Pamelya Herndon, executive director of the Southwest Women’s Law Center in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
On Tuesday, February 5, 2013, the University of Texas School of Law’s William Wayne Justice Center for Public Interest Law, Center for Women in Law, and Career Services Office will present speaker Pamelya P. Herndon, executive director of the Southwest Women’s Law Center in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
From 11:45 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. Herndon will speak in the Eidman Courtroom about her work using legal advocacy, research, and collaboration to improve opportunities for girls and women. From 12:45 p.m. to 1:45 p.m. she will speak in the Jury Room about her life in the law. Lunch will be served at 12:45 p.m. Audience members may attend one or both sessions.
As the leader of the Southwest Women’s Law Center, Herndon works to eliminate gender bias, discrimination, and harassment; lift women and their families out of poverty; and ensure that all women have full control over their reproductive lives through access to comprehensive reproductive health services and information. A former deputy cabinet secretary and general counsel in New Mexico state government, Herndon brings to her work at the SWLC experience gained from an impressive career that also includes serving as a senior litigation attorney with the Internal Revenue Service and as an assistant attorney general for the State of New Mexico in the Litigation Division.
Herndon is a longtime member of the National Council of Negro Women and sits on the board of Emerge New Mexico, an organization that trains women to run for public office. She has also been a leader in Emerging Young Leaders, a program spearheaded by the international organization of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, which helps middle-school girls make good life choices and develop leadership skills and self-esteem. In addition, she serves on the board of directors of the U.S. New Mexico Federal Credit Union, a half-billion-dollar financial institution, and as president emeritus of the Board of Trustees of the Con Alma Health Foundation, the largest health foundation in New Mexico.
Herndon received her bachelor of business administration degree from Howard University in Washington, D.C., and her J.D. from the Law School. She was selected as the 2012 Public Lawyer of the Year by the Public Law Section of the New Mexico State Bar.
The event is part of the “Lives in the Law” speaker series focusing on the work and lives of lawyers who strive to improve the lives of others through litigation, advocacy, and public service, presented by the Justice Center and the Career Services Office. The Center for Women in Law is a co-presenter for Herndon’s talk. Student organization cosponsors include the Chicano/Hispanic Law Students Association, the Public Interest Law Association, the Thurgood Marshall Legal Society, and the Women’s Law Caucus.
Related Links:
Chicano/Hispanic Law Students Association
Public Interest Law Association