The College’s Board of Trustees sets policy, fosters a climate of excellence, promotes the development of innovative judicial education programs, and provides leadership in achieving the NJC’s mission. Trustees are dedicated individuals from diverse fields encompassing the law and the judiciary as well as business and corporate areas.
Judge Leslie A. Hayashi served for over 25 years as a district court judge for the First Circuit in Honolulu, Hawai`i. While on the bench, she was involved in several major projects to improve judicial administration. She spearheaded the creation of a statewide civil traffic system, led the implementation phase of the new technology system for the courts, developed a restorative justice pilot project, and implemented a driver’s license renewal program.
Judge Hayashi’s name appears on NJC’s Hall of Fame, which recognizes those who have taught for 20 years. She continues to train judges and hearing officers in Hawai`i and taught in China at the Sichuan University.
In addition to teaching, Judge Hayashi has dedicated herself to educating the public about the law, writing numerous books and articles and creating videos. She served on the American Bar Association’s Standing Committee on Public Education for six years and continues to be a member of the Hawaii State Bar Association’s Civics Education Committee.
With her appointment to the Law Library of Congress Advisory Committee, she also serves as vice-chair of its Resource Development Subcommittee and is a member of the Program Subcommittee. She was recently re-elected to serve in the ABA’s House of Delegates and is a member of the Technology and Communication Committee. She served as Secretary, Vice President-President Elect and President of the National Council of Lawyer Disciplinary Boards while also serving on the Disciplinary Board of the Hawai`i Supreme Court for over 12 years.
Judge Hayashi has received numerous awards, including the Hawaii Women Lawyers’ Judicial Achievement Award in 2013, the inaugural Judicial Innovation Award from the Hawaii Friends of Justice and Civic Education in 2011, the Hawaii State Bar Association’s inaugural Award for Outstanding Leadership for Diversity in the Legal Profession in 2005; and the ABA’s Franklin Flaschner Award in 2003 recognizing the nation’s top jurist in courts of special jurisdictions.
She is married to attorney Alan Van Etten and they have two adult sons. Justin is in-house counsel with a start up in San Francisco and Taylor is a software developer with Amazon in Seattle.
Chair-Elect, Darcee S. Siegel, Esq.
Bal Harbour, FL
The former city attorney of North Miami Beach, Florida and an in-house municipal attorney since 1988, Darcee Siegel currently serves as a Florida Supreme Court certified civil mediator. She recently concluded her third year on the ABA Board of Governors, where she has served on the Governors’ Executive Committee the last two years and this past year was chair of the Profession, Public Service & Diversity Committee.
She has been a member of the ABA House of Delegates since 2011 and has served as vice chair of the House Committee on Issues of Concern to the Legal Profession (2015-2016) and member of that Committee (2012-2016). Her presidential appointments include: the Standing Committee on Public Education (2000-2003); the Standing Committee on Membership (2008-2011); the Standing Committee on Gun Violence (2014-2016); the Diversity & Inclusion 360 Commission (2015-2016); and the ABA Council for Diversity in the Educational Pipeline (2019-2020).
She has served as the chair of the ABA Section Officers Conference Membership Committee (2005-2007 and 2013-2016), secretary and diversity officer of the ABA Tort Trial and Insurance Practice Section or TIPS (2013-2015) and a member of TIPS Council (2010-2015). She chaired the ABA Government and Public Sector’s Lawyers Division (2007-2008) and served as chair-elect (2006-2007); secretary (2005-2006); treasurer (2004-2005) and a member of its Council (1999-2009 and 2010-2016). She has recently been elected to the Council (2019-2022).
In her spare time, she serves on the Florida International University Vice Provost Executive Council, where she mentors students with their career choices, resume critiquing and interviewing skills. She also serves as a special master/magistrate for the City of Miami, adjudicating code-enforcement cases.
Treasurer, Eileen M. Letts, Esq.
Chicago, IL
Eileen Letts is a partner in the Chicago office of the law firm Zuber Lawler. Having completed dozens of jury trials and more than 100 bench trials, often involving Fortune 500 companies and government entities, Mrs. Letts is considered a premier civil trial attorney. She has won high-stakes trials in a wide variety of subject matters areas, including product liability, complex tort, and commercial disputes. She is a member of the House of Delegates, the policy-making body of the American Bar Association. She also chairs the Magistrate Selection Committee for the Northern District of Illinois. She is a frequent presenter at continuing legal education seminars and panel discussions of the ABA, the Chicago Bar Association, and the Illinois Institute of Continuing Legal Education. She possesses deep roots in the Chicago political community. As an example, she served on the transition team of Chicago Mayor-Elect Harold Washington. She began her career clerking for Hon. Glenn T. Johnson, justice of the Illinois Appellate Court.
