2022 Annual Meeting
The 2023 Annual Meeting will be held in Wilmington, Delaware!

​​Sunday, July 31, 2022

Hotel Location: Embassy Suites, 10 E. Thomas Road, Phoenix

MONDAY AUGUST 1, 2022

8 a.m.  Welcome by CCPIO President, Arizona Chief Justice and Arizona Host
CCPIO President Darren Toms, Arizona Chief Justice Robert Brutinel and Arizona Host Alberto Rodriguez will welcome attendees to Phoenix and review the agenda.

8:30 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.  Session 1 | Face-to-Face Listserv
Facilitator: Darren Toms, Community Outreach Coordinator, Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas
This annual session is always a great opportunity to get firsthand insights and great ideas from your CCPIO colleagues. Come prepared to ask questions, discuss problems and seek advice from your peers.

10:15 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. Setting the Stage: Reimagining Court Communications
Facilitator: Janet Bancroft, Public Information Officer, Nebraska Supreme Court

Presenters:
Rhonda Hebert, Program Manager of Communications, Connecticut Judicial Branch
Leah Gurowitz, Retired D.C. Trial and Appellate Courts
Jesse Rutledge, Vice President for External Affairs, National Center for State Courts (NCSC)
Judge Joseph C. Welty, Presiding Judge of the Maricopa County Court
This session is a light-hearted yet meaningful look at the evolution of court communications and the role of the public information officer. Discussion with Maricopa County Presiding Judge, National Center for State Courts and long-serving PIOs will include the most significant changes they’ve seen over the years, what trends we see on the horizon and why we need to reimagine court communications.

11:00 a.m. – 11:45 a.m. What are the Media Coming to These Days?
Facilitator: Tim Eigo, Arizona Attorney Magazine, Society of Professional Journalists Valley of the Sun Chapter

Panelists:
Jeremy Duda, Reporter, Axios Phoenix
Susan Goldberg, Vice Dean, Professor of Practice, Walter Cronkite School of Journalism & Mass Communications and College of Global Futures, Arizona State University
Mary Jo Pitzl, Child Welfare Reporter, The Arizona Republic
A media expert will provide an overview of the journalism industry in 2022 — how “traditional” journalism is becoming less traditional; the shifts to advocacy/impact reporting; and the rise of nonprofit news organizations — and how these changes are impacting coverage of local courts and broader justice issues.

Noon – 1:30 p.m.  Lunch at Judicial Education Center
Speaker: Presiding Judge Lawrence King of the Colorado River Indian Tribal Court

1:30 p.m. – 2:15 p.m. Breaking News in a Crisis from Multiple Angles
Facilitator: Beth Riggert, Communications Counsel, Supreme Court of Missouri

Panelists:
Mike Cruz, Breaking News Editor, The Arizona Republic
Jacob Long, Chief Communications Office, St. Louis Courts
Amy Silverman, Independent Journalist, Tempe, Arizona
Laura Gomez Rodriguez, Reporter, Arizona Mirror
This interactive session builds a scenario around a breaking court news situation. Panelists – a news reporter and a court PIO – explain what they think, do, and want to accomplish at each stage. Members will discuss the scenario and report highlights of lessons learned with feedback from panelists.

2:30 p.m. – 3:15 p.m. Current Best Practices for Working with Media
Panelists:
Paul Flemming, Director of Public Information, Florida Supreme Court
Nicole Hagy, Community Outreach and Grants Coordinator, Akron (Ohio) Municipal Court
Sean O’Sullivan, Chief of Community Relations, Delaware Administrative Office of the Courts
A panel of CCPIO members will present three difficult media situations affecting their courts.
Members will work together to problem-solve each situation and develop a plan of action. Based on each scenario, panelists will share ideas and offer best practices for working with the media.

3:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. New Court PIO Session
Facilitator: Kathryn Dolan, Public Information Officer, Indiana Supreme Court
New PIOs with less than five years’ membership or experience will learn tips for succeeding in a court environment.
​Topics include legal issues for court PIOs, handling high-profile cases, media and public relations, records requests, and more.
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3:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. Committee Meetings or Work Check-in
Members serving on a CCPIO committee will meet for an in-person committee meeting.
Other CCPIO members may use this time to return phone calls, emails, network with other members, etc. 

Evening Dine-Around
Dinner on your own or informally join your CCPIO colleagues for dinner at nearby restaurants.

​Tuesday, August 2, 2022

8:30 a.m. – 9:45 p.m. Trends in Journalism Education
Speakers:
Morgan Loew, investigative reporter at CBS 5 & 3TV and faculty associate at Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication
Dr. Timothy Tait, Communications Director, Arizona Judicial Branch in Maricopa County
Julia Thompson, Managing Editor, Digital/Professor of Practice Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication
Walter Cronkite School of Journalism professors and Arizona Judicial Branch Communications Director will describe the evolutions in journalism education and explain how and what journalism students are being taught to cover courts and the challenges or opportunities this creates for court communicators to work more effectively with new reporters.

9:45 a.m. – 11 a.m. Developing a Digital Communications Strategy
Facilitator: Molly Justice, Director of Communications & Online Media, National Center for State Courts (NCSC)

Presenter:
Krista Hinz, past PRSA Phoenix Chapter president; Copy Writer, Arizona State University Media Relations & Strategic Communications, and Adjunct Professor, Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at ASU
Managing a website, social media accounts, and mass email distributions can seem overwhelming, especially if you’re a department of one. Developing a comprehensive digital communications strategy can help you maximize your content while saving you time and energy along the way. In this session, you will learn how to identify the right platforms for your messages, extend the lifespan of your content and create integrated digital communications that successfully complement one another. You’ll also learn about when to use paid vs. organic social media and how to measure your ROI.

