Welcome
Lou Gieszl, Assistant Administrator for Programs

Opening Remarks
Pamela Harris, State Court Administrator

Plenary: Creating and Launching a New Grant-Funded Program: Dorchester County District Regional Veterans Court
Hon. Melvin J. Jews, District Court of Maryland
Latasha Nichols, Coordinator, Dorchester County District Regional Veterans Court

The District Court for Dorchester County launched a new Regional Veterans Treatment Court (VTC) program this year. The program serves the entire Lower Shore and accepts both Circuit and District Court referrals. National data indicate that one in five veterans has symptoms of a mental disorder or cognitive impairment. One in six who served in Afghanistan or Iraq suffers from a substance use disorder. The Presiding Judge and VTC Program Coordinator will describe the development of their innovative program and discuss ways of meeting the needs of those who have served our country.

Overview of FY2020 Judiciary Funding Opportunities
Lou Gieszl

Becoming Socially Acceptable: Using Social Media and the Internet to Inform and Reach the Community
Christopher Page, Executive Director, Conflict Resolution Center of Montgomery County 

This workshop is designed to build participants’ social media understanding and provide social media marketing skills. Participants will learn the major social media sites and how to use social media to enhance their organization, get more clients, and generate more support.

Purpose to Impact: How to Develop Programs and Services…And Justify Your Grant, Too.
Richard Abbott, Director, Department of Juvenile and Family Services
Jovonne Lewis, Family and Court Program Evaluation Manager, Department of Juvenile and Family Services

This practical, hands-on, learning workshop will provide participants with valuable
tips and information on how they can develop and/or improve their programs and
services and, at the same time, improve the justification of their grant proposals. Participants will learn how to discern and instill “purpose” in what they want to do; how to identify and deal with opposition, conflict, and barriers to what they want to do; and how to evaluate the impact of what they want to do.

Audit Demystified: What Grantees Should Expect and How to Prepare for Your Visit from the Judiciary’s Auditors
Moderator, Kelly Franks, Programs and Policy Manager, Department of Juvenile and Family Services
Carolyn Schneck, Manager, Internal Audit Department
Mary McGeady, Chief Operating Officer, House of Ruth
Anne Turner, Family Division/ADR Coordinator, Circuit Court for Worcester County

Being audited can be an intimidating process. This workshop will help alleviate some of the anxiety that audits sometimes cause. Presenters from the Judiciary’s Internal Audit department will explain what to expect when the Judiciary Auditors visit your program. You will also hear from grantees who have recently been audited and learn about their experiences. Tips on how to manage grant funds and ensure your program’s grant-funded expenditures are “audit proof” will be shared.

Evaluation 101
Jamie Walter, Director, Court Operations Department
Nick White, Research and Evaluation Director, Mediation and Conflict Resolution Office

In this session we will discuss how to tie your program goals to your research methods, what makes a good question, provide tips when developing and analyzing surveys, and provide insight into different online survey packages.

Engaging Volunteers and Community Partners
Moderator, Sarah Kaplan, Juvenile Law Manager, Department of Juvenile and Family Services
Larell Smith Bacon, Conferencing Program Director, Restorative Response Baltimore
Caroline Harmon-Darrow, Adjunct Professor and PhD Candidate, University of Maryland Baltimore School of Social Work

No matter your program, you are likely working with volunteers or public/private agency partners – or both. Getting volunteers and partner agency groups engaged and keeping them active can be among the most challenging parts of running a successful program. In this workshop, we will discuss techniques for working with volunteer and partner agencies. Bonus - bring your burning, stickiest, most pressing volunteer/partner agency problems for discussion and planning.

Language Access Services in the Maryland Courts
Ksenia Boitsova, Court Interpreter Program Administrator, Access to Justice Department

This session will provide attendees with an overview of the Maryland Judiciary Court Interpreter program; the interpreter certification process; federal and state laws as well as Maryland administrative rules that govern the provision of language services in the Maryland courts. Attendees will receive a detailed description of the current language access tools provided by the Judiciary. Ksenia will provide recommendations on how to work effectively with interpreters and limited English proficient individuals. Important issues such as interpreter fatigue, “lost in translation” communication problems, and cultural sensitivity will be discussed.

Procurement Demystified: What Grantees Need to Know about the Judiciary’s Process and Best Practices Overall
Kevin Kelly, Director, Department of Procurement, Contracts, and Grants Administration

This session will provide a brief overview of the Judiciary procurement framework including policy and procedure guidelines. In addition, we will review some Procurement best practice fundamentals and provide some details on how to optimize your spending dollars, supplier selection, and leading-edge procurement tools available today.

Are You Serving Who You Think You Are? The Importance of Collecting and Using Demographic Data  
Alecia Parker, Grants and Strategic Initiatives Director, Mediation and Conflict Resolution Office

Do you know who you serve? More importantly, do you know who you are not serving? This session will discuss the importance of collecting demographic data and using it to improve program services. Whether you work for a court, nonprofit, or a local government, knowing who you serve and who you don’t serve is a key factor in meeting the needs of Maryland’s changing communities.

Building Program Partnerships: How Collaborating with Maryland Court Self-Help Centers Can Help Narrow the Justice Gap 
Lonni Summers, Senior Program Manager, Access to Justice Department 
Emily Angel, Staff Attorney, Maryland Center for Legal Assistance, LLC, Maryland Courts Self-Help Center
Dan Cardile, Supervising Attorney, Montgomery County Circuit Court Family Law Self-Help Center
Abena Williams, Supervising Attorney, Maryland Center for Legal Assistance, LLC, District Court Self-Help Resource Center

As the number of self-represented litigants continues to climb, working together with partners can significantly enhance access to justice for litigants without counsel. Self-Help Centers are a key part of the Maryland Judiciary’s growing network of self-help programs, aimed at narrowing the justice gap. In this session, you will learn about Maryland Court Self-Help Centers and explore how your program can partner with Self-Help Centers to make it easier for self-represented litigants to get the help they need.

Baselines and Benchmarks: A What-for and How-To Guide to Case Management System Reports
Jamie Walter, Director, Court Operations Department
Grant Bacon, Court Researcher, Second Circuit 
Adrienne Eagan, Court Researcher, Circuit Court for Anne Arundel County

Presenters will provide a walk-through of a few helpful MDEC reports and discuss performance management practices to help programs continue to improve.