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  • NASJE “Article Club” Hosted by Curriculum and Education Committee

    By Christine Christopherson, National Center for State Courts

    What do you get when you cross a book club and a conference call? A “callinar,” of course! It was our pleasure as the Curriculum and Education Committee to host the very first ever “callinar” for judicial branch educators on April 28, 2016. For our first article we discussed “Do You Suffer from Decision Fatigue?” by John Tierney, which focused on a very relevant topic that allowed us all to learn from one another.

    This callinar idea began with an article that Leigh Ferguson, NASJE member from Tennessee, first read shortly after taking her bar exam several years ago, and she said it has changed the way she approaches decision making. It sparked a conversation about how, as a committee, we might bring different types of learning opportunities to other judicial educators outside of the formal conference without asking already busy professionals to commit to too much additional work. The callinar seemed like a fun way to create a learning space that educators can really use to learn from one another and participate in a conversation. A wide variety of educators from across the country attended the inaugural 90-minute session, and to the committee’s delight, they actively participated and interacted during the session.

    Tony Simones prompted the discussion with the question, “Do you buy into it (the idea of decision fatigue)? The first time I read it I thought, here we go again another way to make excuses for bad behavior. What are your thoughts?” Many shared their concerns about skepticism, but once those were aired, the conversation turned to examples of this very phenomenon taking place throughout the courts. Some shared ways they themselves have suffered from decision fatigue, while others offered ways it may apply to people with whom they work. Some educators also mentioned the possible need for food at conferences or even on the bench in the afternoon in order to avoid decision fatigue in those settings. Another comment reflected the idea that harder decisions could also impact the level of fatigue. Hence, those making higher stakes decisions could suffer from a higher level of decision making fatigue.

    We wrapped-up the conversation with a question about the types of changes we can make in order to lessen the impacts of decision fatigue. Most educators agreed that they make the best decisions when they are feeling grounded, centered, and whole. Another participant shared some research about the biological factors that promote or detract from high performance. Another raised the issue of decision making and poverty — is poverty a trap? Does living in poverty impact the decisions people make? If so, what is the level of awareness of judicial officers in this regard, and how will that impact those we serve? Another great implication to consider.

    In the end, it was the consensus of the group that in order to make real impactful changes, there would need to be buy-in from the bench. The group discussed when might be the best time to schedule sessions that might challenge the status quo. Another discussed providing better types of food at meetings and conferences to encourage better decision making and active participation. Another suggested starting with other working groups such as line staff or court reporters. Participants provided some great suggestions for working towards opening others up to this idea and making changes to have a positive impact with regards to decision making in the courts.

    Overall, callinar participants enjoyed great conversation and appreciated the format. The committee will be hosting one more “callinar” on July 14th, 2016 based on the NASJE news article “#I am Fruitvale#: An Approach to Teaching Court Staff about Racism, Prejudice and Implicit Bias.” Stay tuned for further information and details.

    Christine ChristophersonChristine Christopherson has been an educator for about 25 years. She has worked in Adult Education since 2003, with experience teaching Community Education, GED courses, Parenting, Domestic Violence, and Criminal Thinking. Christine became the Judicial Branch Educator for the State of South Dakota in 2012, where she was the sole staff member in charge of coordinating, planning, implementing, and tracking all education programs for court staff and judges. In 2014 she and her family moved to Williamsburg, VA where she accepted a position as the Curriculum Developer for ICM, primarily charged with revising and updating courses along with conducting and developing faculty development programs. Currently, Christine serves as the Curriculum Development Manager for ICM. She is currently a member of the Fellows class of 2017.

  • Curriculum and Education Committee to Host Second “article club” Session

    The second “article club” is scheduled for Thursday, July 14 from 11:00 – 12:30 (PT), 12:00 – 1:30 (MT), 1:00-2:30 (CT) and 2:00 – 3:00 (ET).

    The April 28, 2016, “article club” was a success and now it is time for the second one. These “article club” style phone conferences were created to bring NASJE members together in conversations about topics of interest to judicial educators.

    The second article chosen by the committee is “#IAmFruitvale#: An Approach to Teaching Court Staff about Racism, Prejudice and Implicit Bias” by Matthew Estes and Nancy Smith. The article relates how these educators were inspired by the movie Fruitvale Station, how they set out to teach the class and the response they received. Their experience raises the larger issue of how judicial educators should address controversial subjects.

