New Court Administrator Becky Brandt took the oath of office administrated by Judge Matt Opat on June 4. She will replace retired Court Administrator Jim Attwood who served in the position for 31 years.
Brandt is no stranger to district court operations. She served the Olmsted County District Court for 21 years. She began working in the Juvenile Division in 1998, then moved to the Civil Division, and finally to the Family Division. She worked as the court assistant for Judge Kevin Lund for many years before working for Judge Kathy Wallace until July 2018. For the last several months she has served as the court operations supervisor.
Brandt felt she could not pass up a chance to “come home” to work in Fillmore County when the unique opportunity of the court administrator position became available. She is part of a large extended family, many of whom live in southeastern Minnesota. Her parents, James and Diane Leichtnam, live in Grand Meadow. Two of her four siblings, James and Diana (Weiss) still live in Grand Meadow. She also has a sister Bev (Rochester) and a brother Jerome, plant superintendent at Kerry Americas. Her daughter Paige, 31, lives in California and her son Jake, 17, will be a senior next year. Her husband Jay is a commercial floor installer, contracting through Hiller’s Flooring America.
Brandt went to school in Grand Meadow and graduated in 1982. She went to business school and worked 12 years as a legal secretary before serving the Olmsted County District Court. Experience and hard work are the drivers that qualify her for the position she now holds.
“I love this area. It is my favorite spot in the whole state,” she shares. Brandt enjoys camping at Forestville and biking the whole length of the bike trail. She also hikes and works out regularly at a gym. Her other passion is genealogy, discovering her family’s roots.
A court administrator manages daily operations of the courthouse by working with local judges, court staff, Minnesota Judicial Branch offices, justice system partners, and county offices. The court administrator is responsible for the courthouse’s administrative operations which include courtroom and customer service functions, case related financial records, jury, technology, human resources, facility management, and overseeing case processing-related functions.
Brandt notes, “I need to ensure that all court users have equal and fair access to justice and high quality customer service.”
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