[WardFive] DC SUPERIOR COURT NAMES 1st WOMAN & NATIVE WASHINGTONIAN AS NEW CLERK OF COURT

 

 

https://newsroom.dccourts.gov/press-releases/releases-20190730

DC SUPERIOR COURT NAMES NEW CLERK OF COURT

 

Native Washingtonian with Over a Decade of Court Leadership Experience

 

July 30, 2019

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Chief Judge Robert Morin and DC Courts' Interim Executive Officer Dr. Cheryl Bailey announced the appointment of Zabrina W. Dempson, Esq. as Clerk of the Superior Court. As Court Clerk, Ms. Dempson - the first woman in the Court's history to be appointed to the position -will oversee all Superior Court operations, including Civil, Criminal, Domestic Violence, Family Court, Probate, Special Operations (including Interpreter Services and the Jurors Office) and Tax Divisions, supervising approximately 700 employees.

 

"Ms. Dempson is a strong leader, who has demonstrated her ability to lead over the past 13 years at DC Superior Court.  She has the ability to 'think outside the box' and implement new approaches that further our goals of access to justice for all DC area residents," said Chief Judge Robert E. Morin.  "She focuses on the tasks that need to be accomplished, looks to see if our current processes are efficient, and seeks innovative ways to better serve our community.  Ms. Dempson doesn't just manage, she leads.  This is an historic appointment and I am pleased that we have a native Washingtonian as the Clerk of the Superior Court."

 

Ms. Dempson joined the Court in 2006 as the Branch Chief of the Small Claims and Conciliation Branch.  Her talents and professionalism were recognized early by court leadership as she rose to positions of greater management responsibility:  she was promoted to Senior Operations Manager in the Clerk of the Superior Court Office in 2009 and became the Deputy Director of the Civil Division in 2012.  She then served as Director of the Civil Division from 2014 to 2018.  Since August 2018 she served as the Acting Clerk of the Superior Court.  In this role, she established mechanisms to create standardization and consistency across the Superior Court to enhance the employee work experience and to provide excellent service to the judiciary and the court community. 

 

Throughout her tenure at the D.C. Superior Court, Ms. Dempson has instituted innovative processes to streamline court operations and enhance service delivery to the public.  Among her numerous accomplishments are the development and implementation of processes for extreme risk protection orders; collaboration with the Court's IT Division to implement the first e-filing batch process for small claims and landlord & tenant cases; establishment of a quality management unit and courtroom support branch to improve courtroom operations and data quality; implementation of a courtroom clerk centralization program; and the establishment of a customer service protocol to create a professional and consistent customer experience.  Ms. Dempson's passion for leadership, public service and access to justice has been evident throughout her court career.       

 

Ms. Dempson is a graduate of Washington's Eastern Senior High School and received her BA and JD degrees from North Carolina Central University.  She is a member of the District of Columbia Bar and the North Carolina Bar.  She practiced law in North Carolina for a decade before returning to her hometown of Washington, D.C.

 

 

Robert Vinson Brannum

Chairman, NAACP-DC Veterans Committee

Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner – 5E08

Commissioner, DC Commission on the Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday

Board Member, DC Open Government Coalition, Inc.

President Emeritus, DC Federation of Civic Associations, Inc.

Former President, Bloomingdale Civic Association, Inc.

Chairman Emeritus, 5^th District Citizens’ Advisory Council, Inc.

Chairman Emeritus, Ward 5 Democratic Committee

Former Interim Chairman, DC Commission on National and Community Service

Former Board Member, North Capital Neighborhood Development Corporation, Inc.

Former Board Member, DC Crime Solvers, Inc.

Incorporatorand Founding Board Member, National Coalition on Black Civic Participation, Inc.

Founding Board Member, Veterans and Military Families for Progress, Inc.