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Three finalists have been selected for the Allen County Superior Court vacancy, the Allen County Judicial Nominating Commission announced Wednesday.
Gov. Mike Braun now has 60 days to appoint one of the three finalists, Magistrates Brent Ecenbarger, Carolyn Foley or Sherry Hartzler, to fill the position of Judge Andrea Trevino, who will retire on Sept. 23.
The vacancy will be in Superior Court 7, Family Relations Division, which hears family and juvenile matters.
The seven-member nominating commission, chaired by Indiana Supreme Court Justice Christopher Goff, publicly interviewed four candidates on Wednesday and, after deliberating in a private executive session, publicly voted to select the three finalists.
Allen County Small Claims Magistrate Michael Douglass did not make the list of finalists.
According to Indiana law, the commission must consider an applicant’s academic record, public service, legal experience, physical condition and personality traits, and they must determine whether a candidate has any potential conflicts of interest.
What we know about the finalists
Ecenbarger was appointed as magistrate in the Allen Circuit Court in 2023, where he oversees the IV-D division, handling child support services.
A 2010 graduate from Valparaiso University School of Law, Ecenbarger previously served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney from 2020 to 2023.
Foley was appointed magistrate of the Allen Superior Court Family Relations Division twice, first in 2013 and then in 2018. She is a former member of several associations and councils, including the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges, the Indiana Child Support Alliance and the Allen County Youth Services Board.
Hartzler was appointed magistrate of the Allen Superior Court Family Relations Division in 2015, where she was instrumental in the establishment of the Family Recovery Court—a tool for families, parents and guardians struggling with substance abuse.
Among her several memberships, she is a member of the Board of Directors of Healthier Moms and Babies, an organization dedicated to supporting pregnant women by breaking down barriers to prenatal care.
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