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National Center for State Courts President Mary McQueen to Step Down Following Successful 20-Year Tenure
McQueen to Remain in Role as Board Conducts Search for Next President
Williamsburg, VA-- August 5, 2024—The National Center for State Courts (NCSC) today announced that Mary McQueen
plans to step down following a successful 20-year tenure as President. Ms. McQueen will remain in her role while the NCSC Board of Directors conducts a formal search for her replacement.
“The Board of Directors extends its heartfelt appreciation to Mary for a career dedicated to improving the administration of justice throughout the world,” said Chief Judge Anna Blackburne-Rigsby, Chair of the Board of Directors. “Under her leadership, NCSC has achieved remarkable milestones and started groundbreaking programs. Mary has expanded our reach to drive innovation and progress in courts and justice systems. We appreciate Mary’s unwavering commitment to NCSC and look forward to working alongside her as we ensure a seamless transition to our next President.”
McQueen was named President of NCSC in July 2004 after having served as Washington’s state court administrator for 17 years. During her tenure, McQueen improved court operations to better serve the public and strengthened global justice institutions through strategic collaborations. Under McQueen’s leadership, NCSC has worked closely with state courts to develop groundbreaking initiatives, including the Civil Justice Initiative, the COVID Rapid Response Team, the Harvard Executive Session for State Court Leaders in the 21st Century and the Judicial Branch Leadership Academy. Additionally, McQueen has spearheaded pilot projects around the country on topics ranging from artificial intelligence to hybrid hearings, which became critical during the recent pandemic.
“Serving as NCSC’s President has been the highest honor of my career,” said McQueen. “I am incredibly grateful to NCSC’s team and am proud of all we have accomplished. Now is the right time to transition our leadership, and I look forward to assisting NCSC in entering a new chapter.”
The Board of Directors has engaged search firm Isaacson, Miller to conduct a formal search for NCSC’s next president. The search will consider both internal and external candidates.
About Mary McQueen
Mary McQueen has led NCSC as its president since July 2004. As president, she also coordinates major national initiatives for the Conference of Chief Justices. McQueen served as Washington’s state court administrator from 1987 to 2004 and as director of Judicial Services for the Washington State Office of the Administrator for the Courts from 1979 to 1987. In 1995, she was elected president of the Conference of State Court Administrators and chaired the Lawyer’s Committee of the American Bar Association’s Judicial Division. She has won numerous awards, including the American Judicature Society’s Herbert Harley Award, the NCSC Innovation in Jury Management Award, and the John Marshall Award, presented by the ABA’s Judicial Division in recognition of her contributions to the improvement of the administration of justice, judicial independence, justice reform and public awareness. McQueen also received the ABA Judicial Division’s Lawyers Conference 2016 Robert B. Yegge Award for Outstanding Contribution in the Field of Judicial Administration. She has served on numerous ABA committees and task forces and acts as secretary general of the International Organization for Judicial Training, which represents 80 member nations.
McQueen is a member of the Washington and U.S. Supreme Court bars. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Georgia and a law degree from Seattle University Law School.