LINKING SYSTEMS OF CARE - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Program Specialist
- NCJFCJ Staff Liaison
Job Titles:
- Member of the Diversity Committee
- Advisory Member / Washington, DC
Job Titles:
- Member of the Audit Committee
- Member of the Finance Committee
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- Program Director, Family Violence and Domestic Relations
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- Member of the Court Management Committee
- Member of the Membership Committee
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- Senior Data Scientist, National Center for Juvenile Justice
Job Titles:
- Member of the Diversity Committee
- Advisory Member / Cody, WY
Job Titles:
- Member of the Diversity Committee
- Judge Shermela Williams / Atlanta, GA
Job Titles:
- Member of the International Committee
Job Titles:
- Member of the Curriculum Committee
Job Titles:
- Member of the Diversity Committee
- Advisory Member
Job Titles:
- Senior Research Associate, National Center for Juvenile Justice
Job Titles:
- Member of the Court Management Committee
Job Titles:
- Member of the Military Committee
- NCJFCJ Staff Liaison
- Program Director, Juvenile Justice
Job Titles:
- Communications and Engagement Specialist
Job Titles:
- Program Director, Legal and State Initiatives
Job Titles:
- Member of the Development Committee
- Member of the Finance Committee
- Member of the International Committee
- Member of the Legislative Committee
- Board Director, National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges
Don Gimbel has more than 45 years of experience working in financial strategy, global assets, and investment management. Gimbel began his career at Loeb Rhoades & Co. and was the first U.S. stockbroker to specialize in developing clientele in Australia and New Zealand. Throughout his extensive career history, Gimbel has managed high net worth and global pension accounts, and marketing global products including equities, fixed incomes, and balanced portfolios.
In 2000, Gimbel combined his global assessment management company to add global investing to the money managing company, Carret Asset Management, and served as their senior managing director until 2013. Since then, Gimbel has been the senior vice president of CIBC Private Wealth Management and has built research and marketing teams for its global fund products.
Gimbel's experience extends to community outreach and philanthropic efforts. He served as director and vice-chairman of the National CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) Association for seven years. Gimbel is currently a board member for the Shane Lalani Center of the Arts, treasurer of St. Andrew's Episcopal Church, and a member of various economic development organizations in Livingston, Mont. He also attended the Foreign Service School at Georgetown University.
Job Titles:
- NCJFCJ Staff Liaison
- Program Director, Behavioral Health
Job Titles:
- Member of the Military Committee
Job Titles:
- Member of the Diversity Committee
- Member of the International Committee
Job Titles:
- Member of the Curriculum Committee
- Member of the International Committee
Job Titles:
- Member of the Curriculum Development Committee
- Advisory Member / Reno, NV
Job Titles:
- Director, National Center for Juvenile Justice
Job Titles:
- Member of the Military Committee
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- Member of the Diversity Committee
- Advisory Member / Williamsburg, VA
Job Titles:
- Member of the Court Management Committee
- Vice Chair / Wilmington, DE
Job Titles:
- Research Analyst, National Center for Juvenile Justice
Job Titles:
- Member of the Curriculum Development Committee
- Senior Planning Specialist
Job Titles:
- Member of the Diversity Committee
- Member of the Legislative Committee
- Advisory Member / Canton, OH
Job Titles:
- Senior Research Associate
Job Titles:
- Data Scientist, National Center for Juvenile Justic
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- Computer Programmer, National Center for Juvenile Justice
Job Titles:
- Member of the Court Management Committee
Job Titles:
- Chief Executive Officer
- Member of the Development Committee
- Member of the Legislative Committee
Job Titles:
- Member of the Audit Committee
Job Titles:
- Member of the Legislative Committee
Job Titles:
- Judge
- Member of the International Committee
Job Titles:
- Chairman of the Finance Committee
- Judge
- Member of the Diversity Committee
- Member of the Legislative Committee
- Treasurer
- Chairman / Augusta, GA
- Treasurer of the NCJFCJ
- Treasurer, National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges
Judge Amanda Heath is the Treasurer of the NCJFCJ. Judge Wenona C. Belton (Ret.) of Atlanta was a Board Director of the NCJFCJ. Judge Warner Kennon of Columbus was a Board Director of the NCJFCJ. Judge R. Michael Key of LaGrange and Judge Peggy H. Walker of Douglasville are NCJFCJ Past Presidents.
The Honorable Amanda N. Heath is a Superior Court Judge in the Augusta Judicial Circuit. Her jurisdiction covers Burke and Richmond counties and she presides over civil, domestic, and felony criminal cases. Judge Heath was appointed by Governor Brian P. Kemp on October 13, 2021, and was elected by her community in 2022 to continue her service on the Superior Court bench. At the time of her election, Judge Heath was the first African American woman to be elected as a Superior Court Judge in the Augusta Circuit's 152-year history. Judge Heath is currently the only African American Superior Court Judge and is the youngest judge in the Augusta Judicial Circuit. Prior to elevating to the Superior Court bench, Judge Heath served as a juvenile court judge for five years, and was the first African American woman to serve in that position.
As a juvenile court judge, Judge Heath was innovative as she administered justice from the bench. Her goal was to hold children accountable for their actions - not to hold them hostage. In addition, she ensured that families were connected with community resources to reduce the need for child protective services involvement and promote safe and stable families. Judge Heath is passionate about developing and implementing trauma-informed practices to adjudicate cases involving youth who are at high risk or have been exploited through human sex trafficking.
Judge Heath was previously a solo practitioner with a focus on civil, criminal, and family law. Prior to opening her law practice, Judge Heath prosecuted violent felonies as an assistant district attorney and argued successfully before the Georgia Supreme Court. She also served as the lead prosecutor for Drug Court, Mental Health Court and Veterans Court. Her family taught her "to whom much is given, much will be required" and to take every opportunity to give back to the community through service.
Judge Heath is a graduate of Hampton University and received her Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology, summa cum laude, in 2007. She is also a graduate of Hampton's Freddye T. Davy Honors College and is an alumna of the concert choir. In 2017, Judge Heath was inducted into Hampton's Top Forty Under Forty Society.
Judge Heath went on to attend law school at Mercer University and received her Juris Doctor degree in 2010 with a Certificate in advanced legal writing, research, and drafting. In addition, she received the Dean's Award for Distinguished Service. She participated in Mercer's Habeas Clinic and was inducted into the Order of Barristers. Judge Heath volunteered as a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) and with the Georgia Supreme Court Committee on Access and Fairness in the Courts. Further, she is a previous Mercer Public Interest Fellow, Georgia Legal Services Dan Bradley Fellow, Gate City Bar Scholar, and Otis Redding Scholar.
Judge Heath serves on the Georgia Supreme Court Committee for Justice for Children and is a graduate of Leadership Georgia. Judge Heath was elected in 2023 by the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges to serve on the board of directors in the position of treasurer. Also, Judge Heath was elected as the first woman and first African American to represent Augusta on the Board of Governors for the State Bar of Georgia. Judge Heath serves on the National Bar Association Judicial Council Executive Committee and the National Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA)/Guardian ad Litem Association for Children Judicial Leadership Council. In 2022 Judge Heath received the Georgia CASA Champion Award.
Judge Heath is a Superior Court Judge in the Augusta Judicial Circuit. She was the first African American woman to be elected as a Superior Court Judge in the Augusta Circuit's history, and is currently the only African American Superior Court Judge.
Job Titles:
- Judge
- Advisory Member / Montpelier, VT
Job Titles:
- Board Director
- Chairman of the Governance Committee
- Judge
- Member of the International Committee
- Member of the Membership Committee
- Vice Chair of the Membership Committee
- Chairman / Logan, UT
- Vice Chair / Logan, UT
Job Titles:
- Judge
- Member of the CWJL Advisory Committee
- Member of the Diversity Committee
- Member of the Legislative Committee
- Member of the Membership Committee
- Advisory Member / Houston, TX
- Chairman / Houston, TX
Job Titles:
- Judge
- Member of the Curriculum Committee
- Member of the CWJL Advisory Committee
- Member of the Legislative Committee
Job Titles:
- Member of the International Committee
- Vice Chair of the Audit Committee
- Advisory Member
Job Titles:
- Counsel
- Judge
- Member of the Diversity Committee
- Member of the Governance Committee
- Member of the International Committee
- Member of the Legislative Committee
- Member of the Membership Committee
- Member of the Nominating Committee
- Vice Chair of the Nominating Committee
- Board Director, National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges
- Chairman / Austin, TX
- Law Specialist
- Vice Chair / Austin, TX
Aurora Martinez Jones has served as the presiding judge of the 126th District Court since January 01, 2021. She was appointed Associate Judge in Travis County (Austin, Texas) and was sworn in on January 2, 2015. She is from La Porte, Texas, a suburb of Houston, and attended college at The University of Texas at Austin where she received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Government and a minor in Spanish. She then attended law school at The University of Texas School of Law and upon receiving her law license; she started her own law firm, The Martinez Jones Law Firm, PLLC. As an attorney, Aurora Martinez Jones practiced primarily in child welfare law, personal injury, probate, real estate, family law, and civil litigation.
