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CCE Profiles: Marc Sherman

Doug Spaulding (standing at left in picture): I am here with Marc Sherman and we’re talking about the Council for Court Excellence ("CCE" or "Council"). Marc, let me start by asking you to tell us a little bit about yourself and your work.

Marc Sherman (standing at right in picture): I was born in and grew up in Baltimore, but have worked in Washington for much of my career. In fact, I recently reached my 20th anniversary of working in Washington, DC. My wife is very supportive of the difficulties of working in a city where you don’t live. I have two children who are now on their own and who I miss very much. From an educational standpoint, I’m a lawyer and a CPA; from a business and practice standpoint I practice in the area of forensic accounting. For much of my career I was a partner in a big four CPA firm where I was the Regional Partner in Charge of the Corporate Finance and Corporate Restructuring and Turnaround practices and National Partner in Charge of the Forensic Accounting and Compliance practices.

Doug Spaulding: When did you first get involved with CCE?

Marc Sherman: A year or so after I first came to Washington in 1993, my firm had indicated some interest in becoming involved with the Council, and I volunteered to be the firm’s representative because of the good things that CCE was doing for the Washington community. I was new to Washington and I recognized at that time that I would have an opportunity to learn about and grow with the community by being a part of CCE. I also recognized that I would be able to contribute some things on my own so that I felt a part of the community.

Doug Spaulding: Over that time since 1993 when you first got involved with the Council, what have been some of the interesting issues or projects that you have worked on with CCE?

Marc Sherman: Well, the most interesting aspect to me of the Council’s work is when it steps in to evaluate and improve a system to help people who, to a large degree, can’t help themselves in dealing with the system. One particular project that was most dear to me, and that I had the privilege of participating in, was the Family Court Project that helped ease the burden for abused and neglected children. Those young children, who can’t take care of themselves and are stuck in the system, had the benefit of the Council for Court Excellence speeding up their time in the system. The other, more current project that is dear to me focuses on reentry because it affects the entire community, not only those who are entering back into society from having been imprisoned. All of us are affected by the consequences of those who don’t enter back into society in a productive way, but the Council for Court Excellence stepped up to do something about the lack of employment opportunities to help ease the transition for those who have criminal records and are facing a difficult challenge.

Doug Spaulding: For a lot of us on the Board, that concept of the Council’s work affecting the entire community is really a hallmark of CCE. As an active participant with the Council for almost two decades, where do you think CCE should be headed in the future?

Marc Sherman: In a lot of circumstances people would say that you have to change continually to stay relevant and current, and you have to adapt to modern day culture. I would say that in the case of CCE, we should do exactly the opposite. The Council should continue to “stick to its knitting” and do the same things that it has done in the past. The Council is a wonderful organization that is committed to helping those who can’t help themselves, helping to improve a system that impacts the entire community. There are not many organizations in our community whose mission is to accomplish those purposes. So my hope is that CCE will continue to improve the future in ways consistent with its efforts and successes of the past, and that it continue to do the same things that it’s done for its entire existence…help improve the judicial and related systems for the betterment of the community.

Doug Spaulding: What are the characteristics of CCE that have impressed you the most?

Marc Sherman: From the first day that I walked in the door at CCE nearly 20 years ago and accepted a role on the Board and the Executive Committee, followed by other roles in CCE, I have been continually impressed by the dedication and professionalism of all of the people involved with the organization, from volunteers to staff members. When you get a chance to spend time with all of those people, you understand why CCE has been so successful over the years in accomplishing its goals and its mission.

Doug Spaulding: I was at the Board meeting last month when you were honored by receiving the prestigious Charles Horsky Award from CCE. Can you say what receiving that award means to you?

Marc Sherman: I’ve been around the organization for a very long time and the Horsky Award to me has always been the highest honor that one can receive. The thrill of being invited into such an exclusive club and the honor that the award bestows upon me is something that I thought I would never deserve. So it was a great honor to me and something that will live with me for the rest of my life.

Marc Sherman is a partner at Alvarez & Marsal in Washington DC. He was a member of CCE’s Executive Committee for 17 years and CCE’s Treasurer for 5 years. He remains active on CCE’s Board and on the Finance Committee.

Doug Spaulding is Senior Counsel at Reed Smith in Washington, DC. He is a long-time member of the Finance Committee and is now serving on CCE’s Executive Committee as Treasurer.

 

 
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