Secretary, Hon. Samuel A. Thumma
Phoenix, Arizona
Judge Thumma has served on the Arizona Court of Appeals, Division One, in Phoenix since 2012 and was chief judge from 2017‒19. Before that, he served for five years as a trial judge (criminal and juvenile rotations) on the Arizona Superior Court in Maricopa County.
Among his many roles within the American Bar Association, he serves as a presidential appointee to the Standing Committee on Lawyer Referral and Information Services (2023‒present) and to the Advisory Council of the ABA Task Force on Law and Artificial Intelligence (2023-present). He previously served as a presidential appointee to the Standing Committee on Ethics and Professional Responsibility Judges Advisory Committee.
In the ABA Judicial Division Appellate Judges Conference, Judge Thumma has served as Executive Committee chair and as chair of the Appellate Judges Education Institute (AJEI) Board of Directors.
He has been a Uniform Law Commissioner from Arizona since 2012 and currently serves as a secretary of the ULC and on the ULC Executive Committee.
He has worked closely with The National Judicial College for many years, through the AJEI and the ABA Judicial Division, as well as teaching in various areas, including ethics, writing, evidence and judicial decision making.
He has taught at both the Arizona State University and University of Arizona colleges of law and has presented at many law schools outside the state, including Duke and Georgetown. He has presented at nearly 500 law-related seminars sponsored by organizations including The World Bank, ABA, Bolch Judicial Institute, National Center for State Courts, American Judges Association, New Zealand Judiciary, Ukrainian Judiciary and Vietnamese Judiciary.
He is also a frequent author, having published 15 law review articles, 6 book chapters and nearly 70 other law-related articles, and his work is frequently cited in other materials.
Immediate Past Chair, Hon. Mary-Margaret Anderson (Ret.)
Oakland, CA
Judge Mary-Margaret Anderson was an administrative law judge with the California Office of Administrative Hearings, a central panel agency, from 1997 until 2017. In 2009, she was appointed to the Medical Quality Hearing Panel, which hears physician discipline matters. She also presided over the full range of cases heard by OAH, including those brought by state, county, and local agencies, such as school districts. As an attorney, she practiced civil and criminal litigation representing individuals and small businesses, and served as a commissioner pro tem for the Alameda County Superior Court Juvenile Division. Judge Anderson is a past president of the National Association of Administrative Law Judiciary (NAALJ). Her primary activities with the American Bar Association (ABA) involve communications. She served on the Judges’ Journal Editorial Board, the quarterly magazine published by the ABA’s Judicial Division, for eight years, the last two as co-chair. She has taught ethics, evidence, and expert evidence to new and experienced administrative law judges in a variety of settings. Judge Anderson is an alumna of The National Judicial College and joined its faculty in 2012. She is also a member of the Alameda County Bar Association and an American Bar Foundation Fellow. Community activities include serving as President of the Board of Trustees of the Piedmont Community Church. She and her husband are very proud of their two adult sons and the (never-ending!) restoration of their 1907 brown-shingle craftsman house. She received her undergraduate degree in political science from the University of California at Berkeley and her juris doctorate from San Francisco Law School.
Linda Ammons
Las Vegas, NV
Linda L. Ammons is dean emeritus at Widener University, and adjunct professor of law at University of Nevada, Las Vegas. She served as counsel to the president of Widener for legal education, after retiring as associate provost and dean of the law school in 2014. She was the first woman and the first African American to lead the two-campus, two-state, Widener University School of Law, and was the senior African American female dean in the nation when she stepped down after serving eight years.
