Attorney Jerome Kole is the new Region IV Administrator for the State Court Administrative Office, the Michigan Supreme Court announced last week. Kole will start in his new position on November 15.
SCAO is the administrative arm of the Michigan Supreme Court. The agency includes four regional administrators who report to State Court Administrator Carl L. Gromek. As Region IV Administrator, Kole will oversee court operations in an area that includes much of the northern Lower Peninsula and all of the Upper Peninsula.
Gromek said that Kole "is a natural choice for the job. He has been a very effective administrator for the Midland courts, and also served as a court referee and magistrate, which gives him further insight into court operations."
SCAO's regional offices provide management assistance to state trial courts, monitor the courts' workload management and administrative performance, and oversee the courts' implementation of Supreme Court administrative policies.
Kole was an attorney in private practice and a partner in the Midland law firm of Kole & Kole before becoming administrator of the Town & Country Health Care Facility. Starting in 1997, he served as a probate and juvenile court referee for the Midland County trial courts. In 2000, he became administrator of the Midland County Probate Court, while continuing to serve as a juvenile referee. In 2002, Kole was named administrator of all Midland trial courts. He also served as a district court magistrate. He has been active on a number of SCAO committees, including collections, judicial needs, electronic filing, and technology.
Kole's community activities include serving as president of the Midland County Bar Association and the North Midland Family Center. He is also a member of Midland Rotary, Leadership Midland, and the MidMichigan Regional Medical Center Institutional Review Board.
Kole earned his undergraduate degree from Michigan State University and his law degree from Thomas M. Cooley Law School. He is a 2004 Fellow of the National Center for State Courts in Williamsburg, Virginia.
He resides in Sanford with his wife Mary and children Alice, John Paul, Noah, and Jude. They plan to relocate to Gaylord.
Published: Tue, Nov 2, 2010
