Jessica L. Cortes, Deputy Court Administrator with the Flagstaff Municipal Court in Arizona, became a Fellow of the Institute for Court Management (ICM) having successfully completed the rigorous requirements of ICM’s Fellows Program. Cortes and 18 other court professionals from around the United States took part in graduation ceremonies conducted at the Supreme Court in Washington, D.C. The
Honorable Michael G. Heavican, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Nebraska and President of the Conference of Chief Justices welcomed and addressed the graduates.
The ICM Fellows Program (formerly known as the Court Executive Development Program) is the only program
of its kind in the United States. This professional certification program was established more than 44 years
ago, in part, by Chief Justice of the United States Warren E. Burger in his call for improving the management of
state court administration. The intensive four-phase educational program better prepares court professionals
for management and leadership positions. Since the first class of graduates in 1970, over 1,200 court
professionals in 48 states, the District of Columbia, Guam and 12 foreign countries have become Fellows.
Becoming an ICM Fellow is a process of continual professional development that includes four steps.
• The first step for a candidate is to achieve Certified Court Manager status through successful
completion of six in-depth courses: court performance standards, case flow management, human
resources, fiscal management, technology management, purposes and responsibilities of courts.
• The second step is to achieve Certified Court Executive status through completion of six additional
courses including: court community communication; education, training & development; essential
components; high performance courts framework; leadership; and visioning and strategic planning.
Students must also complete the Distance Learning Phase, an online component that prepares
participants for the work necessary to complete the Court Project Phase.
• The third step is completion of the Court Project Phase which entails a court research and improvement
project. Participants must design and complete an independent master’s-level research project that
relates to evaluating and implementing a key court activity in their home jurisdiction.
• The fourth step and the culmination of this professional development process is the Presentation
Phase. Participants must demonstrate their leadership skills by developing and clearly articulating the
results of their findings and recommendations before a respected panel and their classmates.
The National Center for State Courts, founded by Chief Justice Warren E. Burger in 1971, is a nonprofit
organization dedicated to improving the administration of justice by providing leadership, research, technology,
education and training to the state courts.
