PCBF Yearly Awards (Nominees do not have to be a member of PCBA)
Juan Perez-Medrano Excellence in Public Service Award
NOMINATIONS CLOSED
Juan Perez-MedranoThe purpose of this award is to recognize an outstanding legal professional who has made extraordinary and exemplary public service contributions to the Pima County legal community. Award nominees must meet the following criteria: must have at least 5 years of professional experience; and must have engaged in public service that demonstrates leadership and initiative, and the nominee must be recognized as a model of competence, dedication, and professionalism.
Award Recipients:
Juan Perez-Medrano Excellence in Public Service Award recognizes an outstanding legal professional who has made extraordinary and exemplary public service contributions to the Pima County legal community. Pima County Bar Foundation proudly presents Denice R. Shepherd, JD, AZLF with the 2025 Juan Perez-Medrano Excellence in Public Service Award.
Denice has been an exceptional force in our legal community, dedicating her time, expertise, and passion to pro bono service for over three decades. Over the years, she consistently accepted case referrals from VLP, assisting children and families with minor guardianships, wills, and other end-of-life planning matters. These cases often involved deeply personal and emotionally complex decisions – such as determining who would care for a child when a parent passed away. Denice never shied away from these challenges, instead embracing them with empathy and professionalism, using her skills to serve those most in need.
Denice’s commitment goes far beyond individual pro bono cases. She has devoted countless hours coaching self-represented litigants through self-help clinics, offering guidance to public interest lawyers, and actively engaging in volunteer, training, and mentoring efforts.
Denice exemplifies competence, dedication, and professionalism through decades of legal experience and a deep commitment to service. She is widely recognized as an expert in her practice areas, yet what sets her apart is her choice to share her knowledge generously with those who need it most. A dedicated mentor to students and young lawyers, Denice is not only sought after be legal organizations for her expertise but also deeply engaged with the broader community. Her service includes leadership roles with the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA), the Arizona Fiduciaries Association (AFA), and the Supreme Court’s Committee to Improve Probate Court Matters. She has also contributed to the Arizona Women Lawyers Association and served on the Reid Park Zoological Society Board of Directors, including as its President. Her work reflects a rare blend of professional excellence and heartfelt commitment to both the legal field and her community.Michael is a past President of both the Pima County Bar Association and Pima County Bar Foundation, and continues to serve as a Foundation Trustee. Michael has served on nearly every committee of the Foundation and there is no activity of the Foundation that has not benefited from Michael’s direct involvement. Michael helped launch PCBF’s Family Law Clinic and continues with its presentations. He assisted with the Superior Court’s “Court Night” program, going back to its inception. Michael has been a reliable contributor to Law Day and was instrumental to the success of last year’s initial Constitution Day program. Michael has given presentations in the schools for drug awareness and Career Day programs.
Michael, like Juan, is guided by the philosophy that because law is a profession and not merely a business, those of us who have the privilege of practicing the profession also have the ethical responsibility to give something back to our communities. The Pima County legal community and the community-at-large have benefited immeasurably from Michael’s service.During her service as a City Magistrate from 1989 until her retirement in 2019, Nikki Chayet has shown a commitment to public service which extends well beyond her judicial role. As a member of the Law College Association Board, she has demonstrated a deep dedication to advancing legal education and promoting the interests of law students. Her active involvement in the Board has proven instrumental in implementing initiatives that enhance the learning experience and ensure the success of aspiring legal professionals. Likewise, her service to Arizona Women Lawyers Association has shown her commitment to the advancement of women in the legal profession. She has served as a mentor and advocate for countless women lawyers over her distinguished career. In 2011, she received the prestigious Alice Truman Leadership Award given by the Southern Arizona Chapter of AWLA.
Nikki volunteers for Tucson Homeless Connect events, whose mission is to provide a single location where local agencies, government, businesses, medical providers, and the faith community collaborate to help homeless persons with basic needs, referrals and advocacy. As a judge, Nikki has helped hundreds of people to resolve outstanding police citations or other court issues that may prevent them from getting jobs or that leave them vulnerable to arrest or incarceration for minor, unresolved offenses. She is a long-time member and past President of the Old Pueblo Chapter of Zonta International, an organization that seeks to empower women worldwide through service and advocacy. Locally, Zonta’s activities supports agencies that help women in crisis.
