Maida Milone of Pennsylvania for Modern Courts/courtesy photo

The president and CEO of Pennsylvanians for Modern Courts, Maida Milone, has announced her retirement from the judicial reform organization, effective at the end of June.

Milone, 65, citing age as the primary factor for her retirement, said the organization has not yet named a successor, but expects an announcement within the week.

Additionally, Milone said the loss of her father, mother, and brother⁠—all within the last year⁠—made her take stock of life.

"That really puts existence into perspective," Milone said in an interview with The Legal. "While I'm still healthy and still have energy and vitality, I want to take some of this time and use it for other things."

One of those things, she said, is her passion for writing.

"I love writing and I've always wanted to have time to devote to my own writing," she said. "My whole life I've vacillated between my artistic side and analytical side. This will give me some more time to devote to my artistic pursuits."

Milone said that when she looks back at her time working at PMC she is proud of the transformation the organization has undergone and believes it's well-positioned for the future.

"When I started, the board asked me to help figure out how to make the organization sustainable. I feel together, with them, we've really managed to do that over these four years. I'm leaving a very healthy and sustainable organization for my successor, the board and for Pennsylvanians," Milone said.

"When I started people thought of us as the merit selection organization, that was sort of the label for the organization," she added. "We're obviously still committed to modernizing the judicial selection process. But I think we've really embraced our role as a champion for education about the judicial system, for judicial independence, and for modernizing the judicial system itself. It's a much more complex and far-reaching expression of the mission than it was four years ago."

There are still some efforts she wishes had come to fruition on her watch, namely the ratification of Pennsylvania House Bill 111, which called for abolishing judicial elections in favor of a statewide, bipartisan nominating commission that selects judges for approval by the governor. The bill made it out of the House Judiciary Committee, but stalled afterward.

"I would have been thrilled to have accomplished that, but I think we've made some good headway against some pretty strong headwinds," Milone said.

For years PMC has fought for merit selection and judicial reform, sometimes falling short of its goals. Milone recalled being asked why she kept at it after years of uphill battles.

"If cancer researchers had given up because they couldn't find cures after three decades, where would we be?" She said. "We have to keep it up."

Milone, who earned her law degree from the University of Pennsylvania and has previously represented both corporations and nonprofits, took over for former longtime PMC executive director Lynn Marks in 2016.

In a statement released by the organization, several of Milone's colleagues praised her.

"Maida Milone has been an inspirational, enthusiastic, creative and dedicated advocate for the cause of justice in Pennsylvania during her tenure as President and CEO of Pennsylvanians For Modern Courts," said former federal judge Lawrence Stengel, who recently joined PMC's board.

"Maida truly has been an ambassador of good will for our courts. Maida appreciates the importance of excellence in the judiciary, and she has worked tirelessly across the commonwealth for responsible reform and improvement in this essential branch of our government," he continued. "Judges, lawyers and citizens of Pennsylvania should be extremely grateful to Maida for her service, for her hard work and for her many contributions to the administration of justice at all levels of our court system."

Board chairman and Philadelphia litigator Bob Heim said Milone has done "amazing" work at the organization.

"She's an astute lawyer, proven fundraiser, business manager and leader who exercised extremely good judgment in service to this organization. We have great affection and incredible esteem for her," Heim said.