Tuesday, April 20, 2021 Court Leader’s Advantage Podcast Episode

It seems that at some point in every class the facilitator utters those words, “communication is key.” We all know however, that communication must be effective to make a difference. So, what is the key to making communication effective?

In this episode, we are going to explore communication. How to make it count. How to avoid wasting time for you and your employees. Specifically, we will look at:

· How effective has court communication been during the pandemic?

· Are there different approaches to effectively communicating with employees, with other justice stakeholders, and with the general public?

· How can you obtain employee feedback in the age of Zoom meetings?

· What can we learn from our panel of court administrators?

About Our Presenters

Our Co-Host

Alyce Roberts is recently retired as the Special Projects Coordinator for the Alaska Court System. As a member of the court’s senior staff, she was the AOC’s primary liaison with the clerks of court. In this capacity, she was responsible for developing the annual statewide clerks of court conference program, facilitating the sessions and serving as a presenter.  Alyce served on the National Association for Court Management’s (NACM) Board of Directors, chaired NACM’s Communication Committee, and she is a Fellow of the Institute for Court Management (2010).

Our Panelists

Liz Rambo is the Trial Court Administrator (TCA) for Lane County Circuit Court. As the TCA for one of Oregon’s largest courts, Liz is responsible for all non-judicial court functions including budget, human resources, technology, facilities, and business efficiency.  Liz Liz graduated with high scholarship from Oregon State University with a BA in history and has an MBA from Portland State University.

Rick Pierce is the Judicial Programs Administrator of the Judicial District Operations and Programs Department, has served in the field of court administration for the past twenty-nine years.  Prior to his appointment at the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts, Rick was the district court administrator for Cumberland County.  He graduated from Washington and Lee University and received his Masters in Public Administration from Shippensburg University in 1995.

Tracy "T.J." BeMent is the District Court Administrator for the 10th Judicial Administrative District of Georgia. The 10th JAD covers the general jurisdiction superior courts in six circuits in 21 counties.  He was previously the Court Administrator for the Athens-Clarke County Courts in Athens, Georgia, where he worked with all six levels of trial courts in the county.  J.T. received his undergraduate and graduate degrees from the George Washington University in Washington, DC, and completed his ICM Fellowship in spring 2015.

As a Court Administrator, Zenell Brown has garnered respect for her ethical leadership and innovation. She has built her approach on three pillars: communication, leadership responsibility and accountability, and diversity and inclusion.  Zenell received her Juris Doctor from Wayne State University Law School; she received her Public Service Administration Graduate Certificate from Central Michigan University, her Court Administration Certificate from Michigan State University, and her Certified Diversity Professional from the National Diversity Council-DiversityFirst.