Baton Rouge School of Court Reporting

 

OWNERS/DIRECTORS

Baton Rouge School of Court Reporting, LLC (BRSCR) is owned and operated by Ms. Karen Vornkahl and Ms. Pamela Giardina.  Together they have over 55 years of service in the legal/court reporting field in multi-faceted areas.  Both Karen and Pam are Nationally Certified Reporting Instructors.  Below is a brief profile on each owner. 

 

Karen Vornkahl, B.S., CCR, CRI, CPE, is an Owner and the Director of Administration at BRSCR.  She has been a practicing court reporter since 1985 and holds a current certificate with the Louisiana Board of Examiners of Certified Shorthand Reporters.  In 2003, she took a leave from active reporting to pursue additional training in realtime machine writing.  She has reported thousands of depositions, taught academics relating to court reporting, and is co-owner of ASAP Transcripts, LLC, a scoping and proofing firm assisting court reporters and mentoring new reporters in the field. 

She has attained Certified Reporting Instructor (CRI) credentials and been published in CaseLines, a teaching publication of the National Court Reporters Association (NCRA).  She is a Certified Program Evaluator (CPE) and is also qualified to grade certification skills testing for the NCRA.

She has a Bachelor of Science degree in Office Administration from Louisiana State University (1979).   She is married to Mark Vornkahl, a computer systems consultant, and has two grown children.

 

Pamela Giardina, B.S., CRI, CPE, is an Owner and the Director of Curriculum and Student Affairs at BRSCR.  She is a retired Certified Court Reporter (CCR) in the state of Louisiana.  Her career began in the 1970s in the 19^th Judicial District Court as a judiciary reporter.  She went on to own and operate two successful freelance court reporting firms in the ‘80s and through the mid ‘90s.  Over the course of her professional reporting life, she has reported thousands of depositions, in addition to hearings, arbitrations, and judiciary proceedings. 

She is currently retired from active practice but has gone on to attain national certification as a Certified Reporting Instructor, as well as national certification as a Certified Program Evaluator in order that she may mentor and teach students in her chosen field.  She also holds a Bachelor of Science degree from LSU with majors in the areas of Criminal Justice and English. 

She is currently a co-owner of ASAP Transcripts, LLC, a firm dedicated to the efficient transcription of court proceedings, arbitrations, hearings, depositions.  The firm works with reporters in four states and trains new reporters for firm owners as well. 

She is married to Keith Giardina, a practicing Baton Rouge attorney, and they have five children, four sons and a daughter, ranging in ages from 17 to 24.

Mark H. Vornkahl, B.S., CMR, CNA, MCSE, is our Director of Information and Technology.  He is a graduate of LSU in Business Administration/Marketing.  After working five years in the insurance/finance industry, Mark worked for nine years as a detail representative for a major U.S. pharmaceutical company, calling on physicians and related healthcare providers.  Mark earned the Certified Medical Representative (CMR) designation in 1989.  Mark is approved to instruct in Medical Terminology for BRSCR. 

Additionally, Mark earned an associates degree in electronics technology from ITI and worked six years as a computer engineer for a local software development company.  Most recently, Mark is the principal of Mark H. Vornkahl Consulting, providing computer and technological services to clients around the U.S.  He holds numerous certifications through Microsoft and Novell.  Mark is the director of information and technology for BRSCR and teaches and supports all areas of computer applications.

Mark is married to Karen Vornkahl, has two grown children, and a border collie named Maggie. 

 

Dana Bannerman, B.S., M.Ed., CRI, is our Director of Accreditation and Standards.  Dana Bannerman has been in the field of education for 33 years.  She holds a bachelor’s degree from Centenary College and a M.Ed. from LSU.  Dana taught for twenty years in Ascension Parish, eight years at Parkview Baptist School, and was middle school principal at St. Luke’s Episcopal School for five years.  She has taught a variety of ages and subject matter, with her specialty being in the areas of language arts and math.  She has served on various accrediting teams and committees with SACS and SAES.  Dana was also on the Louisiana State Council of the National Beta Club.   

