"I am so honored by the trust you have placed in me to lead this amazing organization. It is a particular honor to take office at this wonderful conference in Memphis. We all thank the organizers -- Chief Justice Janice Holder, Judge Ernestine Dorse, and Judge Bernice Donald -- for hosting such a memorable event. I attended my first annual conference of NAWJ twenty-one years ago, at the Meridien Hotel in New Orleans, right after I was first appointed to the trial bench – at the urging of my good friend and my colleague on the bench in Alaska, NAWJ life member Elaine Andrews. (And as many can attest, once you come to an NAWJ annual conference, you're hooked -- this is my 17th!) For the past 21 years, NAWJ has been a constant source of support and encouragement for me. Throughout, NAWJ has been steadfast in its mission of service—service to vulnerable populations, to each other, to our profession, to our communities, and — ultimately — to our nation as a whole. I’ve benefited personally and professionally from NAWJ’s vision and commitment, and I’ve seen so many others benefit as well. This organization has given much to me, and I’m delighted to have the opportunity to give back. To me, NAWJ stands for a simple principle that I believe in very strongly: The inner strength that each of us relies on to find our way in our chosen profession -- and in our lives as a whole -- has come in no small portion from the love, support, and inspiration of others. Whether relatives or friends, mentors or colleagues, others have made us feel valued and respected, and through their confidence in us have helped us find confidence in ourselves. As women, we have also gained strength from the legacies of our forbears, who blazed a path for us despite the stifling social and legal norms of their times -- and the significant personal sacrifices their struggles entailed. They worked for a world where doors would be open to us to use our talents, our intellect, and our skills in service to our communities, because they, too, had confidence in us. I am especially honored that one of our two co-founders, Judge Joan Dempsey Klein, has administered my oath of office today. More than any other group I’ve ever been part of, NAWJ members understand and appreciate where our strength comes from — as individuals, and as an organization. This is one place where the saying "no one does it alone" is not a tired cliché, but a sincere expression of what we all know to be true. For examples of the difference mutual support has made, I need look no further than my own state. This year, Alaska celebrates its 50th Anniversary. When Alaska achieved statehood in 1959, all our judges were men. Yet the earliest rural magistrates included two women who became legendary in our justice system. Magistrate Sadie Neakok of Barrow was an Inupiat woman who served as the only judicial officer for the vast region of the North Slope long before state facilities existed there, handling civil and criminal cases without a courtroom, from the kitchen table in her home. She was instrumental in fostering cultural awareness and sensitivity to justice issues affecting Alaska Natives, once famously recusing herself from a case when a village hunter was arrested for bagging a duck out of season during the traditional spring hunt. "(They were) making criminals of our people," she later explained. This cemented her reputation as a woman of integrity and grit, and she would continue to serve for many years while raising a family of 12 children. Magistrate Nora Guinn of Bethel was a Yupik woman who was born and raised on the wide Yukon Delta of Southwest Alaska. She understood well the subsistence culture of the region and the needs of her people, often speaking Yupik from the bench to overcome the language barrier many faced. Her efforts to forge cross-cultural understanding would have a lasting impact on our diverse state. And she also raised a large family of 10 children. Although separated by hundreds of miles and ancient cultural and language differences, Magistrates Neakok and Guinn became close colleagues, advocating for common concerns of Alaska’s isolated villages and gaining the respect and admiration of judges and court officials statewide. They were courageous, they were compassionate, and they were beloved by the people they served. Alone they might have had impact, but together they were a formidable force to be reckoned with. Neither Sadie Neakok nor Nora Guinn had a law degree, and they probably didn’t see themselves as trailblazers, but one of their many legacies was a path to the judiciary that was much easier for later women lawyers to follow. One of these women lawyers is our own Judge Beverly Cutler, who in 1982 became the first woman appointed to the Alaska Superior Court. Just last month, Judge Cutler retired after 32 years of service to the people of Alaska. Step by step, with patience and great skill, women are making historic changes in the face of the judiciary in our state, and in the nation as a whole. And we’re doing it together, as colleagues and friends, with mutual encouragement and support, and with no small dose of the grit and commitment that led Sadie Neakok and Nora Guinn to work together to leave lasting impressions on our justice system. It is no coincidence that so many of the women judges of Alaska have been active members of NAWJ and its goals in the years since each of us joined the bench. NAWJ has given us a place to gain support and encouragement when we’ve needed it for ourselves, and a place to offer support and encouragement to others in turn. One of my hopes for NAWJ in the coming year is that we can continue our tradition of reaching out to and addressing the needs of women judges, especially those who are new to the bench. Towards this end I have asked Judge Tanya Kennedy of New York to chair the New Judges Committee, and I look forward to working with the committee to identify ways we can be as helpful and responsive as possible. One early thought is that we can ensure relevant workshops for new judges at all of our annual conferences and identify them prominently in the program -- like heart-healthy items on a menu -- with little scales of justice instead. In the coming year I’m excited about welcoming many new members of NAWJ and letting our newest members know how much the organization has to offer them. I am also very excited about strengthening and expanding the many programs that carry NAWJ’s mission to groups that are often marginalized in our justice system. To me, NAWJ’s programs address the most enduring and important themes of our organization: that the support of others matters, and that sometimes the simple knowledge that you are not alone is enough to help keep you on your path, or simply make it through the day. I think that this is true in our programs designed for young people, like the Color of Justice and our programs reaching out to our international colleagues in partnership with IAWJ -- and particularly true in our programs for women in prison. All of us know how much small acts of kindness and encouragement affect us, and how important they are to the successes and joys that fill our lives. Today, I know that I have meaningful work and a career I love because of the convictions, courage, and generous support of others — many I have always known, and many I will never meet. In the coming year, I look forward to working with all of you to spread NAWJ’s generous spirit and proud tradition of service as far and wide as we can." -- Justice Dana Fabe at the NAWJ 31st Annual Conference