Dear Members,

As I begin my term as President, I want to thank you once again for the privilege to serve you. I am in awe of those that have filled these shoes before me and while we each place our own soul into them, I hope not to bend them out of shape too much for those that follow. I especially want to thank William Brunson for his guidance, leadership, and sense of humor this past year, and I look forward to his continued presence on the Board. We fondly say goodbye to Kenny Miller as he takes a much deserved break after his many years of service to NASJE. I welcome with great enthusiasm Robin Wosje as the new Vice President. She joins a phenomenal Board with decades of combined experience and dedication to NASJE and our profession.

Liz Strong

The 2005 Annual Conference in Savannah was a great success. The Education Committee, led by co-chairs Debra Koehler and Martha Martin along with Sherry Carson serving as the local host, provided wonderful opportunities for learning, laughter and networking. It was a wonderful time to reflect on where we have been over the last thirty years and look forward and dream of where we want to go in the future.

Mark you calendars now for the 2006 NASJE Conference, August 14-17 at the Radisson Plaza Hotel Downtown in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Conference will be right in the center of the Minneapolis entertainment district, with restaurants, theaters, and shops all within easy walking distance. The Mall of America is just a short drive away so plan to bring your family and enjoy the hospitality of the Midwest.

There are many opportunities for each of you to be involved in shaping this Association. I know many of you approached me at the conference or through email expressing an interest in being involved, either through committee participation, mentoring or in whatever capacity was needed. If you have not heard from me or from a committee chair, holler back loudly! We need everyone’s ideas and energy.

My goal for this year is simple. I would like to continue the work of building collaborations with other national organizations that share a common interest in improving the delivery of justice. To that end, NASJE can take the lead in supporting and promoting the Judicial Education Reference, Information and Technical Transfer Project. JERITT, as we fondly refer to it, has been an important justice partner. JERITT is the national clearinghouse for information on continuing judicial branch education for judges and other judicial officers; administrators and managers; judicial branch educators; and other key court personnel employed in the local, state, and federal courts. JERITT is funded through a grant from the State Justice Institute (SJI). It is cosponsored by the National Association of State Judicial Educators (NASJE) and the School of Criminal Justice at Michigan State University.

JERITT provides state, national, and federal-system judicial branch educators access to the latest information on judicial branch education programming; educational theories, methods, and practices; and educational research and reference reports and publications through databases, publications, electronic communications, and technical assistance offerings. As a judicial educator I found these resources and the JERITT staff a phenomenal post to lean on. It is like having my own personal research staff waiting and willing to help. All I had to do was ask.

As many of you know, SJI funding for JERITT will end in two years. The Board is discussing many ideas to help support the continuation of JERITT. We want to know your ideas too. If you are interesting in becoming more involved in these efforts, please let me know.

We are also working towards recommending core competencies for our profession. A committee worked tirelessly on developing these recommendations. The core competency recommendations are the result of two years of research and analysis into what the role of judicial branch education is, what judicial branch educators know and do, and what infrastructure and management is required for the development and maintenance of an effective judicial branch education organization. You will see and hear more about these over the next several months.

These are only a few of the many initiatives and projects being developed by our dedicated membership. I look forward to sharing the work of NASJE with you over the next year.

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