    Food for thought from the article . . . “Opinions vary widely as to whether racism exists, to what degree, and in what parts of the system.  It seems to be an apt topic for judicial educators to tackle as they seek to provide meaningful educational events for judicial branch employees at all levels.” “Can the topic be explored in a classroom setting to judicial branch employees without provoking anger and defensiveness?”

    This session will be held in a conference call format, and will be moderated by members of the committee. Space is limited. To register and receive the conference call access code information, please contact Anthony.Simones@courts.mo.gov.

  • Martha Martin, Florida Chief of Court Education, retires

    NASJE member Martha Martin, who served as the Chief of Court Education in Florida for 11 years, retired June 9, 2016.

    Martha began her career practicing oil and gas law in Oklahoma City. She came to Florida in 1999 to work as senior attorney in judicial education, and was named Chief of Court Education in 2005. Her contributions to NASJE include about five years as Secretary to the Association. She also served as a member of the Curriculum Committee, working hand in hand with Christie Tull, Karen Thorson and others to produce the NASJE curriculum designs. Faculty development has long been a special interest of Martha’s. Many thanks to Martha for her valuable contributions to NASJE!

    Martha plans to (finally) practice piano consistently in retirement, and she will endeavor to study Italian as well. While she may do some consulting, she wishes mainly to enjoy a more carefree lifestyle. She sends her best wishes to all her wonderful NASJE colleagues.

  • Open Space: The All Coffee Break Conference

    Empowering Learners to Control their Own Learning

    By Stephanie Hemmert

    When I began working at the Federal Judicial center ten years ago, I first heard of a learning conference concept called “open space.” You may have heard of it or even used it. It seemed so odd to me! Basically, learners come together with a predetermined, overarching topic for a specific amount of time with no specific agenda topics predefined at all. Some people call this an “unconference” or “open conference.”

    Until I first saw the open space concept in practice, I was confused and skeptical. Hundreds of people flying in from around the country for about two and a half days with absolutely NO initial agenda other than start and end times?! What? Then I saw the concept in action. I experienced how scores of agenda topics can be developed in real-time, how hundreds of people (I experienced group sizes from about 25 up to 650!) were enthusiastically engaged throughout the whole program, and how participants walked away with tangible benefits they immediately applied. I began facilitating individual sessions, and then for years I also facilitated participants creating the agenda. I find the process to be a complex, yet simple, educational work of art. It almost seems magical. I would describe it as such if I didn’t know that behind the seeming magic a number of things are actually put into place beforehand and specific concepts are followed during the event to ensure its success.

    For this write-up, I would like to share with you open space “ground rules,” some optimal conditions I’ve found to help it run smoothly and effectively, and a brief history behind it.

    Ground Rules
    I’ll focus on four ground rules or concepts:

    1. The “Law of Two Feet”
    2. “Whoever Comes is the Right People”
    3. “Whatever Happens is the Only Thing That Could Happen,” and
    4. “When It’s Over, It’s Over”

    Some people use slightly different phrases for the rules as you may find them slightly awkward and/or, let’s be honest, wacky sounding.

    1. “Law of Two Feet.” After the learners come together to build the agenda (more on this to follow), everyone receives a copy of it – showing which topics were scheduled where and when – and learners go to the topic session that interests them the most. Folks with something to give as well as something to gain are encouraged to attend a particular topic of interest to them. The idea of the law of two feet is that when a person feels he or she has nothing more to add or gain from the conversation, he or she moves on to another conversation topic. This may happen multiple times during sessions. The learner is in control. Nobody is offended when someone comes into a conversation later and facilitators do a great job of quickly recapping the highlights of the conversation for these latecomers. It is a constant, fluid process.
    2. “Whoever Comes is the Right People.” Whoever shows up to the individual session is meant to be there. Sometimes people lament over who is not present, but it doesn’t matter. Whoever did come to the session by definition has a vested interest in the discussion and there is information to be shared and discussed.
    3. “Whatever Happens is the Only Thing That Could Happen.” I have been in a session where after about five minutes the participants felt that they answered their questions and that no more needed to be said so everyone moved on to another session. It works! They solved their problems and got a chance to gain even more information from another session. Everyone wins. This concept overall is meant to focus participants on the here and now and not worry about what could’ve and should’ve been.
    4. “When It’s Over, It’s Over.” Similar to the previous rule, when the discussion has run its course, it is time to move on! There is no need to belabor anything and waste time. People take responsibility for their own learning.

