Getting to know Beth Clement

Beth Clement succeeded Mary McQueen as NCSC's president on May 1, 2025. McQueen had assumed the role of NCSC president in July 2004 and announced her intention to retire in August of 2024, after serving as president for 20 years. Clement becomes the fifth president in the organization's history, and the second judge to fill the role, having most recently served as the chief justice in Michigan.

"The only opportunity I would have left the Michigan Supreme Court for was to join NCSC," Clement recently said in an episode of NCSC's Tiny Chats. "Leaving the court was a difficult decision, but the opportunity to work with such passionate and talented individuals here drew me in." 

"I've been involved with NCSC in various capacities over the years, and this was an opportunity to share my passions for judicial independence, the separation of powers, and the rule of law, along with my experiences in Michigan, nationally and internationally through this role."

A challenging moment

Clement knows that she joins the organization at a challenging moment. 

"It is imperative that our branch of government, the judicial branch of government, is nonpartisan," Clement said in a March interview with Law360.com, shortly after her appointment was announced. "You have states across the country that are red or blue or purple — none of that matters when it comes to the judicial branch."

"In our state courts is where most people, everyday people, deal with the problems that they're facing. I've…had the opportunity to work with the National Center over the years, and seeing the work that they provide and the services that they provide to help drive all state courts toward innovation and progress and really thinking outside the box of how we can serve the public better," Clement said in that same interview.

Defining priorities

As she begins her tenure, Clement has identified several priorities for NCSC, including listening to the needs of state court leaders and building actionable strategies to meet those needs; revitalizing its mission-driven purpose through increased staff engagement; and diversifying its funding streams.

Thinking differently

"We have to think about our justice system in a very different way than we've traditionally thought about it to make sure that everyone, without exception, has the same access to a justice system that is fair and assists them in resolving their legal issues," Clement said in her Tiny Chat interview.