Court Leader's Advantage

Budget Strategies: What Have We Learned from the Lockdown?

About three weeks ago, May 14, 2020, the financial crisis was looming, but the details were still vague. Since then several courts have been forced to begin budget cuts that have included layoffs and furloughs. Yet even now all we can say about the national situation is, it remains fluid. Dread over the upcoming economic statistics turned to excitement on Friday, June 5th as the unemployment numbers were better than expected. Still, unemployment remains well above the highest numbers seen during the 2008 recession. What do we know now after several weeks have gone by? Have courts adapted their plans to the changing economic situation?

This week panelists are asked a question by listener Jeff Barlow on the difference between the “thin the soup” and the “ration the soup” strategies for court budget reductions. The panel also talks about how to manage through layoffs and employee furloughs; charging for establishing time payment schedules; extending those schedules out to help defendants through the recession; coping with an expected increase in default judgments, landlord-tenant disputes, and home foreclosures; finally panelists predict what the next 12 months will hold for the courts.

This Week's Panelists:

Zenell Brown has garnered respect both as Executive Court Administrator for the Third Circuit Court in Detroit, Michigan, and for her ethical leadership and innovation. Zenell has a Juris Doctor from Wayne State University Law School, a Public Service Administration Graduate Certificate from Central Michigan University, and a Court Administration Certificate from Michigan State University.

Richard J. "Rick" Pierce is the Judicial Programs Administrator of the Judicial District Operations and Programs Department, at the Pennsylvania Administrative Office of the Courts. Prior to his current position, he was the district court administrator for Cumberland County. He graduated from Washington and Lee University, and received his Masters in Public Administration from Shippensburg University.

Angela S. "Angie" VanSchoick is the Court Administrator with the Town of Breckenridge Municipal Court. She received her MSW from the University of Michigan in 2007. She also assist the Court and with the Colorado Association for Municipal Court Administration.

Elizabeth "Liz" Rambo is the Trial Court Administrator for Lane County Circuit Court in Eugene, Oregon. She graduated with high scholarship from Oregon State University with a BA in history and has an MBA from Portland State University.

Chris Gaddis has been the Court Administrator for the Superior Court of Washington for Pierce County for 4 years. Prior to working for the court, he served in law enforcement. He is a member of the Washington State Jury Diversity Task Force and the Washington State Supreme Court Minority and Justice Commission Public Trust and Confidence Committee.

Michael Roddy is the Executive Officer of the Superior Court of San Diego County. Prior to his current position he served as the California Administrative Office of the Courts’Regional Administrative Director for the Northern/Central Region, and was Executive Officer of the Sacramento Superior Court.

Mark A. Weinberg is the Court Administrator for the Seventh Judicial Circuit in Daytona Beach, Florida. Prior to his current position, he was an administrator with the court in Maricopa County, Arizona. He holds a bachelor's degree in public administration from James Madison University and a master's degree in judicial administration from the University of Denver.

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Ready to Reopen: What You Should Be Thinking About Now

Almost all states have reopened, yet the future is still uncertain as COVID cases continue to climb and a vaccine appears unlikely before 2021. Courts are faced with an ever-growing array of challenges. Keeping employees, judicial staffs, litigants, and attorneys safe while reopening courthouses. Dealing with an ever-growing backlog of cases. Restarting court operations that ground to a halt months ago. Facing the possibility of enormous budget shortfalls. Solutions are scarce and the need for innovation has never been greater.

The panel discusses how courts will be dealing with employees who test positive for the virus after the office reopens; coordinating with justice partners such as the Clerk of Court; as well as handling jurors and defendants who refuse to enter the courthouse for fear of infection.

This Week's Guest Speakers

Angela S. "Angie" VanSchoick is the Court Administrator with the Town of Breckenridge Municipal Court. She is a licensed macro level social worker in the State of Colorado and Michigan, receiving her MSW from the University of Michigan in 2007. Her focus was on Policy, Evaluation, Community Organization, and Community Social Systems, which has provided her with a solid background to assist her Court and with the Colorado Association for Municipal Court Administration.

Mark A. Weinberg is the Court Administrator for the Seventh Judicial Circuit in Daytona Beach, Florida. Prior to his current position, he was an administrator with the court in Maricopa County, Arizona. He holds a bachelor's degree in public administration from James Madison University and a master's degree in judicial administration from the University of Denver.

