Officers
President – Doug Shima (KS)
Doug Shima grew up in Rocky Ford, Colorado, a small farming community in southeastern Colorado, along the Arkansas River. Doug attended Bethel College in North Newton, Kansas, and then Washburn University School of Law in Topeka, Kansas, graduating in 1994. He started his law career as a central staff attorney with the Kansas Court of Appeals and later served as a judge’s chambers counsel until his appointment in January 2016 as the Clerk of the Kansas Appellate Courts, overseeing both the Supreme Court and Court of Appeals. Doug is a past chairperson of the board of directors of the Topeka Bar Association (TBA) and has served in many capacities on the TBA board and its committees, including as chair and secretary. Doug received the TBA’s Outstanding Young Lawyer Award in 1997 and its prestigious Hon. E. Newton Vickers Professionalism Award in 2014. Doug is also active in the Sam A. Crow American Inn of Court, where he served as the Inn’s secretary-treasurer for eight years, and in Meals on Wheels, transporting meals for over 25 years, organizing two corporate routes, and serving in several capacities with the board of directors, including a two-year term as chairperson. In 2013, Doug was awarded the Rueter Award for distinguished service to Meals on Wheels.
President-Elect – Scott Mitchell (AL)
Scott Mitchell was appointed Clerk of the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals effective August 1, 2012, becoming the fifth clerk in the Court’s 113-year history. He was reared on a farm in Rosebud, Alabama, that has been in his family for six generations. He received his bachelor’s degree from Erskine College in Due West, South Carolina, where he majored in history and business administration with an emphasis in accounting. In 2002, he received his Juris Doctor from the University of Alabama School of Law.
After law school, Scott entered the practice of law in Montgomery, Alabama, with a civil defense litigation firm. In 2006, he began his career with the courts by serving as a staff attorney on the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals. From 2007 until 2011, he served first as a staff attorney and then as chief of staff and legislative liaison for the Chief Justice of the Alabama Supreme Court. From 2011 until his appointment as Clerk, he served as an attorney in the Alabama Administrative Office of Courts.
Scott has been a member of the NCACC since he became Clerk in 2012. He has served on numerous committees, including the executive committee, and has served as chairman of the awards and resolutions committee, the nominating committee, the site selection committee, and the program committee. Scott and his wife Mary Martin are the proud parents of a son and are active members of St. John’s Episcopal Church.
Vice-President – Colette M. Nicolson Bruggman (CA)
Colette is a Mandan, North Dakota native and graduate of Mandan High School. Colette received her Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of North Dakota in 1984 with a degree in accounting and her Juris Doctor from the University of North Dakota School of Law in 1987. Colette was admitted to the North Dakota bar in October 1987.
In January 2023, Colette was appointed as the Clerk Executive Officer for the Court of Appeal, Third Appellate District, in Sacramento, California after serving as the Assistant Clerk Executive Officer since February 2009. Previously, Colette was Chief Deputy Clerk for the North Dakota Supreme Court from July 1992 through February 2009. Prior to joining the North Dakota Supreme Court, Colette practiced law with the Vogel Law Firm in Mandan, North Dakota, and Legal Assistance of North Dakota in Bismarck.
Colette is a member of the National Conference of Appellate Court Clerks (NCACC), the State Bar Association of North Dakota, and the California Appellate Court Clerk Executive Officers, currently serving as its President.
Treasurer – James Hivner (TN)
James (Jim) Hivner was appointed to a six-year term as Clerk of the Supreme Court of Tennessee in 2014 and was reappointed in 2020. In his role as Clerk, Jim serves the Supreme Court of Tennessee as well as the Court of Appeals and the Court of Criminal Appeals in Tennessee. Prior to his appointment, Jim served for two years as Chief Administrative Officer of the Shelby County Chancery Court. Before working for the courts, Jim was in private practice for almost 20 years as a solo practitioner in Alabama and later as an associate in the law firm of Waring Cox, PLC in Memphis, TN, and as an associate and member in the law firm of Glankler Brown, PLLC in Memphis, TN. Prior to his legal career, Jim worked at NASA as an accountant. Jim earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration with high honors from the University of Tennessee and received his J.D. and LL.M. in Taxation from the University of Alabama School of Law. Jim has been a member of the NCACC since 2014 and has served as Chair of the Bylaws Committee, Vice-Chair of the Finance and Investment Committee, and as a member of the Site Selection Committee.
Secretary – Claudia Jenks (TX)
Claudia Jenks has served as the Chief Deputy Clerk of the Supreme Court of Texas since March 2003. In that role, Claudia assists the Clerk of the Court in managing and supervising the operation of the Clerk’s Office. Prior to working for the Court, Claudia was employed in the Transportation Litigation Division at the Office of Attorney General where she processed filings for all the Assistant Attorney Generals who represented the Texas Department of Transportation, and distributed warrants on behalf of the agency for settlements and judgment claims. Claudia holds two bachelor’s degrees, in Speech and in Mass Communication, and a Masters Degree in Public Administration from Texas State University-San Marcos. Claudia has been an active member of the NCACC since 2003 and has served on the Convention Assistance Committee numerous times.
Immediate Past President – Jenny Abbott Kitchings (SC)
Jenny Abbott Kitchings received a Bachelor of Arts from Converse College with a major in Modern Languages, including Spanish, Italian, and French. She went on to graduate from the University of South Carolina School of Law with a Juris Doctor and from the top-ranked Moore School of Business with an International Masters of Business Administration.
Upon graduation, Jenny came to work in the judicial system as a law clerk for the Honorable Daniel F. Pieper, then a circuit judge who was later elected to the Court of Appeals. She transitioned to private practice as an associate with Thurmond, Kirchner, and Timbes in Charleston, South Carolina. She later returned to the court system as a law clerk at the Court of Appeals, until her appointment as Clerk of Court on January 25, 2012.
