Networking
Connect with colleagues, share experiences, inspire someone, and develop relationships only created by being a member of a professional organization.
Location
ACRA will hold its spring conference at
Aloft Hotel - Little Rock West
716 Rahling Rd, Little Rock, AR 72223
Book your room before March 21st for a discounted rate here:
Things to Do
West Little Rock has many things to enjoy when the conference is over. Have some fun with your friends or family.
Court Reporters Spring Conference
Speakers
Keynote Speaker - Caryn Broome
Caryn Broome brings over thirteen years of experience in captioning, training, and volunteer leadership. She has held prominent positions, including President of the Georgia Court Reporters Association (GCRA) and Vice President of the National Verbatim Reporters Association (NVRA). Caryn was also a founding member of the Global Alliance and currently serves as a presenter at national and state associations, where she shares best practices for voice writing using Dragon Professional and Eclipse CAT software.
Throughout her career, Caryn has provided captioning services for high-profile cases, including murder trials and juvenile cases, as well as for various branches of the U.S. government, numerous national colleges, major corporations and non-profits, the United Nations, the World Health Organization (WHO), the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and the Department of Homeland Security. Notably, she had the honor of captioning for the Pope.
Her areas of expertise include building, training, and leading captioning teams, implementing captioning ethics, mentoring students and new captioners, public speaking, and continually enhancing her own writing skills. As the owner and president of CMB Reporting Services, Caryn's work now primarily focuses on CART captioning, along with mentoring and training aspiring captioners.
Caryn is passionate about real-time voice writing and believes it provides a superior solution for captioning. She is dedicated to helping others enter and thrive in this dynamic field.
Megan Ludvinsky - Organization
Megan Ludvinsky is the Owner of About Space Organizing, a professional organizing company that has been serving Central Arkansas for the past eight years.
Recently featured in both Southern Living Magazine and The Spruce, Megan leverages her organizing expertise to declutter and rearrange spaces, rooms, homes, and offices for clients, transforming chaos into order.
In addition to managing About Space Organizing, she is a certified ADHD coach and oversees an online Facebook group titled “Decluttering and Organizing: Ideas and Encouragement,” which boasts over 90,000 members. This group provides a supportive environment for individuals seeking to overcome clutter and enhance their organizing skills.
Megan resides in Little Rock with her husband, Kevin, and their two children, Luella (11) and Oliver (10).
Brandi Tate - Life Coach
Brandi Nicole Tate is a dynamic powerhouse who envisions a world where everyone is fit in every aspect of their lives. As an athlete and personal trainer, she is passionate about sharing her expertise after her own personal journey ultimately shifted her focus from herself to empowering others to achieve their own fitness goals.
In 2015, Brandi transitioned from a career in fashion to embark on a new path as a personal trainer, guiding clients through incredible transformations. She customizes workout programs and provides meal-planning services tailored to their needs. Committed to mastering her craft, Brandi earned her Personal Trainer and Nutrition Certifications through the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM).
Today, Brandi is fully immersed in inspiring those around her through her wellness journey, motivational videos on social media, online coaching, and personal training. She’s also an instructor in Little Rock for Camp Yoga & Pilates and Clubhaus.
When she’s not transforming lives, you can find her being Mommy to her handsome son, Brayden Stephen, creating content, exploring fashion, gaining more fitness certification, or, most importantly, giving back to her community.
Meredith Lowry - AI
Meredith Lowry is a partner and registered patent attorney at Wright Lindsey Jennings where her practice focuses on acquisition and licensing of various aspects of intellectual property rights for companies working in the retail space.
From the products on the shelf, the packages they go in, and the platforms they’re sold on, Meredith advises businesses on intellectual property concerns and data privacy and security matters.
Meredith is a frequent speaker in the tech and startup space on topics such as intellectual property, artificial intelligence, and women’s entrepreneurship. Meredith spearheaded the firm’s Woman-Run initiative to support woman and minority-owned businesses and entrepreneurs through networking, mentorship, education and resources.
Meredith was recently appointed chair of the Artificial Intelligence Task Force of the Arkansas Bar Association, which will develop recommendations and resources for AI use in the legal profession.
Taylor Deen - Pharmacology
Taylor Deen was born and raised in Little Rock, graduated from Baylor University with a degree in biochemistry, then returned to Arkansas to attend the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences College of Pharmacy.
After graduating from UAMS in 2023, Taylor completed a year-long pharmacy fellowship with the National Community Pharmacists Association and The Pharmacy at Wellington in Little Rock.
In addition to her position as a staff pharmacist, Taylor serves as coordinator of the pharmacy’s diabetes education program, an oral contraceptive provider, and a preceptor for pharmacy students.
Taylor is passionate about pharmacy, preventive healthcare, and her patients.
