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         PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE - JUNE 2019

As I reflect on the first half of 2019, it has been a most eventful year in Kansas.  In January, the legislators were back in session and the whirlwind began.  The second week in February was Court Reporting and Captioning Week and KCRA celebrated with proclamations from Governor Kelly, Justice Nuss, and with the help of legislative board member Meghan Rogers, the Kansas State flag was flown over the capitol building in honor of court reporters and captioners throughout the state!  Cindy Isaacsen, one of our very own and NCRA director, spoke on behalf of court reporting and captioning week to the House Judiciary Committee as well.

During the 2019 legislative session, an anti-contracting bill was introduced to the House Judiciary Committee and although the bill was eventually tabled, it raised some interesting questions and dilemmas for KCRA.  Contracting affects both freelance business owners and freelance independent contractors; however, without further study and query to determine exactly what those effects are, KCRA could not support the bill as introduced.  We will continue to examine this issue within KCRA’s Freelance Committee and my hope is we will reach a compromised solution. 

In early April, KCRA sent two representatives to a Wild Apricot Software conference to learn more about the membership management software KCRA utilizes to offer online services such as registration for convention and membership, KCRA’s banking reports and summaries, online membership information, as well as the KCRA website.  Our executive director, Coleen Boxberger, and fellow board member Brandy Trible, spent three days studying better utilization of the management software to meet KCRA’s website needs.  We are all grateful for their dedication and willingness to support our website.  The time, energy, and detail involved in maintaining the website is a tremendous commitment and we would not have the current site we enjoy today but for the continuing due diligence of Mary Kay Howe and Dani Murray.

April 6, KCRA offered a one-day training event at the Johnson County Administrative Building in Olathe, Kansas, under the skillful and energetic hand of Cindy Isaacsen and fellow reporters.  Sessions included the latest in tech gadgets, shorter writing, transitioning from reporting to captioning work, Case CATalyst VP v Dragon, and a fantastic tour of Johnson County’s Criminalistics Laboratory in Olathe, Kansas.  Some topics covered during the tour were firearms, crime scene investigation, digital/media evidence, and toxicology, just to name a few.  What a fascinating and extraordinary facet of this profession!

KCRA had its spring board meeting in April in Topeka, Kansas, to discuss KCRA’s 2019 convention in Wichita, Kansas, October 20-22, 2019, the Distinguished Member Award, the newly formed captioning advisory committee, formation of an ethics’ committee, legislative updates, E-filing and loss of fees for transcript copies, and updating KCRA’s bylaws.  Other newsworthy events include Susan Carden receiving the prestigious Liberty Bell Award in Reno County, Marilyn Bailey being honored for 40 years of service to the judicial branch, an article in JCR featuring Darcie Cruz, and Mary Kay Howe acting as an honorary bailiff in a special session of the Kansas Supreme Court in Lawrence, Kansas.  These are just a few examples of our members’ outstanding efforts to serve others.
The month of May included NCRA’s Leadership and Boot Camp training in Washington, D.C., and KCRA sent two representatives, Meghan Rogers and Johanna Lynch, to gather new tools and information on advocating for the court reporting and captioning professions at the state level, ultimately culminating in the opportunity to walk “the Hill” and meet with legislative leaders in Washington.  We are grateful to Meghan and Johanna and hope they had an incredible experience that helps them better serve this association.

Other topics of note are:  (1) Sending two officers to NCRA’s national convention in Denver, Colorado, in August to attend NCSA meetings, NCRA business meeting, classes, and networking with colleagues; (2) The Distinguished Member Award Nominations (information to follow); (3) A recommendation by the CCR Board of Examiners for an amendment to Rule 10 as it relates to the loss of copy fees due to the implantation of E-filing; (4) KCRA’s Convention in October of 2020 in the beautiful city of Lawrence; and (5) Stenographic schools in Ottawa, Overland Park, a new program due to start in the fall in Kansas City, Kansas, and a new voice writing program in Lawrence, Kansas.  How dedicated and impressive is that?

KCRA’s Board of Directors continues to work tirelessly on behalf of the reporters in the state of Kansas.  But please remember, none of this is possible without you.  As members of a diverse association of professionals, it is our obligation and duty to be part of the solution.  “No man (or woman for that matter) is an island.”  Each of us has unique skills, talents, and abilities.  Unless we utilize them and, more importantly, share them, they have little value.  We can all dream about doing great things, but it is the little things each and every day that make the big things possible.  Together, we turn possibility into reality. 

“Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.”    President Theodore Roosevelt

Warmest Regards,
Jen Olsen and the KCRA Board – Miranda Cummings, Stacey Potenza, Mary Kay Howe, Dani Murray, Lynelle Gottschalk, Meghan Rogers, Deanna Warner, Brad Sherffius, Shanna Hill, Brandy Trible, Johanna Lynch, and Executive Director Coleen Boxberger

CONGRATULATIONS, 
SHEILA LYONS!

2018 Distinguished Member Award Recipient

Sheila with her judge, Hon. Warren Wilbert