News Item
Kathy Ouren Returns as Court Administrator for Otter Tail and Wadena Counties
Posted: Friday, October 23, 2015
Judges in Minnesota’s Seventh Judicial District have appointed Kathy Ouren to serve as the court administrator for Otter Tail and Wadena counties.
As court administrator, Ouren will oversee district court staff and operations in Otter Tail and Wadena counties. The office provides staff support for a full range of court operations, including processing and management of all records and files of the court, as well as providing services to the public, county offices, and the judiciary.
Ouren served in Otter Tail County as a deputy court administrator and chief deputy court administrator from 1980 to 1997, then as court administrator from 1997 to 2010. She was the court administrator for Otter Tail and Wadena counties in 2009. Ouren possesses a B.A. in Business Administration and is a Fellow of the Institute for Court Management. She returns to the Minnesota Judicial Branch after nearly five years as the Clerk of District Court in Cass County, North Dakota.
“We are so pleased to have Kathy returning to Minnesota to oversee our courts in Otter Tail and Wadena counties,” said Seventh Judicial District Chief Judge John H. Scherer. “Kathy brings a tremendous amount of experience and expertise to the position, and is well-respected by both judges and staff. She is the perfect person to help lead our courts as we undergo the major transition to an electronic court record.”
Ouren’s appointment is effective Monday, November 9, 2015.
The appointment of Kathy Ouren as court administrator for Otter Tail and Wadena counties also marks an important milestone for Minnesota’s Seventh Judicial District. Over the course of several years, the Seventh Judicial District has undertaken a significant realignment of administrative functions within the district. This realignment was part of a long-range plan designed to ensure responsive and efficient management of the 10 district courts that comprise the Seventh Judicial District.
Combining administrative oversight of Otter Tail and Wadena counties was the final step in completing this long-range plan. Today, each of the following sets of counties is served by a single court administrator: Otter Tail and Wadena; Clay and Becker; Benton and Mille Lacs; and Douglas, Todd and Morrison. Stearns County District Court does not share a court administrator with any other county in the district.
About Minnesota’s Seventh Judicial District
Minnesota’s Seventh Judicial District serves the counties of Becker, Benton, Clay, Douglas, Mille Lacs, Morrison, Otter Tail, Stearns, Todd, and Wadena. The Seventh Judicial District has 28 chambered judges. The Chief Judge is the Honorable John Scherer, chambered in Stearns County, and the Assistant Chief Judge is the Honorable Ann Carrott, chambered in Douglas County. There were more than 74,000 cases filed in the Seventh Judicial District in 2014.