Immediate Past President

Mary Hicks Heinfeld

Mary Frances Heinfeld, CCR, attended the court reporting program at Gadsden State.  She has been employed by the State of Alabama as a court reporter for 28 years.  Prior to that, she began her career with Bain & Associates as a freelance reporter.  In 1996, Mary became the roving court reporter for Tuscaloosa County.  She was appointed to her current position as an official court reporter in 2006 and has served with the Honorable Brad Almond since 2008.  Her previous service to our profession includes the ACRA Executive Board of Directors and various ACRA committees.  She attended the National Court Reporters Association’s Bootcamp, the Leadership Conference, and served on NCSA for     one year.  Mary is the mother of two boys, Ford (31) and Thomas (21).  She loves to travel and is an avid reader.

 

President

Cyndi Tumlin

Cyndi has been court reporting since 1987 and is an RPR.  After graduating from Gadsden State, she freelanced with Shoemaker & Associates in Huntsville and then as a firm owner of DeKalb Reporting Service for another dozen years.  1999 brought about transition to an official court reporter, serving DeKalb and Cherokee Counties for the next 16 years; then in 2015 transferring to Jackson County serving with the Honorable John H. Graham to present.

Cyndi lives in Rainsville up on beautiful Sand Mountain.  She has two adult, married children and five lively grands who call her Lovey 😉.  This Lovey gig is truly a little slice of heaven right here on earth.   She has served ACRA on two different occasions as District II Director, Treasurer, President-elect, President for two terms, as well as Immediate Past President.  Cyndi also serves on the PAC Governing Committee through NCRA, as well as chair of the NCSA Southern Region within NCRA.

 

 

President-elect

Karen Strickland Planz

Karen received her degree in court reporting from the Court Reporting Institute of Dallas in 1987. Upon graduation, she moved to Birmingham, Alabama, and started her career with Foshee & Turner.  In 1989, Karen moved to Dothan, Alabama, and together her and Stephanie German formed Court Reporting Associates, Inc., in 1991.

In 2006, she began working for Alabama Office of Courts for Judge Denny Holloway for two years. After which, Judge Butch Binford received his appointment to the bench upon Judge Holloway’s retirement in 2008.   She continues working for Judge Binford and has now been an official court reporter for 18 years.

Karen has served on the ACRA board in the positions of District III Director (2011-2013), Treasurer (2014-2015), President-Elect (2016), President (2017).  She has continued to serve on several committees in her commitment to our state association for court reporters.

In her free time, she enjoys gardening, working out, cooking, and spending time with her grandchildren.

 

 

Vice-President

Paula Morgan Price

Paula Morgan Price, CCR, RPR, CRR, is a 1987 graduate of Gadsden State School of Court Reporting and is presently working as an official in the Eighteenth Judicial Circuit of Baldwin County for Judge Scott Taylor where she has worked for the last 20 years.  Paula worked in freelance in Lafayette, Louisiana; shortly in Atlanta, Georgia; freelance/deputy official in Melbourne, Florida; official in Pensacola, Florida; and came home to Bay Minette in 2004 where she had always dreamed of working. 

Paula is married to her high school sweetheart, George, whom she married in 2011.  They share their home with two one-year old black goldendoodles, Axel and ZuZu, and a 14-year-old Yorkie-Poo named Ellie.   They have two adult children, Tyler and Haley, and four grandchildren who keep them busy.  In our spare time, we enjoy the beach and outdoor activities.

 

Treasurer

Vicki Clark

I am so honored to be your Treasurer.  From being pregnant with our first child and ringing the bell at Prince Institute in 1989, I still love being a court reporter!  I freelanced for 10 years and then became an official in 1999.  I have had the pleasure of working for two fantastic circuit court judges in Montgomery – Judge Tracy McCooey (1999-2014) and the amazing Judge Greg Griffin (2014 to present).  I am so blessed!

I have been an RPR for approximately 11 years.  Now, wife of 35 years to my very supportive husband, Chris, and mom to Ryan (34), Alyssa (25), and Peyton (19), I have the goal of becoming a CRR one day!  Never give up!  Always keep trying!  Please email or call me anytime!  I love discussing our wonderful career!

 

 

Secretary

Travis Atkins

I graduated from Jacksonville State University in 1992 with a BS in Marketing.  In 1997, I decided to go back to school for court reporting.  I completed the program at Faulkner State in 1999 and was hired as a freelance reporter by Lois Robinson.  I am beyond grateful to this day to Lois for all she taught me about being a reporter and to Barbara Littlejohn, Lois’s office manager and my proofreader, who still corrects all my mistakes and makes me look professional.

