The distinguished service award is given every year to a person who has served their profession over and above that of others. Much thought goes into selecting the recipient. Although these recipients have dedicated themselves to the profession, they are not motivated by the thought of being recognized for their work nor the possibility of receiving an award. They are motivated because they feel a call that must be answered. This is the call to leave this profession better than they found it, a call to inspire, mentor, and advocate. 
We mark success by seeing the various accomplishments we’ve achieved in our careers and in our lives. We can’t forget that forging the way for the next generation of court reporters should also be part of our success.
How do we define distinguished service as a court reporter? Perhaps it is the willingness to go out of their way to help anyone who comes to them asking for it. Maybe it is the time they give sacrificially to the profession, not just on weekdays but on weekends and evenings. It could be the choice they continually make to roll up their sleeves and dig into the next challenge. Possibly the bravery they show by doing the hard things that they know won’t been seen but are the right things to do. Then again, maybe it’s their willingness to do the tasks that aren’t glamorous, fun, easy, or appreciated.
This year’s recipient has exemplified all these things and more. They have served our association by being nominated and serving on the board not once, but twice. This person has made the hard choice to go to NCRA’s Legislative Boot Camp and various other trips for training instead of spending their time at work or with family and other commitments.
This person embodies all the qualities the Distinguished Service Award is meant to recognize. She has served our association and our profession for many years. She became a court reporter in 2001 after graduating from Gadsden State. After freelancing for a couple of years, she went on to become an official, serving under two judges.
This person served on the board of directors of ACRA. She was chair of ACRA’s Strong Committee, which was formed to promote awareness that court reporters are still the gold standard for the record. There was so much research involved with that committee. She was able to present a session at one of the judges’ conferences, which was a first. She has always been an advocate of the court reporting profession. She is our official Zoom guru and admits to being a techie nerd. I’m pretty sure she’s tired of helping people with their Excel spreadsheets but she still does it. Hopefully we’ve learned some Excel tips from our seminar earlier today so we can give her a break. One of her biggest accomplishments was pivoting during COVID and putting on ACRA’s first ever virtual conference. It went off smoothly thanks to her expertise.
Most importantly, she is a mother of two and a devoted wife. She enjoys camping, arts and crafts – she’s so talented at refinishing furniture, painting, knitting. She participates in her church, volunteering wherever needed. She’s always there supporting her girls in their extracurricular activities like soccer. She has been known to dust off her trumpet and lead the cheer section at games.
Her commitment, selfless love, and devotion to her family and faith is what also makes her worthy of this award, because she brings those same traits with her to the profession of court reporting. She is humble. She is loyal. She is considerate and kind.
She is Jennifer Kissic, our 2026 Distinguished Service Award recipient.
