Dear NACM Family,
What an honor and privilege it is to write to you as the 38th president of the National Association for Court Management. I follow a long line of great leaders in our great association and enter this role with a solid group of colleagues to help me lead your 2022–2023 Board of Directors.
NACM has always had a special place in my heart and a strong role in my professional development. Having a network of colleagues and peers from around the country has proven to be one of greatest assets I’ve had to grow professionally and personally. As an association, we have remained strong over the last couple of years as the world works through the ripple effects of a health pandemic. We continue to remain strong and stand as proud leaders of the court profession.
We recently wrapped up an amazing and successful annual conference in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. There was an abundance of relevant speakers and resources shared across several days of sessions. Colleagues were able to connect and reconnect. Our industry partners showed up to support our organization and will remain an integral part of the success of the judiciary. It was so fulfilling to see so many friends and colleagues from all over the country back together. We now look ahead to the 2023 conferences in Minneapolis (February) and Tampa (July).
Over the next 12 months, I have set three priorities that I would like to see our association focus on. First, I would like to develop methods and opportunities for ongoing conversations among our membership. For those of you who can attend our conferences, you know that some incredibly useful and valuable conversations happen onsite. I want to see those conference talks continue. We know that geography is no longer a barrier to conducting court business, so it shouldn’t be a barrier to continual colleague conversations. As we find new and effective ways to continue our conversations, I would like to see jurisdictions more proactively sharing ideas, solutions, and pertinent information that will help the field of court administration. Second, I would like to expand and build upon the external relationships that NACM has with our industry partners and organizations. All these partnerships will only help to make us stronger and more successful, and we should continue to build upon those relationships. My last priority of the year is to focus on educating the public and to restore the public’s trust and confidence in the judicial system. The integrity of our profession is in question. Surveys and public polls are largely telling the same story. We must take up this call to action as an association and help restore that trust in the judiciary.
I look forward to working with the 2022–2023 Board of Directors as we take on the challenges we face as a judiciary and focus on the strengths we have as the leading organization in court management.
Jeffrey Tsunekawa
NACM President, 2022–2023