Court worker named County Employee of Year
Eade praised for ‘true public service philosophy’
Nancy Gray Eade, the conciliation court manager for the Superior Courts, was recently recognized as the 2016 Yuma County Employee of the Year during a Special Session of the Yuma County Board of Supervisors, which was held at the Yuma Civic and Convention Center.
“I was very surprised. In fact, I just stood there for a second thinking, did they just say my name?” Eade said. “I’m very honored.”
Eade, who has been in the position since 1999 — 12 years as a contractor and five years as an employee — was chosen by the county’s Merit Award System Board over four other finalists for the work she has done with the Yuma County Law Library, including starting a one-of-a-kind series of free Self-Service Legal Clinics and Legal Information Forums.
“I certainly didn’t do it by myself. It took a group of us,” said Eade, who was nominated by Kathleen Schaben, court administrator for the Superior Court in Yuma County. “Any success I had is due to them. I hope the (people) I worked with know that I share this with them.”
In her nomination letter, Schaben wrote that in addition to her regular duties as conciliation court manager, Eade also worked in the Yuma County Law Library all last year, which helped to keep it open for court patrons and staff, as well as the area’s attorneys.
“I have never been nominated for Employee of the Year before, but it is my understanding that it is not just that one does a good job in their particular area, although it is important, but is also about taking on additional responsibilities outside what your normal job is,” Eade said.
When she wasn’t coming up with new and efficient ways of doing things at the Law Library, Schaben said Eade was focusing on public outreach by meeting with area attorneys organizations such as the Yuma County Bar Association, Community Legal Services, and the Marine Corps Air Station Yuma Legal Services.
Eade is also credited with organizing the Self-Service Legal Clinics and Legal Information Forums, which are put on biweekly by the Law Library. In doing so, she had to plan the events, identify presenters and the topics, secure venues and promote them.
She did this, Schaben wrote, at a time when the Law Library only had one temporary employee for two months and then a vacancy for a full six-month period, until a manager was hired.
Once Danare Figueroa was hired as manager for the Law Library, Eade continued to work with her to expand the services offered to courthouse patrons. Last year approximately 3,000 customers were served by the Law Library.
As for the self-help clinics and informational forums, 13 have been held to date on six legal topics, including guardianship, divorce and child custody, setting aside criminal convictions and child support, drawing more than 225 participants.
“Nancy’s knowledge of the subject, along with her ability to bring a plan from concept to completion and work effectively with others, has led to our success,” Schaben said. “Nancy has a true public service philosophy and is dedicated to accomplishing the court’s goals of providing much needed legal information to the public.”
Furthermore, the clinics and forums don’t cost the court any additional money. Eade has partnered with local attorneys who receive grant funding from the Arizona State Bar to cover the cost of the Guardianship Clinics and is now working on securing additional monies for staffing of the self-service area.
“It is about access to justice. It helps people navigate the court system,” Eade said. “Most people who come here don’t know what direction they need to go in, so these clinics have been helpful with people being able to do that.”
According to Eade, other counties have even contacted her about the possibility of the clinics and forums being videotaped so they can be used elsewhere in the state.
The Arizona Supreme Court is also interested in filming the clinics and forums and posting the videos on its website.