NEWS RELEASE

The National Center for State Courts
300 Newport Avenue · Williamsburg, Virginia  23185

Contact:
Lorri Montgomery
Communications Manager
The National Center for State Courts
757.259.1525

 Bethlehem Steel’s Chairman Emeritus
 Joins National Court Reform Organization

Williamsburg, VA. (Oct. 20, 2001) – Curtis H. Barnette, chairman emeritus and retired CEO of Bethlehem Steel Corporation, has joined the Board of Directors of The National Center for State Courts, a non-profit organization that serves as a leader and a resource for the nation’s state courts. Barnette, of counsel in the Washington, D.C. office of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, specializes in corporate law, corporate governance, international trade and public policy.

“We are thrilled that Mr. Barnette has agreed to join the board of The National Center,” said Roger K. Warren, president of The National Center, headquartered in Williamsburg, Va. “As a leader in both the legal profession and the corporate community, he brings a wealth of experience in corporate governance, funding, and planning to the table. He cares deeply about the importance of the work of America’s state courts, and the mission of The National Center as the preeminent national court reform organization.”

Barnette first joined Bethlehem Steel as an attorney in 1967, and steadily moved up the ranks, becoming chairman and chief executive officer in 1992.  Barnette’s experience and influence is far-reaching. He is a former Fulbright Scholar, a former U.S. Army counterintelligence officer, and a graduate of Yale Law School and Harvard Business School. Barnette has testified frequently before Congressional Committees and has written and spoken about corporate, litigation, international trade, corporate governance and related matters. 

Currently, Barnette is a member of the President’s Trade Advisory Committee, appointed by former President Bill Clinton in 1994, 1997, and 2001 and by former President George Bush in 1989 and 1991. President Ronald Reagan appointed him to the Council of the Administrative Conference of the United States in 1988 and then-Secretary of Labor Elizabeth Dole named Barnette to the Coal Commission in 1990.

Barnette’s years of experience in corporate, legal and political circles are invaluable to The National Center, Warren said. The National Center for State Courts, founded by Chief Justice Warren Burger in 1971, is dedicated to improving the administration of justice and provides leadership, research, technology, education and training to the state courts.  The National Center also is taking the lead on several key issues facing the justice system. For example, it has established the Civil Justice Reform Initiative, which is a multi-year program that will address issues of access, complexity, costliness, and delay in civil proceedings.  Another national initiative being driven by The National Center is to improve public trust and confidence in the courts.

Barnette joined The National Center’s Chairman’s Committee in 1995 and through the years has provided extensive outreach to the corporate community on behalf of The National Center. In 1997, Bethlehem Steel was recognized for being a 20-year supporter of The National Center. In addition to his work with The National Center, Barnette is a director of Metropolitan Life Insurance Co., a director of Yale Law School Fund, a Comenius professor at Moravian College, a trustee of Lehigh University, vice chairman and member of the Board of Governors of West Virginia University, a director and former chairman of the West Virginia University Foundation, and Chairman of the Ron Brown Award Board for Corporate Leadership.

The National Center’s new board members were announced at the board’s annual meeting held in Seattle, Washington in August. In addition to Mr. Barnette, The National Center’s other new board members include Chief Judge Judith Kaye of the New York Court of Appeals; Gerald T. Elliott, judge of the 10th Judicial District of Kansas; Gary L. Lumpkin, presiding judge of the Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma; Patricia Tobias, administrative director of the court of Idaho; and Michael Buenger, state court administrator of the Supreme Court of Missouri. Chief Judge Annice M. Wagner of the District of Columbia Court of Appeals was named board chairperson. Members of the Conference of Chief Justices, the Conference of State Court Administrators, and the National Association for Court Management hold standing positions on the board.

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