Judge Martinez Jones is a Child Welfare Law Specialist, Certified by the National Association of Counsel for Children and has extensive experience working with parents suffering from drug and alcohol addiction. Currently, her judicial position is dedicated to the child welfare dockets in Travis County including the specialty, Family Drug Treatment Court.
She is currently the chair-elect for the Texas Children's Justice Act Task Force, is the past President of the Austin Black Lawyers Association and is the former Chair of the Austin Court Appointed Family Advocates (CAFA). Judge Martinez Jones is active in both the local Austin Bar Association and Texas State Bar through her service on various committees. She is also a Texas Bar Foundation Fellow and a member of the Robert W. Calvert American Inn of Court.
Judge Martinez Jones and her husband, Mitchell Jones, are the proud parents of two precious little girls.
Judge Aurora Martinez Jones stays active on social media and can be connected with at:
Job Titles:
- Judge
- Member of the Legislative Committee
Job Titles:
- Judge
- Member of the International Committee
Job Titles:
- Chairman of the Governance Committee
- Judge
- Member of the Curriculum Committee
- Member of the Diversity Committee
- Member of the Legislative Committee
- Member of the Membership Committee
- Board Director, National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges
- Co - Chair / Salisbury, NC
Judge Beth Dixon has served as a District Court Judge in Rowan Co., NC since January 2002. Prior to the bench, she served as an Assistant District Attorney and as the Attorney Advocate for the county Guardian ad Litem program. Judge Dixon is a member of the North Carolina Association of District Court Judges and has been a long time participant on the Education Committee, planning statewide judicial education conferences and forums for NC judges. She is a frequent presenter on family court matters and provides juvenile delinquency training to all new NC district court judges. Judge Dixon earned a juvenile court certification from the NC Judicial College in 2004, and served as the Chair of the NC Bar Association's Council on Juvenile Justice & Children's Rights in 2012-2013. She was granted a Professional Lecturer Certification in 2017 from the NC Department of Justice and teaches Juvenile Law for LEO candidates at Basic Law Enforcement Training.
Judge Dixon earned her J.D. from the University of South Carolina School of Law and a Bachelor of Arts in Politics from Converse College. In 2019, she earned a LL.M. with distinction in Legal Practice from Nottingham Law School in England. Her dissertation, "For the Sake of the Child: Parental Recognition in the Age of Assisted Reproductive Technology " was published by the Campbell Law Review, 43 Campbell L.R. 21 (2021). In addition to her court duties, Judge Dixon is a active volunteer and board member of Saving Grace Farm. SGF is a local nonprofit organization providing therapeutic horseback riding for individuals with physical and intellectual challenges as well as equine assisted therapy for victims of trauma and persons living with other mental health issues. Judge Dixon and her husband Glenn are the parents of 4 adult children. Now an empty-nester, she is active in the Jeep community and enjoys spending time off-roading and participating in jeep gatherings.
Job Titles:
- Judge
- Member of the Diversity Committee
Job Titles:
- Judge
- Member of the Curriculum Committee
Job Titles:
- Judge
- Member of the Curriculum Committee
Job Titles:
- Judge
- Member of the Curriculum Committee
- Member of the Diversity Committee
- Vice Chair
Job Titles:
- Judge
- Member of the Curriculum Committee
Job Titles:
- Judge
- Member of the Military Committee
Job Titles:
- Judge
- Member of the Governance Committee
Job Titles:
- Judge
- Member of the Curriculum Committee
Job Titles:
- Board Director
- Judge
- Member of the Governance Committee
- Member of the Legislative Committee
- Member of the Membership Committee
Job Titles:
- Judge
- Member of the Conduct Committee
- Member of the Finance Committee
- Vice Chair / Newark, NJ
Job Titles:
- Judge
- Member of the International Committee
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- Chairman / Delaware, OH
- Member of the National Council of Juvenile
Job Titles:
- Judge
- Member of the Legislative Committee
- Member of the Membership Committee
Job Titles:
- Judge
- Member of the Legislative Committee
- Advisory Member / Ogden, UT
Job Titles:
- Judge
- Member of the Legislative Committee
Job Titles:
- Judge
- Member of the Curriculum Development Committee
- Member of the Governance Committee
Job Titles:
- Judge
- Member of the Legislative Committee
- Member of the Membership Committee
Job Titles:
- Judge
- Member of the Curriculum Committee
- Member of the Military Committee
Job Titles:
- Judge
- Advisory Member / Pittsburgh, PA
Job Titles:
- Judge
- Member of the Military Committee
- Advisory Member / Reno, NV
Job Titles:
- Judge
- Member of the Curriculum Development Committee
Job Titles:
- Judge
- Member of the Legislative Committee
Job Titles:
- Judge
- Member of the International Committee
Job Titles:
- Judge
- Member of the Legislative Committee
Job Titles:
- Member of the Diversity Committee
- Member of the Finance Committee
Job Titles:
- Judge
- Member of the Finance Committee
- Member of the Governance Committee
- Member of the Legislative Committee
- Vice Chair / Lafayette, in
Job Titles:
- Associate
- Judge
- Member of the Development Committee
Job Titles:
- Chairman
- Immediate past President
- Member of the Audit Committee
- Member of the Development Committee
- Member of the Governance Committee
- Member of the Nominating Committee
- Ex Officio Member
- President - Elect of the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges
Judge Carr is President-elect of the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges (NCJFCJ), the nation's oldest judicial membership organization in the country. In 2019, she was elected to the Board of Directors. She has served on various committees of the organization including Diversity, Governance, and Development. She also served as Vice-Chair of the Membership Committee and Chair of the Family Violence and Domestic Relations Advisory Committee among other involvements. She is a Fellow of the Judicial Engagement Network.
The Honorable Gayl Branum Carr (Ret.) serves in the Commonwealth of Virginia's 19th Judicial District. She has been an esteemed member of the Fairfax Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court since 1994, and she was elected as chief judge in 2004.
Job Titles:
- Chairman
- Judge
- Member of the Court Management Committee
- Member of the Curriculum Development Committee
- Member of the Diversity Committee
- Member of the Finance Committee
- Member of the International Committee
- Member of the Legislative Committee
- Member of the Membership Committee
- Member of the Military Committee
- Ex Officio Member / Fairfax, VA
Job Titles:
- Judge
- Member of the Curriculum Committee
- Member of the Governance Committee
- Member of the Membership Committee
- Board Director, National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges
- Member of Kappa Alpha Psi, Inc
The Honorable Geoffrey A. Gaither is the Presiding Judge in the Marion County Family Division Court room 9 in Indianapolis, Indiana. He was formerly the Senior Magistrate at Indianapolis Juvenile Court before being appointed as Judge in 2020. Judge Gaither's jurisdiction includes delinquencies, child welfare, paternities, guardianships, adoptions, child support, custody cases, divorces, dependency cases, protective orders and dual status cases.
Community involvement is extremely important to Judge Gaither. He is a former adjunct professor at IUPUI and Martin University, youth mentor, motivational speaker, guest lecturer, Marion County Juvenile Court representative at the Undoing Racism workshops, created the "Is Indianapolis Another Ferguson?" forum and radio, TV, print and podcast legal analyst. He has been recognized many times locally and nationally for his community service and dedication to children and families. Judge Gaither developed a much-needed program entitled The Young Women's Empowerment Conference Series benefiting young women on probation or otherwise involved in the juvenile justice system. He also created the Young Men's Empowerment Conference which is a young men's focused event that emphasizes the value of mentorship to educational and career success. Judge Gaither was the catalyst for the Indy Mentoring Network which is a collaboration of city-wide mentoring groups coming together for a common purpose. Judge Gaither has hosted the 100 Black Men of Indianapolis' Beautillion Militaire "Know Your Legal Rights" session several times, served as their mentor and moderated public discussions on community issues.
