Judicial Roundtable

Go Back

Edwin T. Bell is the Director of Racial Justice, Equity and Inclusion for the National Center for State Courts. Mr. Bell has worked in court administration for more than 15 years and prior to coming to the National Center he was the, deputy court administrator for the Stone Mountain Judicial Circuit in Decatur, Georgia. Mr. Bell has also served as Clerk of Court for the juvenile court of Fulton County and the Georgia Administrative Office of the Courts, the Office of the Governor (Georgia) in the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council, and for Georgia’s State Board of Pardons and Paroles. Mr. Bell received a Bachelor of Science degree in criminal justice from Georgia State University and a Master of Business Administration from Clayton State University. He is a 2017 graduate of NCSC’s Institute for Court Management’s Fellows program, and he received a certificate in judicial administration from Michigan State University.

Jeffrey J. Funke is a Justice on the Nebraska Supreme Court. Appointed in 2016, his current administrative duties on the court include serving as the Supreme Court liaison for Probation Services, Problem Solving Courts, Bar Admissions, Bar Examination, Nebraska Lawyers Assistance Program and the Bench/Media Committee. From 2007-2013 he served as a trial court judge in the County Court of the Second Judicial District, and from 2013-2016 as a trial court judge in the District Court of the Second Judicial District. As a member of the trial bench, Judge Funke served on the Case Management Committee for Nebraska Trial Courts, County Court Representative; Co-Chair of Uniform Statewide Rules: Cameras in the Courtroom; and facilitator for New Judge Leadership Program. Before appointment to the bench, he was in private practice and served as county attorney and deputy public defender in Otoe County, Nebraska. Judge Funke graduated with honors from the University of Nebraska College of Law in 1994 and is a Fellow at the Nebraska State Bar Association.

Stephanie F. Stacy is a Justice on the Nebraska Supreme Court. Appointed in 2015, her current administrative duties on the court include serving as chair of the Nebraska Judicial Resources Commission, co-chair of the Nebraska Access to Justice Commission, and serving on the Nebraska Consortium of Tribal, State and Federal Courts. From 2011-2015 she served as a trial judge in the District Court of Lancaster County, Nebraska, where her general jurisdiction docket included presiding over an Adult Drug Court program. Before appointment to the bench, she was a partner in the law firm of Baylor, Evnen, Curtiss, Grimit & Witt, LLP, where her practice focused on tort litigation, insurance coverage, and appeals at all levels. Judge Stacy graduated with distinction from the University of Nebraska College of Law in 1991, where she was a member of the Nebraska Law Review, the National Moot Court Team, and Order of the Coif. After graduating, she served as adjunct faculty at Nebraska College of Law teaching Trial Advocacy and Pretrial Litigation.