronic recorders more opportunities.
I think the biggest challenge we face is simply misrepresentation of facts about digital court reporting, that it’s unreliable, the quality is poor, etc., as well as lack of legislation in areas where Digital/Electronic reporting is not allowed. - Reason(s) To Run. A. What is/are the reason(s) you decided to run for the board? B. Whom and what do you want to impact?
It’s something that I’ve never done before, and honestly never thought I would, however I feel the knowledge and experience of the industry could be a tremendous asset.
I hope by running my voice allows people who feel like they normally wouldn’t be heard can be. - Your Goal. A. If you had a mandate—board authorization, financial resources, member support—what do you want to do? B. How would you improve the capabilities of our members (reporters, transcribers, proofreaders, videographers, business owners and executives)?
I completely understand that our best practices state reporting should be done one to one, and I do mandate my staff to follow this practice for certain events, however, I feel like we alienate the reporters who are forced to be simultaneous among several court rooms. Simultaneous reporting is all I’ve ever done. With standards and training I believe simultaneous reporting is a viable option and I’d love to explore the addition of another certification for such. My court circuit has had this model since I came on board in 2006 and we’re able to provide a quality record.
Technology is our future. I think helping our members understand the new trends can only help them grow their careers within the industry. - Involvement. A. How long have you been a member? B. How many conferences have you attended? If you have not attended conferences, would you explain why not? C. Do you plan to attend this year’s conference?
I’ve been a member again since 2016.
I’ve attended just one conference in person.
I hope to attend this year’s conference. - Experience. A. What has been your leadership experience? B. Do you have experience as a board member of a non-profit organization? C. Please list the organizations, your positions, and duties.
I’ve been in a leadership role in most of my positions at one point or another. Currently I oversee and lead our entire Court Reporting Services Department, which employees 14 digital court reporters for our 51 court and hearing rooms.
I’ve never served on a board before.
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