Nikki has a profound love for the arts, which she leverages as a powerful tool for community development. Recognizing the transformative power of artistic expression, she has actively championed initiatives that promote cultural enrichment and creative engagement. Through her unwavering support for local artists and musicians and dedication to fostering a vibrant artistic community, Nikki has enhanced the quality of life for residents and created opportunities for aspiring artists to thrive.When Dean passed away in January 2024, he left a legacy of public service that continues to benefit the local community, even in his absence. He practiced family law in private practice from 1974 to 2011, and then served as a Pima County Superior Court Commissioner from 2011 to 2021. Dean served on the Board of the Arizona Chapter of the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts. He was former Chair of the Executive Council of the Family Law Section of the State Bar of Arizona and a co-founder of Simpla Phi Lex, which received the Arizona Supreme Court's Access to Justice Award for revising and simplifying the forms, instructions, and manuals for self-represented family law litigants in Pima County. He served on the Advisory Board of Southern Arizona Legal Aid’s Volunteer Lawyer Program and was a founding member and former President of the Pantano Rotary Club. In 2009, Dean received the William E. Morris Pro Bono Service Award from the Arizona Foundation for Legal Services and Education. In 2019, he received the Peter Economidis Award for Lifetime Achievement for Contributions to Family Law Award from the Foundation for Family Justice.
Dean was instrumental in founding Step Up to Justice (SU2J) in 2016 as a privately funded non-profit law firm created to address gaps in civil legal services available to low-income individuals and families in Pima County. He served on its Board of Directors until his death and is honored on SU2J’s website as “a remarkable advocate and ambassador for the organization, … often becoming emotional when speaking with groups about the impact of SU2J volunteers.” As described in his obituary, “Dean’s life's work was dedicated to uniting justice and compassion.” His passing leaves a nearly unfillable void in the Pima County legal community’s commitment to public service.Karen served 15 years as a Pima County Superior Court Commissioner, retiring in 2013. Early in her career, Karen began volunteering with Southern Arizona Legal Aid’s Volunteer Lawyers Program (VLP), assisting low-income clients who would have been denied legal services if not for volunteers like Karen. When Karen’s appointment as Commissioner limited her direct involvement in pro bono cases, she remained active as a member of VLP’s Advisory Board. In addition, she led continuing education seminars for VLP and helped the organization recognize its volunteers.
Upon retiring from the bench, Karen helped found Step Up to Justice (SU2J), a full-service, free civil legal center for low-income individuals and families that fills the justice gap for Pima County residents who, due to conflicts of interest or other factors, are unable to receive civil legal services from SALA or other providers. Karen has been a frequent volunteer in SU2J Family Law Clinics where she helps self-represented litigants complete paperwork necessary to move their cases forward through the legal system. She assists with a broad range of issues including reviewing clients’ petitions and responses for dissolution, helping clients prepare for trial and in drafting motions, advising clients on modifying legal decision-making or parenting time orders, and helping parents enforce child support orders. In addition to her work with the clinics, Karen remains an active SU2J Board member. She also continues to provide direct volunteer representation to SU2J clients with particularly challenging cases.As both a teacher and a practitioner, Andy has devoted his career to assisting those who struggle for equal justice. In 1976, he took a 3-year leave of absence from the UA Law faculty to serve as Executive Director of Community Legal Services in Phoenix. He brought the lessons of that experience back to his students and instilled in many of them a lifelong commitment to apply their legal knowledge and skills on behalf of those who struggle to obtain equal access to justice.
Andy is the longest tenured Board member of Southern Arizona Legal Aid (SALA), serving continuously from 1978, and as Ppresident from 1983-1988. His service on other Boards includes the Arizona Capital Representation Project, the William E. Morris Institute for Justice, Sanctity of Life: People Against Executions, Barrios Unidos Land Trust, Florence Immigrant and Refugee Rights Project, Asylum Project of Southern Arizona (Advisory Board), Coalition of Arizonans to Abolish the Death Penalty (Steering Committee), Southern Arizona People’s Law Center, the State Bar Committee on Minorities and Women in the Law, United Way of Tucson, Migrant Legal Action Program and Legal Services Corporation (Washington, DC), and the Arizona Center for Law in the Public Interest.