    Optimal Conditions
    Participants ‘self-select’ their way into open space discussions, both to the overall learning and to the individual sessions. Once they are there, a critical way to help the learning process is to make people feel welcome and a part of the process and discussions. This applies during the agenda building, by encouraging people to contribute topics they are passionate about, and it also applies during the individual discussions with facilitators making everyone feel welcome and actively involved.

    During the agenda building process, when people nominate a topic, I have found it helpful to ask them to write it down on a fairly large piece of paper with a fat marker and hold it up to the group while announcing it. The person then visibly cements their commitment and passion for the topic and the group has the opportunity to meet the person making the suggestion. Having the topic written down also assists the person who is creating the agenda on the side, filling slots with topics. It may go without saying, but I’ve found it is also helpful to remind people that we strongly encourage the topic nominator to go to the discussion and to be there at least at the beginning.

    Once the topics are assigned to location and time slots it is very helpful to publish an electronic version of the agenda to which everyone has immediate access. A paper agenda is also possible, but it means there is a little more downtime with printing and copying before the first session can begin.

    Though not critical, I’ve found assigning facilitators to each session enhances the learning. Facilitators play a major part in moving the discussion along, focusing on encouraging a variety of participants to speak, making each person feel involved in the discussion, quickly recapping major discussion points as new participants join in, and writing major points or bits of learning information (such as a contact name/number) on a flip chart. I have run “Facilitator Refresh” sessions prior to the open space to review basic facilitation concepts, emphasizing specific points such as not being a subject matter expert and highlighting open space concepts such as implications of the Law of Two Feet. With Facilitator Refresh sessions, I like to use the analogy of an orchestra conductor who is inviting music (discussion) to be played from all of the different instruments (participants) in the orchestra (room), keeping the music going until it’s over.

    Having participants sit in a “U” or semi-circle during the individual sessions (and during the agenda creation, if feasible) works best for sharing knowledge and ideas.

    It is helpful to have a note taker assigned to each session to write down key points from the discussion. These can be shared with participants later, and even with people who did not attend the open space. Another aspect that facilitators can help out with is asking and reminding participants to say their name/location each time they speak. This helps the note taker as well as helping the people in the room get to know one another.

    For a multi-day open space conference, I’ve found that reconvening all the participants to regroup and have additional agenda building sessions works well so that the group builds the agenda in segments. As open space progresses participants’ passions widen, curiosities spark, and people have additional questions and think of additional topics. Keep in mind that open space sessions don’t have to be multi-day events. I’ve led open space sessions that last an afternoon, or even just a few hours.

    History
    I cannot talk about open space without giving kudos to Harrison Owen, who first discovered the concept. (He rejects having “invented” it.) Before Owen designed open space, he described how he used to organize and run conferences, and people would comment that the most valuable time they had and where they would gain the most, was from the discussions they had with other participants at a break, over coffee. Sound familiar to anyone? So he set out to design a conference that was all coffee break, so to speak. Brilliant!

    Here’s a great quote by him.

    Open Space runs on two fundamentals: passion and responsibility. Passion engages the people in the room. Responsibility ensures things get done. A focusing theme or question provides the framework for the event. The art of the question lies in saying just enough to evoke attention, while leaving sufficient open space for the imagination to run wild. —Harrison Owen

    I also would be remiss if I didn’t give deep hat tips to my former boss, Judy Roberts, and colleague, Bob Fagan, who introduced me to open space and modeled the key aspects that make it work.

    Please see below for related additional reading on open space. If you have any questions or comments, please contact me at shemmert@fjc.gov.

    References
    Owen, Harrison. “Opening Space for Emerging Order.” Open Space World. n.p. n.d. Web. 25, May, 2016.

    Deutsch, Claudia H. “Round-Table Meetings with No Agendas, No Tables.” The New York Times. The New York Times. 5, June, 1994. Web. 26, May, 2016.

    Stephanie HemmertStephanie Hemmert, a Senior Judicial Education Attorney, works with the Federal Judicial Center, a judicial branch agency whose primary mission is education and research for the federal courts. Prior to law school, Stephanie worked in the insurance industry in underwriting and training capacities. All views expressed are her own.

