CORE® Champion Program

by  Kelly Hutton

nacmcore.org — CORE® Committee Chair: Kelly Hutton

What is the CORE® Champion Program?

The purpose of the CORE® Champion Program is fourfold:

  • strengthen court professionals
  • provide greater exposure to the CORE®
  • recognize attendance at qualified CORE® sessions
  • allow participants to demonstrate basic understanding on the 13 CORE® Competencies

To become a CORE® Champion, one must be a member, attend qualified sessions, and complete a structured response form. The CORE® Committee tracks completion of these forms and will issue certificates at various points in the program. Once a member has attended a session for each section of the CORE®, he or she will need to write a short essay for review by the committee. If this essay is approved, the member would be awarded the CORE® Champion certificate. 

Vision

  • Leadership
  • Strategic Planning
    • Tools, Strategies, and Best Practices for Strategic Visioning and Planning—presented by Zenell Brown and Richard Lynch at the 2022 Annual Conference, July 12, 2022
  • Court Governance

Principle

Practice

  • Caseflow Management
    • Caseflow and Workflow: Part 1—presented by Janet Cornell at the 2021 Annual Conference, July 12, 2021
    • COVID-19: Caseflow Catalyst: Part 2—presented by Janet Cornell at the 2021 Annual Conference, July 12, 2021
  • Operations Management
    • The Kitchen Sink of Court Administration—presented by Tina Mattison and Kelly Hutton at the 2022 Annual Conference, July 12, 2022
  • Public Relations
  • Educational Development
    • Redesigning Education for the Virtual World—presented by Margaret Allen Hoyt and Juli Edwards-McDaniel at the 2022 Annual Conference, July 12, 2022
  • Workforce Management
    • Workforce Management Session 1—presented by Dana Bartocci and Rob Martin at the 2022 Annual Conference, July 11, 2022
    • Workforce Management Session 2—presented by Dana Bartocci and Rob Martin at the 2022 Annual Conference, July 11, 2022
  • Ethics
  • Budget and Fiscal Management
  • Accountability and Court Performance

Other

Why should I become a CORE® Champion?

The CORE® Champion program recognizes members for attending or viewing a qualified session. The various certificates of completion are a tangible accomplishment that court professionals can share with their funding authorities or use as a résumé booster. It allows court staff to demonstrate a basic knowledge of each section of the CORE®.

How do I register or enroll?

Currently, members have to attend a session at a conference (in-person or virtually) or attend a qualified webinar. There isn’t a registration outside of submission of the structured response. Just by sitting in on a session, members can start their journey to becoming a CORE® Champion.

Can I complete seminars online? Do I have to be a member?

The next phase of the CORE® Champion program allows members to watch the recorded sessions from conferences and/or NACM-approved webinars and then complete the structured response for credit toward the program. The CORE® Committee will be spending the next several months getting this set up on the NACM website and ensure that all members have access to the sessions and the structured responses. In the meantime, all of the videos will be public AND members can still receive the structured response by emailing me: kellyh@nacmnet.org.

How is my attendance recorded?

It is really on your honor that you have indeed watched or attended each session before completing the structured response form. However, there is a declaration on the bottom of each structured response indicating that you have attended or watched the session and each structured response is intended to pull information from that specific session.

Can I go back and review sessions that have already occurred?

YES, this is coming soon. This will be the first project for the CORE® Committee this year.

How do I record to get credit?

Members will send in their completed structured response, the response is reviewed by a small group, and then the member will receive an email notifying them that the submission was accepted/approved.

What happens when I complete the champion program?

When a member has completed a session for each of the curricula they have to write a short essay for review by the CORE® Committee. If approved by the committee the member will receive the final award of CORE® Champion and have an opportunity for their essay to be published in the Court Express or the Court Manager.

For other NACM educational opportunities, see namcnet.org and select committees tab to get committee information and dates.

  • The CORE® Subcommittee continues to meet monthly on the fourth Wednesday of each month at 3pm ET. CORE® Subcommittee—National Association for Court Management (nacmnet.org). If you would like to receive an email reminder, please send me your name, court, and email address and I will get you on the list. Committee attendance is flexible. Join the call when your schedule permits.
  • There are also opportunities to present at the NACM conferences. See NACM emails soliciting proposals. 
  • NACM Communications Committee presents webinars on various topics. Email announcements are sent to members. You can always check www.nacmnet.org for the latest.
  • NACM produces several podcasts throughout the year. Check the NACM website for more information. 

Email NACM@nacmnet.org if you have any questions about the program.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kelly Hutton is assistant court administrator, North Dakota, and CORE® Committee chair. She is the secretary/treasurer of NACM.