ITD Hearing Officer John Tomlinson awarded certificate
by National Judicial College

When John Tomlinson was promoted to ITD Hearing Officer in August of 2012, he immediately set out to be better-equipped for his new duties. That culminated recently in certification from the National Judicial College (NJC) with a Certificate of Judicial Development in Administrative Law-Adjudication Skills, an honor reserved for a select group of judges and hearing officers.

"I wanted to be as informed and educated as possible," Tomlinson said. "In addition, my boss is always encouraging us to push ourselves and to seek further education and training."

Tomlinson credits two fellow hearing officers (Dave Baumann and Eric Moody) who had gone through the program before him with setting the stage, as well as a boss in Driver Services Manager Ed Pemble who was and is supportive of the pursuit of betterment. In fact, it was Pemble, not Tomlinson, who announced the recognition.

"Congratulations to John," Pemble said. "The achievement required successful completion of rigorous study." Tomlinson said the course required several seven-week long online sessions, a two-week in-person session, and at least a half dozen other trips to the NJC facility in Nevada.

Pemble said the department now has three current hearing officers with NJC certification and another with certification in progress.

"NJC certification enhances the expertise of the hearing-officer staff," Pemble explained."Coursework addresses all the critical functions of a hearing officer, like decision making, conducting professional fair and impartial hearings, and developing well-written, well-founded findings based on testimony, evidence, legal requirements and case law."

"This training and professional certification speaks to the credibility of the hearing officer staff and their ongoing interest in professional development," Pemble explained. "It also aligns with the department's commitment to provide the safest transportation possible and continually develop employees," he added.

NJC and National Association of Hearing Officials (NAHO) training is supported in part by highway safety grant funding.

"I am thrilled to receive this certificate and honored to be a part of this select group. I also appreciate the support from the ITD Office of Highway Safety. Without their funding to attend these classes at the National Judicial College (in Reno, Nev.), I would not have been able to earn this certificate."

"I always left Reno excited to get back to work and put into practice the skills that I had learned."

Tomlinson, who promoted to Hearing Officer from Administrative License Suspension unit supervisor in Driver Services, said he had courses in topics like Ethics, Evidence, Telephone Hearing Techniques, Judicial Writing, Decision Making and Drugged Driving. "Besides being relevant for my day-to-day hearing schedule, the courses helped me stay current with the latest laws and regulations," he said.

Published 10-17-14