NCRA is pleased to announce that Joanne McKenzie, RPR, CRR, CRC, CRI, has been named recipient of the 2026 CASE Award of Excellence. McKenzie is a court reporting instructor and program chair at Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT).
NCRA’s CASE (Council on Approved Student Education) Award of Excellence recognizes the important role student education plays in the court reporting profession and honors educators for their dedication and outstanding achievement and leadership. Recipients are nominated by NCRA members.
“Receiving the 2026 CASE Award of Excellence is deeply humbling and incredibly validating. In court reporting education, our daily focus is entirely on the grit, speedbuilding, and persistence of our students. We spend our hours refining teaching aids, guiding students through the plateaus of shorthand, and mentoring them toward graduation and placement,” McKenzie said.
“This recognition isn’t just a personal milestone; it is a reminder of the shared dedication of everyone in the teaching community who strives to keep our profession vibrant, rigorous, and forward-moving,” she added.
McKenzie is being honored for her more than two decades of transformative contributions to court reporting education and the profession at large. A dedicated and innovative educator, she is widely recognized for her student-centered teaching, compassionate mentorship, and unwavering commitment to excellence.
Throughout her career, McKenzie has been recognized as a mentor, instructor, and leader who believes deeply in the potential of every student. Her teaching is grounded in research-based principles of skill acquisition and adult learning, and she is known for creating intentional, supportive learning environments where students develop both technical competence and professional confidence. Many students credit McKenzie not only with their success in the program, but with their long-term resilience and growth as professionals.
McKenzie has also developed numerous resources that directly benefit students including a revised theory textbook with a full set of supporting materials such as videos, practice audio, handouts, and assessments.
In addition to her work in the classroom, McKenzie has served on a number of NCRA programs and committees including the NCRA A to Z® Intro to Steno Machine Shorthand program and the CART and Captioning Committee. She is also a past Chief Examiner for onsite certification testing and is credited with coordinating student participation in the pilot phase of the NCRF Career Launcher series. She is also a contributor to NCRA’s membership publication, the Journal of Court Reporting.
McKenzie is also a past president of the Alberta Shorthand Reporters Association, where she has served on a number of the organization’s committees and been involved in conferences and certification initiatives. She continues to contribute to the profession as a freelance reporter and CART captioner and as a certified trainer for Case CATalyst and broadcast captioning.
“Many people teach well. Few transform the way others teach, and Joanne is unquestionably one of them,” wrote NCRA member Janice Plomp, FAPR, RDR, CRR, CRC, CRI, in a letter of recommendation for the award on McKenzie’s behalf.
“Joanne brings extensive real-world experience to her teaching, including international reporting work. She embraces any opportunity to learn, whether that is attaining a professional certification, attending conferences, or simply listening to her students and her colleagues. She is truly an example to students and professionals alike of dedication and the ideals of lifelong learning,” added Plomp, a court reporting instructor at NAIT and a longtime contemporary of McKenzie.
McKenzie shared that what keeps her motivated every day is the challenge of modernizing how the stenographic skill is taught. “I love diving into contemporary methodologies to build better teaching aids, making the grueling process of speedbuilding more engaging and accessible,” she said.
“Beyond the classroom, my drive comes from mentorship, being the person who helps a student navigate anxiety, celebrates their speed passes, and guides them into a thriving career. The court reporting profession is vital to our legal and accessibility frameworks and knowing that I get to shape the next generation of leaders in this field is what drives my passion for teaching,” she added.
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