Ammons came to Widener in 2006 from Cleveland-Marshall College of Law in Cleveland, Ohio, where she was associate dean and professor of law. During her 15 years at Cleveland-Marshall, she chaired and served on a number of university committees and taught Administrative Law, Legislation, Mass Communications Law, and Women and the Law. In 2006, the Cleveland-Marshall Alumni Association chose her as their Stapleton Award recipient. She was inducted into the school’s Hall of Fame, November, 2020. In addition, Ammons is a Distinguished Faculty member of the National Judicial College in Reno, Nevada, serving since 1993. In 2007, she was named a Senior Scholar in the Department of Health Policy at Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia, PA, and that same year was appointed by Pennsylvania State Treasurer Robin Weissmann to the e-Treasury Blue Ribbon Advisory Commission on Productivity Management. In 2010, she was named to the Legal Education Development Committee of the American Bar Association, and she served three years as the Chair of the Curriculum Committee of the American Bar Association’s Section of Legal Education & Admissions to the Bar. Ammons also served a three-year term on the Government Relations Committee of the Association of American Law Schools, and is a Life Member of the American Bar Foundation.
Ammons’s awards are numerous including the December, 2014, Top Woman in Business Award by Delaware Today Magazine, the March, 2013 Community Leadership Award from Best Buddies Delaware, the October 2013, Pennsylvania Multi-Cultural Leadership Award, the November, 2012, “Excellence in Education Award” from the Delaware Barristers Association, and from February 2012 to February, 2014, she has been included among “The Power 100” African American attorneys in the U.S. In October of 2011, she was honored with the Service to Children Award at the Christopher W. White Distinguished Access to Justice Awards program presented by the Delaware State Bar Association. Ammons has also received the Delaware Leadership Award from the American Council on Education, Office of Women in Higher Education. In August 2010, Senator Tom Carper forwarded Ammons’ name to the Department of Justice for consideration by the White House for a seat on the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware. In January 2010, Ammons was appointed by Governor Jack Markell of Delaware to be the special investigator in the case of the alleged child molestations by pediatrician Earl Bradley. Her work resulted in a package of twelve legislative reforms, nine of which were passed unanimously by the Delaware General Assembly. In August 2009, she was named among the 14 Most Influential People in Delaware by Delaware Today magazine. Her Board memberships include the Delaware State Chamber of Commerce serving as the chair of its ethics committee, WHYY TV and Radio of Philadelphia, Vegas PBS, and Christiana Hospital in Wilmington, Delaware.
Prior to joining the faculty at Cleveland-Marshall, Ammons served as executive assistant to former Ohio Governor Richard F. Celeste, from 1988 to 1991, advising him on legal and policy matters in the criminal justice, regulatory and administrative areas. A 1974 graduate of Oakwood College, and a 1997 alumna of the year, she was a TV anchor-person in Huntsville, Alabama, in the 1970’s, and worked for several media outlets.
A 1987 Ohio State University Moritz College of Law graduate, Ammons was selected out of 8,000 of her peers to be the recipient of the 2004-05 Moritz Alumni Society’s Community Service Award. She also holds emeritus status on the Moritz National Advisory Council, and is listed among Ohio State’s Distinguished Alumni.
Matthew Archer-Beck, Esq.
Burke, VA
Matthew Archer-Beck serves as Senior Adjudication Counsel in the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s Office of the General Counsel. His work involves advising the SEC on the resolution of administrative appeals from the decisions of administrative law judges and self-regulatory organizations such as the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority. Archer-Beck has received multiple SEC awards, including the Chairman’s 2020 Award for Excellence and the 2016 Diversity and Inclusion Award. He is also a graduate of the 2021-22 Excellence in Government Fellows Program.
Before joining the SEC, Archer-Beck worked as a litigation attorney at a large law firm in Washington, D.C., where his practice involved white collar criminal defense, appellate, and international matters. He represented parties and amici curiae before courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court, in cases involving complex statutory and constitutional issues.
Archer-Beck served as a law clerk to Judge Thomas L. Ambro on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit and Judge Edward Rafeedie on the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. He was also a staff attorney for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit.
Archer-Beck is a citizen of the Cherokee Nation and currently serves as President of the National Native American Bar Association. He was previously President of the Native American Bar Association of Washington, D.C. He is also an active member of the American Bar Association and currently serves on the Standing Committee on Public Education, the Cornerstones of Democracy Commission, and as Vice-Chair of the Government and Public Sector Lawyers Division. Prior ABA appointments have included 2024 National Law Day Chair, Commissioner of the Commission on Racial and Ethnic Diversity in the Profession, and Chair of the Council for Diversity in the Educational Pipeline.
