Lenawee County Circuit Court administrator hired for state court management position
LANSING – A longtime court administrator in Lenawee County has been selected to oversee court management in 12 Michigan counties.
The State Court Administrative Office has named Kristi E. Drake as the new Region 2 administrator, effective Aug. 1, a news release from SCAO said. In this role, Drake will serve as SCAO’s liaison to 39 courts — circuit, probate and district — in Clinton, Eaton, Genesee, Gratiot, Ingham, Jackson, Hillsdale, Lenawee, Livingston, Monroe, Shiawassee and Washtenaw counties. Drake, who holds a law degree from the University of Detroit Mercy Law School, most recently served as court administrator for Lenawee County Circuit Court and director of Lenawee County Friend of the Court.
“In my new role, I intend to build upon the many positive relationships that I have already cultivated with judges and court staff in Lenawee County in order to effectively assist and support courts throughout the region,” Drake said in the release. “One of the most important skills I bring with me after 27 years of working in the courts is the ability to mediate. Not only is mediation a key tool for legal dispute resolution, but I have found it to be vital when it comes to customer service, management and communicating with court funding units.”
“Kristi Drake knows the court system inside and out, and her longtime experience in Lenawee County positions her perfectly to help trial courts in mid-Michigan navigate ways to increase access, efficiency, and engagement,” State Court Administrator Tom Boyd said in the release. “I am confident she will bring to bear her unique career perspective from both sides of the bench for the benefit of everyone served by these courts.”
Drake’s primary responsibilities as Region 2 administrator will include monitoring and providing management assistance to all trial courts within the region, directing the judicial assignment program, mediating funding and policy disputes, investigating complaints, and acting as a resource to judges and court staff as the state court administrator's executive representative to courts in the region. Drake will also develop and implement plans and goals and direct the personnel and operational activities of the regional office.
Drake began her career in Lenawee County courts in 1995 as a research attorney and law clerk. She later worked as a district court magistrate, family court attorney, domestic relations referee, and family court mediator. She was a candidate for Lenawee County probate judge in 2018, finishing third in a drawing in the primary election after the vote ended in a tie and recounts. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in criminal justice from Grand Valley State University.
Drake succeeds former Region 2 Administrator Julia Norton, who now serves as Region 5 administrator following the retirement of Jill Booth.
This article originally appeared on The Daily Telegram: Lenawee County Circuit Court administrator hired for state role