The Robert F. Kennedy National Resource Center for Juvenile Justice invited Judge Gaither to serve on its National Dual Status Youth Practice Network in Spring 2016. This prestigious organization focuses on children with delinquency, neglect, abuse and/or dependency cases at the same time. Judge Gaither now leads the Dual Status Court in Indianapolis, Indiana. In this capacity, Judge Gaither has traveled across the country making presentations and providing technical assistance to other jurisdictions on Dual Status and related issues. He currently serves on the state-wide Indiana Dual Status Implementation Committee, Indiana Department of Department of Child Services Race Equity and Inclusion Advisory Council, Indiana Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative State Steering Committee, Marion County Juvenile Court Race Equity Inclusion Committee, serves on the National Board of Directors for the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges and the Indianapolis Commission on African American Males.
Inspiring and influencing youth through education is important to Judge Gaither. He helped develop the Urban Initiative Hi5 Rallies at local schools empowering young people to take ownership of their educational careers. Male volunteers form two lines at the school's entrance and high five students at the start of the school day.
Judge Gaither is Hoosier born and raised in Indianapolis, Indiana. He is a proud public school graduate. Judge Gaither earned his Bachelor of Urban Planning degree from the University of Cincinnati and then later received his Juris Doctor degree with honors from Howard University School o Law. Judge Gaither was an editor and published author on the Howard Law Journal. After graduation, he clerked for the District of Columbia Court of Appeals, and is a former Marion County deputy prosecutor, deputy public defender and was in private practice before being sworn onto the bench.
Judge Gaither is a member of Kappa Alpha Psi, Inc. and the 100 Black Men of Indianapolis. He is also married to Attorney KiKi Gaither, current host of WTLC AM 1310's "The Legal Word with Attorney KiKi Gaither." They have 3 adult sons: Jordan, Taylor and Austin and are members of Phillips Temple CME Church.
Job Titles:
- Judge
- Member of the International Committee
Job Titles:
- Judge
- Member of the Diversity Committee
- Member of the Finance Committee
- Member of the FVDR Committee
- Member of the Membership Committee
- Board Director, National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges
- Vice Chair / Pulaski, VA
The Honorable H. Lee Chitwood graduated from the University of Virginia in 1983 and graduated from the TC Williams School of Law at the University of Richmond in 1986. Judge Chitwood practiced law in Wytheville, Virginia for 13 years, and he was a substitute judge for two years in the 27th Judicial District. He has been a fulltime Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court Judge since 1999. He is now serving his second term as Chief Juvenile Judge of the 27th Judicial District.
Judge Chitwood chairs the Pulaski County Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court Best Practices Team, the Pulaski County Truancy Committee, the Pulaski County Domestic Violence Committee, and he served on the Pulaski County Fatality Review Team. He currently serves on the Judicial Performance Evaluation Advisory Committee, the Judges' Schools and Courts Committee, and the Advisory Committee on Domestic Violence Issues in Virginia. He is serving a second term as a mentor for new judges under Virginia's Judicial Mentoring Program, and he was in the inaugural class for the Judicial Engagement Network (JEN) Fellowship Program in 2019. He also has been a Best Practices Judge for foster care matters since 2003. He received the 2019 VCCJA Award for Collaboration and Innovation. He also received the 2021 Lelia Baum Hopper Service Award. He has participated in the VTLA moot court competition for many years, and he is one of the contributors to the District Court Judges' Bench Book. Judge Chitwood appears in the Washington and Lee documentary "Intimate Violence." He is a member of the NCJFCJ Judicial Responses to Animal Cruelty Work Group. OVW named the Pulaski J&DR Court one of four nationwide domestic violence mentor courts.
Judge Chitwood previously served on the Education Committee, the Executive Committee, the Judges/Superintendents Liaison Committee, the Weighted Caseload Study Committee, and the Uniform Collaborative Law Act Study Group. Judge Chitwood served eight years on the Judicial Inquiry and Review Commission, with two years as Chairman. In collaboration with Gael Strack, Jaime Clemmer, and Madelynn Herman, Judge Chitwood created "12 Things Every Virginia Judge Should Know When Faced with Non Fatal Strangulation." The Supreme Court of Virginia distributed this bench card to every trial judge in Virginia in December of 2020. Another of Judge Chitwood's bench cards, Judicial Checklist for Motions to Dissolve Protective Orders, was mentioned in the December issue of the Link. Judge Chitwood resides in the beautiful mountains of Southwest Virginia, and he and his wife Pam have four wonderful children.
Job Titles:
- Judge
- Member of the Diversity Committee
Job Titles:
- Judge
- Member of the Diversity Committee
- Member of the Governance Committee
- Advisory Member / Anchorage, AK
Job Titles:
- Chairman of the Nominating Committee
- Member of the Conduct Committee
- Member of the Diversity Committee
- Member of the Governance Committee
Job Titles:
- Judge
- Member of the Curriculum Committee
Job Titles:
- Judge
- Member of the Diversity Committee
- Advisory Member / Manassas, VA
Job Titles:
- Judge
- Member of the Curriculum Committee
- Board Director, National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges
James W. Brown has served as a Judge on the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas Division of Domestic Relations and Juvenile branch since December 2014. Prior to taking the bench, James was a sole practitioner representing parties in domestic relations and juvenile matters for thirty-two years.
Since taking the bench, Judge Brown has been appointed to and served on various committees.
Since 2017, Judge Brown has served by appointment to the Supreme Court of Ohio Advisory Committee on Domestic Violence by Chief Justice Maureen O'Connor.
James Brown is a lifelong resident of Franklin County, Ohio. Judge Brown is married to his wife Holly, and the have two adult children, Collin and Jaclyn, as well as grandchildren. Judge Brown received his undergraduate and graduate degrees from the Ohio State University, B.A. '79 and J.D. '82.
Job Titles:
- Judge
- Member of the Diversity Committee
- Member of the International Committee
- Adjunct Professor at the University of Minnesota School of Law
- Board Director, National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges
- Vice - Chair / Hastings, MN
Judge Cork was appointed to the First Judicial District Bench in August 2016, where she presides over a variety of cases including juvenile, Indian Child Welfare Act, family, criminal, civil and probate cases. Judge Cork co-chairs the Dakota County Domestic Violence Coordinated Community Response Team and the Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative Elimination of Racial Bias Committee, she is also an active member of the First District Equal Justice Committee, Minnesota Children's Justice Initiative (CJI), CJI Indian Child Welfare Act training faculty and subcommittee and CJI Parent Representation subcommittee.
Judge Cork is a former Assistant Hennepin County Attorney where she worked for over 18 years in the Child Protection Division. She specialized in Sexually Exploited Youth and Indian Child Welfare Act cases, including: traditional child protection, long term foster care, educational neglect, runaway, sexually exploited youth, Rule 20 incompetent delinquent, and truancy cases. Judge Cork worked with Indian tribes and communities in an attempt to assure that families and children were able to obtain culturally appropriate education and services.
Judge Cork is an adjunct professor at The University of Minnesota School of Law teaching Law and Policy of Human Trafficking and at St. Thomas School of Law teaching Child Abuse and the Law. She further educates through local, state, national and international presentations to judges, attorneys, law enforcement, human services, advocates, public health workers and medical personnel regarding human trafficking. Judge Cork received her juris doctor in 1998 from Hamline University School of Law with concentration in criminal law and has a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice. Prior to law school she worked as a law enforcement officer, a correctional officer, a group home counselor and a 911 dispatcher.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Diversity Committee
- Member of the International Committee
- Member of the Legislative Committee
- Member of the Military Committee
- Board Director, National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges
Judge Jane Pearl was appointed to the New York City Family Court bench in 2000 by Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, was reappointed in 2009 by Mayor Michael Bloomberg, and was reappointed in 2019 by Mayor Bill de Blasio. Judge Pearl presently sits in New York County. From 2000 - 2003, and from 2009 - 2012, she sat as a judge in Bronx County. Judge Pearl has served as Supervising Judge of Kings and Richmond Counties and of New York County Family Courts. Prior legal experience includes service as a Court Attorney-Referee, Support Magistrate, and Court Attorney, in New York County Family Court, and work in the Family Law Department of Tenzer, Greenblatt (now Blank Rome).
Prior to becoming an attorney, Judge Pearl was a psychologist at the National Institute for Human Relationships and psychologist and forensic consultant at Associated Mental Health Services, both in Chicago; held teaching positions as a Substance Abuse Clinician and Research Associate at the University of Illinois Department of Preventive Medicine and School of Public Health; and was a lecturer at Tel Aviv University's Sackler Faculty of Medicine, in Israel.