Archer-Beck received both law and undergraduate degrees magna cum laude from Georgetown University. He lives in Northern Virginia with his wife and three children.
Brandon Barkhuff, Esq.
Las Vegas, NV
Brandon Barkhuff is a native of Las Vegas, Nevada, and currently resides there with his wife and four children. He serves as President and CEO at NV Energy where he leads the company’s daily operations and oversees NV Energy’s commitment to deliver low-cost energy, expand its renewable energy portfolio and maintain industry-leading reliability for its customers.
NV Energy delivers electricity to nearly 1.4 million customers and over 56 million tourists annually throughout its nearly 46,000-mile service territory in the state of Nevada. The company also provides natural gas to 200,000 customers in the Reno-Sparks, Nevada area.
Before being named president and CEO, Brandon managed and led NV Energy’s legal, compliance, environmental, customer service and energy efficiency functions as senior vice president, general counsel, corporate secretary and chief compliance officer where he oversees all the company’s legal activities and compliance obligations, while also providing strategic legal and business guidance as part of the senior leadership team.
Barkhuff joined NV Energy in 2011. Prior to joining NV Energy, Brandon worked for a Nevada based firm where he focused on commercial litigation. Brandon served clients in successfully trying cases to verdict in both jury and bench trials as well as conducting oral argument before the Nevada Supreme Court.
Barkhuff is a Las Vegas native. Brandon holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and a Juris Doctor from Boston College Law School.
Barkhuff currently is a trustee for the National Judicial College as well as the Vegas Chamber of Commerce.
Ryan Bellows, Esq.
Reno, NV
Ryan Bellows is the Vice President, General Counsel, Chief Compliance Officer, Government Relations at NV Energy. Since 2009, he has also served as a judge for the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe. At NV Energy, Mr. Bellows oversees all of the company’s legal activities and compliance obligations, while providing strategic and legal guidance as part of the senior leadership team. He manages and strengthens relationships with key civic, government, community and
business leaders to ensure understanding and support for company objectives. He leads both the NV Energy Political Action Committee and NV Energy Foundation.
Mr. Bellows is a frequently sought out as a lecturer on: building coalitions to achieve government relations success; diverse workforce outreach; collaboration and relationship-building. He previously served as the company’s director of labor relations.
Mr. Bellows also serves as a commissioner on the Nevada Tax Commission as well as a council member for the Nevada State Apprenticeship Council.
He earned a BA in Political Science at Brigham Young University and J.D.at J. Reuben Clark Law School at Brigham Young University. He holds a Campaign Institute Certificate, a Certificate in Labor Relations, and is certified as a Senior Professional in Human Resources. Admitted to practice law in Nevada and Utah.
Susan H. Briggs, Esq.
Charlotte, NC
Susan H. Briggs is the Managing Partner of the Charlotte office for Quintairos, Prieto, Wood & Boyer, P.A. As a Board-Certified Specialist in workers’ compensation law and a seasoned trial lawyer, her practice primarily centers on workers’ compensation litigation and appellate practice. Ms. Briggs possesses extensive experience in mediation negotiations and provides valuable counsel on matters related to business risk management and strategies. Her reputation as a sought-after speaker on North Carolina workers’ compensation law and claims investigations highlights her unique expertise and dynamic approach.
In 1994, Ms. Briggs earned her Juris Doctor from the University of North Carolina School of Law and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in industrial relations from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1991.
Ms. Briggs is licensed to practice law in North Carolina and holds admissions to the Cherokee Supreme Court, Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, North Carolina Court of Appeals, North Carolina Industrial Commission, and the U.S. District Courts for the Eastern, Middle, and Western Districts of North Carolina. She is also a North Carolina Dispute Resolution Commission (NCDRC) Certified Mediator.
Beyond her legal practice, Ms. Briggs contributes a great deal of her time to many community activities. She is an active member of the Lumbee Tribe of Native Americans.
Hon. Robert S. Cohen
Tallahassee, FL
Judge Cohen serves as an administrative law judge in Florida. A native of Orlando, Judge Cohen graduated from Brandeis University with a B.A. in American Studies. He graduated in December 1981 from the Florida State University College of Law, where he served on the Law Review. After more than 20 years in private practice, concentrating in administrative and civil law representing large companies, professional licensees and consumer associations, Judge Cohen was appointed by the Governor and Cabinet in October 2003, as the Director and Chief Judge of DOAH, which includes under its umbrella, the Office of Judges of Compensation Claims. Since October, 2019, he has served as Managing Judge for the Southern District.
