About Judicial Branch Education Academy

The Judicial Branch Education Academy (JBEA) delivers affordable, high-impact continuing education for judges and court professionals at every level. Our programs are designed to reflect the realities of modern court systems, enhancing competence, integrity, and independence while promoting ethical leadership and innovation. We offer jurisdiction-specific courses, seminars, workshops, and judicial exchanges across the U.S. and internationally, all crafted to support lifelong learning and professional growth.

JBEA is uniquely positioned to serve both judicial officers and court administrators. If judges are the heart of the judicial branch, court administration is its backbone. It ensures that courts operate efficiently, equitably, and transparently. Our curriculum covers case flow management, jury operations, budgeting, technology, ethics, and more. Instruction is led by a diverse faculty of active and retired judges, court administrators, legal scholars, and subject-matter experts with deep experience in the courts.

Our Team

  • Tonnya Kohn

    A graduate of Vanderbilt University, Murray State University, and the University of South Carolina School of Law, Tonnya K. Kohn is an attorney, court executive, and legal educator whose career spans judicial administration, law, and media. From 2017 to 2024, she served as State Court Administrator for the South Carolina Judicial Branch, overseeing statewide court operations under the Chief Justice and directing six administrative divisions: Court Education, Fiscal Services, Public Information, Court Services, Human Resources, and Information Technology. Her tenure was marked by future-facing initiatives, including the implementation of digital court reporting, virtual courtrooms, automated judge scheduling, and the launch of the Judicial Branch’s first Court Education Division and Public Information Office. She also led the development of a redesigned Judicial Branch website and introduced electronic sentencing sheets and text notifications for litigants, modernizing access to justice and improving operational efficiency.

    Ms. Kohn’s earlier legal experience includes service as a Staff Attorney to the Judicial Branch, judicial law clerk to Circuit Court Judge Clifton B. Newman, and attorney in private practice. Her editorial leadership at The State Media Company and The Virginian-Pilot involved directing newsroom operations during a pivotal era for American journalism. She also worked at the Nashville Banner in Nashville, Tennessee, which is believed to have been one of the first newspapers in the country to launch a webpage, an early signal of her interest in digital innovation and public access.

    She has served on numerous boards and committees, including the Conference of State Court Administrators, the South Carolina Commission on Alternate Dispute Resolution, the South Carolina Board of Magistrate and Municipal Judge Certification, and the CCJ-COSCA Blueprint for Racial Justice. From 2020 to 2022, she contributed to the National Judicial Task Force to Examine State Courts’ Response to Mental Illness and chaired the COSCA Language Access Advisory Committee. Her work has consistently bridged legal, operational, and public-facing domains.

    In 2025, Ms. Kohn co-founded the Judicial Branch Education Academy (JBEA), where she now serves as Vice President. Through JBEA, she designs and delivers continuing education programs for judges, attorneys, and court professionals across all court levels. Her curriculum development includes courses on court administration, case management, and emerging court issues. She coordinates faculty, manages course budgets, and oversees JBEA infrastructure. Her instructional work reflects a deep understanding of the court’s evolving needs and a dedication to lifelong learning.

  • Konstantina Vagenas

    A graduate of Vanderbilt University, Murray State University, and the University of South Carolina School of Law, Konstantina Vagenas is an attorney, court executive, and legal educator whose career spans judicial administration, law, and media. From 2017 to 2024, Konstantina served as State Court Administrator for the South Carolina Judicial Branch, overseeing statewide court operations under the Chief Justice and directing six administrative divisions: Court Education, Fiscal Services, Public Information, Court Services, Human Resources, and Information Technology. Her tenure was marked by future-facing initiatives, including the implementation of digital court reporting, virtual courtrooms, automated judge scheduling, and the launch of the Judicial Branch's first Court Education Division and Public Information Office. Konstantina also led the development of a redesigned Judicial Branch website and introduced electronic sentencing sheets and text notifications for litigants, modernizing access to justice and improving operational efficiency.