  • Missouri’s Judicial Education Programs Building on Each Other: The Missouri Court Management Institute And the Judicial Leadership Summit

    By Dr. Anthony Simones

    We’ve all been there. You go to an educational program and leave filled with the energy of the experience and with every intention of applying what you have learned to your professional life. As time passes, though, the magic fades, the routine of everyday life takes over, and all too soon you are left with just a vague memory of a pleasant experience.

    Missouri is hoping to break out of that pattern with one of its signature judicial education programs: the Missouri Court Management Institute (MCMI).

    MOJLSCreated in 2012 in conjunction with the National Center for State Court’s Institute for Court Management, MCMI brings together judges, clerks, administrators and juvenile officers six times a year to explore the purposes and responsibilities of courts, measurement of court performance, case flow management, and managing technology projects, judicial finances and human resources. Over one hundred individuals from the courts have participated in MCMI.

    A narrow view of the purpose of MCMI is that it educates participants about these important areas and their impact upon the courts. However, larger lessons have emerged as the program has developed. An awareness of the importance of individuals from different parts of the judiciary coming together, exchanging ideas and learning from each other. The need for all parts of the courts to be considered in identifying strategies for the most effective operation of the judiciary. The necessity of considering a wide range of factors and concerns in order for the courts to be at their best.

    An even broader view of the impact of MCMI, however, was exhibited and demonstrated in the planning and presentation of Missouri’s 2016 Judicial Leadership Summit (JLS). A program conceived and sponsored by the Supreme Court of Missouri and the Office of State Courts Administrator, the JLS was designed to bring together leaders from the different parts of the judiciary to address issues of significance to the courts.

    On April 21-22, over one hundred and fifty people attended the JLS that included members of the Supreme Court of Missouri, as well as presiding judges, court administrators, circuit clerks and chief juvenile officers from around the state. Among the topics discussed were the implications of Ferguson, creating an effective workplace environment in the courthouse, the ethical use of technology, the creation and operation of treatment courts, interacting with self-represented litigants, future technology currently being developed for the courts and the effects of vicarious trauma on court personnel.

    From the perspective of judicial education, one of the most meaningful aspects of the JLS was its many links to MCMI. Of the dozen members on the JLS planning committee, most had been MCMI trained. The experience of going through MCMI enhanced the ability of the planners to collaborate, setting goals and working together to accomplish those objectives. Six of the JLS faculty members had ties to MCMI. Over a third of the 156 JLS participants had participated in MCMI. These numbers demonstrate a significant connection between the two programs.

    However, it is not just a matter of numbers. The people who planned, taught and attended the JLS strengthened the message that is the driving force of MCMI: the success of the courts depends on so much more than just moving cases. Both the JLS and MCMI focused on topics that equip courts to thrive in the complex environments in which they operate and empower individuals in the courts to most effectively serve the cause of justice. As noted by Missouri Court of Appeals Judge Gary Lynch, a member of the faculty for both MCMI and JLS, “Our highest calling is to do justice in every individual case that comes before us and the synergy created by the interplay between MCMI and the JLS moves us much closer to fulfilling that call than either individually could.”

    Whether the focus is on numbers or philosophy, it is undeniable that the impact of MCMI was significantly leveraged to improve the Missouri judiciary through the JLS. This is more than a single success story. It is evidence that programs can and should build upon and reinforce each other. More importantly, it illustrates that judicial education programs can help to create and perpetuate a culture that encourages the courts, and those that serve the courts, to work collaboratively and to search for innovative solutions to the challenges they confront.

    ***
    By Anthony Simones, JD, PhDAnthony Simones has been the Manager of Judicial Education in Missouri for almost five years. Holding a JD and PhD from the University of Tennessee, Dr. Simones has been a professor of government, law and criminology at Missouri State University, Columbia College, and Dalton State College. He is the recipient of the Missouri Governor’s Award for Teaching Excellence and is a three-time nominee for the Carnegie Foundation’s United States Professor of the Year. Since becoming judicial education manager, he has been recognized by the National Center for State Courts as a Certified Court Manager, awarded the Chief Justice of Missouri's Judicial Civics Award and has served on the Board of Directors of NASJE since 2014.

