From Inspiration to Action: Recognizing Carolyn Hardin

By: Wyatt Lim-Tepper

Before I ever met her, I already knew the impact Carolyn Hardin had on the criminal justice system. I had spent years in direct service and case management roles across reentry programs, but I wanted to bring a deeper academic grounding and a clearer understanding of best practices to the collaborative courts I supported. Learning about treatment courts—and the way they transform outcomes for participants, communities, and the justice system—ignited a new level of professional purpose for me.

In my first few months with the court, I met with stakeholders across the district to learn about their work in drug courts and the profound effect it had on everyone involved. One name surfaced in every conversation: Carolyn Hardin. People described her as charismatic, deeply knowledgeable, and remarkably effective at driving change. She had provided technical assistance nationwide, served as a supervision officer, and delivered conference presentations that people still referenced years later. Her résumé was impressive, but what truly inspired me was witnessing her passion for helping others do the work—and do it well.

I’ve since seen Carolyn present at various trainings and gotten to know her as a mentor. She’d provided input on how to improve implementation for our court programs, given advice on the nuances of quality improvement, and been forward thinking about where best practices can go. Every time I see Carolyn present, I walk away inspired and motivated to implement the latest best practices and improve our interventions.

This became especially clear when I saw her present in Monterey at the California Court Coordinators Conference in 2025. I had always been hesitant to step into event planning or to create spaces where court staff and participants could connect outside the courtroom. But her presentation on social connection shifted something for me. It helped crystallize what would become a core value of A Curiae’s work.

Since then, we’ve implemented a recovery capital assessment to understand social connection through data, and we’ve begun hosting volunteer days that bring together court staff, judges, attorneys, officers, and participants to partner with community organizations. Most recently, we launched our Community Day—an opportunity for participants, court teams, and community partners to spend time together through games, bouquet making, and even bubble therapy. These gatherings have become meaningful spaces for people to build relationships, see one another differently, and strengthen the connections that support long term recovery.

It felt appropriate to recognize Carolyn for Women’s History Month as she’s had had such an impact on myself and A Curiae. Carolyn, thank you for being a pillar of impact for collaborative courts and all your mentorship over the years.