Dana is married to her husband, Bruce.  They have two grown children. 

 

AD HOC INSTRUCTORS

Keith Giardina, B.S., J.D., has been a practicing attorney in the state of Louisiana for over 20 years.  His specialties include:  Insurance Defense Litigation, Training, General Law Practice, Appeals, Consultations and Administrative Business Procedures.   

His education and training include a Juris Doctorate degree from Loyola University in 1981, as well as a Bachelor of Science cum laude from Southeastern Louisiana University in 1977.  He has also obtained a teaching certification from Harvard School of Law sponsored by the National Institute of Trial Advocacy.   

Keith is a member of the Louisiana State Bar and admitted to practice in the United States Fifth Circuit Court of Appeal, United States District Court Middle District, Eastern District, and Western District.  He is a Trial Advocacy Instructor (NITA) for a major insurance carrier and has also served as a professor ad hoc at Louisiana State University School of Law.  He has recently been accepted into the American Board of Trial Advocates.   

Keith is the instructor for our Legal Terminology/Case Law class. 

 

Gloria Taillon-Thibodeaux is the owner and originator of Computer-Aided Interpretation (CAI), a company providing Communication Access Realtime Translation (CART) services in Louisiana since 1996.  She and her employees work with individuals with disabilities and the administrative authorities to provide realtime captioning and supply verbatim notes when requested.  Ms. Taillon-Thibodeaux is the instructor for our CART-CAPTIONING Practice Applications course.

 

STAFF MEMBERS

Lori Beckman, Day/Night Program.  Mrs. Beckman is a graduate of Bay Path College with an Associates Degree in Paralegal Studies and is also a graduate of BRSCR in the Court Reporting Program.  

She has worked professionally as a paralegal, legal secretary, and CART provider for a college student.  She has been married to her husband Greg for ten years.  Lori originally hails from Portsmouth, New Hampshire, and has lived with her family in Baton Rouge for the past seven years. Recently, the family added a new member, Lori and Greg’s adorable baby boy, Brodie.

Mrs. Beckman provides expertise in working with our CART students on a daily basis and is our Speed Plus/Drills reader.

 

Fabiola Evans, Admissions Officer.  Fabi is a 2008 graduate of Hillsong International Leadership College, in Sydney, Australia, with a Diploma in Creative Arts.  She is married to Matt Evans.  She is very active in her church and in working in the Music Ministry.  Fabiola is bilingual, and is fluent in Spanish, as well as English.

 

Casey Evans, Administrative Office.  Casey is in his final year in the Business College at Louisiana State University.  Casey is the Data Entry Specialist for BRSCR.  He has been a staff member since our school’s inception. 

 

Krystal Pitre, Administrative Office.  Krystal is in her second year as the Executive Assistant at BRSCR.  She also helps to oversee the Theory classes and is an integral part of that program.

She has one son, Cameron, who is the love of her life. 

 

Brian Salzer, CCR, Night Class Reader.  Mr. Salzer is a Certified Court Reporter and works for the Nineteenth Judicial District Court in Baton Rouge.  Previously, he worked for 14 years in New Orleans in the Criminal District Court, Civil District Court, and Juvenile Court.

Mr. Salzer is a native of New Orleans and lived there until Hurricane Katrina.  He and his wife now reside in Plaucheville, Louisiana, and have three grown children.  Mr. Salzer’s hobbies include running and cycling.

Robert V. Rudner, a reader at both campuses, has a B.A. in Social Studies and Theatre from Auburn University.  Upon graduation, he began teaching Social Studies in New Orleans area schools until his retirement in 2002. 

While teaching, he began reading to court reporting students on a part-time basis.  After retiring from full-time teaching, he began to record and produce speedbuilding practice CDs for sale over the Internet, which remains a full-time endeavor. 

Rob is a devoted New Orleans Saints fan who loves music, sports, the beach, JazzFest and Mardi Gras.

 

Baton Rouge School of Court Reporting is proud to have been recognized and granted status as a Participating Court Reporter Training Program with the National Court Reporters Association.

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