Mark your calendars for the 2019 NASJE Conference – Conquering Mountains Together: Achieving New Heights in Judicial Education – to be held in colorful Colorado, October 18-21, 2019.
The conference will be over the weekend, allowing you to maximize your experience in the lively city of Denver!
Who Should Attend?
- Those who want to enhance their judicial education program
- Those who want a chance to network with judicial education experts from across the country
- Those who want to be inspired and educated
The National Association for State Judicial Educators (NASJE) Conference Planning Committee is accepting proposals for plenary and breakout session presentations for the 2019 NASJE Conference. The conference will take place October 18-21, 2019, at the Ralph Carr Judicial Center in Denver, Colorado. The theme of the conference is “Conquering Mountains Together: Achieving New Heights in Judicial Education”.
This conference is held annually with the goal of bringing together professionals in the field of judicial education from across the country to promote professional development, share best practices and provide the opportunity for networking. The committee is seeking presentation proposals for 75-minute sessions and 3 hour workshops.
Proposals are due no later than January 11, 2019.
NASJE 2019 Conference Registration
WELCOME TO THE MILE HIGH CITY!
Registration is now open for NASJE’s Annual Conference, which will be held in Denver, Colorado, on October 18-21, 2019. The conference will be held at Ralph Carr Judicial Center with pre-conference events and lodging just steps away at the downtown luxury boutique ART Hotel, located in Denver’s vibrant Golden Triangle Creative District.
The 2019 Conference’s theme is “Conquering Mountains Together: Achieving New Heights in Judicial Education.” Choose from a wide range of topics including:
- Innovative approaches for addressing implicit bias
- Strategies for developing dynamic online education programs
- ‘The creative use of podcasts as an educational tool
- Mastering resilience and renewal
- The intersection of technology and adult learning
- Potential court responses to the national opioid crisis
- Judicial and court staff training on sexual orientation and gender identity
- And much, much more!
In addition to an amazing lineup of educational sessions, you will be plenty of time to enjoy numerous social events as well as networking with colleagues from across the country in vibrant Denver, Colorado, where the 13th step of the Capitol (across the street from the Ralph Carr Center) is exactly 5,280 feet above sea level. Yes, that is why we are called the “Mile High City!” for those who were wondering.
- HOTEL INFORMATION: ART Hotel thearthotel.com.
NASJE Conference Committee Chair, Jennifer Mendoza
Margaret Allen is 2019 Thorson Award Honoree
Margaret R. Allen of the National Center for State Courts was announced as the 2019 Karen Thorson Award winner at NASJE’s Annual Conference in October in Denver. The Thorson Award goes to a NASJE member who has made a significant contribution to both NASJE and judicial branch education nationally and is NASJE’s highest recognition of excellence and contributions to the field of judicial branch education. Ms. Thorson was the first recipient of the eponymous award in 2012.
Ms. Allen currently serves as the Director of National Programs at the National Center for State Courts (NCSC), where she collaborates with existing and new partners to deliver Institute for Court Management (ICM) educational offerings around the country, including Court Management Program (CMP) courses, online courses, and other standalone, customizable programs. She is also involved with updating the CMP courses, creating new course offerings, and providing assistance to partner states, Consortium states, licensees and others, including but not limited to our very own NASJE and National Association for Court Management (NACM) and the International Association for Court Administration (IACA) associations. She previously worked for the Ohio Courts as a judicial educator.
Ms. Allen’s service to NASJE is exemplary. She has held, and continues to hold, positions on several NASJE committees, and served as NASJE president in 2015-2016. She continues to be a co-facilitator of NASJE’s Fundamentals course, thereby ensuring our newest members have the foundational tools necessary to become the best possible judicial educators. Ms. Allen has taught, supported, or facilitated classes at every NASJE conference she has attended, and is a frequent presenter at NACM and other conferences as well.
Ms. Allen is a special educator who genuinely cares about education and the development and sustainability of judicial branch education. She has a passion for education and cares deeply about people, making her a valuable friend who freely and sincerely provides counsel, critique, and friendship to those who know her.
Upon receiving the award Margaret said, “I have grown into my self-hood in this profession and found the joy that we all seek. As the saying goes, those who do what we love, don’t work a day in our lives. And I think you’d agree that it is enormously gratifying to be able to serve our fellow citizens in this important way.”
NASJE is proud of Ms. Allen’s contributions to the field and honored that she continues to humbly serve the organization and the profession. Congratulations, Margaret!
2019 NASJE Conference ELO: Managing the Spotlight – Lessons from the Aurora Theatre Trial
While the nation mourned, the Colorado judicial system was strained to its limits. What did we learn? And even more importantly, how can we prepare for the next high-profile case? In “Managing the Spotlight: Lessons from the Aurora Theatre Trial,” participants will travel to the Arapahoe County Justice Center to see where the trial took place and hear from jurors, survivors, the trial judge, and other court personnel (including the public information officer) who were involved in the case. You will hear stories of collaboration from the judge and the court personnel as they worked to seek justice for the Aurora community, all while experiencing their own forms of trauma, both personal and vicarious.