Richard J. "Rick" Pierce is the Judicial Programs Administrator of the Judicial District Operations and Programs Department, at the Pennsylvania Administrative Office of the Courts. Prior to his current position, he was the district court administrator for Cumberland County. He graduated from Washington and Lee University, and received his Masters in Public Administration from Shippensburg University.

Elizabeth "Liz" Rambo is the Trial Court Administrator for Lane County Circuit Court in Eugene, Oregon. She graduated with high scholarship from Oregon State University with a BA in history and has an MBA from Portland State University.

Chris Gaddis has been the Court Administrator for the Superior Court of Washington for Pierce County for 4 years. Prior to working for the court, he served 20 years in law enforcement with the last four years as Chief of Police. Mr. Gaddis is the current President of the Association of Washington Superior Court Administrators. He is also a member of the Washington State Jury Diversity Task Force and the Washington State Supreme Court Minority and Justice Commission Public Trust and Confidence Committee.

Leave a question or comment about the episode at [email protected].

Managing the multigenerational workplace is more demanding today than ever before. Why is it now such a challenge? One reason: we are living and working longer. If you were born today, you could expect to live 79 years, that is 18 years longer than if you were born in 1935. Another reason: technology is changing our lives and the rate of that change is increasing. Once, just being a 30-year veteran of an organization made you a valued expert. Today, we are valued for our technical expertise in mastering artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and social media. Does assigning traits to the different generations help or hurt when managing the workplace? What insights do we have for today’s managers dealing with up to four generations working side-by-side? Zenell Brown, Alisa Shannon, Rene Armenta, and Kelly Hutton discuss what it means to oversee a court with so many different age groups working together.

This is an absorbing podcast episode for listeners curious about generational differences, managing the generations, courts, and court administration.

Leave a comment or question about the episode at [email protected].

Guest Speakers

As a Court Administrator, Zenell Brown has garnered respect for her ethical leadership and innovation. She has built her approach on three pillars: communication, leadership responsibility and accountability, and diversity and inclusion. She has shared her “Justice for All” leadership and organizational wisdom at local, state, and national level conferences for court managers and teams. Zenell continues to add to her current credentials of Juris Doctor (Wayne State University Law School), Public Service Administration Graduate Certificate (Central Michigan University), Court Administration Certificate (Michigan State University), and Certified Diversity Professional (National Diversity Council-DiversityFirst).

Rene Armenta was born and raised in Tucson, AZ, He graduated from Rincon High School and started his career with the courts in early February of 2019 at the Pima County Juvenile Courthouse, assisting both clients and court staff, directing them to their appointment, and providing assistance on court date information. Recently transitioning to the downtown Superior Courthouse as a Case Management Specialist assisting on the Family Law Bench, he assists in the efficiency of caseflow by processing court documents, ensuring court dates and times are correctly scheduled, assisting in scheduling Pro Tems and so much more.

Alisa Shannon has served as a civil servant for the past twenty plus years. She is the Deputy Court Administrator of the Third Judicial Circuit of Michigan - Criminal Division. In this role, Alisa oversees the management of the criminal case processing departments and works tirelessly to build strong relationships and help to administer criminal justice in a fair, professional, and efficient manner.

In addition to overseeing the operations of the Criminal Division, Alisa has led many court-wide leadership committees. As a trusted leader, she directed the state’s largest trial court through the Strategic Planning process. Much of her career success can be attributed to her ability to build relationships, create supportive environments, and advocate on behalf of others.

Alisa has earned a Master Certification in Business Leadership and Management, with a specific focus on Strategic Decision-making, Strategic Leadership, and Strategic Management from Michigan State University. She is a certified trainer in Restorative Practices and in the art of having Crucial Conversations. She served on several committees with the National Association of Pretrial Services Agencies, and most recently represents the court on the Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Board of the Michigan Diversity and Inclusion Council.

Our July Court Leader’s Advantage video podcast episode on courts and protest marches has garnered considerable interest. Over 300 viewers have accessed the episode. Among those who watched the episode was Norman Meyer, Retired Clerk of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of New Mexico, who wrote in two questions to ask about court employees, protest marches, our first amendment rights, and the NACM Model Code of Conduct. Norman joins the episode to ask his two questions.

About the Guest Speaker:

Norman Meyer retired after serving for 38 years as a court administrator in both the state and Federal systems. Most recently, he was Clerk of the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of New Mexico. He is a court administration expert after a 38 year career as a trial court administrator in the state and federal U.S. courts. He has written and spoken widely on judicial administration in the United States and abroad, and is currently writing a court management blog (https://courtleader.net/vantage-point) as a member of the nonprofit Court Leader coalition.

