R. Douglas Friend to serve a three-year term on NCRF Board of Trustees
RESTON, Va., Aug. 12, 2020 — The National Court Reporters Foundation (NCRF), the philanthropic arm of the National Court Reporters Association (NCRA), announced that R. Douglas (Doug) Friend, a retired court reporter from Vancouver, Wash., was appointed to serve a three-year term on its Board of Trustees. NCRA is the country’s leading organization representing stenographic court reporters, captioners, and legal videographers. The announcement was made during the NCRA Connect Virtual 2020, the Association’s virtual conference that took place Aug. 7-9 in lieu of the traditional Conference & Expo that was canceled due to COVID-19.
“NCRF gives court reporting a public face today through the Veterans History Project and also helps paint court reporting’s future through generous scholarships,” Friend said. “A vision and purpose for today and years to come? That’s why I am excited to join my colleagues in strengthening the influence of the National Court Reporters Foundation,” he added.
Friend holds the nationally recognized professional certifications of Registered Diplomate Reporter (RDR) and Certified Realtime Reporter (CRR) and is also a Fellow of the Professional Academy of Reporters (FAPR).
From 1980 through 2015, Friend was a 50 percent shareholder in Beovich Walter & Friend, Inc., and worked as an active, practicing court reporter for many years before moving into more day-to-day management of the firm.
At the national level, Friend served for four years on NCRA’s Board of Directors, two years as Secretary-Treasurer, and as Vice President, President-elect, President and Immediate Past President between 2008 and 2012.
At the state level, Friend served on numerous committees of the Oregon Court Reporters Association and served as its President in 2020.
Friend currently works as a peer navigator with Cascade AIDs Project as a support to men and women living with HIV to achieve their goals.
Active in the community, Friend also served as the only board member who was not an attorney for the Ogalla Oregon Gay & Lesbian Law Association, including as its president in 2010. He is also a past director and secretary-treasurer of the Portland Gay Men’s Chorus.
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.