Patricia Gabel appointed as Vermont state court administrator

Vermont Chief Justice Paul L. Reiber has announced, on behalf of the Supreme Court of Vermont, the appointment of Patricia Gabel as Vermont’s next State Court Administrator. The appointment will take effect on July 27. Gabel is currently General Counsel to the Supreme Court and Vermont’s Deputy State Court Administrator, after having held administrative positions of increasing responsibility in the court system since she first joined the Judiciary seven years ago.
Bob Greemore, the incumbent, previously announced that he will retire, effective July 26, after more than 40 years of public service to the State of Vermont, including more than 30 years as an administrator in the Vermont court system.
“I am delighted to announce the appointment of Patricia Gabel as the Vermont Judiciary’s chief executive officer,” stated Chief Justice Reiber. “Pat’s experience in court administration and her distinguished career in the private sector as a lawyer and business person make her uniquely qualified for this position.”
Prior to entering public service, Gabel had already established a track record of leadership as a partner and practice group chair in large law firms, as general counsel to multi-national companies, and as a small business owner who was active in her community. A graduate of Vassar College and the Albany Law School of Union University, Gabel is a Fellow of Harvard’s Weatherhead Center for International Affairs, where her research focused on the principles of negotiation and dispute resolution. She was a member of the adjunct faculty of the Department of Political Science at Concordia University in Montreal, where she taught courses in negotiation and conflict resolution. She has served as an officer and member of the Board of Directors of a number of non-profit organizations and currently serves on the Board of Directors of Vermont Public Television.
The Vermont Constitution establishes a unified court system under the administrative control of the Supreme Court of Vermont. The State Court Administrator, who reports to the Supreme Court, has oversight over all non-judicial employees of the courts of Vermont, as well as oversight of the administrative infrastructure of the Judiciary, including budget and finance, planning, trial court and appellate court administration, human resources and labor relations, information technology, court services and programs, court facilities and security, legal counsel, and education and organizational development. Vermont’s trial court, the Superior Court, disposes of approximately 60,000 cases per year, and the Judicial Bureau disposes of about 90,000 cases per year. There are 60 judicial officers and approximately 300 non-judicial employees in the Vermont court system. The Vermont Judiciary’s budget is approximately $40,000,000.
The State Court Administrator works closely with the legislative and executive branches on issues affecting Vermont's justice system and interacts on behalf of the Supreme Court with various constituencies, including the bar; state, local, and national justice system partners; and citizens groups.