DMACC professor installed as director of National Court Reporters Association

Cathy Penniston, an instructor in the Realtime Court Reporting at the Des Moines Area Community College Newton Campus, was recently chosen by the National Court Reporters Association (NCRA) Board to serve as its Director for a two-year term.

Penniston has a 30-year career as a as an official court reporter for the state of Iowa. She has also worked as a freelance court reporter and television broadcast captioner. In addition to teaching and captioning, Penniston provides remote realtime translations to judges located in Arizona, Colorado and Idaho courtrooms.

“This is great news for the DMACC Court Reporting program because the NCRA is responsible for the certification and development of court reporter student training and education programs throughout the United States,” Penniston said.

Penniston previously served as president, vice president and secretary of the Iowa Court Reporters Association.

Penniston holds an Associate’s Degree in Court Reporting from the American Institute of Business, an Associate’s Degree from Indian Hills Community College, a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from Iowa Wesleyan College and a Master’s Degree in Education from Clarke University.

Penniston holds the following certifications: Certified Shorthand Reporter in the state of Iowa and Certified Court Reporter in the state of Arizona. She also holds the designations of Registered Professional Reporter and Certified Realtime Instructor awarded by the National Court Reporters Association.