Department 11

• Judge

  : G. Helen Whitener

• Elected / Appointed

  : January 13, 2015

Education

• Seattle University School of Law, J.D. 1998
• Baruch College, City University of New York, B.B.A. 1988

Career Highlights

• January 2015, appointed to Pierce County Superior Court, by Governor Jay Inslee
• 2013 - 2015 Industrial Insurance Appeals Judge, Board of Industrial Insurance Appeals
• 2005 - 2013 Managing Partner, Whitener Rainey Writt PS.
• 2003 - 2005 Pierce County Deputy Prosecuting Attorney 
• 2001 - 2003 Pierce County Department of Assigned Counsel Attorney 
• 2000 – 2001 Island County Deputy Prosecuting Attorney 
• 1999 – 2000 Assistant City of Olympia Prosecuting Attorney 

Professional Affiliations, Committees: 

• WA State Minority & Justice Commission, Co-Chair - Click for Bio
• WA State Superior Court Judges' Association
• International Association of Women Judges
• International Association of LGBTQI Judges
• National Association of Women Judges
• American Bar Association
• Judicial Member, Q-Law Advisory Board
• Washington Women Lawyers

Awards:

• WA State Bar Association's C.Z. Smith 'Excellence in Diversity & Inclusion' Award 2019
• King County Washington Women Lawyers President Award 2019
• Seattle University School of Law Woman of the Year Award 2019
• Tacoma-Pierce County Bar Association's Diversity Award 2019
• Pierce County Washington Women Lawyer's Woman of the Year Award 2018

Civic Involvement

• National and International Speaker on Access to Justice and Human Rights
• "STREET LAW" Teacher: Lincoln High School

Articles and Video Presentations

• Washington State Bar Association, Justice Charles Z Smith Excellence in Diversity Award https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ySLDrN0c7Vc&fbclid=IwAR32wcIKktOfhgd15X0tQ2KYuaRhmUCaLBpHsaX3BJvtVVRH0CjHC3k4t9U
• Pierce County judge urges girls of color to become judges https://www.krem.com/article/news/pierce-county-judge-urges-girls-of-color-to-become-judges/465548590
• Judge Helen Whitener on Human Rights,'' Embassy of the United States, Trinidad and Tobago:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P60HZtN-lFQ
• “Claiming your Identity by Understanding your Self-Worth,” TedxPortofSpain https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=57FMau29O_g
• You Can Go Home Again,'' Seattle University School of Law: https://law.seattleu.edu/newsroom/lawyer-magazine/judge-g-helen-whitener-speaks-up-for-human-rights-in-her-birth-country-of-trinidad
• Equal Opportunity Commission Meeting, http://www.equalopportunity.gov.tt/visiting-us-judge-helen-whitener-meets-equal-opportunity-commission 
• Judge G. Helen Whitener: https://www.judgehelenwhitener.com/