Andy, with attorney and former Tucson Mayor Jonathan Rothschild, started the Civil Rights Restoration Clinic at UA Law in 2006, assisting persons with criminal convictions in restoring their civil rights and getting convictions set aside. In addition to representing clients, the Clinic presents workshops for people representing themselves. In discussing the program, Andy has said, “We believe what we’re doing is lowering the recidivism rate.”Michael has served as a PCBA President and Director. With years of service as a Southern Arizona Legal Aid volunteer, he has been recognized as Outstanding Pro Bono Attorney multiple times, In 2018, he received the Arizona Bar Foundation’s Top 50 Pro Bono Award. Michael has served on the State Bar’s Unauthorized Practice of Law Committee and as a hearing officer for the Arizona Supreme Court Disciplinary Commission. He has been a frequent PCBA continuing education presenter on lawyer discipline, lawyer ethics and family law ethics, and has been a mentor and speaker for the U of A’s Academic Preparation for Excellence Award (APEX) Outreach Program. He served on the Boards of COPE/PASAR drug and alcohol treatment program, O'Rielly Care Center inpatient drug and alcohol treatment program (Advisory Board), and The Haven drug and alcohol treatment program for women. He is a past President of Sunset Rotary Club, and past Governor of Rotary District 5500 (52 clubs in Southern Arizona).
Michael has helped clean and maintain the homes of elderly persons and local public schools. He has read to elderly persons in nursing homes and assisted cleanup of the Rillito River walkway. He has supported Rotary International youth programs and Rotary’s Ride to End Polio in El Tour de Tucson. He has purchased and delivered Christmas gifts and food baskets to needy families with children and has helped buy and install computer equipment at the Boys Club in Sells, AZ, and laundry equipment at Madre Conchita Orphanage for Girls in Nogales, Sonora. Through Rotary International, Michael has provided assistance to orphanage and children’s centers in South Africa and the Middle East, and has worked to eradicate polio in 125 countries. He has worked on charitable projects in Thailand, Russia, New Zealand, Japan, Denmark, India, Jordan, and Uganda. Michael was instrumental in obtaining a grant to treat and rehabilitate disabled school children in the Middle East.Alyce recently retired after serving as a Pima County Superior Commissioner, most recently in the Juvenile Division. She is a past President of PCBA, a long-time member of the Writ Editorial Board and a frequent contributing author. In addition to PCBA, Alyce has served on the Executive Council of the State Bar’s Family Law Section, the Family Law Advisory Commission, the Advisory Board of SALA’s Volunteer Lawyers Program, and the Arizona Women Lawyers Association. Alyce was the coordinator and presenter for “Considering Divorce,” a joint program with PCBA and the Conciliation Court. She also presented the Parent Legal Education course for Casa de Los Niños. Alyce’s contributions have not been limited to legal services. She has served as a Board member and President for the Beacon Foundation and as a Board member of United Way, chairing the Governmental Relations Committee.
Beginning in 2016, Alyce helped launch Step Up to Justice (SU2J) as a pro bono center to provide civil legal services to low- income individuals and families. In her work as a Volunteer Lawyer as well as in her position on the bench, Alyce observed gaps in the system for delivering legal services and focused her skills and energy on creating a solution. Michele Mirto, SU2J’s Executive Director, credits Alyce with being pivotal to the organization’s design and its rapid growth as a major provider of legal services to the underprivileged in Southern Arizona. Through SU2J, Alyce has helped to create an organization that serves individuals who could not receive services from other programs due to conflicts of interest or regulatory limitations.Dee-Dee is legendary in the legal community for her public service. Her service achievements include being past President and Board member of both the State Bar and Pima County Bar Association, serving multiple terms on the State Bar’s Board of Governors, and serving on state, national and Pima County bar committees too numerous to list.
Dee-Dee’s favorite causes include Casa de Los Niños, where she has served as Board President, Board Liaison and current Casa de Los Niños Foundation President. Dee-Dee’s public service has also benefitted such diverse groups as the Invisible Theater, Southern Arizona Children’s Advocacy, Tucson Awareness House (Amity), Arizona Women Lawyers, the Federal Bar Association, Southern Arizona Legal Aid, the Muscular Dystrophy Association, the March of Dimes, YWCA Women Helping Women, the American Cancer Society and the American Heart Association. Recently, she served as President of Tucson Homeless Connect, which consists of fifty providers who participate in two events per year where 350 homeless persons receive legal, dental, hygienic, medical, mental health, housing and job assistance.
Deb Elkins "Volunteer of the Year" Award
NOMINATIONS CLOSED
Deb ElkinsDebbie Elkins was a paralegal who devotedly volunteered as a reading tutor with the Lawyers for Literacy program for 25 years. In honor of her memory, PCBF created the Deb Elkins "Volunteer of the Year" Award to recognize outstanding individuals who volunteer their time with any of PCBF's diverse programs that highly depend upon their volunteer efforts. This award recipient is an individual who has provided a significant contribution through commitment, service, creativity, and/or leadership in their volunteer role. Deb Elkins exemplified this through her commitment, empathy, patience, encouragement, reinforcement, and kindness to the students she tutored for a quarter of a century.
