Distinguished Service Award

The Distinguished Service Award encourages and recognizes work amounting to distinguished service by individual members of NCRA for the benefit of the reporting profession. That may include work as a member, committee member, director or officer of the Association, for the JCR, in state or local association affairs, or in the field of public affairs or public relations.

The 2011 Distinguished Service Award was presented at the Premier Session of the Annual Convention to Arnella I. Sims, RPR, CRR, FAPR, of Los Angeles, California.

2011 DSA Awarded to  Arnella I. Sims, RPR, CRR, FAPR

Arnella I. Sims, RPR, CRR, FAPR, of Los Angeles, Calif., was honored with the 2011 Distinguished Service Award. The Award was presented during NCRA’s 2011 Convention and Exposition in Las Vegas, Nev. The DSA is the highest honor an NCRA member can receive. Since 1960, 51 individuals have been so honored.

In keeping with tradition, last year’s Distinguished Service Award winner, Forrest M. Brown, RDR, of Atlanta, Ga., present the 2011 Award to the recipient. His speech introducing Arnella Sims follows.

This year’s recipient began a court reporting career serving first as a freelancer, but our recipient has spent the majority of her career working as an official reporter in one court system. Our recipient is a Certified Shorthand Reporter, a Registered Professional Reporter, a Certified Realtime Reporter, and Fellow of the Academy of the Professional Reporters.
 
Over the course of her 35-plus year career, our recipient has been deeply involved in her local, state, and national court reporting associations. She has been dedicated to the education of court reporters in her state. When she took over the continuing education seminars doubled. Not only has she sought ways to educate her colleagues, but she was considered a font of knowledge to many of the reporters in her state. She was instrumental in setting up “Day in Court” programs for students in her county and visited the local court reporting program for career days in Los Angeles County.

She has worked with the legislature in Sacramento, the Service Employees International Union, the California Court Reporters Association, and the Los Angeles County Court Reporters Association to protect the profession.

She was instrumental in motivating the court reporters to support the California lobbyists and representatives and she told her colleagues when legislation affecting court reporters was coming up for a vote. She championed the fight against electronic recording in state of California, not once, not twice, but three times.

One nominator wrote of our recipient’s honesty, integrity, and easygoing personality. Another wrote of her dedication: “Without her wisdom, knowledge, guidance, and tireless work, we Californians would have been replaced a long time ago by digital recording.”
She was described as a visionary by many who nominated her. I have no doubt you agree that she deserves this honor. Please join me in congratulating Arnella I. Sims of Los Angeles, California.