Friend of the Court Bureau interview with Tom Watson, Director, Berrien County Friend of the Court (FOC)
What was your path to the FOC Directorship in Berrien County?
Perhaps best described as being in the right place in my personal life at the right time, it was just a matter of circumstances that transitioned me from my career in the private sector as a bank executive. I had been in the banking industry since 1975, working for three financial institutions over that span of time. In 1997, I was the President/CEO of SJS Federal Savings Bank, a local federal savings bank that had converted to public ownership via an initial public offering of stock. Shortly after our conversion and prior to our very first annual meeting, a dissident shareholder succeeded in convincing our board to sell the bank. I made a decision to leave the acquiring bank with which we had merged. An interesting side note: while it had no significant meaning to me at the time, one of the new bank board members was a Detroit attorney—the late Wallace D. Riley, the husband of the late Dorothy Comstock Riley, former Wayne County Assistant Friend of the Court and Michigan Supreme Court Chief Justice. Attorney Riley and I got to know each other quite well.
In early 2000, I had lunch with one of the Berrien County judges, who was a friend of mine. Being unemployed at the time, save for a personal employment contract the acquiring bank was honoring, the judge told me the trial court was looking for a “strong administrator” in the Friend of the Court office and asked if I would be interested in applying. I applied and was hired as the Berrien County FOC Director in May 2000. The court’s Chief Judge at the time—now Judge Paul Maloney, of the US District Court Judge-Western District of Michigan--referred to me as the Court’s very first non-traditional hire in a major administrative role.
What changes have you seen in the IV-D program?
Without question, the biggest program change I’ve witnessed is the shift from a focus on being “punitive” to one of “assistance”—understanding, identifying barriers, and equipping individuals with an ability to comply with court orders and their obligations as a parent. For example, I remember looking at the mountain of child support arrears in Berrien County and the state as a whole shortly after my arrival and being incredulous at the amount of surcharges being assessed. At the time, the annual rate was 8 percent, compounded semi-annually, and it was universally burying and penalizing child support payers without consideration of their ability to pay, resulting in a limited or impossible chance of ever paying the assessed amount. Today’s focus on the dynamics associated with an individual’s ability to pay is a seismic shift from the past.
Most satisfying accomplishments?
- Immediately upon my arrival in 2000, I was informed that Berrien County was one of eight counties statewide that had yet to convert to the state Child Support Enforcement System (CSES). We were given a deadline of August 1, 2001 to be up and running on CSES, and we accomplished it. Berrien FOC then volunteered for, and piloted, along with Jackson County, the herculean implementation of the Michigan Child Support Enforcement System (MiCSES) in March 2003. These two major conversion initiatives were undertaken, completed, and implemented—formidable tasks embracing the “can-do” attitude of our Berrien FOC staff, without which could never have been accomplished.
- Berrien FOC implemented imaging in May 2005, being one of the first FOC offices in the state to do so and the very first department in Berrien to undertake this initiative. I was fortunate to have great project focus and direction provided to staff from then-Deputy Director Rosie Brock just prior to her retirement in July 2005.
- The 2019 launching of the OCS Self-Service Reporting tool was a watershed moment for counties to have an ability to access case data and information for their own unique or specific needs. Being someone with a passion for data access and integrity and having served on the Performance Management Work Group since shortly after joining the court, I was very gratified to see this tool become a reality. I have long been an advocate for counties to be able to access the data they need.
- Recently, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, we combined the child support establishment function into the Berrien FOC office duties at the end of 2020, along with consolidating the enforcement and accounting divisions. I believe these initiatives will help our FOC office serve the public in a very efficient and streamlined manner well into the future.
Advice?
I’m often reminded of the fact that, in many cases, we are dealing with members of the public during what undoubtedly is the most stressful time in their lives. We are dealing with arguably the two most important items to them—money and their family. We see various elements of their emotional state: despair, anger, withdrawal, or fear. I always emphasize to our staff how vital and important they are in this moment—being understanding and empathetic while balancing making recommendations and enforcing court orders. I have also tried to inject a little humor with new staff, telling them if they come back after their first day of employment, I know they are meant for the type of work we do. Our staff is our greatest resource—the ongoing work they perform is what is important long after hearings are completed. Staff may be subject to blame and ridicule on a daily basis, but they show up the next day. Managers, always remind them they are special people, our greatest asset, and thank them for the job they do on a daily basis.
I also encourage membership in the Friend of the Court Association (FOCA). This organization has an extraordinary amount of knowledgeable, passionate, and hard-working individuals, always willing to help their counterparts in other offices and assist with questions. Members will always be kept in the know on what is happening with the State Court Administrative Office and the Office of Child Support. It is a critical resource for any high-level FOC administrator.
I also recommend working on breaking down silos. Integrate staff as much as possible—financial, enforcement, case workers. Understanding of the entire FOC operation is a major key to building a successful, resourceful, and knowledgeable workforce dedicated to assisting the court and the public.
Retirement plans?
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| Marie and Tom Watson celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary. |
These past 21 years have had a huge impact on me, and I will very much miss our judges and court leadership team, all of my dedicated co-workers, wonderful staff, and the tireless work performed day in and day out for the people we serve. The work of the FOC is in my blood and will never leave me—I will be watching with interest the direction of the Title IV-D child support program in the years ahead.