Judge Pearl was awarded the J.D. Degree by Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law in 1988. She earned the Ph.D. and M.A. Degrees at Northwestern University, and the B.A. Degree from George Washington University.
Judge Pearl's present professional associations include service on the Advisory Council, Child Traumatic Stress Network, The Interdisciplinary Forum on Mental Health and Family Law, Mental Health Professional Screening Committee, First and Second Departments, New York State Family Court Advisory and Rules Committee, New York State Bar Association Task Force on Attorney Well-Being, and the Permanent Judicial Commission on Justice for Children. She serves as a Director on the Boards of the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts, New York (AFCC-NY), and of the New York State Family Court Judges Association.
Job Titles:
- Judge
- Member of the Curriculum Development Committee
- Consultant / Denver, CO
Job Titles:
- Judge
- Member of the Military Committee
Job Titles:
- Judge
- Member of the Membership Committee
Job Titles:
- Judge
- Member of the International Committee
Job Titles:
- Judge
- Member of the Military Committee
Job Titles:
- Judge
- Member of the CWJL Advisory Committee
- Member of the Diversity Committee
- Member of the Governance Committee
- Member of the Legislative Committee
- Co - Chair / Natchez
Job Titles:
- Chairman of the Military Committee
- Member of the Conduct Committee
- Member of the Diversity Committee
- Advisory Member
Job Titles:
- Chairman of the Membership Committee
- Judge
- Member of the Curriculum Committee
- Member of the Legislative Committee
- Secretary
- Board Director, National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges
- Chairman / Great Falls, MT
John W. Parker serves as a general jurisdiction judge in Great Falls, Montana. Judge Parker handles family law, youth court, and child protection cases as well as felony criminal cases, complex civil litigation and general civil matters.
Prior to joining the bench in March 2017, Judge Parker was Cascade County Attorney for eight years, the elected chief prosecutor in his jurisdiction. Judge Parker also served in the Montana House of Representatives for three terms where he was Chair of the Law and Justice Interim Committee and House Minority Leader. Judge Parker and his wife, Carrie, have one son, Charlie.
Judge Parker has served on the Board of Directors of the Montana Meth Project since 2008. He was also founding coordinator of the Cascade County Multidisciplinary Child Protection Team in its current incarnation.
Job Titles:
- Judge
- Member of the Curriculum Development Committee
- Member of the Diversity Committee
Job Titles:
- Judge
- Member of the Membership Committee
Job Titles:
- Judge
- Member of the Curriculum Committee
- Member of the FVDR Committee
- Member of the Membership Committee
- Chairman / Eugene, or
Job Titles:
- Chairman of the Conduct Committee
Job Titles:
- Judge
- Member of the Audit Committee
- Member of the Court Management Committee
- Member of the Curriculum Development Committee
- Member of the Diversity Committee
- Member of the Finance Committee
- Member of the Governance Committee
- Member of the International Committee
- Member of the Legislative Committee
- Member of the Membership Committee
- Member of the Military Committee
- President - Elect
- Ex Officio Member / Tucson, AZ
- Secretary of the NCJFCJ
Judge Kathleen Quigley was appointed to the Pima County Juvenile Court Bench as a Hearing Officer and Judge Pro Tem in 2003. Kathleen has volunteered to serve on many community, professional, and court-related committees since 1987.
Job Titles:
- Judge
- Member of the Diversity Committee
- Member of the Legislative Committee
Job Titles:
- Judge
- Member of the Development Committee
- Member of the Nominating Committee
- Ex Officio Member
Job Titles:
- Judge
- Member of the International Committee
Job Titles:
- Judge
- Member of the CWJL Advisory Committee
Job Titles:
- Judge
- Member of the Diversity Committee
- Advisory Member
Job Titles:
- Judge
- Member of the Audit Committee
- Member of the Curriculum Development Committee
- Member of the Development Committee
- Member of the Diversity Committee
- Member of the Legislative Committee
- Member of the Membership Committee
Job Titles:
- Judge
- Member of the Legislative Committee
- Member of the Membership Committee
- Advisory Member / Tucson, AZ
Job Titles:
- Judge
- Member of the Membership Committee
Job Titles:
- Judge
- Member of the Diversity Committee
Job Titles:
- Judge
- Member of the International Committee
Job Titles:
- Judge
- Member of the Legislative Committee
- Member of the Membership Committee
Job Titles:
- Judge
- Member of the Membership Committee
Job Titles:
- Judge
- Member of the Legislative Committee
- Advisory Member / San Antonio, TX
Job Titles:
- Judge
- Member of the Governance Committee
- Member of the International Committee
- Member of the Legislative Committee
- Advisory Member / Montesano, WA
- Chairman / Montesano, WA
Job Titles:
- Member of the Curriculum Committee
Job Titles:
- Chief
- Judge
- Member of the Court Management Committee
- Member of the Diversity Committee
- Member of the Governance Committee
- Chairman / Wilmington, DE
Job Titles:
- Member of the Conduct Committee
Job Titles:
- Chairman of the Audit Committee
- Chairman / Wilmington, DE
Job Titles:
- Judge
- Member of the Curriculum Committee
- Member of the Governance Committee
- Member of the Legislative Committee
- Member of the Membership Committee
- Board Director, National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges
Judge Michael R. Montero was born October 13, 1966, in Winnemucca, Nevada, and spent his childhood on the family ranch in rural Humboldt County. He graduated from Albert M. Lowry High School in 1984 and thereafter received a Bachelor of Science degree in Agriculture and Resource Economics from Oregon State University in Corvallis, Oregon. He went on to earn his law degree from Washburn University School of Law in Topeka, Kansas.
After completing law school, Judge Montero began practicing law in Reno, Nevada, with the law firm of Lemons, Grundy & Eisenberg. While at Lemons, Grundy & Eisenberg, Judge Montero's practice focused primarily on litigating the defense of claims involving personal injuries stemming from automobile and aviation accidents, premises liability, and product liability. His practice also included representing insurance companies in first-party claims and advising insurance companies on coverage and valuation issues. In 2006, Judge Montero joined the Echeverria Law Office, a firm that specializes in representing the catastrophically injured in plaintiffs' personal injury litigation throughout the western United States, primarily in Nevada and California.
In November 2008, Judge Montero was elected as District Judge in the Sixth Judicial District Court, Department II. In addition to his judicial duties within this district, Judge Montero currently chairs the North Central Region Judicial Council and serves as a representative on the Judicial Council of the State of Nevada. Furthermore, Judge Montero is a Nevada delegate to the National Conference of State Trial Judges of the American Bar Association, serves on the Nevada Children's Justice Act Taskforce, and is a member of the Administrative Office of the Court's Leadership Summit Planning Committee.
Since the Sixth Judicial District was split by the Nevada Legislature on July 1, 2015, Judge Montero is the only judge presiding over the Sixth Judicial District of Nevada. His caseload is now comprised of every civil and criminal case that originates in or proceeds to the District Court level in Humboldt County.
Job Titles:
- Judge
- Member of the International Committee
Job Titles:
- Judge
- Member of the Military Committee
Job Titles:
- Judge
- Member of the Diversity Committee
- Advisory Member / Judge Phinia Aten
Job Titles:
- Judge
- Member of the Curriculum Committee
- Member of the Diversity Committee
- Member of the Nominating Committee
- Chairman / Decatur, GA
Job Titles:
- Judge
- Member of the Curriculum Committee
- Member of the Legislative Committee
Job Titles:
- Judge
- Member of the Diversity Committee
- Advisory Member / Judge Phinia Aten
Job Titles:
- Judge
- Member of the FVDR Committee
- Member of the International Committee
- Member of the Legislative Committee
- Member of the Membership Committee
- Member of the Military Committee
- Advisory Member / El Paso, TX
Job Titles:
- Judge
- Member of the International Committee
Job Titles:
- Judge
- Member of the Audit Committee
- Member of the Development Committee
- Member of the Nominating Committee
- Ex Officio Member / Mason, TX
- Member of the College of the State Bar of Texas
Judge Hofmann is a member of the College of the State Bar of Texas, a Sustaining Life Fellow of the Texas Bar Foundation and a Lifetime Jurist for the Texas Center for the Judiciary.
Job Titles:
- Judge
- Member of the Court Management Committee
- Member of the Curriculum Development Committee
- Member of the Diversity Committee
- Member of the Finance Committee
- Member of the Governance Committee
- Member of the International Committee
- Member of the Legislative Committee
- Member of the Membership Committee
- Member of the Military Committee
- President
- Ex Officio Member / Mason, TX
Judge Robert R. Hofmann began his career of public service for the state of Texas in 1996. He was recognized by Education Reach for Texans for his work to improve educational outcomes for children in foster care and received the Texas CASA Judicial Leadership Award in 2018.
