OCRA

President's Message

2011-2012 Officers and Board of Directors

December 31, 2011

It is with great pleasure that I introduce your 2011 - 2012 Officers and Board of Directors.  We had our first official Board meeting in Sliverton, Oregon on December 3, 2011, at the home  of Colleen McCarty.  As President Elect, Colleen is busy learning the duties of the President and she has all the skills and diplomacy at her disposal to excel in her role as current and future leader.

Since our board is geographically diverse, we tried to meet somewhere in the middle so we can make the drive as equitable as possible; although, the trek was certainly longer for Directors Alane Harrold and LaRisa Giacomini, who commuted from Bend.  Alane has been making the drive for two years now, deterred only by inclement weather, and we’re happy that LaRisa has joined the Board so she can keep Alane company on the long ride. 

Director Elisa Kloster drove to Silverton from Coos Bay the night before with her family.  They stayed in a hotel Friday night so Elisa could attend the meeting bright and early on Saturday morning.  Secretary Christine Shepard had a shorter distance to drive as she lives in Salem, but as Secretary, she’s working all day taking notes and then going home and typing the minutes.  Her job is endless and she performs with perfection. 

The rest of us drive from Portland.  The Portland group includes Vice President Robin Nodland, who is new to the Board this year.  She couldn’t attend this meeting and is not included in the Board picture because she was in South Carolina welcoming her brand new grandson, Max, into the world. 

Director Karen Eichhorn, from the Portland group, is serving her second year as director.   She started her Board service in the middle of 2010 to fill a vacancy.   Board service is often challenging and to start in the middle of the term can be particularly difficult, but Karen hit the ground running, so to speak, and hasn’t stopped yet.   Her calm, quiet demeanor is an asset to the board.

Treasurer Jill Erwin, who works diligently keeping our records, also drives from Portland.  There are not enough words of praise for Jill.  She was given the very difficult task of bookkeeping, and I don’t think anyone can appreciate what she does until they walk in her shoes.  Can you imagine going to the conventions and spending all that time making all those credit card receipts for all those auction items?  Way to go, Jill.

Past President Catherine Alley Teach, and I all drive over from Portland.   This was Catherine’s third year to serve as President, and that’s a record to be proud of.   Catherine’s not shown in the picture because she took it.

Thank you all, each and every one of your for your leadership and dedication and service to OCRA.

Our goal this year is to hold quarterly meetings.  At our first full Board meeting, we had a full agenda and our meeting lasted three plus hours.  Is it worth it?  You bet it is.  We followed our meeting with a Christmas-themed potluck, and I’m here to tell you that not only are these Board Members bright and beautiful, they can also cook and know how to throw together a great potluck.

In addition to the usual Spring and Fall conventions, which you’ll be hearing more about later, the Board will be working on the quarterly newsletter and taking care of the usual housekeeping functions, but we do have issues of particular interest.

One hot topic for this board is anti contracting.  The Board has tasked the Legislative Committee to look into this matter on a State level.  In addition, the Board is developing plans to work with local schools that educate our future attorneys so they will know who the court reporter is, and we want to expand that process to include current attorneys and judges so they are aware of our unique ability to provide realtime in the courtroom.

Your Board is also going to be looking at the possibility of hiring an executive director. Many state associations work with an executive director who can be either an employee or contractor.  The executive director handles matters ranging from accounting, membership, finances, reports, publications, to conventions.  With our leadership changing every year, it’s easy to have issues fall through the cracks, and an executive director would make life much easier for the officers and directors.

These are just a few of the issues that concern and challenge us.  There are more, but this is where we start.  The Officers and  Board of the directors and the foundation of OCRA, and I’m pleased to report our foundation is sound.  All in all, I think this is going to be a very interesting year for the Board. We’re up for the challenge and we’re looking forward to working with you.

Elizabeth Archer
OCRA
President

If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put foundations under them.
Henry David Thoreau