President – Hon. Kathleen Feeney

Hon. Kathleen A. Feeney has served on the Family Division of Kent County Circuit Court since March 2000. Judge Feeney is the current presiding judge of the Family Division; chair of the Kent County School-Justice Partnership; and chair of the Michigan Judges Association family law committee, having served on the rules and family law committee since 2003. Before taking the bench, Judge Feeney clerked for Hon. Jane E. Markey of the Michigan Court of Appeals and practiced family, employment, and insurance law with Mika Meyers Beckett & Jones and Foster Swift Collins & Smith. A former adjunct professor at Davenport University, Judge Feeney has participated in the Michigan Supreme Court model civil jury instruction committee since 2014. At the beginning of her career, she was active on the State Bar of Michigan’s Young Lawyers Section, the Ingham County Young Lawyers Section, and was chairperson of the Grand Rapids Bar Association Young Lawyers Section. She earned the State Bar of Michigan Outstanding Young Lawyer Award in 1995. Judge Feeney is a graduate of the MSU Honors College and University of Illinois College of Law.

President Elect – Hon. Charles LaSata

Judge Charles LaSata is a life-long resident of Berrien County. He received his Bachelor’s degree from Kalamazoo College in Kalamazoo, Michigan and his Juris Doctor degree from The Catholic University of America in Washington D.C.

Judge LaSata was elected to the Circuit Court Bench in 2004. He currently serves in the Criminal Division of the Berrien County Trial Court. He is a former partner / shareholder in LaSata Law Office in Niles, and Bittner, Hyrns, LaSata, Reimland & Daly P.C. of Saint Joseph.

Prior to his judicial election, he served Berrien County in a number of roles. Judge LaSata was the Michigan State Representative for the 79th District in northern Berrien County for six years 1999 to 2004. While in the state legislature he served as vice-chair of the House Appropriations Committee, chair of the Corrections Subcommittee, vice-chair of the Judiciary Committee, and chair of the bi-partisan lawyer’s caucus.

He also represented the state of Michigan on several boards; served on the Civil Justice Task Force with the National Conference of State Legislators, and the Civil Justice Task Force for the American Legislative Exchange Council. Judge LaSata also served as a Saint Joseph City Commissioner for four years and Mayor of the City of Saint Joseph for four years prior to entering the legislature.

Vice President – Hon. Janice Cunningham

Hon. Janice K. Cunningham was elected to the court in 2013 after more than 25 years in private practice, where she specialized in family law. She is the current Chief Judge of the Eaton County Courts system. Judge Cunningham hears civil, criminal, and family law cases. In addition to her normal caseload, Judge Cunningham also presides over the Adult Circuit Drug Court and Veterans Treatment Court. She is also the judicial volunteer for the SMILE program. In 2018, Judge Cunningham was awarded the Marilyn J. Kelly Award for outstanding service to family law and in 2019, she was selected as the Lawyer of the Year by “Michigan Lawyers Weekly.” Judge Cunningham was an adjunct professor of family law at WMU Cooley Law School for more than 20 years, receiving the Outstanding Adjunct Faculty Award in 2009 and Distinguished Alumni Service Award in 2019. Judge Cunningham serves on the executive board for the Michigan Judges Association, where she cochairs the Family Law Committee, and is a frequent lecturer for ICLE, the State Bar of Michigan’s Family Law Section, and the Michigan Judicial Institute.

Secretary – Hon. Gerald Prill

The Honorable Gerald Prill was first elected to the 52nd Circuit Court for Huron County in 2014 and has been serving as a circuit judge since January 1, 2015.  Judge Prill received his undergraduate degree from Michigan State University in 1991 and his Juris Doctor from the Thomas M. Cooley Law School in 1995.  He previously served as President of the Huron County Bar Association and is involved in many community organizations.  Prior to becoming Treasurer Judge Prill has served as Co-Chair of the Judicial Outreach Committee for MJA.                  

Treasurer – Hon. Qiana Lillard

Bio coming soon.