Since 2011, the Institute for Court Management (ICM) has offered three levels of certification: the Certified Court Manager (CCM) and the Certified Court Executive (CCE) credentials and the ICM Fellows Program. The CCM credential requires the completion of six courses, and the CCE credential requires CCM certification plus seven additional courses. All ICM courses closely align with the NACM Core®.
Today’s court administrator needs a broad set of skills and knowledge to successfully navigate a complex justice system.The ICM Fellows Program is a 16-month court leadership program designed to provide individuals with a more profound understanding of court administration. The program connects leadership with data-driven decision-making practices to help solve problems. Participants demonstrate their understanding of the principles learned in the program by completing a unique applied research project on a topic of their choice.
The ICM Fellows Program offers the only intensive educational program for court professionals (state and federal) in the United States. It is the pinnacle of NCSC’s court professional development programs and is a vital step for those looking to advance their court careers. An ICM Fellow is a symbol of professional expertise and individual commitment to excellence in court administration. The Conference of Chief Justices and Conference of State Court Administrators recognizes the importance of the ICM Fellows credential in their recruitment and promotion of court professionals as leaders within their states and promotes participation in the Fellows program to encourage and support promising court professionals to engage in projects that improve the administration of justice.
The ICM Fellows Program experienced some post-pandemic updates. The biggest changes are a required weeklong in-person residency at the National Center for State Courts headquarters in Williamsburg, Virginia, and moving final presentations to Zoom. Most of the program takes place virtually with Zoom classes and virtual meetings. Graduation still occurs at a memorable ceremony held at the United States Supreme Court in July. While the program is challenging, learners have a strong support network dedicated to their success.
The 53rd Fellows Class celebrated its graduation in July, as the 54th class is just beginning its journey. To illustrate the experience for our NACM readership, we interviewed the 53rd class spokesperson Sarah Matthews, of Cass County Courts, Cassopolis, Michigan, and incoming participant Alison Braaten, of Grand Forks County District Court of North Dakota. Comparing and contrasting their experiences as a new participant and a recent graduate provides perspective and insight into this impressive leadership program. Both Sarah and Alison are members of NACM, and we appreciate their openness to sharing their experiences with us.
Let’s start at the beginning.
What drew you to the ICM Fellows program?
Alison: I was encouraged to apply by two administrators from my court who also completed the program and highly recommended it.
Sarah: There was no specific program to learn about court management when I was in law school. When I joined the Friend of the Court in 2017 as the Deputy Friend of the Court, I really wanted to make sure that I had all the skills needed to fully support our courts’ judges and staff. Because of this desire, I started the ICM Court Certified Manager program and instantly found the ability to connect with other court professionals from across the nation to be beneficial.
What was/is your Fellows project and what made you choose it?
Alison: I am still in the early phase of forming my project. I haven’t completely settled it, but I am considering the topic of procedural justice from the perspective of court users. Ultimately, after the residency experience, I plan to pivot to creating a training program for court staff on procedural justice in hopes of positively impacting public trust and confidence in the judicial system. I have a passion for procedural justice, ensuring court users feel heard, respected, and understand the process. I knew I wanted to incorporate procedural justice in my research paper for the Fellows program.
Sarah: My project is titled Climb On: The Case for Coaching Court Employees. I was very blessed during my academic and legal career to have several professional and personal mentors and coaches, who took the time to invest in me and ensure I achieved my goals. Because of this, I have always been a passionate advocate for mentoring and coaching others to empower them to reach their goals. I began a goal-setting initiative pilot in the Cass County Friend of the Court when I took over as director, which allowed staff to have greater access to supervisors and for supervisors to transition from “bossing” to coaching staff. Our department immediately benefited from this initiative with almost half of the staff achieving professional certifications during the initiative. I wanted to explore if our success was unique to our small office or supported by research and data. The Fellows program gave me the perfect opportunity to dive into the topic of employee engagement and coaching so I could find out if our success was limited or supported by research and data.
What support have you received in the program?
Alison: Getting to know and interact with the faculty and my cohort during the residency phase has been an incredibly supportive experience. The support I receive from my unit court administrators, past and present, is incredible. They are supporters of the program and the opportunities that it brings. I’m looking forward to the assignment of a mentor and continuing to build on the relationships and support the ICM Fellows program fosters.
Sarah: At first glance, the ICM Fellows program can seem overwhelming. However, participants are provided with multiple different levels of support to ensure their success from the very first day of the program. Mandy Sarkissian and JD Gingerich were immense sources of support all the way through and regularly checked in with our class and made sure we had all the tools and resources we needed to succeed. Any NCSC staff who spoke to our class on a topic always made themselves available to help if participants had questions afterward. Additionally, each participant received an individual advisor to assist them during the project phase. I had Connie Hickman Tanner. The advisors regularly met with students, reviewed their papers, gave feedback, and made sure they were on track to complete their papers. Connie was an excellent sounding board for me when I was trying to determine the direction to take my paper.
