2025 henrietta pettijohn honorees 

Pamelya Herndon serves as a member of the New Mexico House of Representatives

for House District 28 in Albuquerque’s Northeast Heights. She sits as Vice Chair of

the Health and Human Services Committee and as a member of the House

Appropriations Committee. Pamelya also serves as the President/CEO of the

KWH Law Center for Social Justice and Change, a nonprofit law center focused on

providing access to justice for low and medium-income individuals. Pamelya

previously served as a Senior Trial Attorney with the Department of Treasury,

Internal Revenue Service, as an Assistant Attorney General for New Mexico and as a

Deputy Cabinet Secretary under Governor Bill Richardson. In addition to graduating

from the Howard University School of Business, Pamelya is also a graduate of the

University of Texas School of Law. She is admitted to practice law in the states of

Colorado and New Mexico and before the United States Supreme Court. Pamelya is

also licensed as a Certified Public Accountant.

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Pamelya is a former W.K. Kellogg Fellow. She serves as a member of the Board of

Directors of U.S. Eagle Federal Credit Union. She also serves as an elected member of

the Council of the Civil Rights and Social Justice Section of the American Bar

Association (ABA).

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Pamelya was awarded the Purple Ribbon Award in 2022 for her innovative work in

helping to provide financial resources for survivors of domestic violence. In 2023,

Pamelya received the Freshman Legislator of the Year Award from the UNM Alumni

Association. Pamelya has been recognized as the Public Lawyer of the Year by the

Public Law Section of the New Mexico State Bar, and as the Lawyer of the Year by the

Albuquerque Bar Association.

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Pamelya occasionally hosts community focused programs on KUNM Public Radio, an

NPR affiliate station in New Mexico.