Joey Orduña Hastings, JD, joined the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges (NCJFCJ) as chief executive officer in July 2016. Orduña Hastings returned to the NCJFCJ, where she served early in her career as a NCJFCJ Model Court liaison and manager.
As the CEO, she oversees a team of 75 in both Reno, NV, and Pittsburgh, PA, and is responsible for an annual budget of nearly $17 million. Under her leadership, the NCJFCJ has developed and is implementing a strategic plan that is focused on increasing the diversity of the NCJFCJ members, staff, and partners; amplifying messaging to expand the reach of the NCJFCJ services and brand; increasing membership; diversifying funding streams; engaging state decision-makers; and aligning the NCJFCJ structure and processes to better support the NCJFCJ as it looks to its 90th anniversary.
Under Orduña Hastings, the NCJFCJ announced a partnership with both the National Association for Court Management (NACM) and the Judicial Division of the American Bar Association (ABA) to offer dual memberships for judicial officers and court management professionals. She also played a key leadership role in the creation of the Epicenter for Judicial Education in partnership with the University of Nevada, Reno, and other local judicial education partners. Orduña Hastings continues to work with her team and board of directors to expand and identify collaborative opportunities for programming, policy, and research.
Along with her NCJFCJ team, she has increased grant and non-grant funding by nearly $6 million, grown membership to more than 2,000 members in every state and several countries, and bolstered organizational donations by 120%. She established and launched the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Collaborative, that collectively determines where the largest gaps and opportunities are to diversify the judicial and legal profession and launched the wellness/leadership initiative, helping judges understand that prioritizing wellness helps them make better decisions. During Orduña Hastings tenure, the NCJFCJ’s yearly contributions to the economy in the state of Nevada alone are estimated at ~$7 million, and the work of the NCJFCJ impacts 4 million families per year, nationwide.
Prior to returning to the NCJFCJ, Orduña Hastings was the assistant county manager of administration and finance for Washoe County, where she oversaw Technology Services, Human Resources, the Comptroller’s Office, and the Registrar of Voters Office. Orduña Hastings gained wide-ranging experience at the Washoe County Second Judicial District Court, where she was the court administrator and clerk of court, which included oversight of court operations, programs, policy development, and fiscal responsibilities. She was integral in communicating with city, county, and state officials about various issues facing the region. She also served as the legislative coordinator for Governor Brian Sandoval in 2011. She worked with the governor’s staff to communicate and coordinate legislative matters and research throughout the state.
Orduña Hastings has served as chair of the Nevada Women’s Fund and co-chair of the Nevada Juvenile Justice Oversight Commission. In 2020, she was appointed to two committee positions with the Institute for the Advancement of the American Legal System (IAALS) and the National CASA/GAL (Court Appointed Special Advocate/Guardian ad Litem) Association for Children. Orduña Hastings graduated from the University of Nevada, Reno with a Bachelor of Arts in political science and a minor in criminal justice. She received a Juris Doctor from Gonzaga University School of Law. She is a native Nevadan, born and raised in Las Vegas, and resides in Reno.