The Council of Accountability Court Judges (CACJ) and the University of Georgia’s Carl Vinson Institute of Government (CVIOG) recognized the first graduates of the Coordinator Certification Program at the recent CACJ training conference’s closing session.

The CACJ partnered with CVIOG to offer an extensive training program to accountability court coordinators and program directors throughout the state of Georgia. Employing a combination of online and in-person training sessions, the Coordinator Certification Program is organized into eight courses for a total of 45 hours of instruction and covered topics central to successful accountability court administration: accountability & advocacy, communication, conflict resolution, financial concepts, grant administration, procurement & contract management, succession planning & delegation, and team & group dynamics.

As the number of accountability courts has grown rapidly over the past few years, the objectives of the Coordinator Certificate Program are to increase the knowledge of the primary administrative functions of accountability court coordinators, develop the skills necessary to carry out the administrative functions as an accountability court coordinator, develop and maintain the high standards for the functioning of the accountability courts, and increase the professionalism of accountability court coordinators.

The following court professionals make up the cohort of first graduates:

• Angela Anderson, Conasauga Mental Health Court

• Jennifer Barnett, Coweta County Drug Court

• Richard Bosten, Jackson County Drug Court

• Stephen Brown, Savannah-Chatham Mental Health Court

• Janice Cartwright, Dodge County Drug Court

• Georgee Corley, Fulton County Misdemeanor Mental Health Court

• Kristen Daniel, Western Mental Health Court

• Priscilla Daniels, Gwinnett County Judicial Circuit

• Marlow Dix, Coweta County Family Treatment Court

• Lakisha Dixon, Clayton County Veterans Treatment Court

• Robert Fox, Newton County & Walton County Resource Court

• Shawonna Gaither, Rockdale County DUI Court

• Steven Giglio, Towaliga Accountability Courts

• Leslie Grabensteder, Coweta County DUI Court

• Anita Grainger, Douglas County DUI/Drug Court

• Scharita Greene, Newton County Juvenile Behavioral Health Court

• Latrell Gulotta, Chatham County Family Treatment Court

• Kristy Hardin, Gwinnett County Judicial Circuit

• Glenda Harriman, Atlantic Judicial Circuit Drug Court/Liberty County DUI Court

• Melissa Johnson, Cherokee Circuit Drug Court

• Darcy Kamau, Cobb County DUI Court

• Jennifer King, Douglas County Family Treatment Court

• Beau Leyse, Pataula Drug Court

• Karen McClain, Ogeechee Judicial Circuit Mental Health Court & Drug Court

• Lauren Ortiz, Paulding Judicial Circuit Mental Health Court

• Katelyn Parker, Cobb County Veterans Treatment Court

• Patricia Pinkney, Savannah-Chatham County Drug Court

• Dayna Solomon, Muscogee County Drug Court

• Terry Sosebee, Conasauga Drug Court

• Danny Stevens, Athens-Clarke County Family Treatment Court

• Jennifer Tillery, Cobb County Family Treatment Court

• Lynda Tobias, Burke County Accountability Courts

• Monyato Tolbert, Henry County Juvenile Mental Health Court

• Kelsey Topolski, Lookout Mountain Mental Health Court

• Karen Tovey, Rome Circuit Mental Health Court

• Jonathan Tucker, Clayton Judicial Circuit Behavioral Health Accountability Court

• Melanie Valentine, Cobb County Mental Health Court

• Samantha Whaley, DeKalb County DUI Court

• Jennifer Williams, Blue Ridge Judicial Circuit Drug Court

• Erin Young, Rome/Floyd County Drug Court

As of July 1, 2021, there are 170 certified accountability court programs in Georgia, and the mission of the CACJ is to provide a unified framework that promotes and improves the quality, accessibility, and administration of accountability courts with a vision to make accountability courts work for all Georgians. Established in 2015, the CACJ fulfills this mission through certification, standards, peer review, data collection, training, treatment fidelity monitoring, and grants.