Job Titles:
- Judge
- Member of the Military Committee
Job Titles:
- Judge
- Member of the Curriculum Committee
- Member of the Diversity Committee
- Member of the Membership Committee
Judge Thompson sits in the Mercer County Superior Court - Family Part, where he serves as Presiding Judge and hears juvenile delinquency, domestic violence, contempt of restraining order, weapons forfeiture, family crisis and other matters, as needed. He has presided over and served as the Lead Judge for the Children in Court docket, hearing child abuse, neglect and termination of parental rights matters. He is a member of the Conference of Family Presiding Judges, including past or present participation on the family presiding judges mentorship, juvenile, and law clerk recruitment committees. He will serve as chair of the Family Presiding Judges Conference beginning in September 2023. He also chairs the Mercer County Domestic Violence Working Group and co-chairs its Youth Services Commission and Council on Juvenile Justice System Improvement.
Prior to appointment to Superior Court, Judge Thompson was a municipal court judge for more than four years. He served a complete term as a full-time judge in Trenton and was reappointed Chief Judge. Additionally, he presided over the shared services Municipal Court for Westampton, Eastampton and Hainesport townships in Burlington County. He was the first African-American municipal court judge to serve in the Westampton Municipal Court.
Judge Thompson worked for over a decade in his own general private law practice. Simultaneous to private practice, he also served as a municipal public defender for 12 years in Trenton. He has also worked for the New Jersey Office of the Public Defender, Office of Parental Representation, representing parents in child abuse, neglect and termination of parental rights cases.
Judge Thompson graduated from Mercer County Community College with honors, earning an Associate in Applied Science degree in 1988. In the same year, he was selected as a Harry S. Truman Scholar from New Jersey. Endowed by the United States Congress in 1975 as a living memorial to the 33rd President, the Harry S. Truman Scholarship is the premier graduate fellowship in the United States and is awarded to undergraduates with demonstrated leadership potential, commitment to public service and academic excellence. In 1990, he graduated cum laude from Trenton State College, now The College of New Jersey. While at Trenton State College, he was selected for, and participated in, the Washington Center's Minority Leaders Fellowship Program in Washington, D.C., during the summer of 1989.
Judge Thompson then earned Juris Doctor and Master of Public Administration degrees from Syracuse University, both in 1993. While at Syracuse University, he was named an Andrews Scholar by the College of Law, and a Graduate Scholar by the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs. These scholarships covered full tuition for both degrees. He received the 2021 Syracuse University College of Law Black Law Student Association William Herbert Johnson, Esq., Legacy Award and 2023 Law Honors Award.
Job Titles:
- Judge
- Member of the Curriculum Committee
- Member of the Legislative Committee
- Advisory Member / Albuquerque, NM
Job Titles:
- Judge
- Member of the International Committee
- Member of the Membership Committee
Job Titles:
- Judge
- Member of the Legislative Committee
- Advisory Member / Tylertown
Job Titles:
- Judge
- Member of the Curriculum Committee
- Member of the Diversity Committee
- Member of the Legislative Committee
- Member of the Membership Committee
- Adjunct Professor at Vanderbilt University Law School
- Board Director, National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges
- Vice Chair / Nashville, TN
Judge Sheila Calloway, a native of Louisville, Kentucky, came to Nashville, Tennessee in 1987 to attend Vanderbilt University Law School. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications in 1991 and her Doctor of Jurisprudence in 1994. After graduating from law school, Judge Calloway worked at the Metropolitan Defender's Office in the adult system as well as the juvenile system. In January 2004 she was appointed by Judge Betty Adams Green to the position of Juvenile Court Magistrate and served in that role until November 2013, when she announced her intention to run for the position of Juvenile Court Judge.
Judge Calloway was elected Davidson County's Juvenile Court Judge in 2014 and was sworn into office for an eight-year term on August 28, 2014. She was re-elected for another eight-year term in August 2022.
Judge Calloway serves as an adjunct professor at Vanderbilt University Law School, where she teaches trial advocacy. She also teaches juvenile law as an adjunct professor at Belmont College of Law.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Curriculum Committee
- Member of the Diversity Committee
- Judge Shermela Williams / Atlanta, GA
Job Titles:
- Judge
- Member of the FVDR Committee
Job Titles:
- Judge
- Member of the Military Committee
Job Titles:
- Member of the Diversity Committee
- Advisory Member / Judge Stefanie Martinez
Job Titles:
- Judge
- Member of the Military Committee
Job Titles:
- Member of the Diversity Committee
- Advisory Member
Job Titles:
- Member of the Military Committee
Job Titles:
- Judge
- Member of the Curriculum Development Committee
- Member of the Military Committee
- Ex Officio Member / Tucson, AZ
Job Titles:
- Judge
- Member of the International Committee
- Member of the Legislative Committee
Job Titles:
- Judge
- Member of the Curriculum Committee
- Member of the Diversity Committee
- Member of the International Committee
- Advisory Member / Alexandria, VA
- Vice Chair / Alexandria, VA
Job Titles:
- Judge
- Member of the Curriculum Committee
Job Titles:
- Judge
- Member of the Diversity Committee
- Member of the Legislative Committee
- Board Director, National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges
- Vice Chair / Pittsburgh, PA
Judge Sizemore was elected to the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas in November 2021. She is assigned to the Family Division and handles primarily juvenile delinquency and dependency matters.
Prior to joining the court, Judge Sizemore was an associate professor of clinical legal studies at Duquesne University School of Law. She joined the faculty of Duquesne Law School in August 2015. She developed and directed the Youth Advocacy Clinic. The clinic represented children in delinquency matters, and parents and children in special education and school discipline matters. Prior to joining the law school, Judge Sizemore was the Deputy Director for the Juvenile Division at the Office of the Public Defender (OPD) in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, where she served for over two years. As Deputy Director for the Juvenile Division at OPD, she managed eleven full-time juvenile defense practitioners, who appeared before approximately one dozen family court judges. Judge Sizemore was also responsible for the development and training of those lawyers in all aspects of the practice. During her time at OPD, she also did significant policy work with a variety of stakeholders in the delinquency system in order to ensure the best possible outcomes for the children it serves. As Deputy, Judge Sizemore wrote and implemented new practice standards across the juvenile division at OPD. Those standards are in compliance with the national practice standards, as promulgated by the National Juvenile Defender Center. In 2019, Judge Sizemore was chosen as one of Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's Interdisciplinary Research Leaders to study the Holistic Legal Model used in the clinic. Also in 2019, Judge Sizemore was appointed to Governor Tom Wolf's Juvenile Justice Taskforce, which was charged to examine and propose needed reforms to the Pennsylvania's juvenile legal system.
In addition to her extensive trial experience in both criminal and juvenile delinquency court, Judge Sizemore sits at many policy and stakeholder tables related to these issues. In 2014, Judge Sizemore was accepted into Georgetown University's Center for Juvenile Justice Reform Multi-System Integration Certificate Program as part of a team from Allegheny County that developed a Capstone Project which seeks to improve outcomes for children who are involved in both the delinquency and dependency systems. She was a member of the Commonwealth's Juvenile Court Procedural Rules Committee from 2013-2019. She was first appointed by The Honorable Chief Justice Debra Todd in 2013. In November 2013, Judge Sizemore joined the Board of Directors for the Juvenile Defenders Association of Pennsylvania, where she eventually became Board President and served until 2021. In January 2014, she joined the Board of Directors for Youth Enrichment Services, a mentorship and youth development program based in Pittsburgh, where she also served until 2021. Judge Sizemore previously served as the Board Chair for the Alliance for Police Accountability in 2016, a grassroots activism and policy organization based in Pittsburgh. She also served on the Board of Directors for Neighborhood Legal Services in Pittsburgh from 2019-2021. She currently serves as Board President of The Givner Project (Pittsburgh, PA) and is on the Board of Autism Connection of Pennsylvania.
Prior to moving back home to Allegheny County, Judge Sizemore was a trial attorney for eight years at the Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia, which is widely regarded as the premier public defender organization in the country. In addition to being a trial attorney, Judge Sizemore was a supervisor in the juvenile section for approximately one year immediately preceding her departure. While at PDS, she represented clients in cases from presentment through disposition of the case, and handled serious violent felonies, including: homicide, sexual assault, armed robbery, armed kidnapping, and armed carjacking. Judge Sizemore spent approximately two years handling almost exclusively juvenile cases at PDS. As a litigator, her work also included representing witnesses to crimes, targets of grand jury investigations, and defendants in diversionary courts, e.g., mental health court or drug court. She was a member of PDS' hiring committee for seven years.
