Washtenaw County Circuit Court Judge Timothy Connors (second from left) has long been interested in the Indian Child Welfare Act and recently keynoted the first of five regional trainings about the ICWA. Other participants in the Ann Arbor training session included (left to right) Stacey Tadgerson, DHS; attorney Allie Greenleaf Maldonado; Cheboygan County Probate Court Chief Judge Robert Butts; U of M Law Professor Frank Vandervort; and Tribal Judge Angela Sherigan.

Attorney Allie Greenleaf Maldonado (left) and Stacey Tadgerson, director of the DHS Native American Affairs division were presenters at the event. Upcoming training sessions will be held in Marquette, Mt. Pleasant and Petoskey. The events are co-sponsored by the Child Welfare Services Division of the State Court Administrative Office and the Governor’s Task Force on Children’s Justice. The ICWA was passed by Congress in 1978 to protect the interests of Indian children and promote the cohesiveness of families and tribes.