Bridenback recognized as ‘tireless advocate' for courts, public

WILLIAMSBURG, Va. —  Michael L. Bridenback, court administrator of the 13th Judicial Circuit of Florida in Tampa, is the recipient of a 2010 Distinguished Service Award, one of the highest recognitions given by the National Center for State Courts (NCSC). Florida Supreme Court Justice Peggy A. Quince, who also is on NCSC’s Board of Directors, presented the award to Bridenback during Florida’s Joint Judicial Branch Leadership Meeting in Tampa.

Bridenback is a Holmes County native.

"I grew up in Bonifay," Bridenback said by email.  "I attended elementary, junior high and high school for my entire 12 years of public schooling.  I graduated high school in 1970 and went on to get my master degree from FSU. 

"My parents who are now deceased were Thomas and Mozelle Bridenback.  My dad was a elementary school teacher at Bonifay elementary school for 30 years.  My mother was the lunchroom manager at Holmes County High School for a number of years before she retired.

"I married Margie Lyon, daughter of Clifton and Catherine Lyon who were dairy farmers in Bonifay for 40 years.  Margie and I have now been married for almost 40 years and live in Tampa.  We have 3 children and 4 grandchildren with a fifth on the way due in April."

“Mike Bridenback has devoted his career to the advancement of the criminal-justice system, serving as a tireless advocate for both the courts and the people they serve,” said Mary C. McQueen, NCSC president. “His dedication is an inspiration to his colleagues, his reputation is a model for his peers, and his knowledge is a valuable resource that we are fortunate he shares with all of us.”

NCSC presents six Distinguished Service Awards annually to those who have made significant contributions to the judicial or court administration fields and to the work of the National Center. The awards recognize one person from each of the following categories: current or former state appellate judge; current or former state trial judge; state-level court administrator or employee; trial-level court administrator or employee; attorney or other individual not employed by the courts; and current or former international judge or court executive. Bridenback will be receiving the Distinguished Service Award given to a trial-level court administrator or employee.

For nearly two decades, Bridenback has overseen the daily operations of the 62-judge, 200-employee trial court of the 13th Judicial Circuit and administered its $35 million budget. He was instrumental in the 1999 development of the pioneering Hillsborough County Elder Justice Center, which helps ensure that seniors have fair and reasonable access to the courts, and has guided the 13th Judicial Circuit through a number of innovations that addressed critical issues facing the courts, including the implementation of technological advances and the establishment of problem-solving courts. He also served on the state’s Trial Court Budget Committee, which facilitated the transition of Florida’s trial courts to state funding. Prior to his tenure with the 13th Judicial Circuit, Bridenback was with Florida’s Office of State Courts Administrator for 17 years, where he helped develop statewide mediation services that are now an integral part of the court system.

Bridenback has shared his expertise on state and local court administration with colleagues across the country through his service on a number of national committees dedicated to the improvement of the judicial system, including the National Commission on Community Justice, National Task Force on Court Mediation Program Standards, and the National Joint Technology Committee, which he co-chaired.

He also was on the Board of Directors of the National Association for Court Management from 2005-08, and has been a member of the Harvard Kennedy School’s Executive Session for State Court Leaders in the 21st Century — a group of judges, court administrators, and academics that gathers to discuss the challenges facing the judicial branch — since its inception in 2008. In October of last year, Bridenback served as a panelist at the 4th National Symposium on Court Management, where more than 100 court leaders came together to reflect upon the progress in and anticipate the challenges of administering and managing state courts. He also has shared his court-administration knowledge internationally, working with leaders in Romania and Kosovo to help strengthen governance and establish trial courts.

The National Center for State Courts, headquartered in Williamsburg, Va., is a nonprofit court reform organization dedicated to improving the administration of justice by providing leadership and service to the state courts. Founded in 1971 by the Conference of Chief Justices and Chief Justice of the United States Warren E. Burger, NCSC provides education, training, technology, management, and research services to the nation’s state courts.