IOWA COURT REPORTERS ASSOCIATION
MIDYEAR CONFERENCE AGENDA
Saturday, November 7, 2015
Chair: Josie Johnson
DMACC – Newton, Iowa
8:00-8:30 Registration - Coffee and Breakfast
8:30-10:00 Double Ranch Murders - Mike Jacobsen, Scott Nicholson
10:00-10:15 Break
10:15-11:45 Double Ranch Murders - Mike Jacobsen, Scott Nicholson
12:00-1:00 Student Update, Legislative Lunch & Learn - Patti Ziegler and Angela Davis
1:00-2:30 Untimely death – dealing with loss - Frank Severino
2:30-2:45 - Break
2:45-3:45 - Student Recruitment - Tom Shively
8:30 – 10:00 and 10:15-11:45 Cold Case – Double Ranch Murders
Mike Jacobsen, Jasper County Attorney and Scott Nicholson, Assistant Jasper County Attorney. Cold Case: Double Ranch Murders
A defendant faces two first-degree murder charges in the deaths of her husband, Steven Fisher, and his girlfriend, Melisa Gregory. The pair's beaten and bloodied bodies were found the morning of March 3, 1983, on the Copper Dollar Ranch, a horse farm northwest of Newton where Fisher worked as a mechanic and did odd jobs.
The case came to trial in 2014 after three decades of investigative work by the Jasper County Sheriff's Office and Iowa Department of Investigation. Former Jasper County Sheriff Mike Balmer told jurors the killings remain one of Newton's most notorious crimes, as rumors and speculation have swirled over whether Supino killed the two or their deaths were linked to drug trafficking.
Speaker Info: Mike Jacobsen – Jasper County Attorney since 2009. Scott Nicholson Assistant Jasper County Attorney. Last year, their office handled 50 juvenile delinquency cases. Other types of juvenile cases they deal with are Child in Need of Assistance (CINA) cases and Drug Endangered Children (DEC) cases. In 2013, his office had 159 CINA cases and 112 of those were labeled DEC and this resulted in 17 termination of paternal rights cases.
12:00 – 1:00 Legislative lunch and learn - Angela Davis, Attorney and Lobbyist, will give a legislative update on current issues affecting court reporters in Iowa. Patti Ziegler, PhD., DMACC court reporting instructor, will give a DMACC update and information regarding students and the programs progress as it enters its second year.
Speaker info: Angela Davis - Originally from Creston, Angela attended the University of Iowa where she received a B.A. with Honors in English in 1997. After spending time in the UK and traveling abroad, Angela settled in Raleigh, North Carolina, where she founded White Lion Productions in 2000. Through her company, Angela choreographed performances for film, stage, television, and events. She returned to Iowa and was admitted to Drake University Law School, where she received her J.D. Degree in 2010. After graduation, Angela was Field Operations Director for the Title Guaranty Division of the Iowa Finance Authority. She joins the firm after serving as Legal Counsel to the Iowa Secretary of State.
Patti Ziegler: Dr. Ziegler has an extensive reputation in the Court Reporting education field," said Dr. Mary Entz, Provost of the DMACC Newton Campus. "She has many academic talents and achievements that will help our new program flourish. Students will appreciate her expertise and enthusiasm."
Dr. Ziegler has taught Court Reporting for more than 20 years. She served as a Vice President and Academic Dean and as a Professor of Realtime Reporting at AIB College of Business in Des Moines. Most recently she has been an Associate Professor and Program Coordinator of Information Reporting Technology at St. Louis Community College.
She will oversee all aspects of DMACC's new Court Reporting program, including academic requirements, recruiting and mentoring students enrolled in the program. "Court Reporters are extensively used throughout our legal system and across the country.
1:00 – 2:30 – Untimely Death, Dealing with Loss - Frank Severino, Assistant Polk County Attorney, will talk about a case involving a teenager who wrecked his car driving recklessly, resulting in his two best friends being killed. He will talk about the effect that had on the teen and the families. The moms of the deceased children will talk about ways to be able to move on and how to overcome the anger you hold toward someone who took your child’s life.
Speaker Info: Frank Severino – Assistant Polk County Attorney. Frank is one of many attorneys in the Polk County Attorney's Office who works hard to achieve justice for the victims of crime and to serve the community of over 430,000 residents in Polk County, by prosecuting violations of state law and providing legal counsel to the county government.
2:45 – 3:45- Student Recruitment - Tom Shively. Tom will talk about his experiences talking to prospective court reporting students and share their stories and tips on recruiting potential reporting students.
Speaker info: Graduated from Valley High School, Bachelor’s Degree from Simpson College and a Master’s Degree from the University of Iowa. Tom worked for 30 years in college admissions and 14 years in high school college planning and advising. Tom has personally visited over 50 colleges and universities in last 5 years. Tom has created and managed the Golden Circle College Fair for 10 years. He has served on numerous college and university Advisory Boards. Tom served as President of Iowa Association of College Admissions Counselors. Awards include: Iowa Association of College Admissions Counselors (IACAC) – The Distinguished Service Award For Dedicated and Outstanding Service on the Executive Board, Iowa Association for Counseling and Development (IACD) – Outstanding Admissions Person of the Year Award, Iowa Business Education Association (IBEA) – Distinguished Service Scholarship Award.
