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Through education, promotion, and encouragement, the Oklahoma Court Reporters Association is committed to ensuring the future of the profession of capturing and preserving the spoken word. 







OKLAHOMA BAR FOUNDATION
COURT REPORTER RURAL SERVICE EMPLOYMENT GRANT AVAILABLE

A rural service employment grant is available for licensed Oklahoma CSRs that are willing to relocate to work in any of the following counties:

    • Greer, Harmon, Jackson, Kiowa, Tillman
    • Delaware
    • Texas
    • Love
    • McIntosh

For more details, or to apply, click HERE. 



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.

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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

2020 CONVENTION CANCELED

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, OCRA has cancelled its 2020 Annual Convention. 

If you have previously registered, your registration will be refunded.  If you have made hotel reservations, please cancel your reservation.

OCRA wishes to thank you for your patience during this unprecedented event.  We look forward to seeing everyone next year at the 2021 convention in June.



A NOTE FROM YOUR OUTGOING PRESIDENT

As the situation for COVID-19 has impacted all areas of our lives, it is now impacting our 2020 conference.  As you are aware, we had moved our Spring Conference from March to August hoping that we could still proceed as scheduled as we had an amazing conference in place. 

OCRA has made a decision to cancel our in-person convention this year due to the pandemic.  Our top priority is keeping our membership and those around us healthy, and having an in-person convention places too high a risk on our members.

Southern Hills Marriott has graciously allowed us to postpone our 2020 convention to 2022 without financial impact on your association.  As soon as we have the 2022 date confirmed, we will let you know.   I do hope that we will have a big celebration at our 2021 conference June 25-27, 2021 at the Waterford in Oklahoma City.

I realize that many of you have paid for this conference.  You should expect a full registration refund in 10 days if you paid by credit card.  For those members who wrote a check, it will take Leslie a little bit longer, possibly up to two weeks, to send a reimbursement check.

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On a very bright note, OCRA has recommended that the CSR Board, our licensing vehicle, and the Administrative Office of the Courts suspend CE credits for the Oklahoma Shorthand Reporter license for 2020. This proposed CE suspension will be for all Oklahoma Shorthand Reporters who are in good standing. For those members who need continuing education points for NCRA, there are various vendors who are currently providing online CE hours. While many of you participated in-person or called when OCRA sent out a request for help on HB3803, I have somewhat disheartening news. COVID-19 has not only disrupted the country, it disrupted the forward movement we had with the legislature. The legislative session was severely abbreviated this year. Toward the end of the abbreviated session, it became apparent that the Administrative Office of the Courts needed access to certain revolving funds in order to fully fund the current fiscal year. Unfortunately, our bill was the perfect vehicle to accomplish this task. It is my understanding that in the rush to finalize the budget, legislators simply removed the existing language regarding the proposed stipend and dropped in the new language related to accessing revolving funds. OCRA through OPEA has been in communication with Representative Toni Hassebeck and Senator Paul Scott about raising the compensation and stipends again next year. Both Representative Hassenbeck and Senator Scott want to see compensation and stipends advanced next legislative session. OPEA has included both the stipend and our compensation to the legislative platforms that will be addressed in the 2021 and 2022 sessions. On a personal note, this will be the last time I speak to you as President of OCRA. I want to thank you for allowing me the opportunity to lead you this year. I was hopeful my term would have ended with a bang; however, I am eternally hopeful that OCRA will continue on with their mission to serve our membership in the best way possible. I would love it if you would join in on our Annual Business Meeting where we will swear in your new board. You will receive a follow-up email outlining the details. See you soon!

Best Regards,

Shelley Ottwell, CSR, RPR

OCRA President


MEMBERS OF OCRA'S BOARD OF DIRECTORS SELECTED FOR NCRA COMMITTEES

Two members of OCRA's Board of Directors are now serving on NCRA committees.  Past President Shelley Ottwell was selected to serve on the Education Committee.  President Allison Hall was selected to serve on the New Professionals/Liaison Committee.  OCRA member Melinda Wall is serving on the A-Z Committee. 

Next time you see them, extend your congratulations!  Oklahoma is representing well!




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OCRA makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of all material published on this site.  If any discrepancy arises between any document published here and the official version of that document, the official version shall govern.


OCRA is proud to be an affiliated state association with NCRA.

OCRA is a 501(c)6 non-profit organization.      P.O. Box 696, Claremore, OK 74018

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