Milford-Orange Probate Judge Beverly K. Streit-Kefalas. Contributed photo.
Connecticut Supreme Court Chief Justice Richard A. Robinson announced July 12 that Milford-Orange Probate Judge Beverly K. Streit-Kefalas has been appointed Probate Court Administrator effective Sept. 3. She will become the first woman to serve in that role, replacing Judge Paul J. Knierim, who is retiring Aug. 31 after serving 11 years in the position.
“Judge Knierim is a very hard act to follow. However, I am confident that Judge Streit-Kefalas has the ability, talent and extensive knowledge to continue with Judge Knierim’s successes and initiate her own to further modernize Connecticut’s probate courts,” Robinson said. “Moreover, her commitment is exceeded only by her enthusiasm to help the thousands of people who rely on the probate courts to resolve their most sensitive family matters.”
Knierim praised the appointment, which marks the first time a woman has led the Probate Court system over its 300-year history.
“Chief Justice Robinson has picked an exceptionally capable judge to lead the Probate Courts,” Knierim said. “Judge Streit-Kefalas is bright, she’s hard-working and she’s a woman of great integrity. I am absolutely thrilled that she will be succeeding me. I’ve witnessed firsthand her incredible dedication to the mission of the probate courts. Her life’s work has been helping children and families during some of the most difficult times of their lives.”
Streit-Kefalas, known locally as Judge Beverly, was first elected as judge for the Milford Probate Court in November 1998 and took office in January 1999. She was reelected to that position in 2002 and again in 2006. With the consolidation of probate courts across the state, she was successfully elected judge of probate for the newly merged Milford-Orange Probate Court in 2010 and has been re-elected each successive four-year term thereafter.
She is a 1985 graduate of Smith College with a bachelor’s degree in economics and earned her J.D. from the University of Connecticut School of Law in 1990. Having practiced for a number of years with the New Haven law firm of Fasano & Ippolito, she returned to her Milford roots and opened her solo practice in 1996. She is no longer in private practice and dedicates her full attention to the court, family and her communities.
Streit-Kefalas was appointed as the Administrative Judge of the New Haven Regional Children’s Probate Court in 2018. She is also a founding judge of the New Haven Regional Children’s Probate Court, which first opened as a pilot court in 2004. It was recognized nationally as a model court system and the model has since expanded to five additional regional children’s courts across the state.
Streit-Kefalas said she is “honored to have been selected by Chief Justice Robinson to serve as the next Probate Court Administrator. I look forward to the opportunity to work with him and my probate colleagues as we continue to meet the needs of the probate court system and the vulnerable citizens we serve.”
As did Knierim, Streit-Kefalas said she would continue focusing on ways to enhance access to justice and ensuring that the probate system is well equipped to handle the state’s diverse population. She often speaks to community groups to explain the role of the probate courts and its expanded role in assisting various groups, including senior citizens, individuals with mental and/or physical disabilities and children.
“We do continue in our traditional role of handling estates,” Judge Streit-Kefalas added. “Yet we also have a substantial role in helping vulnerable populations.”
Locally, Streit-Kefalas is a community advocate serving on the boards of Bridges Healthcare Inc., The Boys & Girls Club in Milford, the Devon Rotary and the Milford Senior Center Council on Aging. She is married to Nicholas Kefalas, and they have two daughters, Diamantina and Barbara.