2025 ICRA Annual Convention
June 24-26, 2025
Sioux City Convention Center
801 Fourth Street
Sioux City, Iowa
1.5 CEUs
Hotel Block at Courtyard Marriott Downtown Sioux City
901 4th Street
Sioux City, Iowa
712-202-2700
Reservation link: Book your group rate for Iowa Court Reporters
SCHEDULE
Tuesday, June 24, 2025
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Registration
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12:00 pm to 1:00 pm
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Registration
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DNA/STRmix TM
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1:00 pm to 2:30 pm
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Dr. Sabrina Seehafer, PhD
Karlee Schneider, Criminalist
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Break
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2:30 pm to 2:45 pm
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Journalism and The Courts
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2:45 pm to 3:45 pm
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Bruce Miller, Sioux City Journal/Briar Cliff College
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Break
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3:45 pm to 4:00 pm
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Lila Mae’s House
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4:00 pm to 5:00 pm
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Emily Culver, Director
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Break
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5:00 pm to 5:15 pm
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Navigate to Woodbury County Courthouse
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Guided Tour - Woodbury Co Courthouse
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5:15 pm to 6:15 pm
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Leesa McNeil, Retired 3rd Judicial District Court Administrator
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Wednesday, June 25, 2025
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Registration/Breakfast
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7:30 am to 8:00 am
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CrossFit Terminology and Techniques
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8:00 am to 9:00 am
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Abby McCoid, CF L2 Cert, PN1
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Break
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9:00 am to 9:15 am
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Court Reporter to the Stars
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9:15 am to 10:45 am
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Jennifer Bean-Alverson, FAPR, RDR, RMR, CRR, NM CCR
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Break
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10:45 am to 11:00 am
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The Superstar Standard: Why AI Just Can't Make the Cut
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11:00 am to 12:00 pm
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Kristin Anderson, M.A., RPR, CRI, FCRR
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Lunch/Business Meeting/Awards/Installation of Officers/DSA Award
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12:00 pm to 1:30 pm
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Lobbyist Update
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1:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.
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Sydney Gangestad
Logan Murray
Jacob Schrader
Stephanie Kiel
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Break
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2:30 p.m. to 2:45 p.m.
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Tiny Homes Project - From Concept to Reality
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2:45 p.m. to 3:45 p.m.
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Kim Scorza, LMSW, MSW, CEO – Crittenton Center
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Break
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3:45 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
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The Role of Memory Evidence in Criminal Cases
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4:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
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Dr. Kimberly MacLin
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**Happy Hour**
6-7 p.m. at The Boat House
413 Pierce St, Sioux City, IA
Thursday, June 26, 2025
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Registration/Breakfast
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7:30 am to 8:00 am
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Voice Writers – How They May Help Save Our Profession
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8:00 am to 9:00 am
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Kaycee Kruger, CVR, CSR
Crystal Beaman, CVR, CSR
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Break
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9:00 a.m. to 9:15 a.m.
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Steno Swap/
Panel Discussion
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9:15 a.m. to 10:15 a.m.
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Kara Holland, CSR, RPR
Carolyn Plueger CSR, RPR
Mark Sturgeon, CSR
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Break
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10:15 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.
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CPR/AED
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10:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
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John MacGregor, Le Mars, Iowa, Battalion Chief/Paramedic/EMS Supervisor
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SPEAKER INFORMATION
Tuesday, June 24, 2025
DNA/STRmix TM
Dr. Sabrina Seehafer, PhD
Karlee Schneider, Criminalist
Iowa Department of Criminal Investigation
State Crime Lab
(1:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.)
Karlee Schneider & Sabrina Seehafer, with over 20 years combined experience in the DNA Section at the Iowa Department of Criminal Investigation (DCI) Crime Laboratory, will discuss common techniques and terminology used in DNA testimony. The presentation will also include in-depth discussion of the new interpretation software (STRmix™) that drastically changes how DNA results will be reported and discussed in the courtroom. An introduction to STRmix™-centric DNA vocabulary is intended to add to the stenographer’s toolbox to assist in the accurate recording of STRmix™ DNA results and common terminology. Additional information will be presented on DNA technologies not performed by the Iowa DCI Crime Laboratory that stenographers may have or could encounter in private DNA laboratory testimony, including Forensic Investigative Genetic Genealogy (FIGG) and male lineage DNA testing (Y-STRs).
Journalism and the Courts
Bruce Miller
Editor, Sioux City Journal
Newswriting Instructor, Western Iowa Technical College
(2:45 p.m. – 3:45 p.m.)
