DENVER – The Colorado Supreme Court on Friday appointed Steven Vasconcellos as State Court Administrator. Vasconcellos had served as interim State Court Administrator since July.

“We have as a group become convinced that Steven is the best candidate to lead the State Court Administrator’s Office and move the Judicial Department forward,” Chief Justice Nathan B. Coats said. “Steven has dedicated his professional life to the department and has unparalleled institutional knowledge and experience. We have been greatly impressed not only by his management of the office as Interim State Court Administrator over the last three months but also by his ideas for better serving the needs of the state’s 22 judicial districts.”

Vasconcellos was among more than 50 applicants for the position. Four finalists appeared in a town hall-style meeting telecast to Judicial Department employees across the state, and the Supreme Court accepted department employees’ comments before concluding its three-month search.

Vasconcellos began his career with the Colorado Courts in 1995, serving in numerous positions ranging from court clerk in Colorado Springs to director of the Court Services Division of the State Court Administrator’s Office. He was serving as the SCAO Chief Operations Officer when he was appointed interim State Court Administrator in July.

The State Court Administrator works closely with the Chief Justice, Supreme Court, and Court Executives to set the strategic administrative direction for the Judicial Department. The position has oversight over the State Court Administrator’s Office, which provides central administrative services through many divisions including Information Technology, Financial Services, Human Resources, Court Services, Legal, Education and Probation Services. The office also assigns senior judges as needed. The State Court Administrator is a liaison to advisory working groups and committees of justices, judges and administrators that provide recommendations and advice for policymaking, business practice change, and service delivery. The State Court Administrator serves at the pleasure of the Supreme Court. The annual salary for this position is $184,836.

The Colorado Judicial Department is the state’s largest unified criminal justice agency and includes the Supreme Court and Court of Appeals, as well as the state’s district and county trial courts. The Judicial Department is also home to the Division of Probation Services, which is responsible for supervising more than 80,000 adult and juvenile offenders.

The Judicial Branch employs approximately 4,600 employees, including 425 justices, judges and magistrates. Last fiscal year, 777,000 cases of all types were filed in the state court system.

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