Cathy L. Penniston to serve three-year term on NCRA Board of Directors
RESTON, Va., Aug. 11, 2020 — The National Court Reporters Association (NCRA), the country’s leading organization representing stenographic court reporters, broadcast captioners, CART providers, and legal videographers, announced that Cathy L. Penniston, a freelance court reporter and captioner from Waukee, Iowa, was elected to serve a three-year term as a member of its Board of Directors during the Association’s Connect 2020, a virtual event that took place Aug. 7-9 in lieu of the traditional Conference & Expo that was canceled due to COVID-19.
Penniston spent 30 years working as an official court reporter for the state of Iowa before receiving a realtime captioning training grant and transitioning into a remote television broadcast captioning career. She has also worked as a freelance court reporter and a CART provider. Penniston currently teaches reporting classes at the Des Moines Area Community College in Des Moines, Iowa. She also works as an independent broadcast captioner. In addition, she provides remote realtime of court proceedings in Arizona, Colorado, and Idaho.
At the national level, Penniston has served on numerous NCRA committees and enjoys teaching the NCRA A to Z® Intro to Steno Machine Shorthand program. She has served as a member of the NCRA Board of Directors since 2018.
Penniston has served as president, vice president, and secretary of the Iowa Court Reporters Association. She has volunteered multiple times to assist with the annual National Court Reporters Foundation phone-a-thon fundraising campaign and the Veterans History Project.
Penniston is the recipient of the Roy Voelker Memorial Award for Distinguished Service for the court reporting profession of the state of Iowa. She is also the recipient of the Indian Hills Community College Vision Award Alumni Entrepreneur of the Year in 2014.
Penniston holds a master’s degree in Education from Clarke University, a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Iowa Wesleyan College, an associate degree from Indian Hills Community College, and an associate degree in Court Reporting from the American Institute of Business. She holds the national professional certifications of Registered Professional Reporter (RPR) and Certified Reporting Instructor (CRI).
The court reporting and captioning professions offer viable career choices that do not require a four-year college degree and yet offer good salaries, flexible schedules, and interesting venues. There is currently an increasing demand for more reporters and captioners to meet the growing number of employment opportunities available nationwide and abroad. Court reporters and captioners rely on the latest in technology to use stenographic machines to capture the spoken word and translate it into written text in real time. These professionals work both in and out of the courtroom recording legal cases and depositions, providing live captioning of events, and assisting members of the deaf and hard-of-hearing communities with gaining access to information, entertainment, educational opportunities, and more.
To arrange an interview with a working court reporter or captioner, or to learn more about the lucrative and flexible court reporting or captioning professions and the many job opportunities currently available, contact pr@ncra.org.
The National Court Reporters Association (NCRA) has been internationally recognized for promoting excellence among those who capture and convert the spoken word to text for more than 100 years. NCRA is committed to supporting its more than 14,000 members in achieving the highest level of professional expertise with educational opportunities and industry-recognized court reporting, educator, and videographer certification programs. NCRA impacts legislative issues and the global marketplace through its actively involved membership.
Forbes has named court reporting as one of the best career options that do not require a traditional four-year degree. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the court reporting field is expected to grow by 7 percent through the year 2028, faster than the projected employment growth across all occupations. According to 247/WallSt.com, the court reporting profession ranks sixth out of 25 careers with the lowest unemployment rate, just 0.7 percent. Career information about the court reporting profession—one of the leading career options that do not require a traditional four-year degree—can be found at NCRA DiscoverSteno.org.
As a charitable organization, the Foundation relies almost solely on tax-deductible donations, the majority of which come from NCRA members and associated businesses. To donate, or for information on NCRF’s programs, visit NCRA/Foundation.org, or call 800/272-6272, ext. 126.