ABA Secretary Judge Bernice B. Donald receives national award

The National Association of Women Judges has selected Judge Bernice Bouie Donald, ABA secretary, Memphis, Tenn., as its Honoree of the Year. Judge Donald formally received the award at NAWJ's Annual Conference in Portland, Ore. earlier this month. The group annually presents the award under the name of Joan Dempsey Klein, who was a passionate advocate of a fully diverse judiciary.

Judge Donald of the U.S. District Court for Western Tennessee has served in many leadership positions, in addition to her current position as secretary of the Board of Governors. Within the ABA, she is board liaison for the Standing Committee on Constitution and Bylaws, the secretary of the ABA Fund for Justice and Education, an ex-officio member of the executive committee of the American Bar Foundation, a member of the Board of Editors of the ABA Journal, and a council member of the Senior Lawyers Division.

Throughout her career, Judge Donald has actively promoted diversity and has worked to ensure that the legal profession reflects the society it serves. She has received more than 100 awards for professional, civic and community activities, including the Martin Luther King Community Service Award, the Benjamin F. Hooks Award from the Memphis Bar Association, and the Distinguished Alumni Award from the University of Memphis. A scholarship in her name has been established at the University of Memphis by the Zeta Phi Beta Sorority.

Judge Donald is the first African-American woman to hold an officer position at the ABA.

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