Judge Sizemore has conducted numerous trainings, including training on the following topics: fundamentals of the rules of evidence, effective juvenile disposition advocacy, how to prepare for an interview as a public defender, education advocacy basics for public defenders, juvenile competence to stand trial, preparing for transfer hearings, fundamental trial skills training (i.e., opening statements, cross-examinations, closing arguments, development of defense theme and theory), and others. Judge Sizemore was a nationally certified trainer through the National Juvenile Defender Center's Juvenile Training Immersion Program, and served on the the faculty of NJDC's Summer Academy for several years. She has judged many mock trial competitions, and appeared regularly on panels discussing indigent defense representation for both children and adults, as well as education and juvenile justice policy reform. The work of the Youth Advocacy Clinic has been featured many times in local media outlets including: The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Public Source, WESA-FM, and the historic Pittsburgh Courier.
Judge Sizemore graduated from Howard University School of Law, cum laude, in May 2004. For her undergraduate studies, she attended Antioch College in Yellow Springs, Ohio where she received a B.A. in Education. She is a native Pittsburgher, alumna (‘95) and Trustee of The Winchester Thurston School in Pittsburgh, and is an avid Steelers fan.
Job Titles:
- Judge
- Member of the Diversity Committee
Job Titles:
- Judge
- Member of the Finance Committee
- Member of the Legislative Committee
- Member of the Membership Committee
- Member of the Military Committee
Job Titles:
- Member of the Military Committee
- Vice Chair / Columbus, GA
Job Titles:
- Member of the Audit Committee
- Member of the Curriculum Committee
- Member of the Diversity Committee
- Member of the Membership Committee
- Judge Wenona C. Belton ( RET. )
Judge Wenona C. Belton (Ret.) served on the bench of the Juvenile Court of Fulton County, Georgia, Atlanta Judicial Circuit, from July 31, 2013 through October 10, 2023. Prior to her judicial service and during her twenty-three years of service to the court and the community, she served as an agency attorney; Clerk of Court; Assistant Public Defender; and Judicial Staff Attorney. Judge Belton has been certified as a Child Welfare Law Specialist through the National Association of Counsel for Children/American Bar Association since 2012. She served as the judicial lead for the Court Improvement Initiative, in collaboration with the State's Court Improvement Program.
Judge Belton serves on the board of directors of the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges and is a cabinet member of Get Georgia Reading - a statewide collaborative which has identified third-grade reading as an urgent priority, and shares strategies to promote and enhance literacy. She also serves on committees within the State Bar of Georgia, Georgia Council of Juvenile Court Judges, and the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges, and is a member of various voluntary bar associations.
Judge Belton earned a juris doctorate degree from the Georgia State University College of Law and a bachelor of science degree from the University of Maryland, College Park. A former foster parent, Judge Belton is a life member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., and has served as a CASA volunteer and volunteer lawyer for the Atlanta Volunteer Lawyers Foundation's Domestic Violence Project.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Development Committee
Job Titles:
- Board Director
- Chairman of the Diversity Committee
- Member of the Governance Committee
- Member of the International Committee
- Member of the Legislative Committee
- Federal Dam and Judge Jamie L. Cork of Hastings Are Board Directors of the NCJFCJ
Justice McKeig is involved with several committees focusing on child welfare and domestic violence issues. She is a member of the Speakers Bureau for the Zero Abuse Project; board member of Proof Alliance; Division of Indian Work; the Infinity Project; a trustee for St. Catherine University; a member of the State/Tribal Court forum; and a co-chair for the Children's Justice Initiative. She is also on national committees addressing domestic violence, child abuse, and diversity.
Job Titles:
- Chairman of the Development Committee
- Member of the Legislative Committee
- Board Director of the NCJFCJ
- Board Director, National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges
- Founding President and CEO of the Center for Children & Youth Justice
Justice Bobbe J. Bridge (Ret.) of Seattle is a Board Director of the NCJFCJ. Justice Bridge and Judge Barbara Mack (Ret.) of Seattle were 2023 Days on the Hill Delegates. Judge Mack is also an NCJFCJ Amicus Council Member.
Justice Bobbe J. Bridge (Ret.), founding president and CEO of the Center for Children & Youth Justice (CCYJ), served on the Washington State Supreme Court from 2000 to 2008 and on the King County Superior Court from 1990 to 2000, where she was chief juvenile court judge for three years. She was co-chair of the Washington State Supreme Court Commission on Children in Foster Care. Before joining the bench, Justice Bridge was the first female partner at the Seattle law firm of Garvey Schubert Barer. She is recognized as a leading advocate for foster care reform, domestic violence victims, truancy prevention, and juvenile justice reform.
Justice Bridge is a dedicated volunteer and philanthropist. She has been on the boards of many nonprofit organizations, including YouthCare and the YWCA. In 1999, she helped establish and fund the Pacific Northwest's first court-based child care center at the Regional Justice Center in Kent, Wash., offering a safe place for parents and guardians.
Among her many awards as an advocate for children and youth are the 2019 Crosscut's David Brewster Lifetime Achievement Award, 2015 Debra Friedman Timeless Award from City of Tacoma, 2014 Lifetime of Idealism Award from City Year, 2014 Baxter Award from Foster Parent Association of Washington State, 2010 Advocacy Spirit Award from the National Network for Youth, the 2009 Strategies for Youth Award from the Washington State Lieutenant Governor, the Passing the Torch Award from Washington Women Lawyers, the Seattle Civil Rights Champion Award from Lambda Legal, the Distinguished Alumna Award from the University of Washington School of Law and the Judge of the Year Award from the King County Bar Association. Justice Bridge also has been inducted into the Washington Generals for special service to the citizens of the State and into the Warren E. Burger Society of the National Center for State Courts (NCSC).
Job Titles:
- Member of the Curriculum Committee
- Member of the Finance Committee
- Member of the Legislative Committee
Job Titles:
- Member of the Military Committee
Job Titles:
- Human Resources Associate
Job Titles:
- Director of Marketing, Communication, & External Affairs
Job Titles:
- Senior Research Associate, National Center for Juvenile Justice
Job Titles:
- Senior Program Services Manager, National Center for Juvenile Justice
Job Titles:
- Member of the Diversity Committee
- Advisory Member / Madison, WI
Job Titles:
- Member of the Diversity Committee
- Advisory Member / Washington, DC
Job Titles:
- Procurement and Contracts Accountant
Job Titles:
- Member of the Membership Committee
Job Titles:
- Member of the Military Committee
- Board Director, National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges
Major Sheffield Ford III has a notable military career serving our country. He commanded Special Forces Soldiers in Afghanistan and Pakistan, where he was responsible for special operations, combat missions, and training.
During Operation Enduring Freedom in 2006, Ford was awarded numerous military awards, including the Silver Star because of his heroic actions and courageous leadership in Afghanistan, as well as The Legion of Merit, the Bronze Star and many other military recognitions.
He is president and chief executive officer for Raven Advisory, LLC.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Curriculum Committee
Job Titles:
- Member of the Military Committee
Job Titles:
- Member of the International Committee
Job Titles:
- Member of the Legislative Committee
- Advisory Member / Jacksonville, FL
Job Titles:
- Member of the Diversity Committee
- Advisory Member
Job Titles:
- Member of the Diversity Committee
- Advisory Member / Austin, TX
Job Titles:
- Member of the Legislative Committee
- Advisory Member / Dublin, OH
Job Titles:
- Member of the Court Management Committee
- Member of the Diversity Committee
- Advisory Member / Washington, DC
Job Titles:
- Member of the Diversity Committee
- Senior Program Manager
Job Titles:
- Member of the Court Management Committee
Job Titles:
- Research Associate, National Center for Juvenile Justice
Job Titles:
- Member of the Legislative Committee
- Advisory Member / Boulder, CO
Job Titles:
- Financial Operations Manager
Job Titles:
- Member of the Development Committee
- Member of the Legislative Committee
- Advisory Member / Reno, NV
- Board Director, National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges
Patricia Cafferata, Esq. has more than 30 years of experience as an attorney in a wide variety of occupations and industries. Her areas of practice include criminal law clerk, chief legal advisor for three district attorneys, various law firms, assemblywomen for the state of Nevada's district 25, Nevada State Treasurer, staff attorney for Washoe Legal Services, communications director for Nevada's Attorney General, judicial law clerk for Nevada's Attorney General, and currently an associate tribal judge within Fallon Paiute-Shoshone Tribal Court. Patricia has been a member of the Nevada judicial system for over 30 years and is involved within various occupations within the state of Nevada. Patricia is a Southwestern School of Law, California graduate. She also attended Lewis and Clark College, Oregon where she obtained her B.A.
