Kathleen Russell

Executive Director & Co-founder @Center For Judicial Excellence

San Rafael, CA, US

Executive Director of the Center for Judicial Excellence, a child protection organization that is committed to improving the judiciary\'s public accountability and strengthening and maintaining the integrity of the courts. The Center focuses on the safety of children in the family law system and works to end domestic violence. It tracks child homicides by divorcing/separating parents in the U.S.Kathleen manages all of the Center\'s public education, media relations, fundraising and legislative advocacy. She co-crafted Kayden’s Law and co-led the lobbying campaign to include it in the 2022 Violence Against Women Act reauthorization. She also co-led the national campaign to pass House Concurrent Resolution 72, in the U.S. House of Reps, which urges states to make child safety the #1 priority in family law adjudications.Other California legislative victories that Kathleen has led include:*Historic audit of the Commission on Judicial Performance in August 2016 (first in 61 years!)*First-ever audit of the California family courts on July 1, 2009, with CA Senator Mark Leno.*Passage of AB 1050, with then-Assemblywoman Fiona Ma), which gives children 14 and older the right to testify in family court about their experiences with each parent (effective Jan 2012).* Passage of Senate Bill 594 (Sen. Bob Wieckowski), requiring that custody evaluators follow the minimum standards set forth in state law when determining child custody in family courts. Kathleen has worked with hundreds of journalists over the years to expose the crisis in the family courts, including NBC Nightly News, USA Today, and hard-hitting investigative stories on ABC10 in Sacramento and NBC Bay Area. She spearheaded a year-long, 13-episode investigative series \"Lost in the System\" at Fox11 News in Los Angeles and appeared on and co-produced a powerful segment on the the Dr. Phil Show on the family court crisis in April 2010.

University of California, Berkeley

BA, Psychology

University of Michigan

Psychology