1:15 – 2:15 p.m. Message Monitoring: Tools and Tips for Determining Effectiveness of Digital Messaging
Facilitator: Molly Justice, Director of Communications & Online Media, National Center for State Courts (NCSC)

Presenters:
Amy Starnes, Director of Public Affairs, Supreme Court of Texas
Heather Teter, Online Engagement and Social Media Manager, National Center for State Courts (NCSC)
Eric Jay Toll, Communications Manager, City of Phoenix, Community and Economic Development, Freelance Journalist and PRSA Phoenix Chapter
Court public information officers are responsible for disseminating information. But how do you also keep tabs on how the information is received? Discover cost-effective ways to gauge public sentiment about your court and its justices, judges, and staff through social media listening and effective news media monitoring. This session will include an interactive discussion about how to address negative and inaccurate social media comments and inaccurate news media coverage while abiding by judicial canons and other restrictions.

2:15 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. Best Practices for Choosing the Right Platform to Convey the Right Message to the Right Audience
Facilitator: Jessica Fotinos, General Counsel/Public Information Officer, Clerk of the Superior Court for Maricopa County

Panelists:
Tiarra Earls Haas, Clerk of the Superior Court for Maricopa County
Dr. Timothy Tait, Communications Director, Arizona Judicial Branch in Maricopa County
Brian Turner, Clerk of the Superior Court for Maricopa County
Learn how a strategic focus on goals, audiences and key messages can translate into results. Experts explain what research tells us about the best tool for communicating specific messages or reaching specific audiences, focusing on social media channels. You will learn how to create messaging for high impact.

3:15 p.m. – 4:15 p.m. Creating Social Media Messages
Facilitators: Tiarra Earls Haas, Clerk of the Superior Court for Maricopa County
Daria Kadovik, Superior Court for Maricopa County
Brian Turner, Clerk of the Superior Court for Maricopa County
This learning lab will reinforce best practices learned in Session 3. You will create messages and videos using predetermined topics.

​Evening Dine-Around
Dinner on your own or informally join your CCPIO colleagues for dinner at nearby restaurants.

Wednesday, August 3, 2022

8:15 a.m. – 8:45 a.m. Session 1 | Reimagining Court Websites  
Presenters: Tamara Kendig, Senior IT Manager, New Jersey Courts
Tricia Knox, Deputy Director of Public Information, Florida Supreme Court
Josh Smith, Web Administrator, Florida Office of the State Courts Administrator
What might your court website look like in 2030? This session will examine the evolution of court websites to reimagine their future. Bring your best ideas to share about the future of court websites, including design, usability, content, and audience expectations.

8:45 a.m. – 9:45 a.m. Is Your Website Complying with the Law?
Presenters: Tamara Kendig, Senior Manager of Web Services, New Jersey Judiciary
Beth Riggert, Communications Counsel, Supreme Court of Missouri
Josh Smith, Web Administrator, Florida Office of the State Courts Administrator
Access to Justice includes eliminating barriers to information posted on court websites. A panel of CCPIO members will discuss why court websites must follow accessibility and other laws and what PIOs need to know about web and electronic document accessibility to provide accessible information to the public. You will receive checklists and planning tools for easy and immediate website improvements to make your website more compliant.

​10:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. State of State Courts Public Opinion Survey & Communications Opportunities
Presenters: Molly Justice, Director of Communications & Online Media, National Center for State Courts
Jesse Rutledge, Vice President for External Affairs, National Center for State Courts
This session will provide an overview of the National Center for State Courts’ annual State of the State Courts public opinion survey. Recent survey findings on virtual proceedings, the digital divide and barriers to access will be discussed. We will also spend time brainstorming how NCSC’s polling work can be integrated into the daily work of a PIO, from being used in speeches and annual reports through to demonstrating public support for policy changes with internal stakeholders.

10:30 a.m. – 11:15 a.m. Disarming Disinformation & Negativity
Presenters: Aaron Nash, Director, Certification & Licensing Division, Arizona Supreme Court
Jesse Rutledge, Vice President for External Affairs, National Center for State Courts
Whether you’re a new or experienced court PIO, you recognize the significance of the evolving digital landscape and the public’s adoption of information circulating online. This discussion will provide an overview of the state of disinformation in our society and revisit aspects of previous NCSC and CCPIO disinformation trainings. We will also gain insights from the 2022 Concluding Report from the Supreme Court of Arizona’s Task Force on Countering Disinformation – which provides 27 recommendations for the judicial branch.

11:15 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Box Lunch and PIO Showcase at the Judicial Education Center
A panel of CCPIO members will showcase innovative projects implemented in their courts within the last 2 years.

Presentations:
Virtual Town Halls
Julie Van Hook, San Bernadino Courts
Judges in the Classroom
Robert Gunn and Trina Vincent, Louisiana Supreme Court
Judicial Learning Centers
Jennifer Bundy, West Virginia Supreme Court and Rebeccah Parks, United States District Court for the District of Minnesota
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12:30 p.m. Closing Remarks and Announcement of 2023 CCPIO Annual Meeting Location
*Please note that session topics and speakers are subject to change.