Patricia is a member of the Nevada bar association where she was also a former member and chair of the Editorial Board. She was apart of the Nevada Equal Rights commission as a former chair, a current history member of the Nevada Sesquicentennial Commission, and a former member of the Nevada Judicial Historical Society. She has spent her time helping children in elementary schools in Portland, Oregon and Oakland, California in her early career. Where she would eventually become the Director of Instruction for Evelyn Woods Reading Dynamics. Patricia is committed to helping her community and working hard in multiple committees and positions at the same time. Her resume showcases her effort and talent in educating youth, directing policy, being apart of committees, and offering judicial advise within various firms and governmental offices. She has written numerous books and articles ranging from history, to politics, to judicial reviews. Her insight and impact within the community she serves have been monumental.
Job Titles:
- Member of the International Committee
Job Titles:
- Member of the Curriculum Committee
- Member of the Diversity Committee
- Advisory Member / Frankfort, KY
Job Titles:
- Member of the Diversity Committee
- Advisory Member
Job Titles:
- Member of the Audit Committee
Job Titles:
- Member of the Curriculum Committee
Job Titles:
- Member of the Court Management Committee
Job Titles:
- Member of the Court Management Committee
- Member of the Diversity Committee
- Advisory Member / Harrisburg, PA
Job Titles:
- Member of the Diversity Committee
- Member of the International Committee
- Advisory Member / Washington, DC
Job Titles:
- Member of the Diversity Committee
- Advisory Member / Williamsburg, VA
Job Titles:
- Member of the Audit Committee
Job Titles:
- Member of the Legislative Committee
- Advisory Member / Louisville, KY
Job Titles:
- Senior Research Associate, National Center for Juvenile Justic
Job Titles:
- Member of the Diversity Committee
Job Titles:
- Member of the Diversity Committee
- Advisory Member / Chicago, IL
Job Titles:
- Board Director, National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges
Judge Angela F. Fonnesbeck was appointed to the First District Court in August 2019 by Governor Gary R. Herbert. She was previously appointed to the First District Juvenile Court in October 2014 by Governor Gary R. Herbert. She serves Box Elder, Cache and Rich counties. Judge Fonnesbeck received her law degree from American University, Washington College of Law in 2000. Prior to law school, Judge Fonnesbeck received a dual B.A. in Politics and Asian Studies from Whitman College in 1997. Prior to her appointment, Judge Fonnesbeck worked in private practice from 2009 to 2014 where she focused on family law matters. As part of her practice, she also served as a public defender for Cache County and the cities of Providence, Richmond, Nibley, North Logan, and Hyde Park. Prior to managing her own law firm, Judge Fonnesbeck was a shareholder at Hillyard, Anderson & Olsen, P.C. from 2002 to 2009 where she focused on family law matters, criminal defense, juvenile court, general civil litigation and mediation. She also worked as an associate attorney for Perry, Malmberg and Perry in Logan where she focused on insurance defense. In her role as Judge she has presided over the First District Juvenile Mental Health Court, served on the Board of Juvenile Court Judges and the Utah Sentencing Commission, and currently presides over the Cache County District Mental Health Court. Prior to her appointment, Judge Fonnesbeck served in various leadership roles and on a variety of legal boards in the State and local bar organizations, as well as on other community boards and committees.
Job Titles:
- Board Director, National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges
David A. Hejmanowski has served as the Judge of the Probate/Juvenile Division of the Delaware County Court of Common Pleas since February of 2015 and was previously a Magistrate at that Court from January of 2003 to February of 2015 and Juvenile Court Administrator from 2008-15. Prior to this, he served as an assistant prosecuting attorney for Delaware County.
He graduated as a Public Service Fellow from The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law in 1999 where he also received the Joseph M. Harter Memorial Award for Trial Advocacy. He received his B.S. in political science from Hiram College in 1996. He is currently chair of the Supreme Court of Ohio's Advisory Committee on Interpreter Services and a member of the Supreme Court's Commission on the Rule of Superintendence. Judge Hejmanowski is a past chair of the Ohio State Bar Association Juvenile Justice Committee and served twice as chair of the Ohio State Bar Association's Content Advisory Committee. From 2008 to 2011 he served a three-year term on the Ohio State Bar Association Board of Governors. He is a member of the Ohio State Bar Foundation's Board of Trustees and President of the Delaware County Bar Foundation. He serves as co-chair of the Ohio Judicial Conference's Publications Committee. He is a member of the Governor's Council on Juvenile Justice.
An advocate for continuing legal education, Judge Hejmanowski is a member of the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges' Curriculum Committee, chair of the Delaware County Bar Association CLE Committee, and chair of the Judicial College's Juvenile Curriculum review committee. He is a frequent presenter for the Ohio Judicial College and the Ohio State Bar Association. He and his wife Ashley and their two children, Catherine and Nicholas, reside in Delaware.
Job Titles:
- Board Director, National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges
Judge Graham received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology in May 1991 from Marian College where she conducted undergraduate research and co-authored an article in the Journal of Psychology and the Behavioral Sciences. She received her Juris Doctor (JD) from Indiana School of Law in May 1996.
Judge Graham began her legal career as a Deputy Prosecuting Attorney in Tippecanoe County where she represented the State of Indiana in misdemeanor and minor felony cases. She also served as a Deputy Prosecuting Attorney in Shelby County representing the State in major felony cases involving offenses committed against children and by children.
Thereafter, Judge Graham became an associate in the Gambs, Mucker & Bauman law firm where she represented the Tippecanoe County Department of Child Services in all CHINS and TPR proceedings for two (2) years. After opening a private law firm, Judge Graham remained actively involved in the CHINS arena by representing CASAs. At the same time, Judge Graham served as a part-time Deputy Public Defender in Tippecanoe County in major felony cases.
Judge Graham became the first full-time Deputy Public Defender in Tippecanoe County and remained in that position until she was appointed as the first Juvenile Magistrate in Tippecanoe County in January 2006. Judge Graham succeeded Justice Loretta H. Rush as Judge of Tippecanoe Superior Court III on December 3, 2012.
Judge Graham is dedicated to strengthening families and has herself been appointed Guardian ad Litem to protect the best interests of children.
During her tenure on the bench, Judge Graham has handled all manner of cases involving children - CHINS, TPR, juvenile delinquency, juvenile status offenses, and divorce or paternity actions involving custody, visitation, and child support disputes.
Judge Graham provides training for foster parents and CASAs and regularly speaks about matters involving the juvenile justice system.
Job Titles:
- President, National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges
Gayl Y. Branum Carr has been a Judge of the Commonwealth of Virginia's 19th Judicial District since 1994 serving in the Fairfax Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court. She was elected Chief Judge in 2004.
Judge Carr grew up in Los Angeles, California. She is a graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University where she received a Bachelor of Social Work degree in 1984. She received her Juris Doctorate from the University of Richmond School of Law in 1987.
In 1987, she entered the private practice of law primarily handling both criminal and civil matters in state and federal court. Subsequently she was appointed Assistant Attorney General, Commonwealth of Virginia, representing the Virginia Department of Corrections and the Virginia Parole Board. In 1991, she was appointed Assistant County Attorney, County of Fairfax. Prior to law school, she was employed with the Virginia Department of Social Services as a Child Welfare Worker.
In Virginia, she currently serves as a Mentor Judge for newly elected Virginia judges. She is also a certified Coach. Previously, she served as Chair of the Education Committee of the Judicial Conference for District Court Judges and also served on its Executive Committee. Judge Carr has served as a faculty member of the Virginia State Bar, Harry L. Carrico Professionalism Course. Currently, she is Chair of the Support Liaison committee of the Virginia Council of Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court Judges ("the Council") and previously served as its President. Judge Carr also served on the Advisory Committee of the Commonwealth of Virginia, Court Improvement Committee. She has chaired a number of other committees and has been involved with numerous agencies and organizations at the local, state, and national levels including the Annie E. Casey Foundation, the National Association of Women Judges, and the American Bar Association. Judge Carr is a Master, George Mason American Inn of Court, American Inns Of Court. Judge Carr has been active as the Lead Judge for her court's Dual Status Youth Initiative with the Robert F. Kennedy National Resource Center for Juvenile Justice. She is also a member of the Healthy Families Fairfax Advisory Council and a Board member of the Advisory Committee of the Fairfax County Stronger Together Supervised Visitation and Exchange Program. Judge Carr has been the Lead Judge of the Fairfax Best Practice Court since 1997.
