Karla Lester, CSR, RMR, CRR

I’m originally from Cincinnati, Ohio, and I graduated from the University of Cincinnati in 1985.  I was in the second class for their new “computerized” court reporting program.  I use the term “computerized” loosely because there’s really no comparison to how we use computers today.  If you’re doing the math -- and I know a lot of court reporters don’t do math -- I’ve been a court reporter for 37 years.  I spent the first 12 years of my career freelancing with a large court reporting firm of 20+ reporters, cutting my teeth on several patent infringement cases involving Procter & Gamble, which is headquartered in Cincinnati, as well as the Rely/Toxic Shock Syndrome lawsuits, to name a few of the more notable highlights of my time there.  Not as exciting as the OJ Simpson trial or Depp v. Heard, but I can tell you everything you need to know about Pampers v. Huggies.

When my husband, Kevin, a microbiologist, received a job offer in Muscatine, Iowa, we took a leap of faith and moved our family here in December of 1998.  Life slowed down… a lot.  I started a freelance business out of my home doing depositions and CART in Eastern Iowa, and tried my hand at captioning for Caption Colorado.   Once the nest was empty, I decided to try out life as an official and I joined the Seventh Judicial District in August of 2013, working first in associate court in Scott County and then in district court with Judge Stuart Werling and later Judge Thomas Reidel.

I am Mom to two grown daughters, Erica and Hannah, and Grandma to Mara.  My oldest, Erica, lives in Eugene, Oregon, with her husband, Lee, and their seven-month-old daughter, Mara.  She is the CFO of a national healthcare company.  My youngest, Hannah, lives in Norwalk, Iowa, with her husband, Grant, and is a Physician Assistant for an orthopedic surgery practice in Clive. 

In my free time I enjoy traveling, hiking, biking, and spending time with family and friends.

I am looking forward to working with the Iowa Court Reporters Association to promote the profession that I have enjoyed for so many years.