Category: From the President

A few months ago, I asked a roomful of judicial educators whether they considered themselves court leaders. A surprisingly small number of people raised their hands to indicate that they saw themselves in this manner. I think to an extent their response was indicative of their acknowledgement that they did not sit atop the chain of command in their administrative structure. However, if that is to be the determinative factor, then very few of us are court leaders. I prefer to think of being a court leader as being able to have an impact on the direction the court will take and the way the judiciary will achieve its objectives. Seen from this perspective, I think it is undeniable that most of us are court leaders.

For my first written communication with the members of NASJE, I wanted to address a reality I think many of us know deep within, but rarely stop and give it the consideration it deserves. I want to talk about being a judicial educator. More to the point, I want to share my thoughts on what a special profession we are a part of. In Austin I talked with the Fundamentals class about these topics. I wanted to extend my observations to a broader audience.

As I write this message, it is the morning of June 21—the first official day of summer. I love this time of year in North Dakota. The days are long (official sunset at 9:41 today) and the nights are cool; perfect conditions for watching a beautiful sunset or having a campfire at the lake. As much as I would prefer spending my days near the water, there is work to be done to wrap up my presidency and prepare for our annual conference in August.

The board and the NASJE committees have been busy since we last met in Charleston. We are hard at work planning the 2018 Conference in Austin, Texas. It is scheduled for August 26-29, and the theme is “Developing Educational Leaders for Today’s Courts and Beyond.”

Welcome to 2018! If you are like me, you have probably set and broken a few New Year’s Resolutions by now. Instead of setting resolutions for NASJE, I thought we would work toward goals- less cliché and perhaps a little less pressure.

Well, NASJE Colleagues, I hadn’t exactly planned to write another “President’s Message,” but then again, I hadn’t planned on Hurricane Irma or any of the frantic activity that occurred as that storm barreled towards the east coast with Charleston in Read more

Happy Summer, NASJE Colleagues! It’s one of my favorite times of year, especially when I’m able to enjoy some fun in the sun with family and friends. If you haven’t yet taken a vacation or at least slowed life to a Read more

It is my pleasure to wish you a “Happy Spring” and to update you on all of the amazing work that is underway, through our committees and through our outreach and collaboration with our justice system partners.

To my NASJE colleagues: As if you need any more reminders that the new year is upon us…I’m going to add my well wishes for a happy, healthy, educational 2017! So often, we think about January as a time for Read more

To my NASJE colleagues,  Best wishes for a joyous holiday season, time with family and friends, good health and happiness. If it’s possible, I encourage you to take a short break from thinking about judicial branch education and prepare to Read more

Greetings from America’s interstate highways! After a summer of working remotely from Ohio in between conferences, I am about to officially (finally) move to Williamsburg, Virginia to begin my new role as Director of National Programs at the Institute for Court Management at NCSC. In this edition of “From the President”, I’ll share an overview of the many activities undertaken by our association this spring.

Greetings from Ohio! I hope that you are enjoying these last days of 2015. In this edition of “From the President”, I’d like to share my plans for the coming year.

There’s a lot going on in our organization. We’re happy to let you know there’s an opportunity for NASJE to get small donations at no cost to you if you shop on Amazon.com. The AmazonSmile program was developed as a way for Amazon to support their customers’ favorite charitable organizations.

A lot has been going on with the Board and many of our committees. One very recent change is that we have a new Board member. Cynthia Davis, our Southeastern Region Director, has stepped down due to some family priorities. I have appointed Dan Rettig, Senior Attorney in the Florida OSCA Court Education office, as the new Southeastern Region Director. Members of the Southeastern Region will be hearing from Dan soon.