Melissa has been a Certified Shorthand Reporter and Registered Professional Reporter since 1986.  She spent the first 12 years of her reporting career reporting depositions.  She obtained the Registered Merit Reporter designation in 1989 and became a Certified Realtime Reporter in 1994.  She became an official court reporter for Kern County Superior Court in Bakersfield, California, in 1999.   While working for the court system, Melissa began providing captioning services to hard-of-hearing consumers who needed assistance to participate in court proceedings and became a Certified Realtime Captioner in 2008.  She has served on the National Court Reporters Association CART Community of Interest Committee and assisted in updating the guidelines for Certified Realtime Captioners.  In the summer of 2018, Melissa and her husband decided to make the beautiful Bitterroot Valley their home.  Her spare time is spent with her husband, David, and Border Collie, Stevie Lynn.  Her hobbies include cooking, baking, and exploring the great outdoors in Big Sky Country!