  • NASJE President Margaret Allen accepts new position

    Margaret Allen
    Margaret Allen

    Congratulations to Margaret Allen, NASJE President, who has accepted the position of Director of National Programs at the National Center for State Courts Institute for Court Management.  In her new role, she will collaborate with existing and new partners to deliver ICM education offerings around the country, including the Court Management Program courses, online courses, and other standalone programs that can be customized for your setting.  Other projects will include a role in updating the CMP courses, creating new course offerings, and continuing to provide assistance to partner states, Consortium states, licensees and others. Margaret’s tentative start date is June 13, 2016. She looks forward to the challenges of her new job, and plans to move to Williamsburg with her family over the summer.

  • E-Learning: Just in Time, On Demand, and On the Go!

    Western Region Hosts Webinar on June 16

    NASJE members, are you ready for 21st century e-learning? With suggestions for new technologies and delivery methods popping into every educator’s inbox every day, the challenges of keeping up can be overwhelming! Join Western Region educators Gavin Lane of California and Joseph Sawyer of the National Judicial College as they identify the latest and most persistent trends in distance education and policy implications for this rapidly changing world.

    Gavin and Joseph will help learners understand the relationships between learning outcomes and objectives, learning modalities, and online activities with respect to effective e-learning design and describe effective practices and lessons learned from their distance education experiences. As a bonus, you will learn how e-learning methodologies apply to Kolb’s Circle of Learning.

    This Webinar is open to all current NASJE members. Join us for this exciting event on Thursday, June 16 at 10:00 AM Pacific Time. Registration information will arrive in your inbox soon. For more information, contact Western Region Director Nancy Smith.

  • Insider’s View: Reflections on the Training 2016 Conference

    By Stephanie Hemmert

    This past February, I had the privilege of attending and teaching at the Training 2016 Conference, which was held in Orlando, Florida by the Training Magazine Network. This was the first time I had attended this conference. This article includes some of my reflections on the meeting.

    Training Magazine Network sent out a call for presenters in spring 2015, which caught my eye. I had seen a similar call a few years prior and had intended to submit something, but ended up being outrun by time. This go around I decided to try for it. I had a class in mind (“Identifying and Reducing Decision Making Biases”) that I’ve taught around the country to mostly court staff and some judges for a number of years now and felt the content and design were well honed. The submission deadline was mid-June. Much to my delight, at the end of July I received an invitation to teach my session at what they called a “hands on clinic.” By being a presenter, Training Magazine then waived the registration fee for me to attend the three-day conference. I was psyched, and after clearing it with my agency, I was ready to go!

    The conference structure I found rather typical. It offered preconference certification programs, there were plenary keynote speakers, well over a hundred breakout sessions, “future forums,” dinner roundtables, “town halls,” and a large expo. Participants hailed from over 1,000 different organizations. I suspect most were from private companies, though there were non-profit and government entities represented as well.

    Something I had never seen before at an educational conference is that they had a live band in the plenary room that played right before and after the keynote sessions. They played very well, but they were loud. LOUD! So very loud it was difficult to hear the person sitting next to me speak. (I must be getting old!) So what they gained in getting the participants’ energies psyched up, they may have lost in participants individually connecting with each other. Nevertheless, the music was rockin’!

    The keynote sessions were neuroscientist and engineer Greg Gage of Backyard Brains; “The Gentleman Thief” Apollo Robbins; Jay Shuster, Production Designer at Pixar on “Behind the Scenes at Pixar”; and Welby Altidor, Executive Creative Director at Cirque du Soleil on “Creative Courage.” They each spoke for 45 minutes and I thought it was interesting that the conference billed two on each day, right after one another with a very quick break in between. (Greg Gage and Apollo Robbins back to back and then Jay Shuster and Welby Altidor back to back.) One of the biggest nuggets I enjoyed from the keynotes was Jay talking about “failing forward” and how learning happens in so called mistakes. Good stuff!

    It was a challenge to pick breakout sessions to attend! They were mostly only offered once and the conference had about 15 sessions running concurrently. Talk about pressure! It was exciting, though, to have such an array of choices. The sessions I chose included “Experiential Micro Learning: Aligning Content across Multiple Levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy;” “Competencies, and Competency Modeling Done Right;” “Aspire to be a Positive Deviant;” and “Using Brain Science to Improve Learning Design.” I particularly gained a lot from the Brain Science/Learning Design session, which was led by Art Kohn, a cognitive neuroscientist who focused on specific ways to present information that maximize learning and memory. I loved Art’s emphasis on the trainer’s responsibility for providing context to learners and for providing boosts afterwards to cement the learning and encourage behavior change.

