Challenge of Change: Prosecutors Leading the Way.

• Author: Parr, Nancy G.

On April 4, 2019, in Austin, Texas, I announced that I would seek the nomination of President-Elect for NDAA. I was fortunate to be elected to that position while attending the 2019 Summer Summit in Quebec. I already had plans and initiatives that I wanted to pursue during my 2020-21 term as President. Honestly, I had dreams of a grand kick-off at the 2020 Summit in Denver, participating in forums and conferences around the country and taking care of NDAA business at Board and Executive Committee meetings scheduled to be held in California, Georgia, and Indiana. Let me sum up those grand plans by quoting Woody Allen. "If you want to make God laugh, tell him about your plans."

March 2020 came, and we shut down in a variety of ways. Courts closed except for emergency hearings. Trials were delayed and delayed again and again. Victims were worried and disappointed. Defendants and their attorneys were frustrated. Travel stopped. Gatherings stopped. Social distancing and masks started. Prosecutors figured out how to keep their offices going and met their obligations to keep the criminal justice system going (even though much slower) under very difficult and novel circumstances.

Two months later, on May 25, 2020, George Floyd was killed by the actions of a police officer. The trial is underway in Minneapolis as I pen this column. As we know, no one can predict the outcome of a trial as the triers of fact make that decision based on evidence presented in the courtroom. After Mr. Floyd was killed, there were marches and protests. The vast majority were peaceful, but some turned violent and innocent people were injured and property was damaged, destroyed and stolen. There were forums and meetings and many included people and associations who had never before been invited to come together. Difficult discussions were held between people who may have never before spoken to each other. Prosecutors across the country evaluated and re-evaluated their procedures and processes.

In 2019, I chose "Challenge of Change: Prosecutors Leading the Way" as the theme for the 2020 Summit. Looking back on my term as President, I know that was the right theme at the right time. In July 2020, NDAA hosted the first virtual summer summit. The sessions were well attended, and excellent and timely information was shared. Of course, topics and sessions had to be tweaked to accommodate the virtual world and Nelson Bunn and NDAA headquarters stepped up and made it happen. The...