Executive Officers

Hon. John J. Russo
Chair, Board of Directors
August 2019 – Present

… is the immediate Past Administrative and Presiding Judge of the Court of Common Pleas of Ohio in Cuyahoga County (Greater Cleveland). Unanimously elected by his colleagues to lead the Court from 2014-2019, he was responsible for coordinating the development of Court policies and overseeing the administration of the General Division, the highest-level trial court in the state.

Currently, Judge Russo manages his own criminal and civil dockets as a trial judge. He oversaw the Veteran Treatment Court/Specialty Docket from 2018-2022. In addition, he has chaired or participated in numerous justice system boards and committees since beginning his judicial career in 2005 on the Common Pleas Court. Some include: Chair-Elect and Co-Chair of the Court Administration Committee of the Ohio Judicial Conference; President of the Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association; Cleveland Marshall Law Alumni Association where in 2018 he was inducted into the CM/Law Hall of Fame and in 2019 was CMLAA Alumni of the year; Member of the Judiciary’s Public Health, Death Penalty and Bail / Bond Reform Task Forces (all appointed by the Ohio Chief Justice); Past President and Man of The Year recipient of the Legal Eagles St. Edward High School.

He served as president of the National Association for Presiding Judges and Court Executive Officers (NAPCO), a national organization of court chief judges and court executives, from 2015-2016. In 2019, he was elected to, and currently serves as, NAPCO’s Chair of the Board of Directors. In addition, he has taught at numerous court conclaves, judges’ conferences, community programs, and bar association CLE programs.

Judge Russo is a member of the Ohio State Bar Association, Cuyahoga Metropolitan Bar Association, Westshore Bar Association, and Cleveland Marshall Law Alumni Association. Prior to the bench, Judge Russo was a civil and criminal litigator in private practice. After earning a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, he received his Juris Doctor degree at Cleveland-Marshall College of Law, where he currently serves as an Adjunct Professor.

Trial Judge, and Former Administrative / Presiding Judge
Court of Common Pleas of Ohio, Cuyahoga County
Cuyahoga County Courthouse, Courtroom 16D
1200 Ontario Street
Cleveland, OH 44113-1678
216-443-8676

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Hon. Eric M. Davis
President
2025 – 2026

… became President Judge of the Superior Court of the State of Delaware on April 17, 2025.  President Judge Davis has been a Judge of the Superior Court since December 21, 2012.  Presently, President Judge Davis is one of five judges appointed to the Complex Commercial Litigation Division.  In addition, President Judge Davis has been designated by Supreme Court of the State of Delaware to sit as a Vice Chancellor on the Delaware Court of Chancery for cases filed under Section 111 of the Delaware General Corporation Law.  President Judge Davis was the Civil Administrative Judge for New Castle County from 2015 to 2021.  In 2013 and 2014, President Judge Davis served as one of two Judges handling the Superior Court’s asbestos docket.  Prior to becoming a Judge on the Superior Court, President Judge Davis served as a Judge on the Court of Common Pleas of the State of Delaware from April 14, 2010, until December 21, 2012.  In 2023, 2024, and 2025 the Delaware Business Times placed President Judge Davis on its Delaware 222 list of most impactful business, nonprofit and civic leaders.

Before taking the bench, President Judge Davis was a partner in the law firm of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP.  President Judge Davis joined Skadden in 1996.  From 1992 to 1996, President Judge Davis practiced law with the Baltimore law firm of Miles & Stockbridge, P.C.

President Judge Davis received his B.A. from the University of Virginia in 1985.  He received his J.D. with honors from Emory University School of Law in 1992.

President Judge
Superior Court of the State of Delaware
Leonard L. Williams Justice Center
500 N. King Street, Suite 10400
Wilmington, DE  19801
302-255-0960

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Lisa M. Robinson
Vice President
2025 – 2026

… is an accomplished court administrator with more than 35 years of progressive experience in the Delaware Superior Court. Based in Wilmington DE, she currently serves as the Court Administrator for Superior Court statewide, leading the non – judicial operations in strategic planning, budget development, policy design, and daily operations while working closely with the President Judge, and court leadership to ensure efficient, and compliant policies and procedures.

A proven leader and collaborator, Lisa has served as Deputy Court Administrator, Prothonotary, Chief Deputy Prothonotary, and in multiple clerk and supervisory roles within Superior Court. She is active in the Mid-Atlantic Association for Court Management (MAACM) since 1997 and currently serves as President. Her priorities include succession planning, staff development, retention and recruiting, and aligning court operations with legislative and procedural requirements.

