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NJC welcomes new officers, board members

The Hon. Leslie A. Hayashi (Ret.), a retired district court judge from the First Circuit in Honolulu, Hawai`i,  has been elected chair of The National Judicial College Board of Trustees effective January 1, 2026. Judge Hayashi first joined the board in 2017.

She previously served as secretary, treasurer and held various committee chair positions. Judge Hayashi also taught at the college for more than 20 years.  In addition to serving on the bench, Judge Hayashi has dedicated herself to educating the public about the law by writing numerous articles, brochures, and books as well as creating videos. She is the author of more than a dozen children’s books.

Darcee S. Siegel, Esq., of Bal Harbour, Florida, was elected by the board as chair-elect.  She previously served as treasurer. She is the former city attorney of North Miami Beach, Florida, and is a Florida Supreme Court-certified civil mediator. She has served in many leadership positions in the American Bar Association, including the Board of Governors, chair of the Government and Public Sector Division, and secretary/diversity officer of the Tort Trial Insurance Practice Section. She continues to serve as a member of the House of Delegates. She has been a trustee of the NJC since 2019.

Eileen M. Letts, Esq., of Chicago was elected by the board as treasurer. She is a partner in the Chicago office of Zuber Lawler. Having completed dozens of jury trials and more than 100 bench trials, often involving Fortune 500 companies and government entities, she is considered a premier civil trial attorney. Ms. Letts is a member of the ABA House of Delegates and chairs the Magistrate Selection Committee for the Northern District of Illinois. She is a frequent presenter at continuing legal education seminars and panel discussions of the ABA, the Chicago Bar Association, and the Illinois Institute of Continuing Legal Education.

The Hon. Samuel A. Thumma will continue as secretary of the board. Judge Thumma has served on the Arizona Court of Appeals, Division One, in Phoenix since 2012 and was chief judge from 2017 to 2019. Previously he served as a trial judge (criminal and juvenile rotations) on the Arizona Superior Court in Maricopa County. Among his many roles within the American Bar Association, he serves as a presidential appointee to the Advisory Council of the ABA Task Force on Law and Artificial Intelligence. He has taught at nearly 600 law-related seminars internationally, nationally, and locally, and is a frequent author, having published 22 journal articles and nearly 75 other law-related articles.

The board of trustees also added several new members to its ranks, including:

  • Ryan Bellows, Vice President, General Counsel, Chief Compliance Officer, Government Relations at NV Energy. Since 2009, he has also served as a judge for the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe. At NV Energy, Mr. Bellows oversees all of the company’s legal activities and compliance obligations, while providing strategic and legal guidance as part of the senior leadership team. He manages and strengthens relationships with key civic, government, community and business leaders to ensure understanding and support for company objectives. He leads both the NV Energy Political Action Committee and NV Energy Foundation.
  • Michele Wong Krause, Principal, The Wong Krause Law Firm. She specializes in Workers’ Compensation and is certified by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. Ms. Wong Kruse is very active in the ABA, serving in the House of Delegates and on the ABA Commission on Women in the Profession. She previously served on the Board of Governors and on multiple commissions.
  • Louis Patalano IV, Chief Legal Officer, Senior Vice President & Corporate Secretary of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana. He serves as a member of the Senior Management Team and leads the organization’s legal, privacy, compliance, audit, enterprise risk, government affairs, and cybersecurity functions. He is also secretary to the Board of Directors.
  • Hon. Kristin L. Rosi. She has served on the bench since 2007, most recently as the Chief Administrative Law Judge for the California Department of Insurance. A seasoned trial judge, she has conducted hundreds of proceedings, and her decisions have significantly influenced the development of insurance law nationwide. In addition to her work at the Department of Insurance, Judge Rosi serves as a Mental Health Hearing Officer for the Alameda County Superior Court and as a Court-Appointed Mediator and Early Neutral Evaluator for the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. Judge Rosi is a graduate of the University of Nevada, Reno/National Judicial College master’s in judicial studies program and also earned certificates in Administrative Law: Adjudication Skills and Dispute Resolution Skills from the NJC.
  • Jack Scarola, member of the board of directors at Searcy, Denny, Scarola, Barnhart & Shipley. He practices general litigation and is a board-certified civil trial attorney. Prior to going into private practice, he was an assistant state attorney for the Fifteen Judicial Circuit, Palm Beach County, Florida, where he was the chief felony prosecutor.

In addition to new appointments to the Board of Trustees, the Hon. John Molaison, Jr. is now serving as the chair of the Faculty Council. Judge Molaison serves on the Louisiana Fifth Circuit Court of Appeal, Division “G.” He arrived at the appeal court in August of 2018 from his position as district court judge of the 24th Judicial District Court for the Parish of Jefferson in Gretna, Louisiana, Division “E.” He was elected to the bench in 2007, and served as Chief Judge of the 24th Judicial District Court from 2011 to 2013. He has served on the NJC faculty for more than a decade. 

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