Area welcomes new Guardian Ad Litem supervisor
Robbinsville – Children that find themselves in some very difficult situations in both Graham and Macon counties can now turn to Jake Shamblin, as he takes the helm of the Guardian Ad Litem program in both.
Shamblin officially started as the program’s director on Dec. 7 and was introduced to the community at a meet-and-greet held at First United Methodist Church in Robbinsville.
Shamblin is a native of West Virginia and comes to western North Carolina via Alabama. He said that he and his wife, Mallorie – also a native West Virginian – chose Robbinsville due to the small-town feel in the area.
“My wife’s family still lives in West Virginia, and my family still lives in Alabama, so part of it was just to be in between the families,” Shamblin said. “It’s about five hours each way.
“We missed the mountains. We missed the seasons. I hadn’t seen the leaves change in longer than I care to admit.”
He also said the mission of the Guardian ad Litem program also drew him to take the job.
As the supervisor of the program, Shamblin oversees more than 20 volunteers, who are responsible for speaking and advocating for children during court proceedings in both counties.
“Guardian ad Litem is a voice for children in court,” Shamblin said.
“It’s difficult for them to speak for themselves in court, so these volunteers go out and they talk to the children themselves. They talk to the parents, the Department of Social Services, whoever is necessary to talk to in court for whatever the best interests of the child are. They’re very good at it.”
On occasion, volunteers will testify on the child’s behalf. He said the volunteers are mostly involved during DSS court proceedings.
“In Alabama, I was a clerk for a probate court, and I served as an appointed judge on occasion, and some of my favorite cases – and actually another thing that led me to this job – is I loved having the adoption cases, because you get to see the kids and how happy they are,” Shamblin said. “The sole basis of this job is the best interest and well-being of the children, so it’s just taking the best aspect of that one position and turning it into my entire job, which I absolutely love.”
In addition to his new role, Shamblin also serves as a judge advocate general (JAG) in the Alabama National Guard, at the rank of first lieutenant. Shamblin’s office space will be located at First United Methodist Church in Robbinsville.
He is an alumnus of Concord University in Athens, W. Va., West Virginia University in Morgantown, W. Va. and Faulkner University in Montgomery, Ala. He is also the father of four children: Levi, Noah, Thea and Phoebe.
“We are so very fortunate to have someone with such an extensive legal background and knowledge of how the court system works to join us in the GAL program,” said volunteer Michele McMahon.