2025 Presenter Bios and Session Descriptions
 

SESSION:  Generational Trauma

(LISLE) The presentation will define the core components required for an experience to be traumatic, discuss ways trauma occurs indirectly to individuals (Secondary and Generational Trauma), and the consequences that arise when an individual has trauma. We will end the presentation by exploring ways of identifying and mitigating the affects of trauma with intentionality to promote the wellness of individuals and communities.

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Presenter:  Dr. Christopher Smyre is the Associate Chair of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for the Department of
Family and Community Medicine and also serves as the Director of Research and Innovation in the
Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine.

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(Springfield and Webinar) This presentation focuses on generational trauma as a function of the structure of society. It shows how the government, the economy, and healthcare reproduce inequalities that cause trauma for marginalized groups over generations.

 

Presenter:  Dr. Lesa Johnson, Associate Professor of Sociology; University of Illinois

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SESSION:  Breaking the Silence: Understanding and Addressing Gender-Based Violence

Gender-based violence (GBV) remains one of the most pervasive issues affecting individuals and communities worldwide. This workshop aims to provide participants with a deeper understanding of the various forms of GBV, its root causes, and its impact on both individuals and society. By addressing key concepts and offering practical tools, this session will empower attendees to recognize, prevent, and respond to gender-based violence effectively.

Presenters: 

• Bree Kovac, MSW, LCSW, serves as the Training Institute Director for the Illinois Coalition Against Sexual Assault, a unified network of rape crisis centers envisioning a world free of sexual violence. In 2019, she earned her Master’s in Social Work with a focus on clinical trauma practice from Mizzou. Bree previously worked as a therapist with the Survivor Recovery Center, helping victims of interpersonal violence find safety and healing. Bree has trained in a variety of trauma focused modalities including EMDR, CPT, and PE and specialized in working with teens and young adults who have experienced complex trauma. In addition to her diverse clinical experience, Bree has coordinated and facilitated trainings for a variety of audiences on a wide range of topics. Her passion for education and connecting with others was strengthened in her post-BSW role as a Prevention Specialist where she provided substance use prevention programming and life skills education to middle and high school youth.

 

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SESSION:  SERS/Retirement

A representative from the State Retirement System will give an update on changes to pension policies and provide tips on increasing your pension amount.  Topics will include member’s SERS online account review, pension eligibility, optional service credit purchase, sick and vacation days – benefits of having time left upon retirement, and insurance Eligibility (overview only)

 

Presenters: 

• LaVondra Hinton, M.A. (Lisle)

  • With over 23 years of State Service experience and 10 of those years as part of the SERS team,  Lavondra continues to facilitate the State Retirement System’s Employee Benefit Seminars and Retirement workshops.  With an extensive knowledge of the Illinois Pension Code and a passion for assisting members and employees to understand the different benefits the State of Illinois offers.  Lavondra continues to deliver complex Retirement and Disability information with excitement and ease; LaVondra earned her B.A. degree from Columbia College Chicago, and her M.A. degree in 2011 from McCormick Theological Seminary.

 

SERS/Retirement (Cont’d)

• Jennifer Edmiston (Springfield, IL)

  • With 25 years of continued State Service and 7 of those years as part of the SERS team, Jennifer continues to facilitate the State Retirement System’s Employee Benefit Seminars and Retirement workshops.  With an extensive knowledge of the Illinois Pension code and a passion for assisting members and employees to understand the different benefits the State of Illinois offers; Jennifer continues to deliver complex Retirement and Disability information with excitement and ease.  Jennifer strives to ensure every person has all the information needed and understands all options to ensure the member can make the best choices at the time of retirement that is best for them.  Jennifer earned her B.S. degree from Illinois State University. 

• Erin Moore (Webinar)

  • With over 24 years of State Service experience and 12 of those years as part of the SERS team, Erin continues to facilitate the State Retirement System’s Employee Benefit Seminars and Retirement workshops.  With an extensive knowledge of the Illinois Pension Code and a passion for assisting members and employees to understand the different benefits the State of Illinois offers.  Erin  delivers complex Retirement and Disability information with excitement and ease.  Erin Moore earned her B.S. degree from Illinois State University.

 

 

SESSION:  Innocence Project

The Innocence Project educates students, the public, and law enforcement about wrongful convictions and enacts legislation to protect innocent people and prevent wrongful convictions.