Judge Carr is active in teaching and training. She currently teaches new Virginia Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Judges each year on the subject of child support. She frequently trains and teaches lawyers, teachers, social workers, law enforcement officers, clerks of court, probation officers and Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) among others. Judge Carr previously has served as Adjunct Faculty, teaching criminal justice and Forensic Social Work Practice, at George Mason University, Northern Virginia Community College, and Strayer University.
Judge Carr has received numerous awards and accolades throughout her tenure as a judge. In 2023, she was inducted into the Virginia Lawyers Hall of Fame. Prior awards include Judge of the Year, the Ebone Image Award, the Law Service Award: Inspiring the Youth of Fairfax County and induction as an Honorary Member, Chi Chapter, Phi Alpha Honor Society, George Mason University. A more detailed biography is available.
Job Titles:
- Secretary, National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges
In September of 2003, Kathleen was appointed to the Pima County Juvenile Court Bench as a Hearing Officer/Judge Pro Tem and in April of 2009, she was appointed as a Pima County Juvenile Court Commissioner. She was appointed to the Pima County Superior Court bench In October of 2012 and continues to serve on the juvenile bench. On June 30, 2014, she was appointed as the Presiding Judge of Pima County Superior Court, Juvenile. Judge Quigley graduated from the University of Arizona Law School in 1986 and joined the Pima County Attorney's Office in 1987, where she worked as a prosecutor and trial attorney before she was appointed to the bench. She has volunteered to serve on many community, professional, and court-related committees since 1987.
Job Titles:
- Board Director, National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges
Michael K. Newell is the Chief Judge of the Family Court for the State of Delaware. Prior to becoming the Chief Judge in 2015, he served as a Family Court Judge for over ten years. Chief Judge Newell graduated from the University of Delaware with a Bachelor's Degree in 1975 and received a Master's Degree from Northeastern University in 1976. He received his Juris Doctor Degree from Widener University Delaware Law School in 1981.
Chief Judge Newell began his career in the Delaware Family Court in 1978 as an Executive Assistant to then-Chief Judge Robert Thompson. He later served as a Master in Family Court. In 1983, he joined the Bayard Firm. He rose to Director and Shareholder with the firm and was Chairman of the firm's Executive Committee for seven years. In 2000, Chief Judge Newell joined Connolly, Bove, Lodge & Hutz, LLP. Chief Judge Newell's private practice concentration was in family law.
Chief Judge Newell is the Chair of the Domestic Violence Coordinating Council and a member of the Executive Committee of the Child Protection Accountability Commission. He currently serves on the Supreme Court's Commission on Law and Technology. He was a member of the Judicial Ethics Advisory Committee for two terms. He is the past Chairman of the Family Law Section of the Delaware State Bar Association and has chaired the Ad Hoc Committee for Quadrennial Child Support Review for the last four reviews. As an attorney, Chief Judge Newell served as a member of the Delaware Supreme Court's Board on Professional Responsibility and on the Board of Delaware Volunteer Legal Services. In July 2019, Chief Judge Newell was elected to the Board of Directors of the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges.
Chief Judge Newell has presented at numerous seminars and has written several articles on family law practice and procedure. As an attorney, he was recognized by Delaware Today and Best Lawyers in America. The Family Law Section of the Delaware State Bar Association honored him in 2001 by awarding him the inaugural "Family Law Practice Professionalism Award." In 2011 he was named to the Irish Legal 100 by Irish Voice.
Job Titles:
- President, National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges
Judge Hofmann began his career of public service for the State of Texas in 1996, now serving in his fourth term as judge of the general jurisdiction 452 nd Judicial District in five Hill Country counties.
He is the current president of the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges (NCJFCJ), our oldest national judicial organization, having served as a board member since 2018.
In 2021, Judge Hofmann was appointed by the Supreme Court of Texas as Senior Jurist in Residence for the Texas Children's Commission, having been Jurist in Residence since 2018.
In 2018 Judge Hofmann was also recommended by the Texas Center for the Judiciary to represent all Texas judges on French Television's Sept a Huit (the French 60 Minutes) "Texas Justice" segment and later received the 2018 Texas CASA Judicial Innovation and Leadership Award.
He has served Texas as judicial representative at several national summits and Federal Child and Families Services Reviews as well as a member of the National Center for State Courts' Rural Justice Collaborative Advisory Council, on behalf of the NCJFCJ.
Judge Hofmann was the 2011 Big Voices for Little Texans Texas CASA Judge of the Year as well as the 2020 Education Reach for Texans John Emerson Award recipient for his leadership in improving educational outcomes foster care alumni.
Judge Hofmann speaks often and works on numerous projects related to improving the child welfare system. He was committee chair for the Texas Supreme Court's Remote Proceedings Task Force as well as assisting the court in creation of Emergency Orders relating to child welfare cases in response to the Covid-19 Pandemic.
Job Titles:
- Board Director, National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges
The Honorable Valeri Love was appointed to the Lane County Circuit Court in Eugene, Oregon in 2011. Born and raised in Hawaii, she graduated from Punahou School and moved to Oregon to attend Linfield College and later Willamette University Atkinson Graduate School of Management and College of Law. Before her appointment to the bench, she practiced law in both the criminal and civil arenas. As a judge she has handled civil and criminal cases as well as served as the judge for the Lane County Adult Treatment Court, Veterans Court and Mental Health Court. Judge Love currently serves as the Chief Juvenile Judge and hears dependency and delinquency matters as well as presides over Lane County's RAP-JTC (Recovery and Progress - Juvenile Treatment Court) Court program. Outside of the courtroom, she devotes her time to various groups and organizations. She currently serves as a Board Member for the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges and has participated on various committees for NCJFCJ including the Juvenile Law Advisory Committee, Military Committee and Membership Committee. She previously served as a board member for Oregon Women Lawyers as well as the Oregon Asian Pacific American Bar Association. In addition to board service, Judge Love engages in further public service through membership on the Tribal, State and Federal Court Forum, Department of Justice Trafficking Intervention Advisory Committee, National CASA Judicial Leadership Council, JCIP (Juvenile Court Improvement Program) Advisory Committee, JDIP (Juvenile Delinquency Improvement Program) Advisory Committee and serves as the Co-Chair for the JELI (Judicial Engagement and Leadership Institute - Juvenile Judges) Education Subcommittee and Vice Chair of the Judicial Conference Judicial Leadership and Education Committee. In her free time, Judge Love enjoys spending time with family and friends, cooking for others, dancing hula and spoiling her dogs.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Development Committee
- Member of the Legislative Committee
- Member of the Membership Committee
- Board Director, National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges
As a certified family law specialist and partner at the law firm Blanchard, Krasner & French, Tiffany Brown brings a wealth of experience to the NCJFCJ Board of Directors.
Brown has nearly 20 years of experience in family and criminal law in San Diego. Her broad family law practice includes divorce, prenups, postnups, custody, child support, spousal support, restraining orders, domestic violence, and mediation. She has established herself as a leading advocate for children and families navigating the complexities of the legal system, and is well-equipped to contribute to the NCJFCJ's ongoing initiatives and programs that address the unique challenges faced by juvenile and family court professionals nationwide.
Brown is a two-time recipient of California's 10 Best Female Attorneys award from the American Institute of Family Law Attorneys. Brown graduated summa cum laude from Manhattan College and earned a law degree from the University of San Diego School of Law.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Court Management Committee
- Member of the Diversity Committee
- Advisory Member / Tucson, AZ
Job Titles:
- Member of the Diversity Committee
- Advisory Member / Judge Stefanie Martinez
Job Titles:
- Member of the Conduct Committee
- Member of the Court Management Committee
- Member of the Governance Committee
- Member of the International Committee
- Member of the Legislative Committee
- Member of the Nominating Committee
- Administrative Services Manager, at
- NCJFCJ Staff Liaison
Job Titles:
- Web / Database Developer, National Center for Juvenile Justice
Job Titles:
- Member of the Diversity Committee
- Advisory Member
Job Titles:
- Member of the Court Management Committee
- Deputy Executive Officer
- NCJFCJ Staff Liaison / Lakewood, CO
Job Titles:
- Senior Planning Specialist