Chief Justice Thomas L. Kilbride and the Illinois Supreme Court announced Tuesday the appointment of Michael J. Tardy as Director of the Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts. His appointment is effective immediately.

Mr. Tardy, who has served with the Administrative Office for nearly 24 years, had been acting director since last September.

"He has been a longstanding, loyal and hardworking staff member for decades," said Chief Justice Kilbride. "Since he's taken over as the acting director, he has been masterful in working through the transition. "

The Administrative Director, as the office also is called, is authorized by Article VI of the Illinois Constitution to assist the Chief Justice and the Supreme Court in fulfilling their administrative duties. The director prepares and presents agenda issues to the Court for discussion and deliberation to assure that the business of the judicial branch is timely and thoroughly managed.

"I am both grateful and very humbled by the opportunity that the Supreme Court of Illinois has afforded me," Mr. Tardy said. "I am, of course, honored by the appointment and very thankful for the privilege to serve the Chief Justice and Justices of the Supreme Court.

"I am thrilled by the challenge and commit my every resource to the work of the Court," said Mr. Tardy. "And I am very fortunate to have available to me the capable and competent staff of the AOIC in doing our work for the Court."

Mr. Tardy has served in both clinical and administrative positions within the Illinois judicial branch for the past 36 years. He initially worked for the Circuit Court of Cook County Social Service Depart-ment, which is the court agency charged with providing community-based supervision for adult misdemeanor and DUI offenders in Cook County. In his 13 years with the Cook County department, he started as a case worker and worked his way to district supervisor managing three offices and a staff of 40.

He joined the Administrative Office in 1988 as a field supervisor with the Probation Services Division and in 1995 was named associate director of the division. Under Illinois statute, the division is responsible for the development and implementation throughout the state for adult probation, juvenile probation and juvenile detention programs. As associate director, Mr. Tardy managed the probation staff in the Chicago office and under the direction of the assistant director planned, coordinated and managed many facets of the division's programs and operations.

In 2002, Mr. Tardy was named Executive Assistant to former Director Cynthia Y. Cobbs. In that capacity, he managed diverse and complex functions of the Administrative Office on behalf of the Director, including administrative policy development and coordination with multiple offices of the Illinois judicial branch of government. The Court named him acting director when Ms. Cobbs resigned and was appointed a Circuit Court judge in September.

From 1997-2000, Mr. Tardy also served as consultant to the Municipal Court in Seattle, Washington, conducting and coordinating three studies and projects for the court's presiding judge and trial court administrator in regards to probation operations and offender risk assessment policies.

Mr. Tardy earned his bachelor's degree from DePaul University and a master’s degree in Clinical Social Work from the University of Illinois at Chicago. For the past 10 years, he has served as a part-time faculty member at Loyola University in the Criminal Justice Department.

Among other things, the Administrative Office conducts the election process for the appointment and reappointment of Associate judges, provides support services to the Court’s committees and the Judicial Conference, develops the judicial branch budget, provides legislative support services to the Court, collects and publishes statistical information on court caseloads and case flow, assists in the development and oversight of the Court’s Comprehensive Judicial Education Plan, provides technology and information services to the Supreme and Appellate Courts, maintains the Court’s website, develops and monitors probation programs for the Circuit Courts, and is responsible for administering particular Supreme Court rules. The Administrative Director also serves as secretary to the Illinois Courts Commission.