JUDICIAL APPOINTMENTS

JUDGE SKYERS-JENKINS ’93

The Honorable Sharon SkyersJenkins appointed by Governor Ned Lamont as judge for the Connecticut Superior Court.

JUDGE MICHAEL ONUFER ’13

The Honorable Michael Onufer appointed by Governor Cooper as District Court Judge in District 11 serving Johnston, Harnett and Lee counties.

JUDGE ROSALYN HOOD ’07

The Honorable Rosalyn Hood appointed as Cumberland County’s District Court Judge in the 12th Judicial District.

JUDGE KEVIN E. JONES ’03

Judge Kevin E. Jones sworn in as North Carolina District Court Judge serving the 14th Judicial District.

JUDGE CRAIG JAMES ’96

Judge Craig James appointed by Governor Roy Cooper to serve as District Court Judge in Judicial District 11 serving Harnett, Johnston, and Lee counties.

JUDGE SHAMIEKA

RHINEHART ’01

The Honorable Shamieka

Rhinehart appointed by Governor Cooper as Durham’s new Superior Court Judge in Judicial District 14A.

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Joy Clark ’21, Laura Swartz ’12, and Val Hanson ’12, are bringing ADR and restorative justice to the Triangle and beyond through the Dispute Settlement Center (DSC) in Carrboro, N.C. Val and Laura became friends in Professor Irving Joyner’s Civil Rights class at NCCU School of Law. Laura was drawn to ADR classes and found that mediation and facilitation suited her. After law school, Laura moved to Oregon where she became a member of the bar and worked for the City of Beaverton’s Dispute Resolution Center. Laura joined DSC in 2019, managing large-scale stakeholder engagement processes and facilitating gatherings for government, nonprofit and for-profit organizations. Laura also coordinates the mediation program for family, community, employment and contractual disputes. Her work requires a strong attention to detail, and the ability to synthesize large amounts of information—skills she learned while at NCCU School of Law.

In Val’s first class with the late Professor Pamela Glean, she became hooked on the transformative power of alternative dispute resolution, and continued to take every ADR course the school of law offered. Professor Glean encouraged and supported Val’s facilitation of ‘The Decompression Zone,’ a mindfulness space for students and faculty. ‘Coach’ Mark Morris, Kacie Wallace and Professor Glean guided Val in placing 2nd in the National Mediator Competition during her 2L year, and she never looked back. Committed to ADR and restorative justice, Val has mediated hundreds of cases, and as Restorative Practices director for DSC, Val facilitates restorative processes for District and Superior Court, trains K-12 professionals in restorative practices, and facilitates restorative circles with incarcerated individuals across N.C. She is also an adjunct faculty in the Department of Public Policy at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, teaching its first course on restorative justice.

Joy entered her 16th year as a math teacher, and first year of law school in 2018. She worked with Professor Scott Holmes on a Directed Research where he introduced her to professionals and practitioners in the RJ community. Joy and Val had several conversations, and through that summer experience, Joy solidified her intentions for her legal education. In November 2021, Joy joined DSC as restorative practices associate, working alongside Val, Laura and a compassionate team of mediators and restorative practitioners. Joy is a service provider for the Juvenile Crime Prevention Council, working with youth on accountability processes, and providing student mediations in several Triangle area school systems. As a circle keeper, Joy facilitates in the community with youth and adults, and partners with Val to train teachers.

These NCCU School of Law graduates are grateful to work at DSC. Joy feels privileged to bring her background in education and the law to help narrow the school to prison pipeline. Laura appreciates the challenges and opportunities to contribute to this growing field, and Val loves facilitating and collaborating at the intersection of history, social justice, the arts and restorative practices. It was the NCCU School of Law that jump started their non-traditional J.D. careers, in which bringing about the peaceful settlement of disputes, preventing the escalation of conflict, and assisting people to heal from harm is their daily calling.