First off, thank you to the members of the Oklahoma Court Reporters Association.  I am honored and humbled that you are allowing me to serve as your president. I want to give my heartfelt thanks to the board members who have volunteered their time this past year.  Thank you to Immediate Past President Shelley Ottwell for your service as president.  Thank you to Julia Turner for your service as director.

I want to thank those board members who have volunteered their time for many years and continue to do so.  Your knowledge and expertise are invaluable. A freelance presence is important on the board, and I want to thank Shannon Harwood for volunteering to serve.  I have no doubt she will represent the freelance community well.

When I was asked to volunteer for board service two years ago, I came on as vice president.  One of the most important life lessons to be learned is that you are not going to be successful at something unless you are ready to be. I am ready to be.  I know what I want to do for our profession, and I know how to achieve it.  My desire is to further court reporting in Oklahoma, for court reporters to be recognized for their role in the judicial process, and for reporting professionals to be paid accordingly.  Every step forward in that regard is a step in the right direction.

We have made great strides in the last few years, but there is still more work to do. If you are not an OCRA member, join today.  I am encouraging you to do everything you can to help.  If you don’t know what needs to be done, please reach out and ask.  Message me.  Email me.  Call me.  “How can I help” goes a long way.

Imagine being stranded in a large rowboat in the middle of the ocean with 19 other people.  Each of the 20 have their own set of oars and an idea about how to get to shore, but only 5 will pick up the oars and row at any given point.  How much more effective would they be if all 20 were rowing collectively? This is how volunteer work in our profession has been in Oklahoma since I moved to this state 20 years ago.  The same 15-20 court reporters are volunteering their time to do everything they can to make a difference.  Unity of purpose will increase the power of results.

One of the reasons I stress the importance of board service and networking to every student I teach is the hope that it will effect change. We can accomplish so much more together.

With everything I have on my plate, there will be much delegation over the course of the next year. I need your help.  But for now, I hit the ground running, and by the end of this, that same ground is going to wish it had the ability to keep up with us. Now let’s get some shit done.

Allie Hall, President OCRA