News

Dear VCRA Members, Convention Registrants, Sponsors and Vendors,

Our 2020 court reporting convention has now been rescheduled to October 23 to 25, 2020. The season might be different, but the rest of the convention will be identical to all planned events and speakers from March. Our keynote speaker will be Mark Kislingbury, along with featured speakers Jim DeCrescenzo from Project Steno, Michele Eddy, and NCRA representative Yolanda Walton.

Total Event CEUs: NCRA 1.2/NVRA 12.0

VCRA members with a CCR designation and CEU cycle expiring on June 30, 2020, the deadline will automatically be extended to January 31, 2021.

NEW DATES: October 23 to 25, 2020

SAME LOCATION: The Virginian Hotel, Lynchburg, Virginia

Current registrations for the original March convention will automatically transfer to the rescheduled October convention.

While we hope to see all of you in October, we know there may be some who might have prior commitments or will be unavailable in October. If you are already registered but unable to attend the rescheduled convention, please email admin@vcra.net to request a registration cancellation and refund. If you weren’t able to attend in March but now will be able to join us in October, please visit our website at vcra.net for registration details.

Hotel booking link:

Book Now

Please note: The cut-off date for reserving rooms in the discounted room block is 4:00 p.m. on September 23, 2020.

Thank you for your patience this past week while VCRA coordinated rescheduling with The Virginian Hotel and our speakers. We appreciate all our sponsors and are looking forward to seeing our vendors and attendees soon.

With warm regards,

The Virginia Court Reporters Association Board of Directors

Greetings VCRA voting members,

With the postponement of our 2020 convention, our annual business meeting is also being postponed, which is when our election of officers and directors typically takes place. In order for your new Board of Directors to begin serving its membership and fulfilling their duties and responsibilities, the Nominating Committee of the Board of Directors would like to hold our elections electronically. While our current Bylaws do allow for electronic voting, they also require that at least 20 voting members be present at a meeting where elections are held.

In light of the governmental ban on meetings of 10 or more people pursuant to the outbreak of COVID-19, the entire Board met via Zoom on March 21, 2020, and voted to propose to the membership to suspend, for these special purposes only, Article IX, Section 3(b) and Section 4 of the Bylaws. Our complete Bylaws can be located here, but the pertinent sections regarding the election read as follows:

Section 3 – Voting

b) Voting of the membership by proxy on any issue, or for officers and directors, shall be permitted when such action is authorized by a three-fourths (3/4) vote of the Board of Directors and such proxy is delivered with the notice of the meeting and shall be permissible by mail, e-mail, or fax.

Section 4 – Quorum of Professional Members

At the annual business meeting or any meeting of this Association, twenty-five percent (25%) of voting members present, in person or by proxy, constitute a quorum, provided that no fewer than twenty (20) voting members are physically present. The action of a majority of the voting members at a meeting at which a quorum is present shall constitute the action of the voting members.

We are asking that you consider this e-mail as notification of our intent to hold elections in this manner. If you would like to submit any write-in candidates to be considered for election on the board, please send an e-mail to Liz Phillips at vcraexecutivedirector@gmail.com by April 2nd, 2020.

The complete ballot with instructions will be available April 3rd, and there will be a 48-hour window in which to cast your vote. Mail-in ballots will be made available upon reasonable request. Announcement of voting results will be posted by April 7th.

Please see the introduction to the incoming officers and directors below.

With warm regards,

The Virginia Court Reporters Association Board of Directors

Dear VCRA Members, Convention Registrants, Sponsors and Vendors,

The Virginia Court Reporters Association has decided at this time, due to the recent outbreak of the coronavirus (COVID-19) in the United States, it would be in everyone's best interest to postpone our upcoming VCRA Convention scheduled for March 20 - 22, 2020, at The Virginian Hotel in Lynchburg, Virginia.

We are coordinating now with the hotel and our speakers regarding a new date and plan to make our announcement early next week.

Please be sure to cancel your hotel reservations.

We will be sending announcements soon to notify you of the rescheduled date for the annual business meeting and methods of attendance and voting.

With warm regards,

The Virginia Court Reporters Association Board of Directors

Message to VCRA members and convention registrants:

As a member of VCRA or convention registrant, we wanted to let you know we have been monitoring the recent outbreak of the coronavirus (COVID-19) in the United States. We understand your concerns and how it might affect our upcoming convention in Lynchburg, Virginia, scheduled for March 20 - 22, 2020.

We have been in contact with our speakers, and they are still comfortable moving forward with their speaking obligations; but due to the developments in the last 24 hours, we are touching base again with the hotel to see how best to proceed. We plan to send out an update to everyone tomorrow.

Leslie Etheredge, Registered Merit Reporter, Certified Court Reporter

President, Virginia Court Reporters Association

It's Court Reporting & Captioning Week!  Join the VCRA as we celebrate our profession all across the commonwealth!  We're hosting four socials, so there's sure to be an event near you!  

