Vice President: Deana Williamson (Texas)
Deana Williamson was appointed Clerk of the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals in October 2017. Since joining the Court in July 2012, she has served as Clerk Pro Tempore, Chief Deputy Clerk, and Deputy Clerk. In her role as Clerk, Deana oversees the operations of the Clerk’s Office and supports the administration of Texas’s highest court for criminal matters. Deana earned a Bachelor of Business Administration with a double major in Marketing and Human Resources from Baylor University in Waco, Texas.

Secretary: Claudia Jenks (Texas)
Claudia Jenks has served as the Chief Deputy Clerk of the Supreme Court of Texas since March 2003. In that role, Claudia assists the Clerk of the Court in managing and supervising the operation of the Clerk’s Office.  Prior to working for the Court, Claudia was employed in the Transportation Litigation Division at the Office of Attorney General where she processed filings for all the Assistant Attorney Generals who represented the Texas Department of Transportation, and distributed warrants on behalf of the agency for settlements and judgment claims.  Claudia holds two bachelor’s degrees, in Speech and in Mass Communication, and a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from Texas State University-San Marcos.  Claudia has been an active member of the NCACC since 2003 and has served on the Convention Assistance Committee numerous times.

Julie Clement (Michigan) (one-year term)^[1]

Julie Clement has been the Deputy Clerk of the Michigan Supreme Court since 2020, having previously served as Assistant Clerk, Librarian, and Staff Attorney.  Julie started her legal career as a Research Attorney with the Michigan Court of Appeals.  She clerked for now-retired Michigan Supreme Court Justice Stephen Markman and then served for four years as a Research Supervisor for the Court of Appeals before accepting a full-time teaching position at Cooley Law School.  Julie is the chair of the NCACC’s Bylaws Committee and has recently led a two-year effort to revise the bylaws into plain language. She is heavily involved in the international plain-language community and has recently spoken on that topic at the University of Lisbon, the European Parliament, and the European Commission.

^[1] Due to a career change, Megan Scanlon resigned from the Executive Committee during the 2025-2026 year.  Pursuant to the NCACC bylaws, the Executive Committee appointed Emily Wetherell to fill the vacancy through the 2026 annual meeting.  Julie Clement is nominated to serve the remainder of the unexpired term.  

Sam Christensen (Wisconsin) 

         Sam Christensen serves as Clerk of the Wisconsin Supreme Court and Court of Appeals.  Born in California and raised in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, he earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of South Dakota and a master’s degree in religious studies from Cardinal Stritch University in Milwaukee.

Sam began his court career with Racine County, Wisconsin, in 2002 and served as Racine County Clerk of Circuit Court from 2015 to 2023.  As clerk, he was the chief administrative officer and records custodian for Wisconsin’s fourth-largest circuit court.  In 2023, he was appointed Clerk of the Wisconsin Supreme Court and Court of Appeals.

         Sam has been a member of the National Conference of Appellate Court Clerks since 2023 and has served on both the Membership and Program Committees.  He attended his first NCACC conference in Burlington, Vermont, in 2024.         Outside of work, Sam enjoys exploring Wisconsin’s back roads in his convertible, spending time with his partner, and doting on his nephews.

Sarah Pendleton (Washington)

Sarah R. Pendleton was appointed Clerk of the Washington State Supreme Court by the Justices in February 2025, following four years of service as Deputy Clerk and Acting Clerk under Erin Lennon.

Before joining the Court, Sarah served as Chief of Contracts and Legal Services for the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS). Prior to that appointment, she held several roles at DSHS, including IT Contracts Counsel and IT Contracts and Procurement Manager. Earlier in her career, she lived in Paris, France, where she worked in the arbitration division of Debevoise & Plimpton and externed for the francophone chambers at the United Nations International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia in the Netherlands.

Sarah earned her Bachelor of Arts from the University of Washington, completing her final year at L’Institut d’Études Politiques de Paris (Sciences Po). She studied law at Seattle University School of Law and completed her J.D. as a visiting student at L’Université Paris Ouest Nanterre and the American University Washington College of Law. She speaks both Japanese and French.

Sarah became a member of the National Conference of Appellate Court Clerks (NCACC) in 2021 and attended her first conference in Colonial Williamsburg. Since joining the NCACC, she has served on the Contracts Committee, the Site Selection Committee, and most recently as Chair of the Scholarship Committee.Sarah is also a proud race mom to Jordy (6) and Lilah (8) and serves as National Tower Head for the National Quarter Midget Association.

Emily Wetherell (Vermont)Emily Wetherell the Deputy Clerk of the Vermont Supreme Court. Her current responsibilities include supervising the Court’s administrative staff, overseeing facilities and administrative systems, supporting various rules committees, researching legal issues, and drafting opinions. Previously, Emily was an Associate Professor of Legal Writing at Vermont Law School, clerked for Associate Justice John A. Dooley, and served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Ukraine. She regularly testifies before the Legislative Committee on Judicial Rules and has presented educational sessions on appellate practice and rules requirements to the Bar and to judges. She has a J.D. from Vermont Law School and a B.Sc. in chemistry and biology from Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario. Emily joined the NCACC in 2018 and has served on several committees including Program, Convention Assistance, and Bylaws.