ACRA 2026 Annual Convention
75 Years Strong!
May 2-3, 2026
Marriott Phoenix, 1101 N. 44th St. Phoenix
SCHEDULE
10 hours total CEU pending approval by NCRA
Saturday, May 2, 2026
7:30 a.m. - Check in, Breakfast & Visit Exhibitors
Breakfast sponsored by Federal Official Reporters & Seymour Reporting Service
8:30 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.
COURSE TITLE: Value Creations
PRESENTER NAME: Lee Benson
CREDIT HOURS: 1.5 hrs.
DESCRIPTION: Lee's mission in life is to drive holistic value-creation behaviors into the world, through families, for profits, non-profits, and government organizations. The techniques he teaches to families can be applied to all of us, enriching our lives while supplying us with the techniques and tools we need to achieve value creation in our ever-evolving world of court reporting
10:00 a.m. - Refreshment Break - Visit Exhibitors
10:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
COURSE TITLE: Reporting in the State
PRESENTER NAME: Barry M. Aarons
CREDIT HOURS: 1.5 hrs.
DESCRIPTION: The presentation will describe how to build a strong statewide association and use the membership to have a presence in public policy at the legislative level.
12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. - Lunch & Business Meeting
Lunch Sponsored by Griffin Group & Herder & Associates
1:00 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.
COURSE TITLE: Digital Body language
PRESENTER NAME: Stacie Tourney
CREDIT HOURS: 1.5 hrs.
DESCRIPTION: A practical overview of how to communicate clearly and build trust using digital cues in emails, messages, and virtual meetings. The focus is on recognizing how tone, clarity, and responsiveness affect professional relationships in remote or hybrid work. The course also highlights how these communication skills support the accuracy, neutrality, and reliability expected in court reporting, including interactions with attorneys, agencies, and colleagues.
2:30 a.m. - Refreshment Break - Visit Exhibitors
3:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
COURSE TITLE: Tech Systems for Managing, Backing Up, and Protecting Your Files
PRESENTER MAMES: Devyn Bergie
CREDIT HOURS: 1.5 hr;
DESCRIPTION: Your transcripts, case files, and client records are the lifeblood of your practice. But how confident are you that they're organized, backed up, and protected right now? In this session, Devyn from Old Dog Tech Support cuts through the overwhelm and gives you a clear, actionable system for managing your digital files. Whether you're a seasoned reporter with years of files scattered across hard drives, or newer to the profession and looking to start smart, you'll walk away with practical strategies you can implement immediately.
You'll learn:
• How to create a simple, consistent file organization system tailored to court reporters
• The 3-2-1 backup rule and how to set it up so it runs automatically
• Cloud storage options compared: what works, what to avoid, and what questions to ask
• How to protect sensitive client files and transcripts from the most common threats
• What to do today if you have no backup system in place
Sunday, May 3, 2026
7:30 a.m. - Check in & Breakfast
Breakfast Sponsored by K-Video Productions &
Miller Certified Reporting LLC/Canyon State Reporting LLC
8:30 - 10:00 a.m.
COURSE TITLE: The Importance of Excellent Realtime
PRESENTER MAMES: Tracy Thompson, RPR, RMR, CRR, CRC, RDR, CRI
CREDIT HOURS: 1.5 hr;
DESCRIPTION: THIS SEMINAR CONTENT FOCUSES on the importance of excellent realtime, not merely functional realtime in today’s court reporting environment. Participants will learn why clean, reliable realtime is critical for judges, attorneys, and reporters alike, and how realtime quality directly impacts editing time, confidence, and career longevity. This seminar content will introduce strategies for improving realtime accuracy and efficiency through better writing habits, writing with confidence, writing cleaner, and overall awareness of editing and dictionary entries. And, of course, shortening our writing.
10:00-10:15 p.m. - Break
10:15 a.m. - 11:45 a.m.
COURSE TITLE: Legal, Code of Professional Ethics
PRESENTER NAME: Stacey Potenza
CREDIT HOURS: 1.5 hrs.
DESCRIPTION: NCRA brings you up to date on what your obligations are under NCRA’s Code of Professional Ethics. This presentation is designed to provide an overview of the basic principles of the Code and how to apply them to common scenarios faced by reporters today. Includes a discussion of the Advisory Opinions as promulgated by the Committee on Professional Ethics.
11:45-12:00 p.m. - Break
12:00 - 1:30 p.m.
COURSE TITLE: From Courtroom to Boardroom: How Women Litigators are Changing the Practice of Personal Injury and Workers' Compensation Law
PRESENTER NAME: Diana Ezrre-Robels
CREDIT HOURS: 1.5 hrs.
DESCRIPTION: This presentation combines professional development with a unique perspective on leadership and practice management, which resonates with the court reporting profession. Key angles include building a plaintiff-side practice, leadership in high-stakes litigation, leveraging empathy as a strategic tool, real talk on managing complex cases, while weaving in excerpts from actual transcripts (with permission/redacted) to illustrate key points demonstrating the critical role court reporters play in the justice system.
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OTHER INFORMATION
The Venue:
The Marriott Phoenix Airport in Phoenix, Arizona, is the site for our 2026 Annual Convention. For room reservations at our ACRA rate Click here
ACRA special group rate: $149.00 USD per night - Limited Availability!
For more information about the hotel, click here.
The Fun:
There will be games, raffles, and socializing. Two buffet breakfasts, breaks, and Saturday buffet lunch is included.
Students:
Court reporting students are welcome to attend this event without charge. By registering, students commit to attend all or a portion of the seminars. Please email office@acraonline.org to get the code for registration. Must present proof of current enrollment in a court reporting program.
If you would like to contribute to the Student Attendance Fund to defray the cost of these lunches, click here - thank you!
Event Sponsorships:
ACRA depends on the financial support of our sponsors to be able to provide quality programming for our events. Please consider being a sponsor. Whether big or small, it is all appreciated. Want to see the several ways you can sponsor this event?
Click here for available options.
Prize and Raffle Donations:
Our raffles provide us with a lot of fun at our events, and they also help to offset some of our expenses so we can provide excellent programs. We would love to know ahead of time what raffle items or cash you will contribute. Want to donate a cash prize or a raffle item? Please email office@acraonline.org and let us know what you will be donating!
Exhibitors & Vendors:
From keeping up with advancements in technology all the way to finding that perfect piece of jewelry, our exhibitors and vendors provide us with a wonderful array of goods.
Printable Registration Form:
Click here for a printable form that you can use to mail a check payment.
Cancellation Policy:
Refund, minus a $25 processing fee, will be given if cancellation requested by April 27.
Online registrations close noon, April 29; a LIMITED number of on-site registrations will be accepted and will include an additional $30 late fee. Register early!