What is your biggest challenge thus far?
Alison: Knowledge—you think you have a grasp on a topic and then realize as you approach the research phase that there is much yet to learn. This shouldn’t be surprising as learning is a lifelong process and journey, but it can be overwhelming and humbling. Setting aside time to learn, research, and apply knowledge in the midst of a busy schedule can be very challenging.
Sarah: Time for the project is by far the biggest challenge. The ICM Fellows project does take a significant amount of time and it takes some advance planning and organization to make sure that you give yourself the time needed to research and write your paper on top of all your normal job duties.
What is your biggest celebration thus far?
Alison: Being surrounded by different perspectives and diversity. I am a resident of a small state and having the ability to participate in the Fellows program and interact with my cohort from all over the United States is extremely rewarding both personally and professionally. The ability to see solutions and challenges from a different lens than other jurisdictions experience is invaluable. I have the ability to take these perspectives and bring them back to my court.
Sarah: The staff in the Friend of the Court Office have been with me every step of the way on my ICM Fellows journey and been my biggest cheerleaders. So, we all turned my final paper draft in “together” by pushing the send button on my computer as a group. Completing the paper and sharing that milestone with my FOC staff, who was part of the initial goal-setting pilot in our courts, was something I will never forget.
What do you wish someone had told you when you started the Fellows Program?
Alison: The Fellows program isn’t just about researching and writing a research paper; however, it is a big component of the program. The knowledge, networking, and mentorship that is infused in the program is equally as rewarding in professional development as is the reading and understanding of past, current, and future court trends. The program has reconnected my passion for understanding the history of the United States and the foundational relevance to the judiciary that remains present today.
Sarah: You don’t have to have a PhD in math to do a research project for this program. I think the fact that there is a methods section of the paper can scare some people away. However, you are provided with training on how to collect data and support in putting this section together.
How do you use what you’re learning in Fellows?
Alison: I am just getting started in the research and reviewing of information to prepare my project. I am working on finding a topic that I’m passionate about and applying it to my daily work. I am looking forward to the next steps and see where this journey will lead me.
Sarah: The Fellows program provides you with so many great connections and resources that I have found the best way for me to ensure I put all these amazing things to use is to share the knowledge I have gained with others. I have been sharing what I have learned with our court supervisors during our quarterly supervisor meetings and then working to apply these things to our courts. For example, in the Fellows Program, they had us read Strengths Based Leadership and do the Clifton Strengths assessment. Last summer, I purchased the book for all our court supervisors and had them take the assessment. Now when I approach issues with supervisors, we’ll try to look at those issues while considering their strengths from the assessment. This summer, we have started working on doing the same with our court employees so we can start looking not just at the tasks we assign a position, but who has the strengths to carry out certain tasks.
When my classmates’ papers come out, I’ll do the same thing and pass on the information from their papers to our court supervisors and staff. I’m very excited to see how we can apply their research to our courts and learn from it.
What is a key takeaway from your ICM Fellows experience that you’d like to share with our readers?
Alison: As Dean JD Gingrich passed out stickers to the 54th ICM Fellowship Class on the last day of the residency phase, the saying on the sticker was a perfect statement to end the week and consider all that we have learned and all that is left to learn in our fellowship projects and also as we continue our professional development moving forward: “Don’t believe everything you think.” This offers great perspective on our journey to come and impacted how I look at my work overall.
Sarah: Court administrators are tasked with ensuring that the courts and staff they serve have the support and infrastructure they need to provide access to and the delivery of justice. In carrying out this mission every day, it is easy at times to get caught up in negatives like lack of funding for critical needs or the declining public trust in the judiciary. These negatives make it easy at times to forget about the passion that brought us to serve the courts in the first place. It is so important to surround yourself with those who support your vision and goals and who see both the purpose and potential in the court system that you do. The Fellows Program allows you to do that. The connections and support you gain during the Fellows Program are ones that will support and fuel your passion for serving in court administration well beyond your time in the program.
Interested in applying or want more information? Visit the Fellows web page or email icmfellows@ncsc.org. The 55th Fellows class will start accepting applications at the beginning of 2025, and application materials and instructions, including the essay question, will be available on the web page at the end of 2024. Applications are usually due in March. Program prerequisites are completing the Certified Court Manager and Certified Court Executive credentials before the residency in June.
Important program dates to remember:
Application Opens: January (Year 1)
Application Deadline: March (Year 1)
Coursework: May through September
NCSC Residency: June (Year 1)
Project Research and Paper: October through May
Project Presentation: June (Year 2)
Graduation: July (Year 2)
Important links:
Email: icmfellows@ncsc.org
Web: ncsc.org/icmfellows
Facebook: @icm.ncsc
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/school/institute-for-court-management
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Melinda Brooks is a graduate of the 45th class of ICM Fellows and serves as the editor for the NACM Court Manager.
Mandy Sarkissian is the education program manager for the Institute for Court Management, National Center for State Courts, and oversees the ICM Fellows program.
