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 or lmontgomery@ncsc.dni.us 

Utah's State Court Administrator Named Vice-Chair
of National Court Reform Organization
and President of National Court Association

Williamsburg, VA (July 26, 2004) – Utah State Court Administrator Daniel Becker has been named vice-chair of the Board of Directors of the National Center for State Courts (NCSC). At the same time, Becker also was named president of the Conference of State Court Administrators (COSCA), a national organization that represents the top judicial officers of the 50 states and U.S. territories, and of which the National Center serves as executive staff. Both positions are one-year terms. The appointments were made during the National Center’s Board meeting and COSCA’s annual meeting, July 25-29 in Salt Lake City, Utah.

“We are honored that Dan has moved into a leadership role with the National Center and in the nation’s court community,” said Roger K. Warren, president of the National Center. “He’s an outstanding leader and positive force, and his knowledge and experience are invaluable to the National Center.”  Becker recently helped lead a national search committee that in April selected Washington State Court Administrator Mary McQueen has the National Center’s new president, effective Aug. 1, at which time Warren steps down.

Becker is not new to the National Center or to COSCA. For years, he has worked diligently to promote several key NCSC initiatives, such as strengthening public trust and confidence in the courts. He served as co-chair of the Conference of Chief Justices and COSCA’s Task Force on Therapeutic Justice, and has served on state and national commissions for improving the administration of justice.

Becker has more than 25 years of court administration experience. In his current position with the Utah courts, he is responsible for the appellate, trial, and juvenile courts, which have more than 1,200 employees. Prior to coming to Utah in 1995, he served as trial court administrator in North Carolina, and court consultant and assistant director for the Administrative Office of the Courts of Georgia.

The National Center, headquartered in Williamsburg, Va., is a non-profit court reform organization dedicated to improving the administration of justice by providing leadership and service to the state courts. The National Center, founded in 1971 by the Conference of Chief Justices and Chief Justice of the United States Warren E. Burger, provides education, training, and technology, management, and research services to the nation’s state courts. The National Center also is taking the lead on several key issues facing the justice system. For example, it has established a major civil justice initiative, a multi-year project that is examining best practices in civil case management and how complex litigation procedures can be improved. Other national initiatives being driven by the National Center include judicial selection reform and increasing citizen participation in jury service.  

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