Award Recipients: The Deb Elkins “Volunteer of the Year” Award is given to an individual who has provided a significant contribution through commitment, service, creativity, and/or leadership in their volunteer role. Pima County Bar Foundation proudly presents Wendy Carpenter, PP, CLP with the 2025 the Deb Elkins “Volunteer of the Year” Award. Beth's involvement with PCBF's guardian and conservator presentations began in June 2014 when she, together with attorneys Ryan Thomsen and Robert Fleming and UA law professor Kenney Hegland, conceived a plan to address the acute need for pro bono assistance to community members seeking guardianship for loved ones. They began with presentations to presentations to unrepresented petitioners at Pima Council on Aging for the general community and at Community Partnership of Southern Arizona for mental health professionals and providers. When those presentations stimulated a demand for further guardian and conservatorship assistance, PCBA took the program under its wing and created a Guardian/Conservator (G/C) Forms Committee to create legal forms and instructions that were easier to understand and use. Beth Smith, with Robert Fleming, gave the first adult G/C presentation for PCBA in October 2015. The presentations have been held regularly since then and continue as a program of the PCBF. And Beth Smith is still involved! Beth's invaluable and continuing contributions to PCBF's community G/C programs deserve special recognition. Michael Aaron exemplifies all criteria the Deb Elkins Award seeks to recognize: he is a volunteer who makes a significant contribution through his commitment, service, creativity and leadership. Whether it is spearheading PCBF’s Stuffed Animal Campaign, leading or volunteering in a PCBF clinic, or organizing and presenting CLE programs, Michael can be counted on not only to raise his hand, but to take the initiative. No matter what the program, he always comes up with new ideas, participates whole-heartedly, and recruits others to join with him to make it successful. Stanlee West-Watt is the kind of volunteer who never seeks recognition but works quietly to ensure the success of whatever effort she engages in. Stanlee is an adjunct faculty in the Pima Community College's ABA-accredited Paralegal Program, teaching advanced classes in family law, criminal law and procedure, and bankruptcy law and procedure. The National Association of Women Lawyers recognized her as its Outstanding Woman Attorney, and she has also been recognized as a Champion for Children by Voices for Children. Stanlee served as a Director of the Pima County Bar Association and was a founding Trustee of the Pima County Bar Foundation.
Over the past 35+ years, Wendy has had the privilege of volunteering extensively within the legal support community and beyond, contributing time, leadership, and creativity to causes that matter deeply to her. Wendy’s involvement began with NALS - the National Association for Legal Support Professionals - where she served as president, vice president, secretary, and education committee member of the Tucson chapter. When the Tucson chapter closed its doors, Wendy transitioned into the Legal Support Association (LSA) through the Pima County Bar Association. As president of LSA, she led a variety of initiatives, including two school supply drives for underprivileged Tucson elementary schools and a stuffed animal drive that provided comfort to children involved in court cases. She was also a mentor/volunteer with Lawyers for Literacy.
In addition to her work with NALS and LSA, Wendy serves as a volunteer for the Arizona State Bar’s “Wills for Heroes” program and the Disabled American Veterans' “Wills for Heroes” program, assisting first responders and veterans with estate planning documents. She takes great pride in her ability to connect people with the legal resources they need and to support others in times of crisis.
For Wendy, being part of this profession and community is more than just a career - it’s a calling. She has worked in nearly every area of law except criminal and bankruptcy, and thrives on continuous education. She enjoys learning something new and sharing that knowledge with others, reinforcing her passion for the legal field. As the current Vice-Chair of the NALS Nominations & Election Committee, she continues to support and help shape the future of legal support professionals nationwide. Volunteering has not only allowed her to give back but has also enriched her own life in countless ways.
Michael has served as President of both the Pima County Bar Association’s Board of Directors and the Pima County Bar Foundation’s Board of Trustees. He has taken leadership roles in both the Family Law Sections of the State Bar and PCBA and served on the task force that rewrote the Arizona Rules of Family Law Procedure. He has been active in the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts, serving as President of the Arizona Chapter.
Michael has been instrumental in many of PCBF’s ongoing programs, such as its “Stuffed Animal Campaign,” where he enhanced and expanded the idea, raised the money, and delivered the stuffed animals and comic books to the guardian and juvenile courtrooms. The concept was simple – make children (and sometimes incapacitated adults) who are afraid of the courtroom more comfortable by allowing them to pick out a stuffed animal or comic book to help comfort them in court. Michael was also instrumental in launching a collaborative CLE sponsored by PCBF, Step Up to Justice and Southern Arizona Legal Aid.
