Commissioner Dicke was appointed as Commissioner on February 1, 1999.
Mary graduated from Pitzer College in Claremont, California with a Bachelor’s Degree in Philosophy. Mary met her husband, Jeff, while attending Hofstra Law School in New York. Both graduated in 1977.
Mary interned at a Wall Street Firm while in Law School which is where she decided to look for public servant work.
Mary and Jeff decided to visit the Pacific Northwest after seeing a picture of Mount Rainier on the cover of a Rand McNally roadmap. Mary and Jeff arrived in Tacoma in 1977. Mary worked at the Puget Sound Legal Assistance Foundation and formed and led the Community Outreach Program. Mary was a VISTA Attorney and in 1982 joined Jeff’s law firm in Gig Harbor and practiced Family Law until appointed to the bench in 1999.
Mary and Jeff have two children, daughter, Emily, and son, Stephen.
At her festive retirement party held March 17, 2017 at Remann Hall, Commissioner Dicke was honored for her nearly two decades of passionate work on behalf of families and children, and her unwavering protection of rights for our County’s most vulnerable citizens. She will be sorely missed by her colleagues, who join in wishing her a wonderful, well-deserved retirement.