    Konstantina's earlier legal experience includes service as a Staff Attorney to the Judicial Branch, judicial law clerk to Circuit Court Judge Clifton B. Newman, and attorney in private practice. Her editorial leadership at The State Media Company and The Virginian-Pilot involved directing newsroom operations during a pivotal era for American journalism. Konstantina also worked at the Nashville Banner in Nashville, Tennessee, which is believed to have been one of the first newspapers in the country to launch a webpage, an early signal of her interest in digital innovation and public access.

    Konstantina has served on numerous boards and committees, including the Conference of State Court Administrators, the South Carolina Commission on Alternative Dispute Resolution, the South Carolina Board of Magistrate and Municipal Judge Certification, and the CCJ-COSCA Blueprint for Racial Justice. From 2020 to 2022, Konstantina contributed to the National Judicial Task Force to Examine State Courts' Response to Mental Illness and chaired the COSCA Language Access Advisory Committee. Her work has consistently bridged legal, operational, and public-facing domains.

    In 2025, Konstantina co-founded the Judicial Branch Education Academy (JBEA), where Konstantina now serves as Vice President. Through JBEA, Konstantina designs and delivers continuing education programs for judges, attorneys, and court professionals across all court levels. Her curriculum development includes courses on court administration, case management, and emerging court issues. Konstantina coordinates faculty, manages course budgets, and oversees JBEA infrastructure. Her instructional work reflects a deep understanding of the court's evolving needs and a dedication to lifelong learning.

Advisory Board

  • Hon. Donald W. Beatty, South Carolina Chief Justice (Ret.)

    Chief Justice (Ret.) Donald W. Beatty, a native of Spartanburg, South Carolina, is a graduate of South Carolina State University and the University of South Carolina School of Law. After serving as a commissioned officer in the military, he began his legal career in 1979 with the Neighborhood Legal Assistance Program, later establishing a private practice in Spartanburg.

    Committed to public service, he was elected to Spartanburg City Council and then to the South Carolina House of Representatives, where he served on the Ethics, Medical, Military and Municipal Affairs, and Judiciary Committees, and as Vice-Chairman and Chairman-elect of the Legislative Black Caucus.

    In 1995, he was elected to the Circuit Court, elevated to the Court of Appeals in 2003, and became an Associate Justice of the South Carolina Supreme Court in 2007. In May 2016, he was elected Chief Justice by the General Assembly and served from January 1, 2017, until his retirement in July 2024.

    Chief Justice Beatty's dedication extended beyond the bench. He served on numerous boards and commissions, including Piedmont Legal Services, Access to Justice Commission, and the Sentencing Reform Commission. He was a member of the Conference of Chief Justices Board of Directors, and other national judicial organizations.

    He has received many honors, including the Profile in Leadership Award, Living Legend Award, Honorary Doctor of Laws, and the Harvey Gantt Triumph Award. He frequently speaks to youth groups, promoting scholarship and leadership.

    Nominated for a federal judgeship by President Barack Obama, he chose instead to serve as South Carolina's Chief Justice, a role he believed offered greater impact for his home state.

  • Keith R. Fisher

    An honors graduate of Princeton University and Georgetown University Law Center, and with many years of experience in large law firm private practice and as a full-time law professor, Keith Fisher joined the St. Thomas University law faculty in August 2025. Previously, he was the Distinguished Fellow and Director of the Institute for Ethics and Professionalism at the National Judicial College.

    Professor Fisher is a nationally known expert in several areas, ranging from legal and judicial ethics to domestic and international financial services regulation, anti-corruption, anti-money laundering, and anti-trafficking. He has served as a member of the A.B.A. Standing Committee on Ethics and Professional Responsibility and as Chair of the Professional Responsibility Committee of the A.B.A. Business Law Section. He is currently the Executive Editor for Legal Opinions and Professional Responsibility for Business Law Today and author of the two-volume Lexis-Nexis/Matthew Bender Banking Law Manual, updated semiannually.