As Editor of the Sioux City Journal, Bruce has covered entertainment for more than 40 years and teaches newswriting at Briar Cliff University. Bruce will discuss how journalism has adapted and benefited from ever-changing terminology, processes, and technology, much like our own profession, while regaling us with stories from the many high-profile celebrity events for which he has had a front row seat.
Bruce Miller is editor of the Sioux City Journal, the largest daily newspaper in northwest Iowa. He has been with the paper for more than 40 years in a variety of positions. Additionally, he has been teaching newswriting classes at Briar Cliff University for more than 40 years as an adjunct professor. The recipient of hundreds of state and national awards, he was most recently named a “Master Editor and
Publisher” by the Iowa Newspaper Association. Highly involved in his community, he frequently serves as master of ceremonies for civic, non-profit and educational offerings throughout the region. He has a master’s degree in journalism from the University of Minnesota and a bachelor’s in journalism from Minnesota State University/Moorhead. His regular entertainment columns can be found in some 70 newspapers and websites in the Lee Enterprises chain.
Lila Mae’s House
Emily Culver
(4:00 – 5:00 p.m.)
Emily Culver, Director of Lila Mae’s House in Sioux City, will speak about the organization’s mission to provide a safe and healthy environment where adult survivors of sex trafficking can rest, heal, recover, and develop life skills necessary to become empowered, independent, and self-sufficient women. Emily will talk about how victims of sexual violence that we see every day in court can recover from the crimes that were committed against them.
Emily Culver is the Executive Director of Lila Mae’s House, a safe home dedicated to supporting survivors of human trafficking. She brings a compassionate, service-driven approach to leadership, rooted in her background as a registered nurse and her longstanding advocacy for vulnerable populations. Emily holds a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Northwestern College and spent eight years working in oncology, where she developed a deep commitment to patient care and advocacy. Though her professional foundation is in healthcare, her passion for combating human trafficking began in her teenage years. Over the years, she has worked directly with survivors in India, helped coordinate community-wide awareness campaigns, and has played an active role in legislative efforts to secure funding for survivor services. She currently serves on the board of the Siouxland Coalition Against Human Trafficking, where she continues to contribute to regional anti-trafficking initiatives. Since joining Lila
Mae’s House, Emily has dedicated herself to advancing its mission, combining hands-on experience with strategic leadership to foster healing and empowerment for the women they serve.
Guided Tour of the Woodbury County Courthouse
Leesa McNeil
(5:15 – 6:15 p.m.)
Former Third Judicial District Court Administrator Leesa McNeil will guide the group through a tour of the Woodbury County Courthouse, the world’s largest example of Prairie School architecture and National Historic Landmark, completed in 1918.
Leesa obtained a Master of Science in Judicial Administration from the University of Denver College of Law and her undergraduate degree from the University of South Dakota. Most of her 38 years in court administration were spent in Iowa but she also worked in Baltimore,
Maryland, Saginaw, Michigan and Denver, Colorado. She currently teaches online for the University of Phoenix. She cherishes and works to learn from the people trained in the sciences that help us understand and protect our natural world. She served on the State
Preserves Advisory Board from 2012 to 2018, is a member of the Iowa Native Plant Society, Loess Hills Audubon Society and serves on the Iowa Prairie Network Board of Directors. She passed the tests to be a wildlands firefighter for several years starting in 2012 so she could be more effective at conducting her own prescribed burns on her remnant prairie. Having worked many years in the Woodbury County Courthouse, Leesa is one of a few officially sanctioned tour guides who lead groups through a tour of the many fascinating
features of the Woodbury County Courthouse, the world’s largest example of Prairie School architecture and National Historic Landmark, completed in 1918.
Wednesday, June 25, 2025
CrossFit Terminology and Techniques
Abby McCoid, CF L2 Cert, PN1
(8:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.)
AMRAPs, EMOMs, Tabata, MetCon and more. There’s an usual language commonly used in CrossFit training. As court reporters, we like to have a little bit of knowledge about things that may come up in our work lives. Abby McCoid, CF L2 Cert, PN1 Cert, CEO of Beo Strength and Fitness will enlighten us on some of the terms and what they mean. She will give us some tips to having long and healthy careers, despite the sedentary nature of our work, and explain how important movement and lifting weights is to our overall health. Abby will talk about the terms commonly used in CrossFit to familiarize us with those terms to add to our dictionary. She will also talk about the importance of preventing repetitive stress injuries and what we can do to help alleviate aches and pains from sitting all day in court. She will give us some work/life balance tips to manage stress we endure on the job.