Court Administrator of Superior Court of Delaware
Kent County Courthouse
414 Federal Street
Dover, DE 19901
(302) 255-0798

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Hon. Ketu Shah
Immediate Past President
2025 – 2026

… is currently the Chief Criminal Judge and Assistant Presiding Judge and former Chief Judge for the Maleng Regional Justice Center. Judge Shah also presided over the Regional Mental Health Court and the Regional Veterans Court for 3.5 years.

Judge Shah was appointed to the King County Superior Court in May 2019. Previously, he served on the King County District Court from 2013 to 2019. He has served as a faculty member for Washington State Judicial College since 2017 and a Dean of the Judicial College in 2019 & 2021. He is a member of the Minority and Justice Commission, and several King County Superior Court Committees, including executive, budget, and education committees. He is also co-chair of the Superior Court Judges’ Association Education Committee 

Since 2017, he has been a board member of Washington Judges Foundation and is currently the Treasurer. Judge Shah also has been a member of King County’s Mental Illness & Drug Dependency (MIDD) Advisory Committee since 2016 and was co-chair from 2019 to 2022. He has presented at the WSBA Pro Tem training on ethics, virtual voir dire, and immigration and competency issues at judicial conferences. Judge Shah has been a panelist with the Washington Leadership Institute and Judicial Institute for Diversity. He has also volunteered as a judge for the University of Washington Law School Gates Scholarship, Seattle University Legal Clinic, ABAW Mock Trial, Renton High School, and Hazelwood Elementary School.

Judge Shah is a graduate of Whitman College and the University of Minnesota Law School where he was a Managing Editor for the Journal of Law and Inequality. Judge Shah clerked for Judge Carol Schapira of King County Superior Court and was a public defender intern. He also prosecuted domestic violence cases, helping implement a domestic violence court in the City of Vancouver and assisted in forming a domestic violence unit for the City of Bellevue. Judge Shah additionally had his own private practice focusing on immigration law, and as part of his work, volunteered extensively representing pro bono clients through API Chaya, REWA, Immigrant Family Advocacy Project, and Eastside Legal Assistance Program (ELAP). Judge Shah was on the board for several years with the South Asian Bar Association of Washington and served on the Judicial Evaluation Committee for the Asian Bar Association. He took on Chaya’s first pro bono case in 2001 and then later served as Board Chair for over 6 years. He was awarded the 2008 Community Service Award by the South Asian Bar Association and the 1998 Community Award by the City of Vancouver. He coached select soccer for over 15 years for girls and boys after playing soccer in college and is a former board member of his local youth soccer club.

Presiding Judge
Superior Court of Washington in King County
Department 50, Courtroom E-942
King County Courthouse, 516 Third Avenue
Seattle, WA 98104
206-477-1635

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John Bello
Executive Director | Corporate Secretary
2024 – Present

… is the Executive Director and Corporate Secretary for the National Association for Presiding Judges and Court Executive Officers (NAPCO). He also works as a Deputy Managing Director with the National Center for State Courts’ Consulting Services. His work is focused primarily in the following areas: leadership, governance, case flow, workload management, facilities and capital improvements planning, and performance improvement for trial courts.

Before joining the National Center, Mr. Bello served as Court Administrator of the Massachusetts Trial Court where he oversaw 6,500 court staff, 97 courthouses, and a $850 million budget for seven court departments and the Massachusetts Probation Service. As Court Administrator, he was responsible for the administrative functions that supported the Trial Court’s mission – Justice with Dignity and Speed. These included budget preparation and oversight, labor relations and human resources, information technology, facilities management, capital projects, and security. John also served as co-chair of the court’s Trauma Task Force.

In 2017, John was named Associate Court Administrator and guided the efforts of the department heads within the Office of Court Management and coordinated their support of the court departments. He also guided the development and implementation of the Trial Court’s Strategic Plan 3.0 and 4.0, introduced enterprise project management, and led major operational initiatives in collaboration with leaders across all court departments. Mr. Bello joined the Trial Court in 2013 as the Director of Facilities Management & Capital Planning overseeing maintenance and capital improvements for 60 state-owned facilities and working with county and private landlords to manage another 40 court buildings. He oversaw the development of a 20-year Court Master Capital Plan in concert with the state’s Division of Capital Asset Management & Maintenance.

National Association for Presiding Judges and Court Executive Officers
300 Newport Avenue
Williamsburg, VA 23185-4147
617-921-5011