Leah Cech has been hired as the Court’s new Access to Justice Specialist, replacing Deputy Administrator for Court Services Amy Prenda as dedicated staff to the Access to Justice Commission; Committee on Equity and Fairness; Consortium of Tribal, State, and Federal Courts; Self-Represented Litigation Committee; and the Civil Justice Reform Work Group.  

Cech comes to the Nebraska Judicial Branch from Doane University, where her most recent position was as the Equity Compliance Officer in the Division of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. In this role, she had oversight of the university’s federal compliance responsibilities regarding sexual harassment (Title IX) and discrimination (Titles VI and VII). She holds a Ph.D. in Religious Studies from Claremont Graduate University (Claremont, CA), and her teaching and research were centered around religious diversity, interfaith cooperation, gender in religion, and advocacy for victim-survivors of interpersonal violence. She brings a wealth of experience in policy and curriculum development, facilitation, and relationship/team building.

This position of Access to Justice Specialist is in the Court Services Division.