NDAA's impressive professional staff.

• Author: Reams, James M.
• Position: National District Attorneys Ass'n - President's page

BY THE TIME YOU READ THIS my term as your president will likely have ended, and I will have handed the gavel to Jan Scully, district attorney of Sacramento County, California. I am confident that I leave NDAA in a better position that I found it and have every confidence in the leadership of Jan Scully and her team to continue the progress that NDAA has made over the past five or six years.

NDAA has had some tough times in the past few years, but I am sure that the light we are seeing is the end of the tunnel and not an approaching train. NDAA is almost finished with the Office of Inspector General (OIG) performance audit of our federal grants. NDAA has set up an entirely new and comprehensive accounting software system and trained everyone to use it, which includes drafting accounting policies and procedures. NDAA has installed a new membership tracking program. NDAA is working with our partner, the University of Utah Law School, to begin advocacy training in Salt Lake City as soon as the Department of Justice releases funds. NDAA has filed a number of amicus briefs with the U.S. Supreme Court on issues of importance to prosecution.

NDAA is engaged on Capitol Hill more than we ever have been and in more ways. As Congress wrestles with the deficits in the budget our engagement will improve our chances of continued funding of the John R. Justice student loan repayment and for national training for prosecutors. NDAA is being asked by federal agencies to provide training around the country to improve the American criminal justice system. In addition, NDAA is being asked to train in other countries around the world about the American criminal justice system.

Yes, we have come a long way from the "drinking and travel society" days. You cannot be president without interacting closely with the headquarters staff and without ending up owing them much of any success that you achieve. NDAA has a dedicated executive director, Scott Burns, and an administrative staff working hard to accomplish the tasks of administering a $10,000,000 organization that puts on dozens of conferences and trainings each year. NDAA has a bright, hard working and professional staff that is extremely impressive to meet. The volume of work that the staff accomplishes is stunning when you listen to them talk about their plans in a weekly staff meeting.

This strong staff responds to thousands of...