    His published scholarship has appeared in a wide variety of law reviews and anthologies, and some of his articles have won prizes or honoraria or been cited in judicial opinions. Keith was the principal drafter of the A.B.A.'s amicus curiae briefs (at both the certiorari and merits stages) to the U.S. Supreme Court in Caperton v. Massey Coal Co. (dealing with the due process ramifications of a judge's refusal to recuse). He has assisted the Conference of Chief Justices Professionalism Committee, which focuses on all aspects of bar admissions and regulation of the legal profession, including the regulation of foreign lawyers.

    Keith has considerable experience in large law firm practice where, in addition to financial regulatory matters, he worked on Supreme Court and other appellate briefs and oral arguments with E. Barrett Prettyman, Jr. and (now Chief Justice) John Roberts. From 2015 to 2021, he served as Principal Consultant and Senior Counsel for Domestic and International Court Initiatives at the National Center for State Courts, where, among other capacities, he served as counsel to the amicus committee of the Conference of Chief Justices.

    Keith's work in Judicial Ethics includes innovative and tailored in-person and virtual ethics trainings for judges at all levels, both across the United States and around the world. Speaking engagements in recent years include the International Conference on Court Excellence in Singapore, the Department of Justice's Professional Responsibility Training Session for U.S. Immigration Judges, an American-Hellenic Chamber of Commerce Symposium on Improving the Greek Court System, the Magistrature de Quebec's Colloque soulignant les 40 ans du Conseil de la magistrature, the U.N.'s Global Judicial Integrity Network, the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung's conference on judicial ethics and social media, and the Judicial Education Institute of Trinidad and Tobago. He has also done anti-corruption training for judges and prosecutors in Suriname and Sri Lanka and has served on the Board of Editors for UNESCO publications on judicial bioethics.

    Keith also has a degree in music theory and composition and studied as a child at the Juilliard School of Music in New York. In recent years he has concertized at the Athens Conservatory (where Maria Callas studied) and at the Palacio da Ajuda in Lisbon. In his spare time, he reviews recordings of jazz and classical music for Fanfare magazine. Keith had a leading role in the Franco-Swiss docudrama Cleveland vs. Wall Street, which was selected for the Cannes Film Festival in 2010.

    He enjoys racquet sports, is an avid chess and bridge player, and has a love of learning about foreign languages and cultures. He speaks French, Italian, German, Spanish, Greek, and a smattering of Portuguese and Japanese.

  • Hon. Patricia Griffin, Delaware Court of Chancery Magistrate (part-time) and Retired, State Court Administrator, Delaware

    Hon. Patricia Walther Griffin has over 30 years of experience working in the Delaware court system, including as magistrate in the Court of Chancery, state court administrator for the Delaware courts, chief magistrate of the Justice of the Peace Court, and in private practice. Prior to moving to Delaware in 1992, she worked with the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts in Washington, D.C. and served as Assistant Dean for both the University of North Carolina School of Law and the W&L University School of Law.

    She has extensive experience in the courtroom, as well as managing court operations, programs, budgets, personnel, and relationships within courts and with legislative and other partners. As Delaware's State Court Administrator, she served as President of the Conference of State Court Administrators and Vice-Chair of the National Center for State Courts Board of Directors.

    She received the Delaware State Bar Association Outstanding Service to the Courts and Bar Award in 2019 and the National Center for State Courts' Distinguished Service Award in 2012, was inducted into the Delaware Women's Hall of Fame in 2005 and was named Person of the Year for the International Association for Truancy and Dropout Prevention in 2004.

    She supports the important work of the Judicial Branch Education Academy in ensuring that judges, administrators and their teams have the necessary tools to advance their courtroom, administrative and case management skills.

    On a personal note, Pat is active with the Southern Delaware Therapeutic Riding organization, and she and her husband, Jim, live on their Lewes, Delaware horse farm and enjoy riding their horses.