I was hired as a Roving Court Reporter in the 13th Judicial Circuit, Mobile County, in 2008.  The Honorable Charlie Graddick hired me as his official in 2013.  When he retired in 2017, I was hired by the Honorable Sarah Stewart, now Justice Stewart, and stayed with her until her election to the Supreme Court in 2019.

I’m currently with the Honorable Wesley Pipes who is also the Presiding Judge of our circuit.  It’s exciting to work for the Presiding Judge in a busy circuit such as ours where you assist in lots of administrative duties in addition to your official reporting duties.  It gives you a great perspective on how all functions of the courthouse operate and I’m grateful for the opportunities Judge Pipes has provided me. 

My spouse, Jeff, and I have been together for 31 years and love to travel internationally.  We currently have one rescue dog, Lily Grace, who will be 12 years old in January.  We live right on the parade route for Mardi Gras, and she enjoys the parades and parties as much as we do. 

 

 

Director, District 1

Lori May

Lori May, CCR, has been a court reporter since 1991. After attending Gadsden State Community College, Lori moved to Sebring, Florida, for a year where she had the opportunity to do court and freelance work. She moved back to the Birmingham area in 1992 and worked with National Court Reporting until 1995 when she married Mike and moved back to her hometown of Oxford, Alabama.  She worked with Noble & Associates Court Reporters until 2001 when she and Mike moved to Chelsea, Alabama. This move gave her the opportunity to start May Court Reporting.

Mike and Lori have been married for 29 years, and they have a Miniature Schnauzer named Cooper.  When Lori isn’t working, she enjoys playing piano and singing at their church on the Worship Team.

 

 

Director, District 2

Talitha Lovin-Hutson

Talitha Lovin Hutson, CCR, has been a court reporter since 2004. She has been employed by the state of Alabama since 2009. Prior to that, she freelanced in Montgomery and surrounding areas, primarily working for judges with the hopes of becoming an official. In 2009, her dreams came true when she began working for the Honorable Jenifer C. Holt in Jackson County. In 2020, she transferred to Madison County and began working for the Honorable Claude E. Hundley. 

In her free time, she enjoys singing, cooking, and traveling with her husband in an RV they renovated together. 

 

 

Director, District 3

Jodi Crowe

Hi!  I’m Jodi.  I’ve been a reporter for 16 years.  I graduated Prince Institute in 2007, after which I moved to Ft. Walton Beach, FL and started my career as a freelance reporter for Trawick Reporting & Video.  In 2011, I accepted an officialship with the First Judicial Circuit of Florida and stayed there until August 2023.  In September of that year, I accepted an officialship position with the Honorable Christopher K. Richardson in Dothan, 20th Judicial Circuit, and am happy to be back home in Alabama.  I look forward to many more years of protecting the record!

 

 

Director, District 4

Mallory Rambo

Mallory Rambo, RPR, CRR has been a court reporter since 2005.  She attended Prince Institute of Professional Studies.  She previously worked as a freelance reporter for 16 years before becoming an official reporter for the 28th Judicial Circuit for the Honorable Joe Norton. She’s married and has one child and a boxer and lives in Baldwin County.  In her spare time, she enjoys reading and working out.   

 

 

Parliamentarian

Cindy Greene

After completing the court reporting program at Faulkner State in 1992, Cindy began her court reporting career as a freelance court reporter with Howard & Associates.  In 2000, she was hired by Mobile County as a court reporter covering judicial proceedings in the juvenile court for Circuit Judge John Butler and District Judge George Brown.  Cindy began her employment with the State as a Special Roving Court Reporter for the 13th Judicial Circuit (Mobile County) in 2004.  In 2006, she became the Official Court Reporter for Circuit Judge Robert Smith and remained in that position until his retirement in January of 2019.  Since that time, she worked in the position as Official Court Reporter for Circuit Judge Ben Brooks,  and as a Special Roving Court Reporter appointed by then-Presiding Circuit Judge Michael Youngpeter. On June 1st, 2024, Cindy officially retired as a full-time Official Court Reporter with the State of Alabama Judicial System and is now working part-time as a freelance court reporter, which allows her to be able to spend more time with her husband Johnny, their four children and their families, which includes a total of 10 grandchildren.

Cindy is a member of the National Court Reporters Association and holds the certification of Registered Professional Reporter (RPR).  She has served on the ACRA Board as District 4 Director, Secretary, Vice President, Membership Chair, President-Elect, the 2019 Convention Chair, the 2019 ACRA President, the Court Reporters Manual Committee, Chair of the Legislative Committee, and Immediate Past President.  Cindy is currently serving her third year as Parliamentarian and is looking forward to continuing to serve in that position on the ACRA Board.