Mary “Peg” Stevens is the first of two new judges for the Separate Juvenile Court of Douglas County to be selected by Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts.

Stevens fills one of the vacancies created by the recent retirement of Douglas F. Johnson and the resignation of Elizabeth G. Crnkovich. Her appointment was announced last Tuesday.

A spokesman for Ricketts said the governor has until Jan. 3 to fill the second vacancy, and the governor plans to meet that deadline.

Stevens, 58, has been a partner at Carlson & Burnett LLP since 2008. She specializes in juvenile and family law, and her work includes dissolution of marriage, custody and child support modifications, guardianships and juvenile law cases. She previously worked as a deputy county attorney in Sarpy County and a special prosecutor for Douglas County.

She has practiced law in Nebraska for 23 years. She holds a J.D. from the Creighton University School of Law and a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice with an emphasis in juvenile delinquency from the University of Nebraska at Kearney. She has served as the chair of the Nebraska Bar Association’s Juvenile Law Section.

Stevens co-founded the Nebraska Guardian ad Litem Project, served on the advisory committee for the creation of Project Harmony, helped draft LB 1184 that established protocols for child abuse and neglect investigative and treatment teams and was involved in creating and supervising the first law enforcement and Child Protective Services multidisciplinary investigation team in Nebraska in Sarpy County.

Stevens is a member of the board of directors for Omaha-based Release Inc. and Rejuvenating Women as well as the Nebraska Guardian ad Litem Project and The Gathering Place Church in Valley. She has also served on the board for the Omaha Home for Boys, Youth Emergency Services and the Metropolitan Child Abuse Coalition of Omaha.