  • Arthur Pepin, Esq., Retired, Director, Administrative Office of the Courts, New Mexico

    Mr. Pepin recently retired from his position as Director of the New Mexico Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC), a position he held for 19 years. As Director he managed over 200 AOC employees and 2,000 court employees statewide in areas including human resources/personnel management, budgets and finance, language access, legislative initiatives, judicial and employee training, public information, technology, and court management.

    He recently received the Kenneth P. Palmer Distinguished Service Award from the Conference of State Court Administrators (COSCA) during a ceremony at its annual meeting in Maine. In 2022, Pepin received an award from the National Association of Pretrial Services Agencies for his work to improve New Mexico's pretrial justice system. The National Center for State Courts selected Pepin in 2014 for its Warren E. Burger Award for Excellence in Judicial Administration. He served as President of COSCA and Vice Chair of the Board of Directors for the National Center for State Courts in 2016-2017.

    During Pepin's tenure, courts implemented a statewide electronic case management system, instituted electronic filing of documents in civil and criminal cases, implemented evidence-based practices for decisions about people awaiting trial on criminal charges, and received the top ranking in the nation in 2021 for language assistance including interpreters, to people with limited English proficiency, low literacy and for deaf and hard of hearing individuals. Pepin also led a commission that developed initiatives to speed up the resolution of felony cases in Bernalillo County and relieve jail overcrowding.

    He remains an ardent advocate for state courts.

  • Fernando Ventura

    Fernando Vaz Ventura is a Justice of the Supreme Court of Justice of Portugal (2023–present), where he primarily hears criminal cases.

    He previously served on the Constitutional Court of Portugal (2012–2021), having been elected by Parliament for the legally fixed, full nine-year term. He also played a leading role in judicial training as Director (2022–2025), Deputy Director (2010–2011), and earlier trainer (1990–1995; 2001–2004) at the Center for Judicial Studies (CEJ), the body responsible for the recruitment and initial and continuing training of all Portuguese judges and public prosecutors.

    Before entering the judiciary, he worked in accounting. He earned his law degree from the University of Lisbon in 1984 and was appointed judge in 1987. He served in several first-instance courts (Setúbal, Graciosa, Fornos de Algodres, Elvas, and Lisbon), later becoming Presiding Judge of the Lisbon Criminal Court (1991–2007). He then sat in the criminal sections of the Courts of Appeal of Coimbra, Guimarães, and Lisbon (2007–2023). He was promoted to the Supreme Court of Justice after placing first in the competition organized for that purpose by the High Council for the Judiciary.

    Internationally, he completed judicial training placements in the United Kingdom as a visiting judge nominated by the European Association of Judges, working with Sir Richard Aikens PC at the High Court of Justice and the Central Criminal Court in London (2005), and later at the High Court of Justiciary in Edinburgh with Lord Philip Brodie QC PC (2006).

    He has worked with major multilateral institutions. Under a United Nations program, he trained the first cohort of judges and prosecutors in Timor-Leste (2002). He was Portugal’s national expert to the OECD Working Group on Bribery (2006–2007) and to the Council of Europe’s Group of States against Corruption (GRECO) (2010). For the European Commission, he coordinated missions in West Africa under the Expert Support Facility to combat drug trafficking (2008–2009), and he served as Portugal’s expert in drafting the EU Directive on the European Investigation Order (2010–2011).

    He represented the Portuguese judges’ association in the International Association of Judges and the European Association of Judges (2000–2006) and, on behalf of CEJ, has sat on the Steering Committee of the European Judicial Training Network (EJTN) (2022–2025) and taken part in the activities of the International Organization for Judicial Training (IOJT), the Ibero-American Network of Judicial Schools, and the Euro-Arab Judicial Training Network.

    He was a founding member of the editorial secretariat of the judicial journal Sub Judice, has contributed to several legal publications, and co-edited The Rule of Law and Good Administration of Justice in the Digital Era (2023). He currently represents the Supreme Court of Portugal at the European Law Institute.