Abby McCoid is the owner of Beo Strength and Fitness in Sioux City, where she and her team help people of all ages and fitness levels get stronger, healthier, and more confident through group strength and conditioning classes (CrossFit), one on one coaching, habit-based nutrition coaching, and real-world accountability. With over a decade of coaching experience, Abby is especially passionate about helping women in midlife take control of their health and feel great in their bodies. Her no-nonsense, supportive approach has created a strong, connected community both in and out of the gym.
Court Reporter to the Stars
Jennifer Bean-Alverson, FAPR, RDR, RMR, CRR, NM CCR
(9:15 a.m. – 10:45 a.m.)
Jennifer has been a court reporter for 48 years. After completing reporting school in 1977 in Denver, Colorado, she moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico, where she has been ever since. She started as a freelance reporter and then formed her own business in 1981, “Bean & Associates Court Reporting.” She was the first court reporter in New Mexico to go on the computer, CAT system. She served as president of New Mexico’s NMCRA, for three successive terms and was given the Distinguished Service Award in the 80’s. She just recently completed a 4th term as president in 2023. She was on the Board of Directors of NSRA in the early 1990’s, when it transitioned to NCRA. In addition, she also began working as an official court reporter for the United States District Court in 1996, where she is currently in her 29th year, while still the president of her freelance firm, Bean & Associates. In 2014, Hollywood came calling. Vince Gilligan, the creator of Breaking Bad, which had been filmed entirely in Albuquerque, called Bean & Associates requesting a “real court reporter” to be a featured extra in the upcoming pilot for a new series called “Better Call Saul,” a prequel to Breaking Bad. Jennifer notified her staff of 10 reporters, but no one was interested, so Jennifer decided to do it herself. She and her staff reporters appeared in all courtroom scenes for the entire six years of that highly successful series. Since then, she has become “type cast” as a stenographer in many other TV series and is here to tell us all about it!
The Superstar Standard: Why AI Just Can't Make the Cut
Kristin Anderson, M.A., RPR, CRI, FCRR
NCRA Immediate Past President
(11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.)
Join Kristin Anderson, M.A., RPR, CRI, FCRR, and NCRA Immediate Past President, as she dives into the critical issues of privacy, personal data collection, and its impact on court reporters. Learn about the challenges in data storage, chain of custody, and record retention, and what's next in protecting the official record. Kristin will also help you explain the risks of artificial intelligence (Al) translation to courts and counsel. You will learn common Al acronyms, review Al translation processes, and compare Al's accuracy and speed to that of a CSR.
Kristin Anderson is the official court reporter for the 481st Judicial District Court, Denton County, Texas. She graduated Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Management and Human Relations in 2012 and with her Master of Arts degree in Organizational Leadership in 2022. Anderson is a Certified Shorthand Reporter in Illinois, Missouri, and Texas and holds the nationally recognized professional certification of Registered Professional Reporter (RPR).
From 2013-2017, Anderson worked for the U.S. District Court in San Antonio, Texas. During her tenure in that position, she obtained her Federal Certified Realtime Reporter (FCRR) designation with the U.S. Court Reporters Association (USCRA).
Anderson has been a stenographer for 23 years. Previously, she worked as a freelance reporter in Kansas and Missouri and as an official court reporter for the states of Illinois and Kansas as well as for Bexar County, in San Antonio.
She is a past chair and vice chair of the National Congress of State Associations (NCSA) and served on that committee in various capacities from 2006-2014. She has also served on several other committees and task forces during her 17 years of volunteer service for the profession at both the national and state level, including two terms as president of the Kansas Court Reporters Association.
During her NCRA board service, Anderson has chaired the Board Policy & Procedures Committee as the Association’s Vice President and the Finance and Audit committees during her two years as the Secretary-Treasurer. Prior to becoming President, Anderson served as NCRA’s President-elect.
From 2015-2016, she also served on the convention and ethics committees for the Texas Court Reporters Association (TCRA). In addition to TCRA and USCRA, Anderson also holds membership in the Bexar County Court Reporters Association and the Texas Deposition Reporters Association. Kristin will talk about the dangers of AI in the courtroom, how we can help keep it at bay, and what to do when questioned about it.
Lunch and Business Meeting, Awards, Installation of Officers
(12:00 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.)
Lunch and Learn
Lobbyist Update
Sydney Gangestad
Logan Murray
Jacob Schrader
Attorneys and Lobbyists for ICRA
(1:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.)
