Corey R. Steel was appointed State Court Administrator on May 2, 2014, to oversee the administrative operations of the statewide court system. The State Court Administrator plans for statewide Judicial Branch needs, develops and promotes statewide administrative practices and procedures, oversees the operation of trial court programs and strategic initiatives, and serves as a liaison with other branches of government. Prior to his appointment, he served in the capacity of Deputy Probation Administrator for Juvenile Services.  He played an active role in providing information to the Legislature regarding juvenile justice reform and coordination of state wide juvenile probation services.  Throughout his employment, Steel has been heavily engaged in the transformation of Probation’s Juvenile Justice System. Serving in a leadership capacity, he was and remains involved in the Juvenile Detention Alternative Initiative (JDAI), the Cross-Over Youth Practice Model, and the Juvenile Information Sharing Project. In addition to holding a Bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice from the University of Nebraska – Kearney and a Master’s in Business Management from Doane College, he also holds two certifications from the Georgetown University Public Policy Institute in Juvenile Justice and Child Welfare and serves as an adjunct professor for Southeast Community College teaching Juvenile Justice, Criminal Justice, and Sociology.

Dianne DeLair is the senior staff attorney with Disability Rights Nebraska, the designated Protection and Advocacy system for the state of Nebraska. Ms. DeLair’s practice is devoted entirely to address abuse, neglect, and discrimination based on disability. She has represented individuals with disabilities for over 17 years in state and federal court. She has also represented individuals in county court guardianship matters, and administrative appeals.

Representing the County Judge role is Judge Todd Hutton, Omaha. Judge Hutton represents the 2nd Judicial District of Cass, Otoe & Sarpy counties in Nebraska. Todd Hutton attended the University of Miami where he received his Bachelor of Science. He then went on to further his education at the Creighton University School of Law where he received his Juris Doctorate. He was sworn in to be a Sarpy County Court Judge in 1998. Prior to becoming a judge, Todd Hutton worked as a lawyer in the Omaha area for 8 years. Judge Hutton serves on many committees and organizations in the community. He currently is co-chair of the Nebraska Supreme Court Commission on Guardianships and Conservatorships.

Russ Leavitt is among the original 11 members of the Public Guardian Advisory Council selected by the Supreme Court Administrator to assist and support the Public Guardian in the early, arduous process of implementing the law by creating policies and procedures, and filtering the many logistical issues as the Public Guardian and his staff, worked toward and achieved operational ability. As one of the At-Large members of the Council, he will be serving his second appointment. Russ also continues to serve on the Supreme Court Commission on Guardianship and Conservatorship, and serves on three subcommittees (Executive, Public Guardian and Protection of Vulnerable Adults) as part of this commission. Mr. Leavitt is a graduate of Creighton University, BSBA, with a Major in Accounting. He is the Chief Executive Officer of Finance and Technology and Co-owner at General Service Bureau and Early Out Services, Omaha NE.

Lisa Line is a partner with Brodkey, Peebles, Belmont and Line in Omaha. Ms. Line’s primary areas of practice includes Probate, Estate, and Trust Planning and Administration; and Administrative Law, including Social Security Disability, Medicare and Medicaid. She assists families through estate planning and asset transfer issues; works with families during the probate or trust administration process; acts as a Court appointed Special Administrator, Guardian ad Litem, or Guardian/Conservator in probate, trust or guardianship/conservatorship actions; represents individuals in the legal process to determine entitlement for benefits; works with families of individuals with disabilities through the estate planning process, which includes both third party special needs trusts and self-settled special needs trusts; and advises Bank Trustees in the administration of special needs trusts, approval of expenditures and reporting to various agencies.

Julie Masters, PhD, is professor and chair of the department of Gerontology at the University of Nebraska Omaha. She also is the Terry Haney Chair of Gerontology. Dr. Masters teaches courses on death and dying on the Omaha and Lincoln campuses. In addition, she oversees the activities of the department on the Omaha, Lincoln and online campuses. In addition to her research on end of life planning, Dr. Masters conducts research on healthy aging, caregiving and aging inmates.

