Garland County District Chief Court Clerk Vickie Asher was recently selected the 2017 Court Clerk of the Year by the Arkansas District Court Clerks Association. She became the first clerk to ever receive the award twice, having been honored for the first time in 2009. Judge Meredith Switzer Rebsamen submitted the award application on Asher’s behalf.
The award recognizes a chief court clerk or deputy court clerk who has made significant contributions to the profession, the association and the clerk’s own community. Judging criteria includes length of service, interest in education, attendance at certification meetings, community service, and furthering the court clerks association.
Since 2003, Asher has served ADCCA as officer, instructor and committee member. She served as ADCCA’s First Vice President, Second Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer, holding some of the offices for multiple years. She served on the ADCCA Executive Board, Certification Committee and Education Committee, the latter of which she has served six of 12 years as committee chair. She has served yearly since 2003 as an instructor in the ADCCA Education Program. On a state level, Asher served on the Arkansas Supreme Court Committee on Automation from 2009 to 2015, and on the Arkansas Ecite Steering Committee since 2013. Asher plans to graduate from the National Center for State Courts Institute for Court Management Program in August.
On a national level, Asher participated as the only representative of Arkansas District Courts in the Faculty Development Training Program, sponsored by a partnership of the Arkansas Administrative Office for the Courts and the National Center for State Courts. Asher has trained court staff around the state in the Court Performance Standards: CourTools course, an innovative trial court management program that focuses on methods of trial court performance assessment.
In 2013, Asher completed the National Judicial College’s Designing & Presenting Programs Effectively: Arkansas Faculty Development Workshop, a course that educates participants on how to draft appropriate learning objectives, create learning activities, develop effectively structured presentations, and to teach more effectively and with greater confidence. “Ms. Asher’s extracurricular education and service illustrate her commitment to improving judicial productivity, challenging perceptions of justice, and inspiring the court staff to achieve excellence,” Judge Rebsamen wrote.
Garland County ranks eighth in the state as to population, yet handles a volume equal to that of Pulaski County, which ranks first in population. Asher was commended regarding her administration of the workflow of a large-volume docket, as well as her employment of institutional knowledge and experience to help effect a seamless transition while onboarding a new district judge within a short time frame. She has served Garland County District Court for more than 16 years.