Mr. Timothy Hughes currently serves as a Managing Director & Senior Legal Counsel within the International Programs Group of the National Center for State Courts. Mr. Hughes has provided senior management oversight for rule of law programs in, among other countries, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Honduras, Iraq, Lebanon, Mongolia, Moldova, North Macedonia, Serbia and South Africa. Mr. Hughes served previously as Chief of Party for USAID/Bosnia and Herzegovina Justice Sector Development Project, a 14.5 million USAID initiative focused on strengthening the judicial council and the ministry of justice, improving court administration, and advancing legal aid reform. Mr. Hughes worked previously with the American Bar Association’s Rule of Law Reform Initiative (formerly ABA/CEELI), where he designed a regional criminal justice initiative in Bulgaria and was responsible for the oversight of field operations in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) and Bulgaria. Prior to working with the ABA, Mr. Hughes served as Department Head for the Independent Judicial Commission in BiH, where he counseled the Director on strategic issues and the development of a comprehensive strategy to reform the judiciary. As Head of the Investigation and Verification Department, he was responsible for designing and implementing a reappointment process for approximately 900 judges and prosecutors and overseeing the investigation of thousands of complaints against judges and prosecutors alleged to have engaged in misconduct. In this capacity, he oversaw approximately 50+ staff in the headquarters and three regional field offices. Mr. Hughes served as Legal Counsel to the Election Appeals Sub-Commission, based in Sarajevo, BiH, where he was responsible for drafting decisions and investigating allegations of election irregularities in national and municipal elections. From 1992 – 97, he practiced law in a medium-sized law firm in Milwaukee, WI. He is an active member of the State Bar of Wisconsin and admitted to state and federal courts in Wisconsin and the United States Circuit Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. Mr. Hughes holds a J.D. from the University of Wisconsin and a LL.M in European/German law from the Karl Eberhards Universitaet in Tuebingen, Germany.