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What’s the “J” got to do with it?

For my first letter from the president, I feel it is important to negate a common misconception about our organization. I heard most recently someone describing me as, “she no longer does judicial education.” Interesting, I thought, then what do I do? Granted, I moved from Judges Education to Employee Education and Development in 2015, thereby expanding my audience type from approximately 180 constitutional officers to approximately 4000 Judicial Branch employees. However, I, as most of us, began my career in the law and then in education of the law. Subsequently, I migrated to what I now understand to be some form of legal education, having an impact on the courts or judicial overall. However, I still have no idea what “Judicial Education” means and I guess this is where the misconception starts. So I asked. According to Merriam-Webster, “the word [Judicial Education] you’ve entered isn’t in the dictionary.”

So I ask again, what is it that I have been doing all these years?

I’ll start with the basics. Merriam-Webster states that, “the term ‘judiciary’ is also used to refer collectively to the personnel, such as judges, magistrates and other adjudicators, who form the core of a judiciary (sometimes referred to as a ‘bench’), as well as the [staffs] employees who keep the system running smoothly. In some countries and jurisdictions, the judicial branch is expanded to include additional public legal professionals and institutions such as prosecutors, state lawyers, ombudsmen, public notaries, judicial police service and legal aid officers.”

So, it seems, if given that definition of judiciary, according to Merriam-Webster, anyone in the business of educating not only the “bench”, but also judicial employees, i.e. “[staffs] employees who keep the system running smoothly,” would be considered judicial educators. Additionally, if I read further on, anyone in the business of educating “additional public legal professionals and institutions such as prosecutors, state lawyers, ombudsmen, public notaries, judicial police service and legal aid officers,” should also be considered judicial educators. Thus, the expansion of education of the judiciary also would expand our role as judicial educators. So, how does this fit with the organization and who, then, should be included in our organization? As we are all familiar with, “the National Association of State Judicial Educators (NASJE) … strives to improve the justice system through judicial branch education. (emphasis added). NASJE is a leader in defining the practice of judicial branch education and in gathering and sharing resources among educators.” Therefore, by definition NASJE includes all judicial branch education / educators. Paired with Merriam-Webster’s definition above, we have expanded exponentially “to include additional public legal professionals and institutions such as prosecutors, state lawyers, ombudsmen, public notaries, judicial police service and legal aid officers,” as those individuals or organizations we serve in the role of educator.

To quote Dr. Anthony Simones, the 2018-2019 president, “what a special profession we are a part of!” The inclusive nature of our jobs affords us the opportunity to have a large impact on the legal system overall, and makes us uniquely poised to expand our audience types accordingly. The National Center for State Courts in their summary document on Institute for Faculty Excellence in Judicial Education states that “Judicial education plays an important role in the healthy functioning of a state’s judicial system by providing opportunities for knowledge and skills development as well as enhancing personal and professional growth.” We are so impactful, less we forget, as we move through the many offices of the judiciary, that each of us in our work as judicial educators, whatever that title represents to you, have made and continue to make a meaningful difference in the administration of justice.

With this shift in title and definition in mind, I challenge each of us this year to develop a new normal, a better definition, a larger perception of what we do, resulting in a more inclusive membership. It will be a shift in culture, and for some, the shift will be difficult for others seamless but for all of us it is necessary. Judicial Education has evolved and with the progression of our profession comes a philosophical change. Our jobs and our role in NASJE is much more expansive, so, my friends, let’s keep growing!

In conclusion, I thank you for all that you do and remain honored to be a judicial educator. The gratitude I feel in being part of this amazingly talented group of educators is overwhelming. Finally, I am extremely humbled to have been chosen as your president and I look forward to the next eleven months and beyond.

Together, we can change this misconception and create a new culture of Judicial Education.

For my final presidential message, I am going to focus on gratitude. Never have I been more aware of the fact that great things do not happen with a single person acting alone. To those who helped me through this year, I bestow upon you my gratitude.

First, I want to publicly acknowledge the special group of individuals on the NASJE Board of Directors I have been able to work with over the past year:

• Lee Ann Barnhardt, my friend and mentor, the person who taught me how to be an effective judicial educator, who has been there for me at every stage of my journey;
• Janice Calvi, different from me in so many ways, but my touchstone-the amazing person who gets so much accomplished behind the scenes and without seeking to grab the spotlight;
• Nancy Smith, my fellow swimmer, the brilliant analyst who has been a treasure trove of careful thought, wise counsel, witty observations and wonderful support;
• Jeff Schrade, the nicest guy I know and the “answer man,” the person whose judgment guides our financial decisions and whose common sense forms the foundation of our approach to almost every problem;
• Ileen Gerstenberger, who has impressed me ever since she taught the Foundations of the Profession course at my first conference, who responded affirmatively when I asked her to come and be a part of history;
• Jessica Foreman, the wonderful, eclectic hipster genius who came out of nowhere to mastermind the Austin conference and affect us all in so many ways;
• Crystal Banks, someone who likes to laugh almost as much as I do, a giant of the profession who answered the call when I needed someone to take over the Northeastern Director position in mid-stream;
• Todd Brower, a true Renaissance Man whose accomplishments and credentials are matched only by his commitment to others and his desire to bring justice to the world;
• Dan Rettig, the one whose quips and smirks cannot obscure how much he cares and how committed he is to being there for the people who depend upon him.

Thank you all. The accomplishments of the past year are attributable to your creativity, tirelessness, insight and support.

In addition, I want to acknowledge the group of individuals I asked to be co-chairs of committees. I know from experience that running a committee takes strategic thinking, organizational skills, the capacity to interact effectively with others, a commitment to getting things done and pushing through exhaustion to make things happen. Thus, I want to commend:

• Katheryn Yetter and Elizabeth Watkins-Price, who responded beautifully to my challenge to make the Futures Committee a major player in moving NASJE forward;
• Claudia Fernandes and Caroline Kirkpatrick, whose leadership of the Fundraising Committee created an effective path toward one of our most important endeavors, the NASJE conference;
• Lynne Alexander and Nancy Smith, whose work on the Communications Committee made our online presence consistently excellent;
• Jennifer Juhler and Dana Bartocci, the team from the Midwest who provided impressive leadership for the Diversity, Fairness and Access Committee;
• Lee Ann Barnhardt and Sara Dahl, whose leadership of the Membership and Mentor Committee produced essential information through the survey of NASJE members;
• Thea Whalen and Janice Calvi, who took over a committee that matters very much to me and made the Education and Curriculum Committee better than ever.
• Jennifer Mendoza chaired the Conference Planning Committee. A long line of impressive people have held that position in the past. They all marveled at the skills Jennifer exhibited in planning the upcoming conference.

I would also like to thank all the NASJE members I approached about joining specific committees and applying their considerable talents in particular areas. I made committees a priority in my presidency and the dozens of people to whom I reached out were an essential part of making this a successful endeavor.

I want to thank Lee Ann Barnhardt, Margaret Allen and Kelly Tait for being a mentor to me as I pursued this path in NASJE. I want to thank the past presidents I reached out to on a regular basis over the past year. I want to thank Janice Calvi for being a constant source of advice and support.

And I want to thank all of you who have contacted me with notes of support and encouragement. It made a difference.

I am grateful for this extraordinary opportunity and this remarkable organization.