2016 ACRA Annual Convention

Schedule - Topic - Speakers

September 10 & 11, 2016    Westin La Paloma, Tucson, AZ      Total CEU: 1.0 hours

 

Saturday

8:30 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. (.15 CEUs)

Topic & description: Ethical Responsibilities for Court Reporters

An update on Arizona ethics rules for court-employed court reporters, and an update on the NCRA Code of Professional Ethics.

Speaker Name & Short Bio:  Commissioner Richard L. Nothwehr

Maricopa County Superior Court Commissioner Rick Nothwehr is the Presiding Criminal Department Commissioner.  He has presided over approximately 200 jury trials.  From 2009 to 2012, he was the Presiding Court Commissioner.  He has presided over Probate, Civil, and Tax calendars.  Commissioner Nothwehr was a deputy county attorney for the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office for 12 years, and was a supervisor for new attorney training for more than seven years.  He is a graduate of Midland Lutheran College and the University of Nebraska College of Law.

 

10:30 a.m. to Noon (.15 CEUs)

Topic & description: Making Coffee: Overcoming Adversity

Topics will include:

• ·         Constructing a new model of living in the face of life’s challenges to inspire you to live better every day in some small way
• ·         Goals: It’s important to have them, but they often change by choice, design or destiny
• ·         Human Condition:  We all face challenges in this life whether it’s the daily grind of annoyances or the unexpected diagnosis of cancer, and so do the people on the other side of your counter and the other end of the telephone
• ·         Attitude: Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you respond
• ·         Quit or Keep Going?: This simple choice impacts you and everyone around you
• ·         Follow Through: How do you get out of bed and face another uphill day?
• ·         Mastering What Works Against You: Leave self-pity behind and focus on living each day in a meaningful way

Speaker Name & Short Bio: Jason Schechterle

Growing up, Jason had one dream - to serve as a Phoenix Police Officer. Inspired by his brother and the tragic loss of a local law enforcement hero, Jason worked persistently towards his dream. After serving four years in the Air Force, at the age 26, Jason achieved his goal to work on the streets of Phoenix as a rookie police officer. Then, only 14 months into what was supposed to be a life-long illustrious career, Jason's life took an unexpected, dramatic and, at the time, tragic turn.

On the night of March 26th, 2001, a taxi cab traveling over 100 miles per hour crashed into the rear of Jason's patrol car. Upon impact, Jason's car burst into flames, trapping him inside with temperatures reaching over 1200 degrees. Through a series of miraculous and fateful circumstances, Jason surprisingly survived the crash and ensuing physical and emotional catastrophe. He suffered severe burns to over 40% of his body which drastically altered his appearance. He has undergone more than 50 surgeries just to have the ability to accomplish simple daily tasks we often take for granted.
His story is one of life, rebirth and transformation. Jason represents the human experience at its very best - an ascent from despair to describing himself as the luckiest person alive!

 

(Noon – 1:30 – Business Meeting and Luncheon)

 

1:30 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. (.15 CEUs)

Topic & description: Overcoming Compassion Fatigue for Court Reporters, Part 1

Individuals who work in service professions, such as court reporters, are at risk for developing Compassion Fatigue (also known as Secondary or Vicarious Trauma) due to the compassion and empathy we bring to our work and as a result of the exposure to others’ emotions, difficult circumstances, and the intensity of exposure. Most of us in the service professions are used to taking care of others, but often we do not focus on how to take care of ourselves.   If left unaddressed, Compassion Fatigue results in stress and can cause burnout and can even increase the risk for physical illness or emotional distress.  This talk will introduce Compassion Fatigue, explain the function of empathy and compassion, discuss the implications of exposure to other’s emotions and traumatic experiences, and will introduce to participants techniques to be able to identify our own personal triggers. As Figley stated: “Caring people sometimes experience pain as a direct result of exposure to others traumatic material….it is the natural, predictable, treatable, and preventable unwanted consequence of working with suffering people.” Most of us were told that we should not “take our work home with us” but most of us were not taught HOW not to take it home.  This workshop will specifically teach the participants a comprehensive plan to prevent, treat and overcome the effects of Compassion Fatigue. At the end of the workshop the participants will know exactly what they can do to “Not take the work home” and to develop a robust self-care plan that will result in resiliency.

The participants will:  1) Understand the historical context of Compassion Fatigue; 2) Understand the relationship of risk to compassion and empathy; 3) Develop specific tools to prevent, treat, and overcome Compassion Fatigue; 4) Develop individualized tools for Self-Care

Speaker Name& Short Bio: Nancy Eldredge, Ph.D. is currently in private practice as a psychologist in Tucson, Arizona. She formerly was Director of the Mental Health/Deaf Program with Vocational Rehabilitation in Oregon and Director of the Rehabilitation Counseling/Deafness Program at the University of Arizona. Previous research work covers the cognitive development and social/emotional development of deaf children in the United States and the People’s Republic of China. She has also conducted research on both Australian Aborigines and American Indians who are deaf and continues to work with those populations. In her independent practice, she provides therapy and evaluations, and contracts with numerous state agencies, schools, tribal agencies, and companies. She is fluent in American Sign Language, and held a national certification as an ASL interpreter for over 30 years. In addition, she lectures nationally and internationally on techniques for developing resiliency, wellness, overcoming compassion fatigue and secondary trauma, and self-care for health, mental health professionals, rehabilitation counselors, ASL interpreters, first responders and other service professionals.

3:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. (.15 CEUs)

Topic & description:  Overcoming Compassion Fatigue for Court Reporters, Part 2

 

Sunday

8:00 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. (.15 CEUs)

Topic & description:  Career Transitions - Change of Venue

Our esteemed panel will share their stories of transition as they embraced the opportunities to continue their career through different venues of stenographic writing.

 Speaker Names & Short Bios:  Lori L. Yeager, RPR, CRR, CCP, CBC; Dave Christy RMR; Linda Christensen, RMR, CRR, CCP; Michael Bouley, RDR

Lori Yeager is a Certified Realtime Captioner (CRC) providing remote and on-site CART and closed-captioning services.  She obtained her Court Reporting Degree from American Institute of Business in Des Moines, Iowa, in 1982, as well as her RPR.  Lori worked as a freelance court reporter in Iowa for two years, then headed west to Tucson, Arizona, in 1986, working for Colville & Associates; eventually relocating to the Phoenix area and working primarily for Driver & Reeves, Hevern & Wambach, and Marty Herder/Litigation Support, as well as overflow for other agencies.  Balancing a young family and work in 1998 she was feeling the stirrings of needing a change.  She obtained her CRR and began performing on-site CART at colleges, universities, and business settings, simultaneous with providing realtime in her freelance court reporting work.  She attended Caption Masters Training and 3-month home study in 2006, and in 2007 decided to jump full force into CART and captioning.  Lori is a member of NCRA and obtained her Certified CART Provider and Certified Broadcast Captioner certificates both in 2008.

She volunteers in her community as a member of the Yavapai County Sheriff's Office Mounted Search & Rescue patrol.  Lori resides in Cornville, Arizona (near Camp Verde) with her husband, 5 horses, 2 dogs, 2 cats and 3 chickens.  95% of her CART and captioning work is done remotely from her home office.  She enjoys horseback riding and packing into the wilderness, elk hunting, hiking, yoga, and her most recent endeavor...as a member of the Jerome Ukele Orchestra, where she's learning to play the uke!

Dave Christy started his career as a freelance reporter in Philadelphia in the ‘80s.  He continued working as a freelance reporter after coming to Tucson, eventually deciding to make the switch to official a little over three years ago.  He currently is on the criminal bench with Judge Cornelio.  Before getting into court reporting, Dave was an elementary music school teacher in Salisbury, Maryland.  Before that, he played piano bars in Philadelphia, West Palm Beach in Florida and Ocean City, Maryland.

Linda Christensen:  Linda is a graduate of Stenotype Institute of South Dakota.   She was a legal court reporter – freelance and official – for 24 years before branching into CART Captioning and sports reporting.   She has split her time the past nine years between CART Captioning and traveling the world for Professional Golf and Professional Tennis.   She makes her home in central Phoenix.

Michael A. Bouley: Mike has been reporting for 30 years total, including the last 25 years at the Pima County Superior Court.  In September of 2015, Mike said good-bye to his courthouse friends and transitioned over into the freelance field, joining the team at his father's old firm, Bouley & Schippers.  Born into a family of court reporters, Mike loves his profession and his colleagues.  He served 5 years previously on the ACRA Board of Directors, including President in 2003-2004.  He says the second time around is even sweeter. 

9:45 a.m. to 11:15 a.m. (.15 CEUs)

Topic & description:  Behind the scenes:  Reporting the Arias Trial. 

A review of the Arias trial from the perspective of the court reporters.

Speaker Names & Short Bio:  Marla Arnold, RPR, and Mike Babicky, RPR.

Marla has been a Certified Shorthand Reporter (IL) and an RPR for 21 years.  She started her career in Chicago as a freelance reporter.  She was Owner/Operator of A Reliable Reporter, Inc. in Chicago which provided all court reporting services as well as real-time and CART for the major universities.  She has been working in Arizona since 2007.  While in Arizona, Marla spent 5 years captioning for Caption Colorado and then in 2013 became an Official with Maricopa County where she is currently co-assigned to Judge Sherry Stephens.  Marla has three daughters – ages 20 (college), 18 (college) and 17 (senior), and has been a single mom since 2007.  In her free-time Marla enjoys hiking, exercising and scrapbooking.  She is also passionate about and volunteers in the field of domestic violence.

Mike began reporting in 1979 as a freelance reporter; operated a small freelance firm from 1983 to 1988.  In 1988 he became a Superior Court reporter for Maricopa County Superior Court.

 

11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. (.10 CEUs)

Topic & description:  Giving Back to our Profession: We all have something to contribute

Are you familiar with the recent change(s) to local court rules, proposed statutory changes, possible changes to ACJA Section 7-206?  Hear how you can join the effort to monitor and/or shape the future of our profession.

Speaker Names & Short Bio:  2015-16 ACRA Board Members, led by Mike Bouley.