    If you are curious about the sessions, materials from the conference are posted here. I encourage you to poke around! If you are curious about the conference in general, I encourage you to read reactions and posts from the conference through the Twitter feed.

    As for my session, it was so much fun leading it! I had a small group of 18 participants. I am proud to say each one was engaged. We had a great dialogue and the participants embraced the interactivity. I think I gained almost 18 new “LinkedIn” friends, too.

    The 2017 conference will be January 30 through February 1 in San Diego. If you are thinking you would love to attend and possibly teach, I recommend registering on the Training Magazine Network website, to become a member and sign up for their email notifications. If you submit a proposal, let me know how it goes! You will also find out about the vast number of free, periodic webinars they offer through regular email messages. If you can’t attend a webinar live, they often give you the option of viewing the archive at a later time.

    Stephanie HemmertStephanie Hemmert, a Senior Judicial Education Attorney, works with the Federal Judicial Center, a judicial branch agency whose primary mission is education and research for the federal courts. Prior to law school, Stephanie worked in the insurance industry in underwriting and training capacities. All views expressed are her own.

  • Diversity, Fairness, and Access: A 21st Century Curriculum

    By Michael Roosevelt, Senior Analyst and Judicial Educator, Criminal Justice Services, Judicial Council of California

    Michael Roosevelt
    Michael Roosevelt

    Last year, the Education and Curriculum Committee along with the Diversity, Access, and Fairness Committee, released its newest curriculum design, The Journey toward Diversity, Fairness, and Access through Education, which is a roadmap for judicial educators and practitioners wishing to develop or integrate fairness and bias related topics. Early curriculum adopters have lauded it.

    However, to more widely disseminate the curriculum, my co-faculty Karen Thorson, Consultant and former director of the Center for Judicial Education and Research for the Judicial Council of California and I introduced the membership to the curriculum in a plenary session, “NASJE’s Newest Curriculum: Diversity, Fairness, and Access”, during the 2015 NASJE Annual Conference in Seattle, Washington. The content of the curriculum design addresses fairness issues relevant to the work of judicial branch educators.  The design prompts consideration of each educator’s own actions with regards to diversity, access and fairness, as well as their management of fairness courses for judges and court personnel.  The goals of the session as described in the NASJE Conference program were as follows:

    This plenary session has two purposes. The first is to engage judicial branch educators in an experiential learning situation to transform their perspectives and professional actions regarding diversity, fairness, and access. The second is to directly connect them to the real-world uses and practical application of NASJE’s recently adopted curriculum design on diversity, fairness, and access, which is the basis for the learning situation.

    Rather than proceed methodically through each section of the design, an unsatisfying approach at best, we selected key content areas suitable for the size of the group and the time available. We frequently had judicial branch educators reference the curriculum design to make connections between selected content and delivery method. For example, before discussing bias (content), participants were asked to participate in a brief table group (delivery method) exercise requiring them to share an experience of being treated unfairly (connection).

    Additionally, we encouraged participants to connect the curriculum content to the practical world inhabited by judicial educators. For example, one thing judicial educators must do is recruit faculty from diverse backgrounds. Rather than simply discuss how to select diverse faculty (content) for access, fairness and diversity courses, we modeled it: I’m African American and my co-faculty white.  While we acknowledge that the availability of diverse faculty varies by state, judicial educators should, whenever possible, identify and recruit diverse faculty.

    We hope, in the future, to deliver the diversity, fairness, and access content from the curriculum design as a webinar and reach those who were not able to join us in Seattle. Look for the webinar in 2016.

  • From the President (Spring 2016)

    By Margaret Allen

    Margaret Allen
    NASJE President Margaret Allen

    Colleagues, I hope this message finds you very well. In this edition of “From the President”, I’ll share an overview of the many activities undertaken by our association since January.

    Board Activities

    Midyear Meeting. The NASJE Board of Directors met in Austin, Texas on January 25-26 and were graciously hosted by NASJE member Mark Atkinson and his staff at the Texas Center for the Judiciary.

