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Bar News - October 1, 2000 Meet the Lay Members of the N.H. Judicial Selection Commission By: Katherine M. Hanna, Chair IN CREATING THE state’s new Judicial Selection Commission, Governor Jeanne Shaheen sought to assemble a group of lawyers and lay people who would represent a cross-section of the state of New Hampshire. She succeeded in appointing a group of people from all parts of the state who bring to the table a variety of backgrounds, training and experience. In addition to the seven lawyers on the commission who are from small and large firms, the plaintiffs’ and civil defense bar and prosecution and criminal defense backgrounds, the commission comprises four lay people with diverse perspectives. They include a police chief, a victim’s advocate, a businessperson in the construction industry and an advocate in the juvenile justice system. During the press conference at which she introduced the concept of the Judicial Selection Commission, Gov. Shaheen emphasized that lay people are eminently qualified to assist in the selection of members of our third branch of government. The judicial qualities that are sought most often by lawyers and members of the public alike are fairness, common sense, intelligence, compassion and an even temperament. Assessing these qualities in judicial candidates lies equally in the province of lawyers and lay people. Below is a brief background of each of the lay members serving on the Judicial Selection Commission. Kathy Keller, Laconia Kathy Keller is the executive director of New Beginnings, a women’s crisis center in Laconia. Prior to becoming executive director of the organization in 1995, she was a volunteer and member of the board of directors of this organization. She still provides direct services to victims and survivors, including court, social service and systems advocacy, and 24-hour hospital and police accompaniment. Keller was a board member of the Lakes Region Daycare Center for several years. She now serves as treasurer of the New Hampshire Women’s Lobby and is an incorporator of the Women’s Policy Institute. She is also active on several subcommittees of the New Hampshire Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence, including Mentorship, Long Range Planning, Standards and the Public Awareness Advisory Committee. Keller is also active in the Lakes Region General Hospital Health Care Initiative Team (Domestic Violence Response), the Alliance for Executives of Nonprofits and the FEMA Board of Directors of the Lakes Region. She is administrator of the Belknap County Domestic Violence Council and scholarship administrator of the Sunshine Lady Foundation in Belknap County. Prior to starting with New Beginnings, Keller and her husband, Rick, owned and operated a retail candy and gift business in the Weirs. Kathy resides in Meredith with her husband and children in a 1790 farmhouse previously owned and restored by the late Superior Court Chief Justice William Keller.
Marcia Sink serves as executive director of New Hampshire’s CASA (Court-Appointed Special Advocates) and as vice president of the National CASA Association. She launched the New Hampshire branch of CASA in 1989 after seeing serious gaps in the system when trying to adopt a boy who was a foster child. She realized then that there was not enough attention being paid to the needs of individual children, so she founded the local CASA organization to help abused and neglected children find their way through the child welfare and juvenile court systems to safe, loving and permanent homes. Under her leadership, the organization has grown from 10 volunteers working in two district courts to more than 320 volunteers in 34 district and family courts. Because of her dedicated efforts, the program has earned the respect of the state’s judiciary, and so far, more than 2,500 children have been advocated for through an ever-growing network of volunteers. In November of 1999, Sink was one of eight women recognized by the Women’s Fund of New Hampshire through its prestigious “Tribute to New Hampshire omen of the Twentieth Century.” The Women’s Fund cited Sink’s unflagging commitment to juvenile justice in New Hampshire. Sink is a Member of the New Hampshire Attorney General’s Task Force on Child Abuse and Neglect and serves on the New Hampshire Child Fatality Review Committee. She also volunteers as a soccer coach for the Manchester North Soccer League. She resides in Manchester with her husband, Max, and three sons.
William C. Walker, of Keene, is the president and owner of the MacMillin Company, Inc., of Keene and Bedford. A 28-year veteran of the state’s building industry, Walker is a second-generation owner of the 54-year-old construction firm. Under his leadership, MacMillin has grown to become one of New Hampshire’s largest contractors. Walker has served two terms as the president of the Associated General Contractors of New Hampshire. He is a registered engineer and previously served in the U.S. Army. Two years ago, Walker was the recipient of the New Hampshire Construction Industry Ethics Award, which recognizes a member of the industry who possesses the highest degree of professional integrity and ethics. In issuing the award, the judges noted that “Walker’s personal conduct has earned him the respect of everyone in the industry, including his competitors and the subcontractors who work for him.” Walker is a Paul Harris Fellow of Rotary International, an honor presented by the Keene Rotary Club to one who exemplifies leadership and service to the community. A partial list of Walker’s volunteer activities in Keene and surrounding areas: past president, Keene Chamber of Commerce; past general campaign chair and board chair, Monadnock United Way; past president, Keene Rotary Cub; past chair, Keene Architectural Review Board; past trustee, Cheshire Health Foundation; national director, Associated General Contractors of America; board chair, Keene Family YMCA; member of the Planning Committee, Monadnock Community Foundation. Walker has two daughters and resides in Harrisville with his wife.
William L. Wrenn is the chief of police in Hampton, New Hampshire and currently serves as president of the New Hampshire Association of Police Chiefs. As police chief in Hampton, Wrenn is responsible for overseeing the daily operation of the police department. Wrenn has served on the Hampton Police Department for more than 25 years, starting as a special police officer in 1974 and holding the ranks of police officer, detective, detective sergeant/commander of the Bureau of Criminal Investigation and deputy chief. As deputy chief, he was responsible for overseeing all patrol functions and for overseeing the Criminal Investigation Division, including the Youth Services and Detective units. Wrenn currently serves as a council member of the New Hampshire Police Standards and Training Council. He is also a member of the adjunct faculty of Hesser College, teaching in the criminal justice program; on the Criminal Justice Advisory Board of North Essex Community College; and is a member of the FBI National Academy Associates. He serves on the board of directors of the Seacoast Credit Union and is a member of the Hampton Rotary Club and Knights of Columbus. |
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