By Liz Garcia (NM)
The National Conference of Appellate Court Clerks has been awarded a prestigious State Justice Institute (SJI) Curriculum Adaptation and Training Grant to support educational programming and seminars.
SJI Curriculum Adaptation and Training Grants are intended to enable courts or national court associations to develop conference programs to meet their members’ educational needs.
“We are proud to partner with the SJI in this important initiative to enhance curriculum for appellate court professionals,” said NCACC President Scott Mitchell. “One of our key objectives is to improve the skill and knowledge of appellate court clerks by robust educational programming. I would like to thank the SJI for this opportunity to support our programming and our Educational Fund Committee, Colette Bruggman (CA), Lonn Weissblum (FL), and Liz Garcia (NM) for their hard work and commitment to the NCACC’s success.”
The SJI grant will allow the NCACC to increase access to justice and to maintain and expand its scholarship fund for its members who would otherwise be unable to attend annual meetings.
The NCACC Educational Fund and NCACC Programming
Following the 52nd Annual Meeting of the National Conference of Appellate Court Clerks in Albuquerque, NM, the NCACC Educational Fund Committee met to author a grant proposal to improve the educational efforts of the NCACC and build on the momentum gained for the 53rd Annual Conference in Austin, TX.
“The SJI award grant is pivotal to the future success of the NCACC. We will use the SJI grant for educational speakers, scholarships, technology, educational materials for the conferences and the NCACC’s website, and audio visual technology to enhance the learning environment,” said Colette Bruggman, President Elect and Chair of the NCACC Educational Fund.
“The SJI Curriculum Adaptation and Training Grant allows the NCACC to assess their current curriculum and develop quality educational programming that is grounded in national best practices and designed to strengthen appellate court administration training,” said Michelle White, SJI Senior Program Advisor.
Support for the NCACC SJI Grant
The NCACC received letters of support for its grant proposal from a chief justice, a president of a judicial professional organization, and two NCACC members.
“The NCACC is unique among judicial professional organizations in that it includes representation from intermediate courts of appeals and courts of last resort both at the state and federal levels,” said Chief Justice Sarah Stewart, Supreme Court of Alabama.
Kelly Hutton, President of National Association of Court Management, observed: “The National Association for Court Management (NACM) and NCACC share a longstanding and valued partnership rooted in our mutual commitment to advancing the effective administration of justice,”
“The SJI grant enables the NCACC to continue accepting and expanding its curriculum to meet the evolving needs of appellate courts at both the state and federal levels,” said Tristen Worthen, Washington State Court of Appeals Clerk, Court Administrator, NCACC Program Chair.
Finally, Deana Williams, Clerk of the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, wrote; “Hosting the 2026 Annual Meeting in Austin provides a unique opportunity to highlight the innovations and best practices of appellate court administration while fostering collaboration among appellate clerks across the country.”
“The SJI grant award will allow the NCACC to continue providing high-quality educational opportunities for our members,” said Scott Mitchell, NCACC President.