Participants will begin with a presentation by Sarah Myers of the Colorado Lawyer Assistance Program, who will provide tools for managing vicarious trauma. (This ELO can evoke intense emotions.) Participants will then learn about unique logistical concerns of hosting a high-profile trial, including how to protect everyone’s constitutional rights while giving the public access and maintaining the safety of all involved. In addition, jurors will explain how their lives were changed by being called to serve, while survivors will provide a new lens with which to examine the impact of court proceedings.
Unfortunately, as time has shown, every jurisdiction must be prepared to manage a high profile case that will affect the lives of numerous public employees and private citizens. Join us to gain the tools, strategies, and insights that can help your court provide the best service possible in the face of complex, and at times overwhelming, circumstances.
“Give Me 5 Abstract Conceptualizations, Private!”
In the Colorado Court Services training unit, new trainers undergo “Training Boot Camp” to learn and master training delivery skills and methodologies. From there, they graduate to “Special Ops,” where they continue to refine their development techniques, as well as identify new approaches, with their fellow specialists.
Specifically, the group of trainers who cover Colorado’s 22 judicial districts work together to develop and share training ideas based on current instructional design theories, as well as what they see working (and not) in their own classrooms. Some of the techniques they have identified and will share at the NASJE conference include:
- Escape Room. While “escape rooms” are a current social fad, Lindsay Gallegos, who teaches in districts west of Denver, developed one for use during the onboarding process for clerks of court.
- Storytelling. Everyone loves a good story, but weaving words into instruction is an art into itself. Lindsay Romero and Maria Barkwill will explain how they do it for employees in the SW corner of the state.
- Threshold Experiences. A threshold takes you from one place into another—a new beginning, a point of departure or a transition. Western-slope trainer Sheena Sanchez will discuss these often misunderstood moments when training is of particular importance to a learner.
- No Learner Left Behind. Becky Owens’ learning passion is engaging the resistant learner, who not only will impact their own individual performance, but can impact a group learning experience as a whole. Becky teaches in the southeast portion of Colorado.
- PowerPoint Tricks & Tips. We all hate PowerPoint presentations…unless it’s done well. And the fact is, PowerPoint is still the most used educational tool in the field, particularly among SMEs. Dawn Gary, who covers the northern part of Colorado, will discuss ways to energize and engage participants.
- Visual Aids Without PowerPoint? As we just discussed, we all hate PowerPoint. Liz Cooper, who teaches in the center of the state, will discuss ways to have participants “Get Up Offa That Thing” and engage with the material.
- Body Language. How does a trainer make sure their students are engaged with a topic? A good place to start is looking like you are engaged. Denver’s own Joe Bowlin will discuss how to use body language to show that the information you are discussing is relevant to the participants.
- “I can’t hear you!” So how does “Training Boot Camp” all come together? Who better to explain than Colorado Judicial training director Meghann Post, who reveals the methods, techniques, passion and creativity behind a program meant not only to standardize course development throughout the state, but also ensure a succession plan is in place when change inevitably occurs.
Our court education specialists are excited to share on this and other topics at the 2019 NASJE Conference. Please join us and add a few ideas of your own so that we can improve too!
Membership Committee offers buddy system for Denver conference
Walking into a conference as a new member can be intimidating, so the Membership and Mentor Committee wants to take a little of that fear away by offering new members or first-time attendees a conference buddy for the 2019 Annual Conference in Denver.
The conference buddy will make contact with the new member in advance of the conference and be their guide and point of contact at the conference itself. Networking is a great benefit of NASJE membership and the buddy system will allow new members to make connections quickly.
If you, or a member of your team is attending the conference for the first time and would like a buddy, please contact Membership Co-Chair Lee Ann Barnhart.
Learn the “Why” of Coaching at NASJE’s Annual Conference
Performance coaching, executive coaching, skills coaching, life coaching. What do courts need in the realm of coaching, and why should judicial educators consider adding coaching to their courts’ repertoire of training?
In their session, “A Coach Approach: Sustainable Change for Judicial Branch Leadership,” NASJE members Leslie Gross and Nancy Smith will make the case for implementing a coach approach for court leaders involved in personnel management and other leadership arenas. Smith and Gross are trainers, coaches, and owners of Sustainable Change Coaching, which they founded this year in the hopes of helping court leaders become better people managers and leaders.
Why coaching? They have both experienced the courts and government jobs and have witnessed the need for better ways to engage employees, improve teamwork, and help employees through change. Coaching is proven to do these things and much more. The result? Happier, engaged, employees who are inspired to make the courts the best they can be! Unlike most coaches, Smith and Gross specialize in teaching court leaders how to be coaches, and to incorporate coaching into their leadership toolbox.
During the session, participants will practice coaching so they can experience how it can be a game changer in the courts. They will actively examine the challenges and costs of employee issues, analyze how coaching helps solve the challenges, and assess the payoff courts can experience when leaders learn and implement a coach approach in their courts.
The session “A Coach Approach” is offered on Saturday, October 19 at 10:15 at the Annual NASJE conference in beautiful Denver, CO.