Joe Tournear - Financial Advisor
Joe Tournear is a Financial Advisor with Edward Jones, one of over 15,000 such advisors with this nationwide investment firm. Edward Jones specializes in formulating investment strategies for people of all different financial means and walks of life that fit their individual needs, bringing the resources of a large national firm to communities large and small across the country.
Joe has an extensive career in business and local service. After earning a Business degree from Missouri Southern State University, Joe's career began in management for Walmart. For the last 16 years of his time with Walmart, he was the Store Manager in Heber Springs. In 2010, Joe began his Edward Jones career as a Financial Advisor in one of three Edward Jones locations in Heber Springs, where he continues to serve.
When not serving his clients, Joe serves in his local community. Joe is a member of the Rotary Club, Cleburne County Cares, and Baptist Health Foundation, and has served in various business and civic affairs in the Heber Springs area for many years.
Joe lives with his wife, Linnet, in Heber Springs. They have three children and two grandchildren.
Judge James Dunham
Judge James Dunham took office as First Division Judge for the 5th Judicial Dist in January of 2021. During his time as judge, he has made many changes to the daily operations of his court to help ensure the court process is efficient and fair by creating orders to make the process run smooth and organized.
Judge Dunham has recently been appointed Admin Judge for the 5th Judicial Dist where he will fulfill this role to ensure the district operates under the administrative plan approved by the AR Supreme Court that sets out the core assignments & regular duties of each of the four circuit judges.
Judge Dunham graduated from Law School at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock School of Law with a Juris Doctor Degree in 1989 and he received his undergraduate degree from Arkansas Tech University in 1986 with a Bachelor of Science Degree.
He has been active with many legal service organizations including the Pope County Bar Assoc where he held the title of President and Vice President, the Pope County Drug Court Team, and the Pope County Law Library Board.
In 2009 Dunham was appointed by the AR Supreme Court to the Supreme Court Committee on Professional Conduct. This Committee oversees lawyer ethics regulations for all licensed attorneys in the State of Arkansas. During his time here he was elected as overall Chair of the Attorney Disciplinary Committee.
Dunham was a partner or Dunham & Faught, P.A., in Russellville where he practiced for over 30 years. In addition, he served as the Managing Public Defender for the 5th Judicial District for over 22 years which includes supervising five attorneys and three support staff employees with duties in all three counties of his district.
Greg Parrish - Professionalism
Gregg Parrish took on the position as Executive Director of the Arkansas Public Defender Commission in 2013.
He has been practicing law in Arkansas since 1987 where he’s had plenty of experience as a prosecutor as well as a defense attorney.
He continues to be an advocate for the justice system and certainly knows his way around legislative processes.
Agenda
Friday, April 11, 2025
12:00-1:00 p.m.
Retirement & Your Finances
Don't spend it all in one place!
JOE TOURNEAR | Financial Advisor
1:00-2:00 p.m.
Artificial Intelligence
AI is here to stay so we need to learn more.
MEREDITH LOWRY | Esquire
2:15-3:15 p.m.
They Said What?
Don’t panic! Be perfectly prepared for realtime and mayhem. Grasp your translation accuracy, ways to handle emergencies, and gain strength for our skills.
CARYN BROOME
2:15-3:15 p.m.
Organization
Learn how to create a better workspace, streamline tasks, boost overall productivity with a clutter-free environment. Unlock your full potential and get more done in less time!
MEGAN LUDVINSKY
4:15-5:15 p.m.
Working as a Team in the Courtroom
Judge Dunham will help gain a better understanding of courtroom procedures and how to best work with court staff as a team. Judge will also review our attempt at new legislation protecting reporters and what we need to know next time.
JAMES DUNHAM | Judge
5:15 p.m.
Happy Hour
Sponsored by ACRA
Saturday, April 12, 2025
8:30-9:30 a.m.
Pharmacology
Get a better understanding of medication classes, pharmacy terminology, principles of drug action, and available research sources!
TAYLOR DEAN | PharmMD
9:30-10:30 a.m
Work & Wellness in Harmony
Struggling to juggle work, life, and self-care? Join us for a dynamic class designed to help you achieve balance in your professional and personal life! Through guided movement, mindfulness, and practical wellness strategies, you'll learn how to prioritize your health without sacrificing productivity.
BRANDI N. TATE
10:30-11:30 a.m.
Professionalism
Should we really say that to their client? Know how to maintain professionalism in our industry
GREGG PARISH | Esquire
11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Member Business Luncheon
(all attendees welcome)
1:00-2:00 p.m.
Jeapardizing Ethics
A game of Jeopardy is always fun but never when it involves ethics in our profession!
CARYN BROOME
Frequently Asked Questions
2025 ACRA SPONSORS
Questions on how you can be a sponsor? Contact us today!