The National Court Reporters Foundation (NCRF) presented the Carl Sauceda Grant in the amount of $2,000 to Denee’ Vadell, RPR, an official court reporter from Edison, N.Y. The announcement was made at a special awards luncheon at the 2024 NCRA Conference & Expo held Aug. 1-3 in Louisville, Ky.
The grant goes to a court reporter or captioner who elevates the profession by impacting and teaching others and honors Sauceda, FAPR, RMR (Ret.), of Hayward, Calif., who served as NCRA President from 1999 to 2000 and continues a legacy of giving back to others.
The grant, now in its third year, was awarded to Vadell by NCRF Trustees in recognition of her promoting the profession to others, the influence she has had in the lives of rising court reporters, and her continuous commitment to supporting the stenographic court reporting and captioning professions.
Vadell holds the nationally recognized professional certification of Registered Professional Reporter (RPR) and currently serves as Senior Court Reporter at New York County Civil Supreme Court. Prior to her current position, Vadell was a court reporter with the Bronx Criminal Court from 2018 through 2024. She is also a broadcast and CART captioner. She is a 2012 graduate of the StenoTech Career Institute in Fairfield, N.J.
At the national level, Vadell has served on a number of committees including as chair of the Membership, Marketing & Outreach Committee, and as a member of the Brand Ambassadors Council and Technology Committee.
Active at the state level as well, Vadell serves as a First Department Director for the New York State Court Reporters Association, as a Board member, and as a past member of its Convention Committee.
Vadell is founder of the social media group StenoFluencers and is known throughout the industry for promoting the stenographic court reporting and captioning professions. She has addressed students about the profession at the national and state level and has participated in numerous activities in conjunction with Plaza College in Queens, N.Y., to highlight the profession. She has also been interviewed by the media numerous times about the benefits of the stenographic court reporting and captioning professions.
Last year Vadell started a petition on Change.org soliciting Mattel to create a Steno Barbie doll. “Barbie was created by Ruth Handler, who was a stenographer, yet there is no Steno Barbie?!” wrote Vadell. “Mattel, please consider creating a Steno Barbie to spread steno and assist us in putting an end to the national stenographer shortage.”
“A cornerstone of Denee’s promotion of the profession has been her effective use of social media to educate and recruit students into court reporting. Through her online presence, Denee has managed to revolutionize the way in which court reporting and captioning services are perceived and engaged with,” wrote Angela Grant, RDR, CRR, an official court reporter and freelancer from Poughkeepsie, N.Y., who nominated Vadell.
“Denee’s work at promoting the profession is not just a response to the immediate needs of our profession, but a forward-looking plan designed to secure its future. By focusing on the integration of technology and the development of new talent, Denee is ensuring that the court reporting and captioning professions evolve to meet the changing landscape of the legal and CART communities,” she added.
Previous Carl Sauceda Grant winners:
2023
- Kimberly Xavier, RDR, CRR, CRC, CMRS, CRI
- Stacy L. Drohosky, RMR, CRR, CRI
- Erminia Uviedo, RDR, CRR, CRC
2022
- Margary Rogers, RPR, CRI
