Judgeship

2010 - present
Family Treatment Drug Court Presiding Judge

Experience                         

Education                          

University of Nebraska College of Law, Lincoln, Nebraska
Juris Doctorate, 1992

Benedictine College, Atchison, Kansas
Bachelor of Arts - Accounting, 1984
Bachelor of Arts - Business Administration, 1984

Judicial/Law Related Activities

Professional Affiliations
Nebraska Juvenile Court Judges Association
Nebraska State Bar Association
Lincoln Bar Association
National Association of Drug Court Professionals

Nebraska Supreme Court Committees
Commission on Children in Court, Co-Chair, 2019-present
Committee on Problem Solving Courts, 2019-present
Juvenile Judges Curriculum Committee, 2018-present
Judicial Branch Education Advisory Committee, 2017-present
Access to Justice Commission, 2017-2019
Family Dependency Court Standards Committee, 2016-2019
Dispute Resolution Advisory Committee, 2012-2019
Through the Eyes of the Child Initiative, Co-Chair, 2021-present
Court Technology Committee, 2006-present

Non-Supreme Court Committees
Advisory Committee to Nebraska Resource Project for Vulnerable Young Children, 2016-2019
National Family Treatment Court Best Practice Standards Advisory Group , 2016-2019

Nebraska Separate Juvenile Judges Association
Former President, 2008

Community Activities

Lancaster Manor Foundation, Lincoln NE, former president
St. Peter’s Parish, former parish council secretary
Knights of Columbus Council 10510

Honors and Awards         

2007 Nebraska Child Support Enforcement Association Judicial Officer of the Year
2016 Children and Family Futures National Collaborative Leadership Award
2016 Michael Offner Memorial Award for Judicial Leadership
2016 Nebraska Supreme Court Distinguished Judge Award for Improvement to the Judiciary

Teaching and Publishing

Co-Author: Mandatory, fast, and fair: Case outcomes and procedural justice in a family drug court.  Journal of Experimental Criminology, June 2019

Co-Author: Giving Parents a Voice: A Case Study of a Family Treatment Drug Court Track in Lancaster County, Nebraska.  American Judges Association Court Review, February 2016

Presenter: Nebraska Children’s Summit: Children in Court. Nebraska Children’s Summit, 2009

Presenter: Nebraska County Attorneys Association: Use of Restorative Justice Conferencing in Lancaster County    

Presenter: Nebraska Children’s Summit: Project Safe Start – Child Relationship Assessments and Child Parent Psychotherapy in Family Drug Treatment Court

Presenter: National Association of Drug Court Professionals: Project Safe Start - Child Relationship Assessments and Child Parent Psychotherapy in Family Drug Treatment Court

Presenter: Nebraska Young Child Institute: Child Parent Psychotherapy in Nebraska   

Presenter: Child Welfare League of America Advancing Excellence in Practice and Policy What Works for Families Affected by Substance Use: The Importance of Relationships in Family Drug Court:  Enhancing Well-Being for Children and Families Using a Team Approach

Presenter: National Association of Drug Court Professionals: Judicial Innovations Using a Mandatory Approach to Serve Families in and Outside of Family Drug Courts

Revised October 2022