Northern Virginia

Where:  Founding Farmers Tysons, 1800 Tysons Blvd, Tysons, VA 22102

When:  Sunday, Feb 9, 2020, 1:30 PM

Please RSVP to amicusreporting@aol.com

Richmond

Where:  Caturra on Grove, 5811 Grove Ave, Richmond, VA 23226

When:  Tuesday, Feb 11, 2020, 5:00 PM

Please RSVP to vcraexecutivedirector@gmail.com

Roanoke

Where:  Los Amigos Restaurant, 2207 Colonial Ave, Roanoke, VA 24015

When:  Tuesday, Feb 11, 2020, 6:00 PM

Please RSVP to vcraexecutivedirector@gmail.com

Hampton Roads

Where:  Bahama Breeze, 4554 Virginia Beach Blvd, Suite 10, Virginia Beach, VA 23462

When:  Thursday, Feb 13, 2020, 5:30 PM

Please RSVP to vcraexecutivedirector@gmail.com

Good evening, VCRA Members,

As you know, our proposed bill for licensure of court reporters in Virginia was heard before the Senate Judiciary Committee and the House Courts of Justice Civil Subcommittee yesterday.  Unfortunately, it did not pass from committee in either body.  

There was strong opposition to the bill, and even though we have tried to reach out to those opposed to it in order to reach a compromise, even as late as yesterday afternoon, they have shown no desire to work with us on the bill or to have licensure in Virginia.

The board of the Virginia Court Reporters Association will be meeting to discuss how we want to move forward on this issue.  If you have any input you would like to give, please let us know.  We are here to serve our membership and address your concerns.

We appreciate everyone's help in contacting the members of the Senate and House committees.  Even though the bill will not be moving forward this session of the Virginia General Assembly, feel free to continue writing or speaking with your representatives and letting them know your feelings regarding this issue.

As the only established and credible court reporting association in Virginia, we will continue to fight for our profession as the irreplaceable guardians of the record.

VCRA Legislative Committee

This is my final newsletter message as President of VCRA, but that does not mean my duties have concluded. The next two months appear to be the busiest time ever and will be filled with activities on behalf of the Virginia Court Reporters Association.

The General Assembly went into session this month, and VCRA will continue to lobby for the creation of the Virginia Board for Court Reporters as an independent board to establish the qualification of applicants for licensure or registration in our state.

VCRA has a brand-new website, which may be found at VCRA.net, and this is where you will find updates on the progression of the bills through Virginia’s Senate and House of Delegates.

If you have not yet been to our website, take a moment to stop by. Our very own board member, Christopher Reho, undertook the task of redesigning our website and moving it to a different platform. The website has a members-only section. In addition, you may register for the convention, read the newsletter, edit your membership information and locate all things relevant to court reporting. I would like to extend a huge thank you to Christopher for undertaking this project.

Our convention in Lynchburg, Virginia, is scheduled for March 20 - 22, 2020. Mark Kislingbury will be our keynote presenter. We hope you will join us for a weekend of networking with your fellow reporters and learning new skills along the way. In addition to our inaugural speed contest, there will be a Friday evening social, where we invite you to Roar into the ‘20s by dressing up in your flapper dress or zoot suit. Bring your steno machine and laptop and be ready to learn new skills during our presentations on Saturday and Sunday.

As I reflect back over the past two years as VCRA President, there is one word that is ever present in my mind. The word is gratitude. The current board of directors has been one of the most active and dynamic boards I have ever had the privilege to work with, and I am so very fortunate to have been part of this team.

Our members are at the heart of everything VCRA does, and I thank you for allowing me the privilege to serve as your President. Our Immediate Past President, Carol Naughton, left behind some very big shoes to fill, and I would like to thank her for all the guidance and assistance she has provided to me during my time as president.

VCRA will be in very good hands with our incoming President, Donna Linton. Donna has worked tirelessly for VCRA during the past few years, and she is always one of the first people to volunteer and will jump in and do whatever needs to be done. She was president of VCRA during the years 2001 to 2002. Donna was featured recently in The Washington Post, and the article written about her may be found in this newsletter. Thank you, Donna, for sharing your wisdom, your willingness to always lend a hand, and positive attitude.

I would be remiss if I did not also give credit where it is due, and that would be to Rachel Cramer, Michele Eddy, Sindie Bragg, Cherrylynn Gerardo, Lori McCoin Jones, Grace Lengmueller, Christopher Reho, Kristina Tan and Zelma Lee. The committees these individuals have participated in and activities they have performed over my time as VCRA president have been phenomenal.

Liz Phillips, our Executive Director, works tirelessly in the background and does not seek accolades, but she deserves them. Liz provides continuity from one board to the next, has a wealth of knowledge of VCRA and is always willing to share with others.

As I shift towards the role of immediate past president, I thank you for your support, and I appreciate the trust you placed in me. It has been an honor and a privilege to serve our membership.

I would encourage each of you to give back in some small way to the court reporting profession. Get involved. It is your future!

With warm regards,

Leslie Etheredge, RMR, CCR

President, Virginia Court Reporters Association