VANCOUVER, Wash. 鈥 Washington State University Vancouver will welcome Washington State Supreme Court Justice Steven C. Gonz谩lez as its keynote speaker for the university鈥檚 2012 commencement ceremony at 1 p.m. May 12 at the Sleep Country Amphitheater.
Before joining the Supreme Court in January, Justice Gonz谩lez served for 10 years as a trial judge on the King County Superior Court hearing criminal, civil, juvenile and family law cases.
Justice Gonz谩lez earned his B.A. with honors in East Asian Studies from Pitzer College and his J.D. from U.C. Berkeley School of Law (Boalt Hall) where he was the technical editor of the La Raza Law Journal. Prior to serving as a judge, Justice Gonz谩lez coordinated hate crimes prosecutions as an assistant United States attorney in the Western District of Washington, prosecuted domestic violence for the City of Seattle and worked as an associate in the Business Law Department at the Seattle law firm Hillis Clark Martin & Peterson.
Justice Gonz谩lez is passionate about providing open access to the justice system for all. He was appointed by the Supreme Court to the Washington State Access to Justice Board and served on the board for seven years, including the last two years as its chair. Justice Gonz谩lez is a frequent lecturer at continuing legal education seminars and is a mentor to students through organizations including the Future of the Law Institute.
鈥淲e are thrilled to have Justice Gonz谩lez as our commencement keynote speaker,鈥 said Nancy Youlden, vice chancellor for student affairs and chair of the commencement committee. 鈥淚 believe his message will be one that inspires and resonates with our students.鈥
The Sleep Country Amphitheater is located at 17200 NE Delfel Road, Ridgefield. Parking and gates open at 11 a.m. on commencement day. The seating area opens at 11:30 a.m. Concessions will be available. Commencement is free and open to the public. Tickets are not required.
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MEDIA CONTACT
Brenda Alling, Office of Marketing and Communications, 360-546-9601, brenda_alling@vancouver.wsu.edu