    Topics of discussion included:

    • Consideration of the Strategic Planning Document and identification of ways to achieve short-term goals related to increasing membership, raising NASJE’s profile and enhancing benefits of NASJE membership
    • Examination of the Curriculum Use Plan and discussion of methods to make it an even more accessible resource for members and others. Click here to view the Curriculum Use Plan easy reference guide distributed at the October 2015 NASJE Annual Conference.
    • Review of NASJE’s budget and investments. Thanks to the meticulous work of Treasurer Jeff Schrade and Merry Hofford before him, NASJE is in excellent shape financially.
    • In addition to conducting Board business, we also had the pleasure of seeing several NASJE members and partners in Austin:
      • Hope Lochridge, Executive Director, and Ryan Turner, General Counsel and Director of Education, both of the Texas Municipal Courts Education Center.
      • Dottie McDonald from Smart Start, Inc.
      • Scott Griffith, President-Elect of the National Association for Court Management (NACM) and Director of Research and Court Services, and David Slayton, NACM Past President and Texas State Court Administrator, joined us for lunch. Mr. Slayton was kind enough to give us a tour of the Texas Capital and the Administrative Office of the Courts, including both courts of last resort in Texas. See the Facebook page soon for photos from the tour.

    Virtual Meetings for State Directors and Past Presidents. Look for an email soon to schedule virtual meetings for each of these groups. Time has been allotted on Sunday, September 25 for sessions at the annual conference as well.

    NASJE Goes Behind the Camera. The Board of Directors is leading an initiative to create videos for prospective members and new members and invites your photographs or videos of courses, your office space or of you and your colleagues. Also invited are short videos and/or audio clips about the work of judicial branch educators and what it means to us, as well as the benefits you enjoy as a NASJE member. Please send submissions to margaret.allen@sc.ohio.gov with the subject line “NASJE Video Project”.

    Committee Corner: NASJE committees are active year-round, and it is never too late to join. Click here to see a list of committees with contact information for committee chairs, and click here to see a calendar of committee meetings.

    Save the Dates! NASJE has many learning opportunities in the works for 2016. Check the calendar for more details. Emails will be sent to members from nasje@ncsc.org with links and phone numbers to join each event.

    • Look for webinars planned by NASJE’s regional directors in May, June, and August, and “Articlub” (think of a book club format, but discussing an article) conference calls in April and July. Dates and times TBA, but most will fall during the fourth week of the month. These webinars are just one of the valuable benefits of NASJE membership.
    • September 25-28: NASJE Annual Conference, Burlington, Vermont. “Changing Perspectives in Judicial Branch Education: Re-Engage, Rethink, Renew”. More information and registration materials will be available by May.
      • Have a colleague who develops education at the local level? Let them know how much you benefit from being a NASJE member!

    NASJE Partners. I greatly enjoyed the opportunity to meet chief justices from around the country at the Conference of Chief Justices (CCJ) Midyear Meeting in early February. Pictured below are NASJE Past President John Meeks (Vice President, ICM), NASJE President Margaret Allen, and CCJ President Chief Justice Gilbertson at the conference.

    CCJ

    Education topics included same-sex marriage, an update on the Civil Justice Initiative and a session on the 2015 book, Reimagining Courts: A Design for the 21st Century.

    Our colleagues at the National Association for Court Management (NACM) highlighted a new resource at their February Midyear Conference – the curriculum designs based on the NACM Core, the thirteen competency areas identified in the refresh of the NACM Core Competencies created in the 1990s. In the planning stages is a joint webinar with NACM to introduce the resource to NASJE and NACM members (target month is May 2016).

    The NACM Midyear Conference theme, “Extending Out from the Core: The Profession in Practice” provided a canvas on which to present practical sessions on topics such as procedural justice, the role of perceptions in communication, employee engagement, pretrial justice reform and others. Click here to view conference materials. For videos of selected sessions, click here.

    CCJ President Chief Justice Gilbertson (SD) opened the CCJ Midyear Meeting with the observation that “none of our jobs are getting easier, and for that reason education is essential”. I couldn’t agree more, and on behalf of the NASJE Board of Directors, I thank you for your efforts to advance the administration of justice through excellence in judicial branch education.

    Contact me or any member of the Board with questions, ideas or comments about how your NASJE membership can be a greater professional benefit for you. We look forward to connecting with you at an upcoming NASJE webinar, a committee meeting, on the Judicial Educators Facebook page, our LinkedIn group, the list serve, or by email or telephone.

    All the best to you, and I wish you a wonderful spring!

    Margaret R. Allen, President, NASJE
    614.387.9464
    margaret.allen@sc.ohio.gov