A word from the Founder.
How did we come to be? Many of you may be asking how and why Stenovator Pathway Solutions, Inc., came to be and why it is even needed. I can answer you with two words… I remember.
I can still vividly remember the days of working a full-time job and being a struggling court reporting student in night school and then becoming a struggling brand-new professional court reporter. While the industry is a lucrative one, most people are unaware of the massive debt a new professional takes on in order to purchase equipment and software before they can even take their first paying assignment. This initial financial burden is compounded by having to meet daily living expenses plus the added burden of student loans, which are sometimes substantial due to the length of time it may have taken the new professional to complete his or her training. Most people are unaware that the majority of professional reporters will go weeks, sometimes months before being paid for their first assignment; and those who did not accrue debt are usually sorely lacking in finance and business knowledge, which causes undue stress that could eventually lead to mental distress and physical pain or illness. A court reporter’s mind must be as clear as possible in order for him or her to perform at the highest level at every moment while on an assignment and insurmountable financial worries do not allow for a clear mind.
I remember being excited and wanting to spread my wings and explore the wonderful variety of income-producing avenues within the industry, and I remember not knowing which way to turn to get the information and training that I needed. I remember graduating and starting my “turnkey business” as a new reporter but not having the first idea about what I needed to do for myself, my new business, or my future prosperity. Most of all, I remember making a lot of detrimental mistakes.
I also remember struggling with the realities of “membership” while serving on countless committees and organizations’ boards. It was clear that busy professionals were shying away from committing to volunteer service because of the extended time commitment most organizations were seeking. Most professional court reporters “want to help” in some way, but “being a member” with an annual financial commitment is not what they’re seeking. There are even family members of court reporters who are willing to assist because they have seen what the profession is all about.
SPS is structured to allow everyone to give when and to the extent they can, whether it be financially or through the gift of time, volunteerism, or other talents. Stenovator Pathway Solutions, Inc., is here to partner with any and all individuals, companies, and organizations who are interested in working towards the advancement of the court reporting profession through earnest empowerment, education, and support of stenographic court reporters, but we are also here to connect with those in the industry who may fall through the cracks of our membership organizations. Everyone has something to offer, and we are a neutral place where everyone can bring value with no strings attached. I remember being new, I remember the struggle, I remember…and that’s why we’re here.
Kimberly Xavier, Texas Certified Shorthand Reporter
TMR, TCRR, CART Level III
Registered Diplomate Reporter
RPR, RMR, CRR, CRI, CMRS
Stenovator Pathway Solutions partners with individuals, companies, and organizations dedicated to advancing the court reporting industry, regardless of stenographer status.
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Mrs. Raquel “Rocky” Jones originally hails from Ft. Wayne, Indiana and later moved to Ft. Worth, Texas with her mother Ella Jones. Rocky grew up in Arlington and attended high school at Sam Houston where she was elected as the first African American female student body president and graduated with honors. Mrs. Jones went on to receive a four-year academic scholarship and graduated from Texas A&M University in College Station with a double major in Political Science and Journalism. During her tenure at A&M, Rocky Jones participated on the track team as well as became a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated. After finishing her undergraduate studies in 1993, she went on to be one of the youngest students enrolled in her law school class at St. Mary’s University School of Law in San Antonio at age 22 where she also received a 3-year scholarship from the U.S. Department of Education as a endowment fellow for the Council on Legal Education Opportunities. While at St. Mary’s, Rocky studied abroad in Innsbruck, Austria at the Institute on World Legal Problems where Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg was one of her professors for the course.
After graduating from Law School, Rocky returned to the metroplex and worked for the Dallas County District Attorney’s Office as an assistant criminal District Attorney. Then she left for the civil world and became an In-house corporate lawyer for State Farm Insurance. After a several years of civil litigation, Rocky then returned to the practice of criminal law as an Assistant D.A. for Tarrant County District Attorney’s Office in Ft. Worth, Texas. After yet again trying the civil world at Hill Gilstrap, P.C. in Arlington within the civil realm, it become abundantly clear that Rocky’s true passion was prosecution and criminal law. Rocky soon returned to where her prosecution career began by returning to the Dallas County District Attorney’s Office. After coming full circle, Rocky evaluated her career goals and determined that working to help make our community safer is where she wanted to use her legal knowledge and talents. In 2009 she returned to the Dallas County District Attorney’s Office as a Felony Chief Prosecutor where she handled a majority of the 1st Degree offenses such as Death Penalty, Capital Murder, and Manslaughter cases. In the fall of 2017 she took a leap of faith to follow her dream of becoming a Judge and resigned from her position as a prosecutor that she has held for nearly 17 years. On November 6, 2018 her dream came true and she was elected Judge of the 203rd Judicial District Court in Dallas County. She is married to Marcus Kelly a retired Air Force vet and the mother of a 5-year-old son Ryan (which is her real job).
Coy has over 25 years of experience as a Special Educator, Mentor, Facilitator, Speaker, Trainer, Community Leader, and Advocate. Coy’s Care Consulting & Coaching was developed from Coy’s natural ability to provide alternative viewpoints that bring about life changing solutions. Her credentials include a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, Master of Arts in Counseling, teaching credentials in Texas and California, Certified Professional Coach and Certified Youth, Parent and Family Coach.
Pam Sumler became a Certified Shorthand Reporter in 1983 and has been the Official Court Reporter for the 305th Judicial District Court for 30 years. She has served on several committees for Dallas Court Reporters Association and is a member of Texas Court Reporters Association. Her pride and joy are her twin daughters and she enjoys indoor cycling and playing word games in her spare time. When Pam isn’t working, she loves to explore new vacation destinations every year.
Kimberly Xavier, founder of Stenovator Pathway Solutions, Inc., has been a court reporter for over 25 years and is a Texas Certified Shorthand Reporter, licensed by the Supreme Court of Texas. She holds many certifications in Texas as well as multiple national certifications, including the most prestigious of all certifications, the Registered Diplomate Reporter, issued by the National Court Reporters Association.
Although she came to the reporting profession knowing nothing about it as she separated from the United States Air Force, she has fully embraced her after-military career choice and all of its benefits over the span of her career as a freelance reporter, a freelance firm owner, and an official court reporter. Although she has been reporting for over a quarter of a century, she is an advocate of exploring all lanes of reporting and is currently training in the areas of CART and Captioning.
About 10 years into her career, despite being a busy wife and mother while also working full time, Kim began taking steps to actively motivate and inspire student reporters by creating and offering structured training courses and events for that segment of the court reporting community that can sometimes be easily overlooked. She has continued to educate the court reporting community through presentations, seminars, and training sessions developed for every reporter from new professional to veteran.
For many years, Kim has cheerfully given most of her free time as a volunteer through serving in leadership positions on boards of directors for her local and state court reporting associations, and she has also served on and chaired numerous committees for local, state, and national court reporting associations.
She has been fostering The Stenovator community for many years through unofficial gatherings and unity projects for professional stenographers and stenography students as well as creating unique training programs and participating in existing training programs to advance the profession.
Kim anticipates and looks forward to using all of her professional knowledge and leadership experience to assist in providing much needed opportunities for financial relief and business training to new professionals as well as student reporters.
Her favorite quote is “Live full; die empty,” and she fully intends to give her best in this life through outreach and service to the community.