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Colorado Judicial Branch
Mary J. Mullarkey, Chief Justice
Gerald Marroney, State Court Administrator
______
Oct.23, 2003
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEContact:Karen Salaz
303/837-3633
1-800-888-0001 Ext. 633
Magistrate Hernandez Sullivan recognized as 2003 Dottie Wham Family Service Award recipient
Fourth Judicial District Magistrate Evelyn Hernandez Sullivan recently received the Dottie Wham Family Service Award. The award was presented by former Sen. Wham at the 2003 Colorado Judicial Conference held in Denver. For many years, Sen. Wham was the chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee and has been a zealous advocate for the rights of Colorado’s children and families. The award recognizes judicial leadership in the area of improving how the courts handle family-related matters.
Weld County District Judge J. Robert Lowenbach nominated magistrate Hernandez Sullivan for the award. In his nomination, he pointed toward the magistrate’s compassion for children and families in Colorado and her understanding of the profound effect, either positive or negative, that contact with the court system can have on them.
“She has taken the lead in the development of educational programs for judicial officers who are assigned to hear juvenile cases and continues to be committed to improving the court system for children and families,” wrote Lowenbach.
The award, which is presented biennially, recognizes one judicial officer in the state who has significantly impacted the lives of children and families in the Colorado courts through his or her work.
Hernandez Sullivan has been a leader and active partner in the development and presentation of educational programs for judicial officers who deal with dependency and neglect cases, which involve children who are alleged to be abused or neglected by their parents. The partnership motivates and empowers judicial officers to reform the court process to improve the lives of children and families in the Colorado court system. She has also been actively involved in a project to improve the manner in which children and families are served by the state dependency and neglect court system.
“Magistrate Hernandez Sullivan is highly respected by her colleagues. Her passion and her focus are on the needs of children and families,” adds Lowenbach. “She is a very worthy recipient of this prestigious award.”
Editor’s note: A picture of Sen. Wham presenting the award to Magistrate Hernandez Sullivan is available on the Colorado Judicial Branch website at .
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