As Michael explains, “I start each day with appreciation for what I have. I am blessed to be able to provide and give back.”
Stanlee has been generous with not only her impressive legal abilities and her time, but also with her financial support of numerous organizations and activities that benefit both the legal community and the greater community of Southern Arizona. Stanlee also leverages her contributions by encouraging the volunteer activities of members of her firm, who credit her with their inspiration and success.
In explaining her attitude toward volunteering, Stanlee has said: “I’ve had plenty of people tell me you can’t save the world, but just helping one person can be meaningful.” Stanlee’s quiet, and often anonymous, volunteering has improved the lives of a great many in our community.
Hon. John Roll Criminal Justice Award (Prosecutor)
NOMINATIONS CLOSED
Hon. John Roll
Award Recipients: (Click on name to see Writ article)2026: Michael Perez-Lizano
2025: Nanette Morrow
2024: Tracy Miller
2023: Carin Duryee
2021: Daniel South
2020: Rick Unklesbay
2019: Barbara LaWall and Christina Cabanillas
Robert J. Hooker Criminal Justice Award (Defense)
NOMINATIONS CLOSED
Robert J. Hooker
Award Recipients: (Click on name to see Writ article)2026: Louis Fidel
2025: Steve Sherick
2024: Clay Hernandez
2023: Margo Cowan
2021: Sean Chapman
2019: Eva Bacal
2018: A. Bates Butler III & Dawn Priestman
2017: Michael Bloom
2016: Stephen Weiss
2015: Brick Storts & Walter Nash
2013: Lori Lefferts
2012: Stanton Bloom
2010: Leticia Marquez & Michael Piccarreta
2009: Robert Hirsh
John Hawkins Professionalism Award (UofA Law Student)
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The Pima County Bar Association (PCBA) initially created this award in 1993 that is now an award given by the Pima County Bar Foundation. John G. Hawkins, who served on the Pima County Superior Court from 1982 until his death in 1989, was an exemplary professional role model who exhibited special concern for the needs of new lawyers. The John G. Hawkins Professionalism Award was established in 1993 to honor Judge Hawkins and the high standards to which he held himself as a citizen, lawyer, judge. The purpose of this award is to promote professionalism at the very inception of a lawyer’s career, thereby making the tenets of professionalism a way of life. The award is given to a third-year law student at the University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law who exemplifies the qualities of professionalism, civility, cooperation, and honesty that were the hallmarks of Judge Hawkins's life. This award carries a stipend of $1000 and is typically presented at both PCBA’s Annual Awards Luncheon and the Law College’s Graduation Awards Ceremony in May. Recipients' names are also inscribed on a plaque displayed in the lobby of the UA James E. Rogers College of Law.
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To apply, please submit the following to execdir@pimacountybar.org:
1. A personal statement, no longer than 750 words, describing your
qualifications for the award. Your statement should detail how you have
demonstrated qualities of professionalism, civility, cooperation, and honesty in
your academic, professional, or personal endeavors.
2. One letter of recommendation from a Law College faculty member or a legal
professional who can speak to your qualifications and character.
3. A current copy of your resume.
Award Recipients:
| 1993: Bronwen R. Davis | 2008: Christie Green | 2020: Rachel Lopez | |||
| 1994: Sherry M. Thompson | 2009: Michael Miller | 2021: Reyna Araibi & | |||
| 1997: Daisy D. Gilker | 2010: Spencer Scharff | DeLorean Forbes | |||
| 1999: Susanne Ingold | 2011: Kris Carlson | 2023: Dr. CJ Pommier | |||
| 2000: Ash L. Sawkar | 2012: Raina Wagner | 2024: Grace Sluga & Christopher Torikoglu | |||
| 2001: Thomas H. Barnard | 2013: Rachel Fleming | 2025: Susan Lanzas | |||
| 2002: Ronda Woinowsky | 2014: Lori Guner | 2026: Kayla Bowen | |||
| 2003: Erica McCallum | 2015: Kaysey Fung | ||||
| 2004: Eric J. Beane | 2016: James D. Carlson | ||||
| 2005: Kevin Bray | 2017: Nicholas Alsaka | ||||
| 2006: Ryan Flynn | 2018: Kristina Babos | ||||
| 2007: Aeryn Heidermann | 2019: Olympia Torres |
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