Judge Cohen has served as Chair of the National Conference of the Administrative Law Judiciary, is a Past President of the National Association of Administrative Law Judiciary, and a past Treasurer of the National Association of Workers’ Compensation Judiciary. Locally, he serves on the Second Judicial Circuit Professionalism Committee, as an alumni member of the William Stafford Inn of Court, as a Past President of the Tallahassee Bar Association (and current board member), as a two-time Past President of the Legal Aid Foundation, and has held or holds leadership roles in numerous community organizations. He is a Fellow of the Florida and American Bar Foundations and a Charter Life Mentor of the National Administrative Law Judiciary Foundation. He is also a past recipient of the Florida Bar´s Pro Bono Service Award for the Second Judicial Circuit and the Tallahassee Bar Association’s Lifetime Professionalism Award. Bob was named the 2019 Champion of Diversity by the Tallahassee Bar and Tallahassee Women Lawyers Associations. He was the 2019 recipient of the Claude Pepper Award from the Government Lawyer’s Section and the S. Curtis Kiser Award from the Administrative Law Section of the Florida Bar. In 2022, he was elected to the National Association of the Worker’s Compensation Judiciary Hall of Fame. Judge Cohen is Board Certified by the Florida Bar in State and Federal Government and
Administrative Practice. He is a frequent speaker on topics related to administrative law to various legal organizations, in the classroom, and is a regular speaker and participant in the biennial Pat Dore Administrative Law Conference and the biennial Practice Before DOAH CLE sponsored by the Florida Bar Administrative Law Section. He participates annually as the judge in the final session of the DOAH Trial Academy. He has also authored several articles and chapters in legal publications. He is married to attorney Karen Asher-Cohen, has two grown children, and four amazing grandchildren.
A. Clifford Edwards, Esq.
Billings, MT
For 40 years, Mr. Edwards has been practicing law in the areas of personal injury, insurance bad faith, environmental cleanup of Montana property, defective products, and workplace injuries and death. His family has been involved in ranching, business and law in Montana since the early 1890s. Mr. Edwards’ trial practice has resulted in two of the top five jury verdicts entered in Montana. In October 2013 he completed what is believed to be Montana’s largest single injury settlement — a significant eight-figure cash payment for horrific burns in the Bakken Oil Field.
Mr. Edwards received the 2016 Lifetime Achievement Award from the Montana Trial Lawyers Association. The MTLA is a member organization for Montana attorneys who represent litigants to secure a just result for the injured, the accused, and those whose rights are jeopardized. The award honors Montana Trial attorneys who have made enduring contributions with Superior Advocacy over a long career.
Mr. Edwards belongs to The International Academy of Trial Lawyers, American College of Trial Lawyers and ABOTA; ATLA President’s club; Montana Trial Attorney of the year; AV Martindale Hubble rating for 30 years; listed in The Best Lawyers in America, 27 years.
Michele Wong Krause, Esq.
Dallas, TX
Ms. Wong Krause is the principal of The Wong Krause Law Firm. She specializes in Workers’ Compensation and is Certified by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. She previously worked at the firms of Hummel & Wong, Hudson, Hummel & Wong, and at Coakley & Associates.
She previously served as an Associate Municipal Judge for the City of Dallas and as an Associate Hearing Officer for the Dallas Municipal Court.
Ms. Wong Kruse is very active in the ABA. She serves in the House of Delegates and on the ABA Commission on Women in the Profession. She previously served on the Board of Governors and on multiple commissions.
She earned a B.A. in Political Science from University of Texas at Arlington and her J.D. from Southern Methodist University.
Louis Patalano IV, Esq.
Baton Rouge, LA
Mr. Patalano is the Chief Legal Officer, Senior Vice President & Corporate Secretary of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana. He serves as a member of the Senior Management Team and lead the organization’s legal, privacy, compliance, audit, enterprise risk, government affairs, and cybersecurity functions. He is also secretary to the Board of Directors.
He has practiced law and served in executive roles at K & L Gates, Sentara Healthcare, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina, and Cape Fear Valley Health System. He served the public as an Assistant Attorney General and as a Special Assistant U.S, Attorney in North Carolina.
