The National Association of State Judicial Educators (NASJE) is pleased to announce Joseph Sawyer as the recipient of the 2026 Karen Thorson Award, NASJE’s highest honor recognizing a career judicial educator who has made significant contributions to both NASJE and judicial branch education.
Established in 2012, the Karen Thorson Award honors a current or former NASJE member who has made a significant positive impact on NASJE and a significant positive impact on judicial branch education.
Sawyer exemplifies each of these criteria through a career marked by extraordinary service to the judicial education profession and an enduring commitment to NASJE and its members.
A career judicial educator who has served both the National Judicial College and the State of Illinois, Sawyer has been a consistent and generous contributor to NASJE for many years. He has served in numerous leadership and committee roles, including as a member of the NASJE Board of Directors and as NASJE President from 2011–2012.
Throughout his NASJE career, Sawyer has also made substantial contributions as a teacher, facilitator, mentor, and colleague. He has taught and facilitated programs at NASJE’s annual conferences and has routinely contributed his expertise to multiple courses and educational offerings.
“Joseph Sawyer represents what is best about NASJE and what it means to be a judicial educator,” said Christine Christopherson, NASJE President. “His commitment to our profession is matched by his commitment to our people. He has consistently shared his knowledge, time, experience, and encouragement with colleagues across the country. Joseph embodies the spirit of service, collegiality, and excellence that this award was created to recognize.”
The nomination submitted on Sawyer’s behalf highlighted not only his professional accomplishments, but also the personal impact he has had on generations of judicial educators. His nominators described him as someone who is consistently willing to help, advise, teach, and encourage others, regardless of his own workload.
“Joseph just does and asks for nothing in return,” the nomination letter states, describing his longstanding commitment to NASJE and his willingness to support colleagues.
The nomination further emphasized Sawyer’s ability to bring people together and create an environment in which colleagues feel welcomed and valued. He was described as an individual who listens without judgment, remains open and inclusive, and genuinely cares about NASJE and its membership.
Those qualities have made Sawyer not only a respected educator, but also a trusted mentor and colleague throughout the judicial education community.
His influence extends well beyond his formal leadership roles. Through teaching, facilitation, committee service, mentorship, and informal guidance, Sawyer has helped strengthen the practice of judicial education while contributing to the professional development of those who carry that work forward.
“Joseph has been a constant presence in NASJE—teaching, serving, encouraging, welcoming, and helping others,” said Christopherson. “His impact cannot be measured simply by the number of courses he has taught or committees on which he has served. It is reflected in the people he has mentored, the colleagues he has supported, and the stronger profession he has helped build.”
Sawyer joins an extraordinary group of judicial educators who have received the Karen Thorson Award, including Karen Thorson, Maureen Conner, Pat Murrell, Larry Stone, Jim Drennan, Michael Roosevelt, Margaret Allen, Thomas N. Langhorne, Judith M. Anderson, Lee Ann Barnhardt, and William Brunson.
The award is named for Karen Thorson, a former NASJE president and longtime leader in judicial branch education who was instrumental in advancing the profession and in the development and adoption of the NASJE Core Competencies. She was the award’s inaugural recipient in 2012.
The 2026 Karen Thorson Award will be presented to Sawyer during the NASJE Annual Conference in Athens, Georgia, September 27-30.