Black Woman Elected President-Elect Of American Judges Association

Washington, DC (emergingminds.org) - Eileen A. Olds, an African American female judge of the Chesapeake(VA) Juvenile & Domestic Relations District Court, was elected on October 12th as President-Elect of the American Judges Association (AJA) at the annual conference being held in New Orleans, LA. The AJA is the largest independent association of judges from both appellate & trial courts throughout the United States and Canada.

Olds has previously served as Secretary, Vice President and a member of the Board of Governors. She also previously served on the Executive Committee and has chaired the Juvenile Justice, Bylaws, and Membership Committees of the AJA. "I am honored that I will have the privilege to represent the AJA as the voice of the judiciary," Olds said. "I am excited that all members of the judiciary will have an opportunity to be heard and to participate."

Olds is a 1975 honor graduate from Indian River High School, Chesapeake, Virginia and graduated with distinction from the University of Virginia. She earned her Juris Doctorate from the Marshall-Wythe School of Law at the College of William & Mary. She serves on the "Virginia in the 21st Century Commission" by appointment of the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Virginia. She has received numerous civic and judicial awards and citations, including the AJA Award for Outstanding Judicial Education and has served as Juris in Residence at William & Mary Law School.

Judge Olds is a member of the National Bar Association, Judicial Council; the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges; Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.; the Links, Inc. and is a founding member of the Virginia Coalition of 100 Black Women.

She made history in 1995 when she became the first female, and the first African American judge of the First Judicial District of Virginia. Judge Olds now holds the distinction of being the first judge from Virginia to lead the AJA since its founding in 1959.