He clerked at the North Carolina Court of Appeals for Chief Judge Sidney S, Eagles, Jr. and Judge Robert C. Hunter.
He earned a B.A. in English and Political Science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a J.D. from the University of Maryland School of Law.
Hon. Kristin L. Rosi
Alameda, CA
Judge Kristin L. Rosi has served on the bench since 2007, most recently as the Chief Administrative Law Judge for the California Department of Insurance. A seasoned trial judge, she has conducted hundreds of proceedings, and her decisions have significantly influenced the development of insurance law nationwide. Judge Rosi is a graduate of the University of Nevada, Reno/National Judicial College master’s in judicial studies program and also earned certificates in Administrative Law: Adjudication Skills and Dispute Resolution Skills from the NJC.
In addition to her work at the Department of Insurance, Judge Rosi serves as a Mental Health Hearing Officer for the Alameda County Superior Court and as a Court-Appointed Mediator and Early Neutral Evaluator for the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. Prior to her judicial appointment, she spent 12 years with the California Public Employment Relations Board, where she represented the agency before both the California Supreme Court and the Courts of Appeal.
Judge Rosi is a nationally and internationally recognized judicial leader. She is the Immediate Past President of the International Association of LGBTQ+ Judges, where she served three terms as President. During her leadership, she launched the Association’s first strategic plan, established global partnerships with other judicial organizations, and developed dozens of continuing judicial education programs. She currently serves on the Board of the International LGBTQ+ Judges Foundation, where she helps guide the Foundation’s governance and strategic direction. Judge Rosi also held key leadership roles within the National Association of Women Judges (NAWJ), serving as Chair of both the LGBTQ Committee and the Administrative Judiciary Committee. In these roles, she championed equitable access for all members and led successful efforts to expand membership among underrepresented judicial communities.
Her contributions to the American Bar Association (ABA) are equally distinguished. She currently chairs both the ABA Commission on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (SOGI) and the Judicial Division’s Program and Education Committee. Judge Rosi is also an active participant in the ABA’s Judicial Clerkship Program, where she mentors law students—particularly those from underrepresented backgrounds—helping them navigate their career paths and gain insight into the judiciary. She previously served a four-year term on the Executive Committee of the National Conference of Administrative Law Judiciary.
Deeply committed to equal access to justice, Judge Rosi serves as a Commissioner on the California State Bar’s Legal Services Trust Fund Commission, where she chairs the Program Development and Impact Committee. In this role, she leads the evaluation and support of innovative programs that expand legal services to low-income and underserved communities across California. She is also a Commissioner on the California Access to Justice Commission, working to expand legal resources, eliminate systemic barriers, and drive innovation in the delivery of civil legal services.
Jack Scarola, Esq.
West Palm Beach, FL
Mr. Scarola is a member of the board of directors at Search, Denny, Scarola, Barnhart & Shipley.
He practices general litigation and is a Board Certified Civil Trial Attorney. Prior to going into private practice he was an Assistant State Attorney, for the Fifteen Judicial Circuit, Palm Beach County, Florida where he was the Chief Felony Prosecutor.
He earned a B.A. from Georgetown University and his J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center. He is licensed to practice law in Florida and in four U.S. District Courts and the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals.
Mr. Scarola is a member of the International Academy of Trial Lawyers, the International Society of Barristers, and the American Board of Trial Advocates. He is the former President of the Palm Beach County Justice Association and has played an active leadership role in both county and statewide professional associations. He is a recipient of the Florida Bar President’s Pro Bono Service Award and the Legal Aid Society’s Community Service Award honoring his involvement for many years in giving free legal help to individuals and community groups.
Hon. David L. Welch
Bloomington, IN
Hon. David L. Welch is a senior judge for the State of Indiana. Previously, he was a federal administrative law judge in Washington, DC. Judge Welch has over forty years of public service at all three levels of government and with all three branches of government. He was appointed Administrative Law Judge to the Social Security Administration in Indianapolis in 2012. Previously, he served three terms as Judge of the Monroe Circuit Court in Bloomington, Indiana, a court of general jurisdiction and record with over 95,000 dispositions of all types of Indiana cases. He is a member of the ABA where he served as the past Chair of the National Conference of the Administrative Law Judiciary (NCALJ). He co-chaired the ABA Judicial Division Decisional Independence Task Force.