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 DeGray Lake Resorts. Room rates for the conference are $147 for lakeview, $116 for resort view. Reservations number is (501) 865-5851.
Things to Do
Degray Lake has many things to enjoy when the conference is over. You can stay an extra night and have some fun with your friends or family at the beach, golfing, hiking, or other activities.
Friday, April 28, 2023
11:00-12:00
Registration
12:00-1:00
Working with Interpreters
This one-hour presentation will inform the attendants on the nuances and strategies for working effectively with ASL and Spanish language interpreters to ensure a correct record.
Jason Daniel | Spanish Language Interpreter
Jason Daniel lived in Mexico for six years before returning to the U.S. in 2007 when he became court certified in the state of Arkansas. In 2011, Jason obtained his Federal Court Interpreter Certification, and in 2016 he achieved CMI medical interpreter certification. He served as a Staff Spanish Interpreter at the Administrative Office of the Courts, Office of Court Interpreter Services starting in 2008 and became Director of Court Interpreter Services on January 1, 2020.
John West | ASL Interpreter
John has been a practicing sign language interpreter since August 1989. He received his Certificate of Transliteration (CT) in 1998 and his National Interpreting Certification (NIC) in 2009 from the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (RID). He is certified to work in the Arkansas court system by the Administrative Office of the Courts and is licensed to work as an interpreter in the state of Arkansas. He earned his M.Ed in Vocational Rehabilitation with an emphasis on Deafness from the University of Arkansas, and a B.A. in Broadcast Communications with a minor in Speech Communications from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. He has worked as an interpreter in a variety of areas including education, medical, employment, video relay, with a special focus on legal and mental health interpreting.
CE Credits: | 1.0
1:00-2:00
Security on the Job
The intent of this program is to teach safety awareness and emergency preparedness while in the workplace.
Sheriff Jason Masey | Logan County Sheriff’s Office
Sheriff Jason W. Massey has twenty years in law enforcement and first worked for the Saline County Sheriff's Office attaining the rank of Administrative Captain. He spent the majority of his 20-year law enforcement career with the Logan County Sheriff's Office in western Arkansas where he worked in about every position with most of his time as a criminal investigator. He was elected Sheriff in 2018 and began his first term in 2019 and won election for a second term that began in 2023. Sheriff Massey is also a licensed attorney and worked as a public defender, as a child welfare/foster care attorney, and in private practice defending county governments in lawsuits. Sheriff Massey focuses on professionalism and integrity in his office.
CE Credits: | 1.0
2:00-2:15
Break
2:15-3:15
Estate Planning for Your Record
The presenter will share a step-by-step system to ensure records are able to be preserved and prepared in the event of a taking reporter’s incapacitation or death. His system includes digital and hard copy files and the appointment of “beneficiaries” who know how to access files and agree to prepare or oversee the preparation of transcripts in such events.
Stephen Franklin | RMR, CRR, CPE
Stephen Franklin graduated AS Court Reporting in Tampa in 1994. He worked as an official reporter for the State of Florida from 1994 to 2001. In 2001, he accepted an appointment to the USDC Southern District of Florida with US District Judge Kenneth A. Marra. In 2021, Stephen moved to Little Rock where he currently works with the USDC Eastern District of Arkansas.
CE Credits: | 1.0
3:15-4:15
Mitigating Repetitive Stress Injuries
The presenter will lead participants in various yoga poses and stretches to aid in the reduction of stress-related injuries common to court reporters.
April Golden | LYT Yoga
April Golden is an instructor in LYT Yoga®, which is a core-focused yoga designed by physical therapist and renowned yoga teacher Lara Heimann. The LYT Yoga® method champions freedom through safer, smarter, and more conscious movement patterns. She is a 500-hour Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT) through Yoga Alliance, with Level 1 and Level 2 certifications in the LYT Yoga® method and has taught at Barefoot Studio on Little Rock since 2016.
CE Credits: | 1.0
Saturday, April, 29th
8:30-10:00
What Would You Do?
This game show-style presentation will pose ethical dilemmas to the attendees. After an answer has been given, a panel will discuss the correct answers and reasons based on NCRA’s Code of Professional Conduct.
Shyloa Myers | RPR
Shyloa Myers has been a certified court reporter since 2001. She has been a freelance deposition reporter her entire career. She is a nationally-certified RPR and holds Arkansas and Louisiana certifications. She is an Alpha tester for Eclipse court reporting software and has given an Arkansas-approved continuing education seminar on the Eclipse Boost feature.
Dana Hayden | RPR, RMR, CRR, CRC, TX CART Level V certified Realtime Systems Administrator
Dana has been a certified court reporter for 34 years, starting out as a freelance, then a firm owner in Texas for two decades before moving to Arkansas in 2009 where she currently resides and works as a freelance reporter, a federal official and a CART captioner. Dana has served on several committees and boards during her career: Texas Court Reporters Association 2000 to 2007, serving as president 2005-2006; Arkansas Court Reporters Association treasurer; NCRA Technology Committee.
CE Credits: | 1.5 Ethics
10:00-10:15
Break
10:15-11:45
QuickBooks/Excel Training
This session will go over the basics of using QuickBooks and Excel software to keep track of invoicing, payments, expenses, and filing taxes.
Lisa Massey Bell | MBA, CPA
CE Credits: | 1.5
12:00-1:00
Business Meeting/Luncheon
1:00-2:30
Steno/Voice Brief Swap
Prior to the conference, a survey will be taken of briefs and brief families. The most efficient will be shared by a panel of experienced steno and voice CCRs to aid the attendees in creating cleaner, more accurate records and hopefully to assist in the journey to becoming real-time writers.
Shyloa Myers | RPR
Shyloa Myers has been a certified court reporter since 2001. She has been a freelance deposition reporter her entire career. She is a nationally-certified RPR and holds Arkansas and Louisiana certifications. She is an Alpha tester for Eclipse court reporting software and has given an Arkansas-approved continuing education seminar on the Eclipse Boost feature.
Rebecca Ross | CCR, CVR-M, RVR
Rebecca Ross graduated from Sierra Valley College of Court Reporting in Fresno, California, in 2002, passed the NVRA CVR-M in April 2002, was the 2002 NVRA National Realtime Champion, passed the Arkansas CCR in May 2002, and earned her NVRA RVR in February 2018. She is the owner of Carroll-Ross Court Reporting in Fayetteville, Arkansas.
CE Credits: | 1.5
2:30-2:45
Break
2:45-4:15
Transcripts 101