Elisa Chinn-Gary, is Clerk of Superior Court and Judge of Probate for Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. She obtained her B.A. from Winston Salem State University (magna cum laude) 1996; J.D. UNC School of Law 1999; M.A. in Social Work UNC 2000. Elisa was an Attorney Advocate for North Carolina's Guardian Ad Litem program from 1999 to 2002; Juvenile Defender for the Council for Children’s Rights (formerly Children’s Law Center) from 2000 to 2001; Administrator of the Mecklenburg Family Court from 2001 to 2015; and Adjunct Professor for the Charlotte School of Law from 2010 to 2015.

Sarah Brown-Clark is a 1971 cum laude graduate of Ohio University with a B.S. degree in English; she also earned her M.A. degree in English from Ohio University in 1972 and earned hours towards a Ph.D. in English from Kent State University. Currently Ms. Brown-Clark is the Clerk of the Youngstown Municipal Court, a position to which she was elected in November 1999. She is retired from Youngstown State University where she was an Associate Professor of English since 1972 and currently has Faculty Emeritus status.

Beth Baldwin has served as the Court Administrator for the Seattle Municipal Court since November, 2015. Before moving to Seattle, Beth worked for 15 years as the Court Administrator of the Fifth Judicial District of Iowa, a 16 county area including Polk County/Des Moines. Beth holds her law degree from the University of Minnesota, her MPA from the Ohio State University and her undergraduate degree from Northwestern University.

Tuesday, May 18, 2021 Court Leader’s Advantage Podcast Episode

International work can be challenging. It can also be very rewarding. No matter what, it is an adventure you will remember for the rest of your life. Have you thought about it? Wondered if it was for you? Where would you even go to get answers to your questions?

This month we are talking to folks who have served as consultants on rule of law assignments in countries across the globe. From Russia, to Vietnam, to the Pacific Islands, these panelists have seen it all. Now you will hear their stories first-hand. This episode will give you a taste of international work. We will also tell you about NACM’s own forum for people involved in international work and for those wanting to get involved: The NACM International Committee. In addition, you will learn about the National Center for State Court’s International Division and the outstanding work it is doing around the globe.

Today's Contributors

Michele Oken is a past president of NACM and has chaired the International Committee for the past seven years. In March of 2020, she retired from the Los Angeles Superior Court where she worked as a manager and court administrator for approximately 19 years.

Jeffrey Apperson is Vice President of the National Center for State Courts’ International Division. Jeff works all over the world to help courts establish and improve judicial administration. He directs dozens of programs in 25 or so nations at any given time. He has had leadership roles in projects in Mongolia, Iraq, Brazil, Nigeria and Trinidad and Tobago, to name just a handful. He co-founded the International Association for Court Administration,

Norman Meyer is a CourtLeader contributor with 38 years of experience as a trial court administrator in the U.S. federal and state courts. Norman has experience working with many foreign judiciaries, especially in the Russian Federation, Serbia, Ukraine, Moldova, and Albania. He received his M.S. in Judicial Administration from the University of Denver Sturm College of Law in 1979, and a B.A. in political science and Russian studies from the University of New Mexico, graduating in 1977.

Pam Harris is the first woman State Court Administrator for the Maryland Court System. In 1989, she was appointed as the first woman to hold the Court Administrator position for the Circuit Court for Montgomery County, Maryland. Pamela has been active in various rule-of-law initiatives in Argentina, Brazil, Russia, Sri Lanka, India, China, and the Ukraine.

Pamela Ryder-Lahey is a Court Management Consultant with 41 years’ experience and most recently Chief Executive Officer for the Supreme Court of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. Since 2000, she has been involved in Rule of Law and Court Reform projects in several countries including Russia, Ukraine, Vietnam, Albania, Jamaica, and Philippines.

John Cipperly is a Senior Program Manager with the International Division of the National Center for State Courts. John has more than 15 years of experience in the design and management of justice sector assistance programs for the U.S. Department of State, USAID, and other donors. He has developed or managed programs in Latin America, Africa, Europe, and Asia. John is a native English speaker and fluent in Spanish.

Janet Cornell court consultant with over 35 years of experiences with both general and limited jurisdiction courts. Janet is a founding and contributing member to www.courtleader.net. She has a Masters in Public Administration from Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, and is a Fellow of the Institute for Court Management along with certificates from the Leader Coach Institute, Scottsdale, AZ, and the Leadership Institute for Judicial Education.