Anjanette Whitman (front row left), Andrew Misiak (front row center), Shannon Crabtree (to right of Misiak), and Jessica Wallace (back row second from right) attend their fellow graduation ceremony at the U.S. Supreme Court.

Anjanette Whitman (front row left), Andrew Misiak (front row center), Shannon Crabtree (to right of Misiak), and Jessica Wallace (back row second from right) attend their fellow graduation ceremony at the U.S. Supreme Court.

Four Ohio court officials have achieved the highest level of court leadership certification.

“It has deepened my understanding of how courts operate and how to make decisions with the support of data because you get a better idea of how each office and department contributes to the entire organization,” said Shannon Crabtree, a juvenile treatment facility director in Montgomery County.

Crabtree is among 18 people nationwide to complete a fellowship program through the National Center for State Courts (NCSC). The NCSC says the accomplishment is comparable to a master’s degree. The fellowship is the final of three NCSC certifications that enhance the understanding of court administration and supervision.

Crabtree started her career as a licensed therapist and probation officer. She credits much of her rise in leadership to the professional development opportunities through the NCSC that began nine years ago. The first two programs gave her the perspective of how to run an entire operation. That helped her create the policies and procedures for the Nicholas Residential Treatment Center she runs for the Montgomery County Common Pleas Court, Juvenile Division. In the fellows program, participants identify a specific issue and seek solutions through a research project. Crabtree developed an employee satisfaction survey to determine what her staff valued and how she could improve their lives at work.

“The survey was incredibly informative, and we’ve already been able to address concerns about things like scheduling and pay scale,” said Crabtree. “Once you invest in your staff, you want them to stay. The eight other common pleas court departments agree. They also want to use the survey for the court’s roughly 500 employees.”

Another fellow from this year’s class is Marion County Clerk of Court Jessica Wallace. Like Crabtree, she worked her way up through the court system from a deputy clerk and fiscal administrator. Her project researched ways her office can increase funding so it can expand its operations for services like e-filing.

“I looked at some overlying state and national concepts for ideas that would not only work in Marion County, but statewide,” said Wallace.

Her and Crabtree’s findings will be published in the coming weeks. So will the work of the other Ohio fellows – Ashtabula County Juvenile and Probate Court Administrator Andrew Misiak and Cuyahoga County Domestic Relations Court Help Center Director Anjanette Whitman. Their projects will be added to the NCSC library to serve as a resource for courts across the country.

“All these years of education have been great because we learn about successes, including some things we never considered,” said Wallace. “The work and discussions allow us to envision a future that helps us toward a justice system that works for everyone.”