 

Presenters: 

• Kendal Hendrickson

  • Kendal Hendrickson is a Staff Attorney with the Illinois Innocence Project. She received her law degree from the University of Michigan Law School in 2020, where she interned for two years in the Michigan innocence Clinic. Upon graduation, Kendal practiced commercial litigation in the Chicago office of a national law firm on matters such as trade secrets and intellectual property litigation, employment and noncompete agreements, and pro bono issues like prisoners’ rights and juvenile expungements. Kendal briefly worked in the artificial intelligence development sector of a legal research company prior to joining IIP as a Staff Attorney in February of 2024.

• Leanne Beyer

  • Leanne Beyer received her law degree from Northern Illinois University in 2015, during which she externed for the Illinois Innocence Project. Leanne then worked as a legal aid attorney, representing clients in such matters as divorce, orders of protection, and sealing/expungement of criminal records. Leanne is currently a Senior Staff Attorney with the Illinois Innocence Project. Leanne also has a Masters in Social Work from the University of Chicago, and prior to becoming an attorney she was a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, specializing in mental health and addiction treatment.

• Kaylan Schardan

  • Kaylan Schardan is the Staff and Intake Attorney at the Illinois Innocence Project. Kaylan also oversees the IIP Interns and is the instructor for the UIS Conviction of the Innocent course. Kaylan began her journey with the IIP as a law student volunteer. During that time, she worked with the intake team on case evaluations and drafted and argued a Petition for Executive Clemency on behalf of an IIP client. Governor Pritzker granted their pardon in 2021. Before the (Con’t.)IIP, Kaylan worked as a public defender, spent time working as a journalist and in real estate. Kaylan received her Juris Doctor from Saint Louis University School of Law and her Bachelor's Degree in media communications from Webster University.

 

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SESSION:  Formbook

Need help navigating the new Formbook? CRS workgroup members will be available to help set up the mandatory format as well as help upload title pages, certificate pages, and create parentheticals. Please bring your laptops. Word document, CaseCat, and Eclipse files will be available.

 

Presenters:  Tammy Gulley, CRS Supervisor; Robin Winters, CRS Supervisor; Angela Miller, Official Court Reporter

 

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SESSION:  Sharper Strokes: Strategies for Cleaner Writing and Editing

In the fast-paced world of court reporting, precision and efficiency are key.  This seminar will explore practical methods and skills to enhance your writing speed and accuracy, without relying on hard-to-remember briefs. Whether you’re a seasoned professional or new to the field, this seminar will provide actionable techniques to help you achieve cleaner, faster writing and decrease your editing time.

 

Presenter:  Andrea M. Jent, RPR, CSR, Official Court Reporter, Realtime Systems Administrator

 

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SESSION:  Case CAT Software Training

Case Catalyst is an adaptable software that caters to both new and seasoned users, offering a variety of customizable features. Long-time users can benefit from advanced editing and translation options that enhance productivity. 

 

The options and features are not always easy to find, and if you don’t know about them, you may be missing out.  We’ll take a deeper dive into what you can use to truly make the software work the way you want, maximizing your efficiency.  By exploring these features in greater detail, users can tailor the software to their specific needs and leverage the software's comprehensive capabilities to improve your overall experience to produce your transcript.

 

Presenter:  Pam Szczecinski  

 

Pam has been servicing the court reporting community for 30+ years.  Her business Tutor4computers has established a global career working with reporters, captioners, CART providers, scopists, teachers, students and various legal teams throughout the world.  She services both the US market and the international sector including England, Ireland, Australia, Canada, USA, the Bahamas and many parts of Africa.  Tutor4computers was established in 1999.

 

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SESSION:  Eclipse Software Training

We'll kick off this three-part series with one of the most high-impact features ever added to Eclipse. This feature can greatly reduce the number of strokes you need to use; help you build writing speed and reduce editing time.  You don't want to miss this!

 

(Con’t.)In Part 2, we'll explore, in depth, the Auto-brief feature, which ranks up there as one of the most valuable features offered to the Eclipse user.  Whether or not you're currently using the feature, there's something for everyone.

 

To wrap the series up, we'll take a look at the latest innovations in Eclipse Version 11. 

 

Presenter:  Michael Starkman, certified advanced Eclipse software trainer

 

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SESSION:  “Gameshow Mania” Court Specialist/New Official Training

A fun, interactive session for Court Specialists and New Hires testing your knowledge on such things as Administrative Regulations, the new Formbook, electronic recording equipment, and transcript grammar and punctuation.

 

Presenters:  Tammy Gulley, CRS Supervisor; Robin Winters, CRS Supervisor

 

WEBINAR VIDEO-PLAYBACK SESSIONS:  Sessions will be recorded and available as video-playback after the events.  Video-playback sessions are verified through the Thinkific platform by showing 100% completion as well as a CE session verification form asking for specific details about each session.