Upon becoming Clerk, Jenny implemented a new case management system, had her first child, and co-hosted the Charleston NCACC conference. And that was just in her first year as Clerk! She has served on the following committees: Executive Committee, Program Committee, including serving as Chair for the Lexington conference, Technology Committee, Awards/Memorials/Resolutions Committee, Site Selection Committee, and Convention Assistance. Jenny and her husband, Craig, are lucky enough to be the parents of two wonderful daughters. They enjoy hiking, traveling, and family game night.
Executive Committee
Brian Cotta (CA) , term ending 2025
Brian Cotta was appointed Clerk/Executive Officer of the California Court of Appeal, Fifth Appellate District in 2018. Prior to this position, he was the Assistant Clerk/Executive Officer. Prior to joining the Court of Appeal, Brian served as the Chief Information Officer for the Fresno Superior Court for the last four years of his ten years of service there, where he led impactful initiatives with national and statewide influence in court technology.
Brian holds a BS degree in Electrical Engineering from the California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. He is a member of the California Judicial Branch Information Technology Advisory Committee (ITAC) and co-led the development of the California Judicial Branch Strategic Plan for Technology. Brian is a member of various subcommittees and has sponsored multiple workstreams charged with identifying solutions to complex technology subjects. Brian has been a member of the NCACC since 2015.
Lisa Dolph (DL) , term ending 2025
Elizabeth (Lisa) Dolph is the Clerk of the Supreme Court of the State of Delaware. She also serves as the Clerk of the Court on the Judiciary. Lisa joined the Court in 1998 as a Senior Court Clerk and worked her way through the ranks until she was appointed Clerk in 2017. That same year she earned her Lean Six Sigma certificate from the University of Delaware. Prior to joining the Court, Lisa worked as a Paralegal for Schmittinger & Rodriguez, one of the oldest law firms in Delaware.
Lisa received her degrees from Goldey-Beacom College and Widener University. Lisa and her husband Durrell have a beautifully blended family with three daughters and one son, a grandson, and a granddaughter. She enjoys traveling, specifically going to Disney World and University of Michigan college football games, hiking, restoring furniture, and spending time with her family.
Kristina Samuels (FL), term ending 2025
Kristina Samuels has been the Clerk of the First District Court of Appeal since November 2017. Prior to joining the First District, Kristina was a Staff Attorney for the Florida Supreme Court. From 2014 to 2017, she was the Staff Attorney in the Office of the Clerk of Court for the Florida Supreme Court, during which time she represented the Court on the Appellate Court Rules Committee and spoke at the New Appellate Judges Program and other law-related functions. Kristina served as Staff Attorney to the Honorable Charles T. Canady from 2008 to 2014 and the Honorable Charles T. Wells from 2006 to 2009. She earned her Juris Doctor degree, Magna Cum Laude, from the University of Miami College of Law where she was selected to join the Order of the Coif. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree Summa Cum Laude from The Ohio State University.
Elizabeth (Liz) Garcia (NM) , term ending 2026
Elizabeth Garcia joined the New Mexico Supreme Court as the Chief Clerk of Court in March 2022. She earned her undergraduate degree from the University of New Mexico and earned her Juris Doctor degree from Washington and Lee School of Law. In law school, she served on the Washington and Lee Civil Rights Journal. After law school, she spent four years in private practice before spending twenty-two years in the public sector, fifteen years with the New Mexico Judiciary. A proud native of Belen, New Mexico, Liz is a first-generation attorney. She was awarded the State Bar of New Mexico’s 2020 Justice Pamela Minzner Outstanding Advocacy for Women Award. Liz and her husband, Steven, are the proud parents of two wonderful daughters. She enjoys University of New Mexico college basketball games, serving as a Girl Scout Troop Leader and on the Gold Award Committee, and being a soccer mom.
John Tomasino (FL), term ending 2026
John A. Tomasino is the Clerk of the Court at the Florida Supreme Court. Prior to his appointment as Clerk in 2013, Mr. Tomasino was the administrative director in the Public Defender’s Office for the Second Judicial Circuit based in Tallahassee, Florida. He worked in that office, in various roles, including representing clients, overseeing technology, and serving on various statewide committees, for over ten years. Prior to working at the Public Defender’s Office, Mr. Tomasino worked for three years representing death row inmates in their capital postconviction proceedings in state and federal courts.
Mr. Tomasino is active on various subcommittees of the Florida Courts Technology Commission, and serves as a permanent board member on the Florida Courts E-filing Authority, which governs the Florida Courts E-Filing Portal.
Tristen Worthen (WA) , term ending 2026
Tristen Worthen was born and raised in central Washington. Over her 34-year career in public service, she has had the privilege of serving at every level of the court system. Tristen began her journey in 1990 as a deputy clerk at a municipal court. Four years later, she was appointed as the court administrator, a position she held for a decade. When the city decided to disband the court, Tristen transitioned to the Douglas County Superior Court Clerk’s Office, where she served for 17 years, including seven years as the elected Douglas County Superior Court Clerk. In 2021, she was appointed as the Clerk/Court Administrator for the Washington State Court of Appeals, Division III, located in Spokane, Washington.
Tristen has been actively involved in several professional associations, including the District and Municipal Court Management Association, the Washington State Association of County Clerks, and currently, the National Conference of Appellate Court Clerks. Her passion for education has led her to serve on and direct various educational programs within these associations.
Tristen holds a B.A. in Public Administration. In her spare time, she enjoys quilting, knitting, and other fiber crafts. She is the mother of two grown sons and currently resides in Cheney, Washington, with her husband and their Border Collie, Bo.