Greetings from the President
By Sheral C. Kellar, President
National Association of Workers’ Compensation Judiciary
Louisiana Workers’ Compensation Judge – Chief
Louisiana Workforce Commission
Another College has come and gone. Many attendees reported to me that the 2024 National Association of Workers’ Compensation Judiciary College was, simply, one of the best ever. For many years the College has convened each August, except during the 2020 Covid 19 pandemic. It is an understatement to say that we attempt to surpass the College achievements of the year before. It is not an easy thing to do. But, this year thanks to the hard work and dedication of our members we far exceeded our own expectations.
Many thanks to Commissioner P. Jason Cording, Deputy Commissioner, Virginia Workers’ Compensation Commission, for a job well-done. Commissioner Cording was chair of the Curriculum Committee. He and his committee members, Judges Mike Alvey, Shannon Bruno, Ken Switzer, Pam Johnson, Tim Conner, Edward Wise, David Langham, Wesley Marshall, Bruce Moore, and yours truly worked tirelessly to create an outstanding agenda and curriculum for the annual College, including recruiting speakers and assembling written materials. This year’s programming will be hard to follow.
If you liked your conference gift, won a door prize, took advantage of the coffee breaks and meals, thank the Conference Committee. Our esteemed colleague from Louisiana, Judge Shannon Bruno, is Conference Committee chair. Her members include Judges Mike Alvey, Tim Conner, David Langham, Wesley Marshall, Bruce Moore, Jack Weiss, Kathy Shelton and, again, yours truly. The Conference Committee also manages all logistical and practical operations of the Judiciary College, including assembly of name tags and registration bags, organization of social activities, and handling of PowerPoint presentations and other technical issues.
To reiterate, the Board and members of the NAWCJ endeavor to exceed the efforts of the previous year. In fact, we begin planning the 2025 College immediately after the end of the 2024 College. We assess what we did right and what we can do better. Although, the consensus is that this year’s College was the best ever, improvements can always be made. One of the things we will definitely address is transportation. Thank you in advance to the Workers’ Compensation Institute (WCI). It has offered to assist us next year with our transportation. The College would not be what it is without the WCI partnership. WCI provides resources to the NAWCJ without which we could not accomplish the programming and networking that is so important to a successful College.
Finally, we want to hear from you. Let us know what your thoughts are about the college. What do you think we could do better? We value your opinion. We want you to become involved. If you have not already joined a committee, I invite you to do so. NAWCJ Committees are:
Long Range Planning, Membership & Recruitment Committee
Develops a long-term vision for the Association that includes retaining and growing the membership and attendance at events.
Recommends practical steps for outreach to individual adjudicators and workers’ compensation organizations, which may include the
administration of scholarships including reviewing application and making recommendation.
Curriculum Committee
Creates the agenda and curriculum for the annual Judiciary College, including recruiting speakers and assembling written
materials.
Conference Committee
Manages all logistical and practical operations of the Judiciary College, including assembly of nametags and registration bags,
organization of social activities, and handling of PowerPoint presentations and other technical issues.
Give Kids the World Service Project
Recruits and coordinates NAWCJ’s participation in WCI’s efforts to benefit Give Kids the World, a nonprofit that fulfills the
wishes of critically ill children and their families.
Lex & Verum
Develops and produces NAWCJ’s newsletter, Lex and Verum, including the writing and solicitation of articles, proofreading, and layout.
Moot Court
Coordinates NAWCJ’s participation in the E. Earle Zehmer Moot Court Competition held annually in conjunction with the Judiciary College.
New Judges’ Boot Camp
Develops the agenda and content for the biennial New Judges’ Boot Camp, including managing all logistical and practical operations.
Nominating
Identifies and recommends members for appointment and/or election to the Board of Directors or Officers.
Website & Social Media
Monitors the content and appearance of NAWCJ’s website and manages the Association’s presence on other social media platforms.
Our hard work guarantees that we fulfill the mission of the NAWCJ, “to provide educational forums for the workers’ compensation judiciary concerning issues that are unique to this system of justice”. To clone a cliché’ we need a few good judges to help us fulfill this mission. Join a committee now, by calling Kathy Shelton at (850) 528-3539 or calling me at (225) 572-9234. You can also e-mail us at Sheral Kellar, sckellar@bellsouth.net or Kathy Shelton, href=”mailto:kshelton@resourcemanagers.net”>kshelton@resourcemanagers.net.
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