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The Zonta Program Committee is pleased to announce that we will be having Yakima Municipal Court Judge Susan Woodard speak to our group about “Domestic Violence Law in the State of Washington – The Role and Responsibility of the Judge”.  Zonta International as well as the United Nations recognize a day in November as the day of  “International Elimination of Violence Against Women”. 

Judge Woodard has served on the bench of the Yakima Municipal Court since the court was created in 1997, first as an appointed Court Commissioner, and currently as an elected judge.  Before her employment with the Municipal Court, she served as a prosecuting attorney in Yakima for nine years, prosecuting a variety of misdemeanor and felony cases including Domestic Violence cases.  She is a graduate of Washington State University with a BA in Criminal Justice and earned her Juris Doctor degree from Seattle University Law School, formerly the law school of the University of Puget Sound.

Judge Woodard has served on the Board of Governors for the District and Municipal Court Judges Association, and has been appointed to many statewide committees including the Associations Ethics Advisory Committee, and the Task Force for Justice in Jeopardy established by the Washington State Supreme Court to make recommendations for sustained funding for court operations.  She has attended training for Enhancing Judicial Skills in Domestic Violence Cases presented by the National Judicial Institute on Domestic Violence.

As if Judge Woodard weren’t accomplished enough professionally, her personal life speaks to her exceptional abilities and achievements as well.  She lives in Yakima with her husband and two teenaged sons, is a marathon runner and a certified scuba diver, and enjoys travel, most recently to Greece, Turkey and Italy.  Please join me in welcoming her to our November 4th Program Meeting, and please feel free to bring a guest, or a potential new member to this important event. 

If you feel so moved, we will be making a small collection on behalf of the Lower Valley Crisis & Support Services Center who support lower valley abuse victims. They are located in Sunnyside, WA. Because of the demographics of the lower valley, all services are provided no fee and bi-lingual to anyone seeking their help, and they work with substantially lower resources than other programs in the state. With the upcoming colder month’s just ahead, they request help in the form of gas cards which help victims get to court appointments (that are usually in Yakima), make scheduled WIC appointments and travel to their place of employment or to their children’s schools. They also request phone cards, as it is a struggle to maintain privacy and not have the victim tracked by using their own cell phone. You can purchase either of these cards prior to the Program Meeting and bring them with you, or if you wish to contribute a few dollars on Nov. 4th, our Program Committee will gladly purchase the cards on your behalf, and deliver them to the Lower Valley Crisis & Support Services Center.