Curtis Jason Bell, JD

Curtis J. Bell has served Kalamazoo County, Michigan, as a Probate Judge since 2005. From 2014 until 2018, he served as the Chief Judge of the 9th Circuit/Probate Court for Kalamazoo County. He currently serves as the Presiding Judge of Probate Court. After nine years of service in the Family Division of the Circuit Court deciding matters related to families, he now serves in the Probate Court with an emphasis on matters related to mental health, trusts, wills, and estates. For the last 5 years, Judge Bell presides over 2 youth specialty courts: Treatment and Recovery Court, which focuses on youth with behavioral and mental health disorders; and Bridging Opportunities, which focuses on employment and training for youth in the juvenile justice system. Judge Bell is an Adjunct Professor at Western Michigan University’s Haworth College of Business. He has taught business law for over 2 decades. In 2017, he became Faculty for the National Judicial College in Reno, Nevada. In 2018, he accepted an invitation to be an instructor at the Kalamazoo Valley Police Academy. He currently serves on the Alumni Board for James Madison College at Michigan State University, the Steering Committee for the 2021 National High School Mock Trial Competition, the Michigan Probate Judges Association Board of Directors, and is a current member of the Haworth College of Business Department of Finance Advisory Board. From 2013 until 2020, Judge Bell served on the Governor’s Mental Health Diversion Council, where he chaired the Ad hoc Committee from 2014 until 2020. He is former President of the Southwest Michigan Probate Judges Association, Kalamazoo County Bar Association, and Pratt Bar Association.