Kathy Griffin
July 2021

Welcome NACM Members.  It was so great to see those of you that were able to attend the Annual Conference in person in San Diego.  The conference was fantastic and provided such relevant educational material.  For those that were only able to attend virtually, I hope you enjoyed the conference.  Who knew that when we met for our 2020 Mid-Year Conference in Charlotte, NC that would be the last in person gathering for 16 months.  The Association stayed the course throughout and we were able to push our educational materials out through live stream conferences, webinars and a media guide just to mention a few.  I am proud of the way the courts were able to come out of the pandemic stronger, that is a testament to the great leaders such as you.  In the words of Michigan Chief Justice Bridget McCormack, “COVID wasn’t the disruption we wanted but it was the disruption we needed.”  I wholeheartedly agree.  I feel we have made technology advances that hopefully are here to stay and embrace them. 

However, at the same time our eyes were opened once again to racial disparities and explicit biases.  We are at a critical point and we need systemic change.  Our justice system is facing a challenge of lack of public trust and confidence in the courts.  It is up to us as court managers and leaders to take on that challenge and restore the trust.  My motto for the upcoming year is “together we can achieve hard things”.  I look forward to seeing the work of our newly established DEI committee and the work of the NACM Board, as I know they are ready to tackle the challenges.  The Board is here for you our members and we will continue to provide resources to help you take on the challenges.