Darla Schiefelbein, Clerk Magistrate, Platte County Court represents an At Large Member of the Advisory Council. She graduated from Wayne State College in 1981, with a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Human Services Counseling and Sociology. Ms. Schiefelbein began employment with the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services from 1981-1994 working in several caseload areas: Food Stamps, Aid to Dependent Children, Aid to the Aged, Blind and Disabled and preparing home studies for Adoption and Foster Care. She was appointed as Clerk Magistrate of the Platte County Court in 1994 until the present. Ms. Schiefelbein supervises six staff in the court and is responsible for the court caseload and progression. She also audits Guardian/Conservator cases for Sarpy and Hall Counties. Ms. Schiefelbein was appointed to the Nebraska Supreme Court Commission on Guardianships and Conservatorships in 2012. In 2013 she was selected to be one of three Guardian/Conservator Specialists for the state; serving as a resource for county court staff in Nebraska. The goals of the specialists are to work to insure uniformity among the courts and to improve process and forms used for Guardianships and Conservatorships.

Bio coming soon!

The Supreme Court Administrator is responsible for appointing a director of the OPG known as the Public Guardian. The Public Guardian shall be an attorney hired based on a broad knowledge of human development, intellectual disabilities, sociology, and psychology and shall have business acuity and experience in public education and volunteer recruitment.

The Supreme Court Administrator, with the confirmation by Nebraska Supreme Court, appointed Michelle J. Chaffee as Public Guardian in December 2014. Previous to appointment as Public Guardian, Ms. Chaffee was Legal Counsel for the Health and Human Services Committee at the Nebraska Legislature. As Legal Counsel for the Health and Human Services Committee she was involved in multiple issues involving social services including long term care, Medicaid, health care, developmental disabilities, behavioral health, legal processes and procedures and licensure. She worked with a wide array of professionals including state, local and county officials, the judiciary, County attorneys, private attorneys, provider networks, facility administrators, caregivers, social service advocates, as well as the individuals who depend on Nebraska social services to provide care and support- children, juveniles, individuals with disabilities, and the elderly. As Legal Counsel she supported the Health and Human Services Committee and Chairs, Senators Tim Gay and Kathy Campbell, as they designed policies and programs to serve vulnerable citizens of Nebraska.

Prior to the Legislature, Ms. Chaffee spent ten years in higher education administration. In addition to her experiences as Legal Counsel to the Health and Human Services Committee and in higher education administration, Ms. Chaffee practiced law and utilized her law degree in a variety of different state governmental agencies. She served in the Nebraska Legislature as Legislative Aide to Senators Gene Tyson and Mike Avery. During law school she interned for the Nebraska Attorney General’s Office, in the Child Protection and Drug Enforcement Division. Additionally, as a Senior Law Clerk, she researched pre-trial diversion guidelines for the Office of Juvenile Services in the Nebraska Crime Commission. Upon graduation from UNL College of Law, Ms. Chaffee served as an attorney at Legal Aid, focusing on representing the needs of indigent individuals in civil court. As an attorney in private practice, she specialized as a Guardian ad Litem representing the needs of abused and neglected children in Juvenile Court.  Prior to attending law school, Ms. Chaffee served for a number of years as a 7-12th grade English and History teacher in Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri and Texas.

The Deputy Public Guardian, Marla Fischer, was hired in January 2015. Ms. Fischer received her Juris Doctor from the University of Nebraska, College of Law in 2004 and was licensed to practice law in Nebraska that same year. Since that time, she has held several positions and years of experience in advocating for and with people with disabilities and their families. Prior to coming to the Office of Public Guardian, Marla served as an Assistant Ombudsman with the Nebraska Office of Public Counsel where she addressed concerns of Nebraskans who experienced individual and systemic difficulties with programs administered by the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services. Before Marla was with the Office of Public Counsel, she was the Executive Director for The Arc of Nebraska for five years. In this position, she provided support to thirteen local Arc chapters across Nebraska; provided advocacy in written and verbal testimony on proposed legislation within the Nebraska Unicameral in collaboration with other disability organizations; and provided information, ideas on problem solving, and action on statewide issues affecting the lives of people with developmental disabilities. In 2012, Marla joined the Nebraska Supreme Court Commission on Guardianships and Conservatorships. Marla was also the Public Information Attorney with Disability Rights Nebraska for four years, where she gained experience in developing informational materials for people with disabilities, family members, and interested citizens. She also provided several successful trainings on various topics pertinent to the lives of people with disabilities. She is experienced in the areas of individual and systems level advocacy and has successfully collaborated with other organizations and agencies on many occasions.