Sydney Gangestad has over a decade of public policy experience. In her various policy roles, she has developed a fundamental understanding of the legislative process and a non-partisan, bipartisan approach to lobbying to help advance clients’ legislative agendas. Before Dentons, she represented the interests of the Iowa Judiciary before the legislative and executive branches of the Iowa Judicial Branch. As an experienced lobbyist and grassroots strategist, Sydney offers clients the legal services they need to accomplish their goals.
Logan Murray has nearly a decade of government relations experience building and maintaining bi-partisan relationships at all levels of government. Previously he served as a multi-client lobbyist and attorney at a regional law firm where he represented trade associations, non-profit organizations, municipal governments, law enforcement, a casino, and national corporations. After graduating from Drake University Law School, Logan joined the Iowa House Republican Caucus as a Legislative Analyst and Policy Advisor. There, he drafted and analyzed proposed legislation for state and local government and labor committees, and he served as the primary staffer for the Transportation Budget and the Rebuild Iowa Infrastructure Fund. Through his previous roles, Logan developed a reputation as a trusted resource for clients, policymakers, and legislators.
Jacob Schrader graduated from Drake University Law School in 2024 and received his undergraduate degree in Economics and Political Science from Iowa State University. While in law school, Jacob was the campaign manager for a successful legislative campaign in one of the most competitive districts in Iowa. Additionally, Governor Reynolds has twice appointed Jacob to the Iowa Board of Massage Therapy, and he currently serves as vice chair. He has previous experience in multiple roles with the Iowa House of Representatives and clerked for the federal public defender in the Northern and South Districts of Iowa. Jacob completes legal research and provides legal analysis, working alongside Sydney and Logan to represent client interests before the legislature, executive branch, regulatory committees, and boards and commissions.
Collectively, our government relations team will give us an update on legislative issues affecting court reporters. Sydney, Logan, and Jacob will also discuss the importance of grassroots advocacy and will provide information on ways court reporters can network to make a difference and protect the statewide sentiment that stenographic court reporters are the gold standard.
Tiny Homes Project - From Concept to Reality
Kim Scorza, LMSW, MSW, CEO, Crittenton Center
(2:45 – 3:45 p.m.)
Kim Scorza, LMSW, MSW, CEO of The Crittenton Center, will discuss how her organization came up with and implemented a plan for the creation of tiny homes aimed at supporting youth aging out of the foster care system. Kim will talk about our most vulnerable participants of the court system, kids in foster care, and how they are impacted by homelessness as they age out of the system. She will give us examples of how their program is used by social workers and the courts to help combat this growing problem.
The Role of Memory Evidence in Criminal Cases
Dr. Kimberly MacLin, PhD
Professor, Department of Psychology
University of Northern Iowa
(4:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.)
Memory is a funny thing anyway, but when it gets used as evidence in a court of law, watch out! Memory evidence, just like blood evidence, can be contaminated when collected improperly. Dr. MacLin will talk about how psychologists study forensic memory, particularly in terms of lineup identifications, composite sketches, and witness/victim interviewing. She will also tell us about her experience when the Discovery Channel came to UNI to stage a mock crime and how she and her husband, the other Dr. MacLin, put memory on trial.
Thursday, June 26, 2025
Voice Writers – How They May Save Our Profession
Kaycee Kruger, CVR, CSR
Crystal Beaman, CVR, CSR
(8:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.)
As two of Iowa’s first official Voice Writers, Kaycee and Crystal will discuss the many similarities and the few differences between what they do and what we do to preserve the record and how seamless the transition is when they cover a portion of an otherwise stenographically recorded proceeding. They will talk about the rigorous training and certification required, what they struggle with versus what we struggle with (i.e. sound-alike word endings versus letter shading). Lastly, they will discuss the benefit of Iowa’s recent decision to welcome voice writers into our ranks and how it just may save our profession by finding writers for positions that would otherwise go unfilled and by giving working stenographic reporters who experience hand or wrist issues the opportunity to retrain and continue reporting via voice writing.
Kaycee is one of the first official voice writers in the state of Iowa. Kaycee began court reporting school as a machine writer in January 2020. After a year of school, she switched to the voice writing method of court reporting. Kaycee began working remotely as a freelance court reporter for Planet Depos in January 2023. She graduated from court reporting school in May 2023 and continued working as a freelance court reporter while advocating for voice writers to be certified in the state of Iowa. When that decision was
made in late fall 2023, Kaycee applied and began working for the Second Judicial District of Iowa in February 2024. Kaycee was born and raised in Iowa and lives with her husband of 15 years and two daughters.
