Governor Healey Announces New Leadership of the Judicial Nominating Commission
Governor Healey elevates Kathy Henry to Chair and appoints Asha Santos and Mark Shaughnessy as Vice Chairs
BOSTON – Today, Governor Maura Healey announced that she is appointing Kathy Henry to Chair of the Judicial Nominating Commission and Asha Santos and Mark Shaughnessy as Vice Chairs. Abim Thomas, the current Chair, and Mark Fleming, one of the two current Vice Chairs, are stepping down from the Commission after serving two terms. Kathy Henry will take on this new leadership position as Chair having served two terms as a Vice Chair.
“The Judicial Nominating Commission does incredibly important work to identify the very best candidates to become judges who will uphold justice and the rule of law. Under the strong leadership of Abim and Mark, the JNC has recommended dozens of candidates who have been nominated and confirmed as excellent judges. I’m deeply grateful for their effort and their service,” said Governor Healey. “Kathy, Asha and Mark have also played important roles in this work, and I’m grateful to them for stepping up into these new leadership roles. I look forward to the work that they will continue to do on the JNC.”
“Over the last two and a half years, I’ve been able to work with the Governor’s Council to help confirm great nominees to serve in our judicial system, and that would not have been possible without Abim, Mark and Kathy’s leadership to thoroughly vet and put forward quality candidates,” said Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll. “I am confident that Kathy, Asha and Mark will continue this high quality of work, and I’m grateful to them for their service.”
The Judicial Nominating Commission is a non-partisan, non-political, and non-compensated Commission composed of 27 distinguished volunteers appointed by the Governor from a cross-section of the state's diverse population. They screen judicial candidates and make recommendations to the Governor. Since Governor Healey took office, the work of the JNC has resulted in the nomination of 72 highly qualified judges and four Clerk Magistrates.
About the New Chair and Vice Chairs:
Kathy Henry has served on the JNC since 2023 and most recently served as Vice Chair. She is currently the Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Chief Human Resources Officer of Eastern Bankshares, Inc. and Eastern Bank, where she plays a significant leadership role across multiple strategic priorities, including managing legal risk, human capital management and internal communications and public relations. She has been with Eastern since 2016. Before that, she served as the General Counsel and Deputy General Counsel for five years at Plymouth Rock Assurance Corporation, a Boston-based financial services company, and 11 years as a litigator at Choate, Hall & Stewart LLP. Attorney Henry has over 25 years of experience advising boards, C-suite executives and business leaders on their most complex legal, strategic and human resource challenges. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism from Boston University and a Juris Doctor from Northeastern University School of Law. She lives in Boston.
Mark Shaughnessy has served on the JNC since 2023. He is the Managing Partner at Boyle | Shaughnessy Law. His practice concentrates in civil litigation, focusing on business and commercial litigation, product liability claims, professional and medical malpractice, construction defect and accident litigation, pharmacy liability litigation, catastrophic injury claims, MDL and class actions. Attorney Shaughnessy has extensive trial experience in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York and Rhode Island state and federal courts. He manages and supervises the firm’s trial practice and has litigated over 100 jury trials as first chair. He also has significant appellate experience, successfully arguing many appeals. He holds a Bachelor of Arts from the College of the Holy Cross and a Juris Doctor from Suffolk University where he was an editor of the Law Review. He lives in Boston.
Asha Santos has served on the JNC since 2024. She is the Office Managing Shareholder at Littler Mendelson P.C. where she oversees the daily operations of three law offices--including practice management, administrative functions, and client services. In addition to litigation, Asha has a robust practice as a neutral investigator. In this role, she has investigated and made factual findings concerning numerous high profile sexual harassment and discrimination claims, and she has conducted workplace culture audits concerning allegations of bullying and microaggressions. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in English from Williams College and a Juris Doctor from Boston College Law School. She lives in Acton.
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