The board and advisory council at Project Steno are fierce advocates for the court reporting profession. Above all else, they wish to solve the profession’s most critical need: Getting more qualified students into court reporting schools and more court reporters into the workforce. Our executive director and three members of our board have served as President of the National Court Reporters Association, one has served as Vice President of NCRA, and all are active as speakers and educators on the profession at the state, regional, and national level.
Advisory Council
Rick Levy
Renee Bush
Rhonda Jensen
Lesia Mervin
Lisa Goucher
Tammi Sumpter
Bill Roberts
Justina Pettinelli
Board Members
Bill Weber
President
Bill has worked as an official court reporter and operates WEW Reporting, LLC in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He is also a founder of RevolutionaryText, a company that provides remote real-time court reporters to court systems. Bill is a past president of the National Court Reporters Association and the Pennsylvania Court Reporters Association. He is a Registered Diplomate Reporter, a Certified Realtime Reporter, and is both a Realtime Systems Administrator and a Fellow of the Academy of Professional Reporters.
Nativa Wood
Secretary
Tiva enjoyed a 46-year career in court reporting. She was an official reporter for 37 years, the last 12 as chief reporter with the Dauphin County Court of Common Pleas. She then freelanced for nine years. Tiva served as president of the National Court Reporters Association and chair of the National Court Reporters Foundation. She is a Registered Diplomate Reporter, a Certified Manager of Reporting Services, and a Fellow of the Academy of Professional Reporters.
Chris Willette
Treasurer
Chris enjoyed 35 years working as a freelance reporter and agency owner. She is a Registered Diplomate Reporter, Certified Realtime Reporter, and Certified Realtime Captioner. Chris currently works as Vice President of Acquisition Strategy and Court Reporter Relations at Esquire Deposition Solutions, LLC. She has served as president for both the National Court Reporters Association and the Wisconsin Court Reporters Association and was awarded the WCRA Distinguished Service Award. Chris has played an active role in advocacy to external stakeholders and promotion of the stenographic profession.
Katie Otuyelu
Director
Katie is a Registered Professional Reporter and a Certified Realtime Reporter. Since 2011 she has been an official court reporter in York County, Pennsylvania, and was appointed Chief Court Reporter in 2021. Katie volunteers her time spreading the word about the court reporting profession. Her own words say it best: “Working with Project Steno has been extremely rewarding seeing firsthand the impact it has had for our shortage.”
Lacy Kern
Director
Lacy is a Registered Professional Reporter. She has served as an official court reporter in York County, Pennsylvania since 2010. With coworkers and community resources, Lacy has hosted dozens of high school students in her courtroom to showcase the profession of court reporting. Lacy has merged her passion for the youth with her career by volunteering and mentoring young professionals and being a frequent instructor for Project Steno’s Basic Training program.
Nancy Varallo
Executive Director
Nancy is the owner of The Varallo Group in Millbury, Massachusetts. Nancy has worked with students formally and informally over the years to lend her expertise and support in their development. Nancy is a past president of both the National Court Reporters Association and the Massachusetts Court Reporters Association. She is a recipient of NCRA’s Distinguished Service Award and is an MCRA Laureate. She is a Registered Diplomate Reporter, a Certified Realtime Reporter, and a Fellow of the Academy of Professional Reporters.
Advisory Council
Rick Levy
Rick is proud to say he continues to work every day as a stenographic reporter. Before selling his firm, he was the owner and managing partner of First Choice Reporting & Video Services in Florida. He is an RPR and a Florida Professional Reporter. Rick has served as a director of the National Court Reporters Association board and as president of FCRA. He is a recipient of FCRA’s Emily Mann Distinguished Service Award and was awarded the Arlene P. Sommers Award for his contribution to students and new professionals in the reporting field.
Rhonda Jensen
Rhonda is a Registered Diplomate Reporter, Certified Realtime Reporter, Certified Manager of Reporting Services, and Certified Multimedia Expert. Prior to selling her firm, Rhonda owned and operated Jensen Litigation Solutions for 30 years. She continues to lead and manage the Chicago division. Rhonda has served on the Board of Trustees for MacCormac College School of Court Reporting in Chicago, since 2013, and has promoted court reporting through teaching and appearances at high school career fairs.
Justina Pettinelli
Justina Pettinelli has been a freelance reporter for 32 years. She started her career in Washington, D.C. and presently works in Boston, Massachusetts. She is a Registered Professional Reporter, Registered Merit Reporter, Registered Diplomate Reporter, and Certified Realtime Reporter. She has volunteered her time working on presentations for high school students and participating in Discovering Justice student mock trials held at the U.S.D.C. in Boston. She has also demonstrated stenography and educated school counselors and students on the profession at the American School Counselor Association Conference.
George Catuogno
George is Executive Director at STAR and Chief Operations Officer at The Varallo Group LLC, a management services organization for court reporting firms nationwide. He began his career in the court reporting and clinical documentation services industries in 1986 and is the former President of Catuogno Court Reporting & StenTel Transcription. George has also volunteered his time serving as a member of the Board of Directors of the Medical Transcription Industry Association.
Renee Bush
Until her recent retirement, Renee worked for four decades as a stenographic court reporter. Before selling her firm, she was an owner of Aiken Welch Court Reporters in California. Renee started her court reporting career with Aiken & Welch in 1982. Before obtaining her CSR, Renee became certified as a Registered Professional Reporter. After becoming part of the ownership team of Aiken & Welch, Renee became a Certified Manager of Reporting Services, a Certified Realtime Reporter, and a Realtime Systems Administrator.
Lesia Mervin
For more than four decades, Lesia has been an official reporter in California. Lesia is a past president of the California Court Reporters Association, a California Distinguished Service Award recipient, and is a Fellow of the Academy of Professional Reporters. She holds credentials as a Registered Diplomate Reporter, Registered Merit Reporter, Certified Realtime Reporter, and Certified Realtime Captioner. She was instrumental in launching a Project Steno Basic Training program in her local high school.
Tammi Sumpter
Tammi is a Registered Professional Reporter and a Certified Realtime Reporter. After 27 years in the freelance/firm owner arena, she made the leap to official reporter in Tulare County, California. Tammi gives back to the profession she loves by teaching Basic Training classes and training California volunteers to do the same. She is compelled to do all she can to protect the future of court reporting, as both her daughter and son-in-law are in the dawn of their reporting careers.
Bill Roberts
Bill is committed to the recruitment and training of new court reporters and has mentored many individuals considering court reporting as a career. Bill served as president of the South Carolina Circuit and Family Court Reporters Association and President of the South Carolina Court Reporters Association. Before merging with Veritext in 2019, Bill founded A. William Roberts, Jr. & Associates in 1980. After graduating from the Stenotype Institute in Jacksonville, he was the official Court Reporter for the Ninth Judicial Circuit of South Carolina. Bill is a Registered Merit Reporter, Certified Realtime Reporter, Certified Legal Video Specialist, and Certified Manager of Reporting Services.