Local court reporter elected to NCRA board of directors

RESTON, Va. — The National Court Reporters Association (NCRA), the country's leading organization representing stenographic court reporters, captioners, and legal videographers, announced that Yolanda Walton, an official court reporter from Norwalk, was elected to serve a two-year term as a member of its board of directors during the association's Conference & Expo held in Las Vegas, Nev., July 29-Aug. 1. Walton has served as an official court reporter with the Huron County Common Pleas Court since 1988. Prior to that, she worked as a freelance court reporter with Marie Fresch & Associates in Ohio. She has been very active in the Ohio Court Reporting Association (OCRA), serving in numerous roles starting in 1997. From 1997-2006 she was the fundraising chair, during which time she implemented the annual silent auction which has become a substantial revenue source. She has also served as vice president (2004-2005) and president (2007-2008) of OCRA. Walton has attended every OCRA convention since 1988. Walton joined NCRA in 1985 and has been heavily involved in the National Court Reporters Foundation's Phone-a-thon (1991-2001), and as a national committee of state associations delegate. She has served on NCRA's nominating committee and on the official community of interest committee (2010). Walton has attended every NCRA convention since 1992. She holds the nationally recognized professional certifications of Registered Professional Reporter (RPR), and Fellow of the Academy of Professional Reporters (FAPR). 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.