Justice Kelli Wise to deliver Judson College commencement address

Judson College’s commencement exercises will be held Saturday, June 24. The graduation ceremonies will begin at 11:00am in historic Alumnae Auditorium on the Judson campus in Marion, Ala. Kelli Wise, Associate Justice of the Alabama Supreme Court, will give the commencement address. Wise will be awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws degree during the ceremony.

Justice Wise, a graduate of Prattville High School, received a B.S. in Biology, with a minor in Nursing, from Auburn University and a Juris Doctorate from Jones School of Law. She later earned a Master of Public Administration from Auburn University Montgomery. At AUM Wise was the recipient of the 2005 Outstanding Graduate Award, given by the AUM Department of Political Science and Public Administration. Recently, Justice Wise was named as one of AUM’s Top 40 Graduates during the University’s 40th Anniversary Celebration.

During her legal career, Justice Wise worked in the Governor’s Legislative Office, served as legal counsel for ProStaff HRM, Inc., and was associated with the law firms of John Taber & Associates and Pittman, Pittman, Carwie & Fuquay. Prior to her election to the bench, she served as a staff attorney on the Court of Criminal Appeals and the Alabama Supreme Court. Justice Wise was first elected to the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals in 2000, becoming the youngest woman elected to sit on an Alabama Appellate Court. She was re-elected in 2006 and was later selected to serve as Presiding Judge of the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals. Justice Wise was elected to the Supreme Court of Alabama in 2010 and is assigned to the Stuart Division.

Committed to helping at-risk children, Justice Wise was appointed in 2003 by Governor Bob Riley to serve on the Alabama Council on Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. She was reappointed to that position in 2006. Justice Wise currently serves on the Advisory Committee on Criminal Procedure and on the Alabama Law Institute Criminal Code Committee, a committee tasked with helping to re-write the Alabama Criminal Code. Justice Wise also serves on the boards of directors for the Family Sunshine Center, Distinguished Young Woman of Alabama, Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts, Hands On River Region, Junior League of Montgomery, and Max Credit Union.

Justice Wise and her husband, former Montgomery County District Court Judge Arthur Ray, are the proud parents of Hanah-Mathis and are active members of St. James United Methodist Church.

“We are delighted that Justice Wise will be addressing the Class of 2017 at Judson College this year,” said Judson’s President, David E. Potts.  “She is a woman of impeccable character and substantial achievement who will certainly encourage and challenge these gifted young women to serve, excel, and believe.”

Judson College is a private undergraduate institution committed to excellence in the arts, sciences, and professional studies. The college offers a residential undergraduate education for women and selected online undergraduate programs for men and women in over 20 areas of study. Affiliated with the Alabama Baptist Convention, the Judson campus community encourages each student to find ways that knowledge and faith can work together to guide her in a life of purpose. Founded in 1838, Judson College is located in Marion, Alabama. For more information about Judson College, visit www.judson.edu or call the Office of Admission at (800) 447-9472.

 

 

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