Crystal Beaman has been married to Kevin for 29 years, and together
they have 4 children. Crystal is a native Iowan who began learning
machine writing to pivot her career to court reporting. After learning
that voice writing was an alternative method to machine writing but
knowing that voice writing was not yet allowed in Iowa, Crystal decided to certify in CART and provide services for the deaf and hard of hearing community. Crystal certified in voice writing in 13 months and provided CART services remotely for the University of Kentucky. She then found jobs for remote court reporting, which she previously didn’t realize were available. Crystal worked for an agency for one year providing realtime court reporting to Colorado jurisdictions. Upon discovering that Iowa was considering allowing voice writers to be court officials, Crystal began the application process immediately, and became the first official voice writer court reporter in the state of Iowa when she began her employment in the Sixth District on January 2, 2024.
Steno Swap/Panel Discussion
Kara Holland, CSR, RPR
Carolyn Plueger, CSR, RPR
Mark Sturgeon, CSR
(9:15 a.m. – 10:15 a.m.)
Third District Court Reporters Kara Holland, Carolyn Plueger, and Mark Sturgeon will lead a panel discussion of brief forms, best practices, and “what would you do” scenarios. Audience participation is encouraged – bring your favorite briefs or come ask how others write something that you need a good brief for. The best practices and “what would you do” aspect will lead a discussion about, among other things, whether and how we should indicate in our notes and/or transcripts occurrences such as people leaving or entering the courtroom or zoom hearing, noises that are remarked upon during a proceeding, and other things that aren’t strictly words being spoken but may merit some mention in the official record and how that looks.
Kara Holland is originally from Sioux City, Iowa. She attended AIB College in Des Moines and graduated in 2007. After graduating, Kara worked as a freelance reporter in Nebraska. She worked as an official reporter in Nebraska before accepting an official position in Sioux City, Iowa, with the third judicial district where she works currently. Kara has served on the ICRA board and was the editor of In Verbis for a number of years. She is on the Iowa CSR Board. She also received the Distinguished Service award from ICRA in 2022.
Carolyn Plueger is originally from Akron, Iowa. She attended Stenotype Institute of South Dakota in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. After graduating in 1982, she obtained her CSR and RPR designations and began working as a freelance court reporter in Northwest Iowa and resided in Le Mars, Iowa, eventually becoming a freelance firm owner with the firm of Schuetts, Plueger and Johnson. Carolyn began an official court reporter position in August of 2019 with the Third
Judicial District and resides in Spirit Lake, Iowa. Carolyn enjoys living in the Iowa Great Lakes region. In her free time, she enjoys boating, reading, going for walks on the bike trails, and taking her three wonderful grandsons to the Arnolds Park Amusement Park and attending their numerous
events.
John MacGregor
Le Mars Battalion Chief/Paramedic/EMS Supervisor
(10:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.)
Battalion Chief John MacGregor will instruct us on the latest procedures for administering CPR and the use of an automated external defibrillator (AED) in a safe, timely, and effective manner. There will be several practice dummies available for hands-on learning.
John MacGregor, A native of Ontario, Canada, and has lived in Le Mars, Iowa for 26 years. A graduate of Central College in Pella, Iowa, with a degree in Biology. John lives in Le Mars with his 2 sons, Sebastian (18) and Hudson (12). John is currently employed as a Full-Time battalion Chief & EMS Supervisor for Le Mars Fire Recue. John has been in EMS in Le Mars for 24 years. John Joined the Merrill Ambulance service in 2001 and then the Le Mars Ambulance service in 2002. John worked as a volunteer with Le Mars Ambulance and as a Paramedic with the Orange City Area Health System, until being hired as the Assistant EMS Director in Le Mars in 2020. In 2021 with the merger of Fire and EMS in Le Mars, John transitioned from the Assistant EMS Director position to his current position as Battalion Chief & EMS Supervisor. John oversees the EMS training and certification for the 44 members of Le Mars Fire Rescue. John is a Nationally certified Critical Care Paramedic. Holding certifications of Firefighter, I, Firefighter II, Haz-Mat Technician, EMS & Fire Instructor, American Heart Association BLS, ACLS and PALS Instructor, National Car Seat Installation Tech. When John is not working you can find him volunteering his time with the Kiwanis club of Le Mars, and attending his kids’ sporting events and extra-curricular activities.
