Faculty

Judge Ryan Toone serves as the Mesquite Municipal Court Judge and Justice of the Peace.  He received a bachelor’s degree in Political Science at Utah State University, a law degree at the University of Minnesota, and a master’s degree in judicial studies at the University of Nevada, Reno / National Judicial College. He currently serves on several state and county judicial committees. 

Kendra G. Bertschy serves as Justice of the Peace for Reno Justice Court, Department 2, having been elected in November 2022. She presides over criminal, civil, and a therapeutic court docket.  With expertise in both criminal and civil law, her legal career is rooted in a commitment to ensuring equal access to justice and addressing the needs of vulnerable populations.

Judge Bishop has served as Justice of the Peace in Ely Justice Court, since 2011. He earned his law degree from UC Davis, as well as a bachelor's degree and a master’s degree from...

Tom Clark has more than two decades of non-legal government and public affairs services on behalf of his clients before federal, state, and local governments and regulatory agencies. He has also managed numerous local and statewide political campaigns for candidates and ballot related initiatives.

Judge Bryan Drake was elected to the bench in 2022 after spending approximately 20 years in law enforcement. During his time in law enforcement, he held many positions to include working undercover narcotics, 19+ years on SWAT, and as a supervisor in patrol and investigations.

Alexia Emmermann has been an attorney and hearing officer for the Nevada Division of Insurance since November 2011. In 2019, she was appointed Chief Insurance Counsel to lead the Division’s legal team and criminal fraud section. She has worked on an array of insurance issues, such as licensing, health, bail, receiverships, life, property and casualty, and insurance fraud.

Justice of the Peace Erica Flavin was elected to Sparks Justice Court, Department 4, in November 2022, taking the bench on January 3, 2023, for a six-year term. Judge Flavin’s connection to this community as well as her experience and varied perspectives made her the right choice. Judge Flavin is a native Nevadan, raised in Sparks. She graduated from Reed High School and attended the University of Nevada, Reno, receiving her bachelor’s in criminal justice and master’s in justice management.

Joshua Gibbs has served with the Nevada Supreme Court for the past year, bringing more than 12 years of experience as a data scientist in the private sector, where he worked with multiple major companies in a range of heavily regulated industries. His areas of specialization include natural language processing (enabling computers to interpret and analyze human language), rare event detection, computer vision (helping machines recognize and interpret images), ethical model design, and bias detection within modeling frameworks.

Judge Kelly Giordani was born and raised in Las Vegas, Nevada. Judge Giordani received her Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice with a minor in Economics from the University of Nevada, Reno. While in college, she served as an FBI Honors Intern, where she worked in the counterterrorism unit at FBI Headquarters in Washington, D.C.

Hon. Richard B. Glasson was the longest-serving Judge at the Tahoe Justice Court at Stateline, Douglas County, where he served from 2000 to 2023. He was honored as both Judge of the Year and a recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Nevada Judges' Association. He currently is active as a Senior Judge, mediator, arbitrator, and NRCP 53 Referee and Examiner. Judge Glasson his Juris Doctorate from McGeorge School of Law. Prior to coming to the bench, he was a trial lawyer for 22 years.

Ms. Jamie Gradick joined the Nevada Appellate Courts, Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) in September of 2013; she currently serves as the Court Education and Development Manager. Ms. Gradick holds a J.D. from the University of Idaho, College of Law; a Master of Arts in English literature and writing from the University of Nevada, Reno; and a Master of Arts in mediation and conflict resolution from the University of the Rockies.

During her years as an attorney, Judge Goodey was recognized by her peers as a "Super Lawyers Rising Star," "Legal Elite" in Nevada Business Magazine, and the AV-Preeminent Rating by Martindale-Hubbell, representing the highest level of professional excellence. Judge Goodey has called Las Vegas home since 2007.

Justice Douglas W. Herndon was born and raised in Texas and received his undergraduate degree from Texas A&M University in 1986. He then received his law degree in 1990 from the Washington and Lee University School of Law in Lexington, Virginia. Justice Herndon was elected to the Nevada Supreme Court in November 2020, and currently serves as the Chief Justice of the Nevada Supreme Court.

Chief Judge Kevin Higgins was appointed to the Sparks Justice Court on April 15, 2003, was retained in 2004, and was re-elected in 2010, 2016, and 2022. Judge Higgins graduated from Reed High School in 1978 and Willamette University in 1982 where he was awarded the 'Senior Key' presented to 10 seniors who contributed the most during their time studying at the university. In 1985 he graduated from Georgetown University Law Center with his Juris Doctorate.

Danielle Johnson was appointed to the Esmeralda Township Justice Court on October 2, 2017, was then elected in 2019, and then re-elected June 11, 2024. Judge Johnson is a third-generation Goldfield resident who has a strong commitment to her community, family and the legal system. She has over 17 years experience working within the criminal justice system. Judge Johnson is a Tonopah High School graduate.

Ms. Emily Kuhlman is the Nevada Supreme Court’s Chief People Officer, having served the Court for just over three years. Prior to the Judiciary, Emily worked in positions of increasing responsibility in various State of Nevada Executive Branch agencies, including the Gaming Control Board, Health and Human Services, and the Division of Human Resource Management.

John McCormick is the Assistant Court Administrator for the Administrative Office of the Court, Nevada Supreme Court and has been in that position since 2013. He started as the AOC's Rural Courts Coordinator in 2006. Mr. McCormick acts as the legislative liaison for the judicial branch for the last nine Nevada Legislative Sessions (2007, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2021, and 2023). Additionally, he oversees the Judicial Programs and Services Division of the AOC which includes the Judicial Education Unit, Court Improvement Program, Certified Court Interpreters Program, and other areas such as rural courts, standardized forms, and Specialty Courts.

Sheldon Steele has been with the Nevada Supreme Court for more than 15 years. A lifelong resident of Clark County, Sheldon received his early education locally and went on to earn a degree in mathematics from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV). His professional and academic pursuits have taken him outside Nevada on two occasions—first to Nashville, Tennessee, where he completed a master’s degree in economics, and later to Boise, Idaho, for a career opportunity. He proudly calls Las Vegas home and remains committed to building his future in the community he knows best.

Dr. Kristen Davis-Coelho is a clinical psychologist in private practice, a faculty member in the University of Nevada-Reno School of Medicine, and an award-winning author and speaker. Believing that systemic solutions are necessary to address the large-scale challenges that face communities, Dr. Davis-Coelho serves on the Nevada Psychological Association’s Legislative Committee and is vice-Chair of the Washoe Region Behavioral Health Policy Board. She is also author of the best-selling book, The Best Care for Those with the Least. Dr. Davis-Coelho is passionate about supporting vulnerable community members as well as empowering the professionals who serve them.