BEHIND BLUELEDGE!
At BlueLedge, our instructors are the heart of what we do. With more than 106 years of combined industry experience, they bring real-world insight, strong industry connections, and a passion for teaching. Through 46 courses and live webinars, they empower students at every stage of their journey to reach their goals in the legal field. This series introduces you to the experts guiding your path to success.

Merritt Gilbert, CER, CDR, FPM, Director and Legal Instructor
Merritt is the director and lead instructor at BlueLedge. She began her career in 2007 at a court reporting agency, where she gained experience in various facets of the industry. In 2013 she became a digital reporter and soon after established the digital reporting department at a large agency, where she managed operations and trained both digital reporters and legal transcriptionists. She now brings that expertise and hands-on experience to her role at BlueLedge, while also serving on AAERT’s Board of Directors.

Tamara Candeloro, Enrollment Manager
Tamara made a successful mid-career pivot from corporate finance to court reporting, where she discovered her calling in education and workforce development. As BlueLedge’s Enrollment Manager, she combines her business acumen with industry experience to guide students toward their ideal career paths and partner with organizations to address the court reporting field’s staffing needs.

Natalie Harsfield, Instructor
Natalie has over 20 years of experience in the court reporting industry, having worked as a stenographic court reporter, digital court reporter, legal transcriptionist, and instructor at both the Stenotype Institute and BlueLedge. She earned her CET certification in 2013 and also gained valuable insight into the industry and litigation support while working at a top court reporting agency. Among the many roles she has held, teaching has remained her greatest passion.

Sharon Allred, Instructor
Prior to becoming a BlueLedge instructor in 2022, Sharon Allred’s professional career took a few twists and turns; and she now enjoys working with students who desire a positive career change to legal transcription. Those twists and turns included a stint as an intermediate schoolteacher of language arts; a medical transcriptionist; a community college instructor for medical and business transcription; and eventually, hospital transcription management and leadership of a national company offering healthcare documentation services. During the COVID pandemic, Sharon pursued training in legal transcription, which was a challenging but rewarding transition. Her lifelong desire to help others pursue their career goals has been fulfilled as a BlueLedge instructor.

Kristin Dwyer, Instructor
Kristin obtained her AS degree in Court Reporting from Orlando College in 1995. She is an RPR-certified stenographic reporter with over 25 years of experience in reporting and legal transcription. She has been an instructor with BlueLedge since January 2023.