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The Adult Civics Program is a fun and interactive way to learn about the history, structure, and inner workings of our government. Using the US Naturalization Test, we will discover how much we know or don’t know about our country.
Presenter Bio: Heshim “Chip” Thomas is a retired Ombudsman and former EEO/AA officer for the Superior Court in the probation and family divisions for 22 years. He was promoted to the position of Ombudsman in 2007, and he held the position of the Burlington Vicinage EEO/AA Officer from 2009 to 2018. Mr. Thomas retired from the Judiciary in February of this year. He earned his Bachelor’s of Arts in Government and International Studies at York College of Pennsylvania in York, Pennsylvania and his Juris Doctorate at Widener University School of Law in Wilmington, Delaware. He is married and has two beautiful daughters.

NACM Immediate Past President Will Simmons in Conversation with Janai S. Nelson, Associate Director, Counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense & Education Fund.

This session is a “fireside chat” between Will Simmons and Janai Nelson on the relationship between impact litigation and movements for social change. The questions likely to be posed include:
• In the context of the NAACP LDF mission, what does the rule of law mean?
• What are some areas in which the rule of law is threatened?
• What is in the future of criminal justice reform, challenges to voter participation/rights, and other important civil rights?
• What is the most important intervention courts can provide in social justice reform?
• Courts have implemented programs to reduce fines and fees for certain case types, eliminated bail, and other reforms. Is there more that courts should do to ensure equal access to justice?
Presenter Bio: William (Will) Simmons is the District Court Administrator for the Sixth Judicial Administrative District, Superior Courts of Georgia. The district is comprised of 21 superior court judges, 14 counties and 5 judicial circuits. Previously, he served as the Superior and State Court Administrator for the Clayton Judicial Circuit and as Law Library Director and Program Manager for the Cobb Judicial Circuit, both in Georgia. He is a past president of the Georgia Council of Court Administrators and has served on the NACM Board as the Large Court Director and At-Large Director. Will also serves on the Unlicensed Practice of Law Committee for the State Bar of Georgia and the Judicial Workload Assessment Committee for the Judicial Council of Georgia. He is a member of the Board of Trustees for the Savannah State University Foundation. Will received his Bachelor of Science degree in political science from Savannah State University, Master of Arts in leadership and public administration from Shorter University, Doctorate from Argosy University

Presenter: Scott Colby
We're living in a 24/7 connected society and personal interaction is declining rapidly. However, we all
crave connection; we're human, and we deeply care about how we're treated. Research shows that 79% of people who leave a job voluntarily cite a lack of appreciation as one of the major reasons for leaving. Imagine if you could turn this around! What would the professional culture of your organization look like if it were full of employees who felt appreciated, recognized, and motivated to contribute to the success of the team? What if performance of your team increased and everyone was happy working for your organization instead of leaving? Can you feel the boost in morale? Can you see the cost savings? It starts with creating a culture of gratitude in your organization and having gratitude as one of your core values. In this presentation, you'll take away 3 important concepts:
1) How to foster a gratitude mindset so you can live your days in gratitude. It needs to start with you first, before you can spread it to others.
2) How to lead with gratitude which means treating everyone you come across like real people
so that they feel a sense of acknowledgement, belonging and connection.
3) How to appreciate your team. There are 5 languages of appreciation in the workplace. You'll
learn what these languages are and the best ways to appreciate people in their preferred language.
When you have gratitude as one of the core values of your organization, your employees will
stay longer, perform better and have a stake in the success of your organization!
Presenter Bio: Scott Colby is a professional speaker, the founder of Say It With Gratitude and the author of The Grateful Entrepreneur. It was a trip to Guatemala that shifted his perspective on life when he realized it's our choice to be grateful even when we have very little. His aim isn't just about spreading a po