Katherine H. O’Neil Volunteer Service Award

The name of the award honors founding OWLS president Katherine O’Neil’s steadfast dedication and long-term volunteer service to organizations which promote women in the legal profession. The inaugural award was presented to Katherine H. O’Neil at the Oregon Women Lawyers 20th anniversary celebration, September 25, 2009.

The OWLS Board of Directors selects recipients of the Katherine H. Volunteer Service Award. Award recipients are selected based on 8 cumulative years of service with the OWLS board, an OWLS chapter, or an OWLS committee, the Oregon Women Lawyers Foundation, the National Conference of Women’s Bar Associations, the National Association of Women Lawyers, or the ABA Commission on Women in the Profession.

Here are past recipients of the Katherine H. O’Neil Volunteer Service Award:

Katherine H. O’Neil, 2009
Terri Kraemer, 2011
Phylis Myles, 2012
Laurie Craghead, 2013
Kathryn Root, 2014
Heather Weigler, 2015
Cristina Sanz, 2019
Judge Angela Lucero, 2023
Justice Aruna Masih, 2024

The Board of the Oregon Women Lawyers is thrilled to announce the selection of the Honorable Debra E. Velure, Lane County Circuit Court, as the 2025 recipient of OWLS’ Katherine O’Neil Volunteer Service Award. Judge Velure has been a steadfast member of OWLS continuously since 1994, having served as OWLS President and Treasurer, on the Executive Committee, and OWLS Board for several years. Throughout her career, she has been an essential leader and member of the Lane County Women Lawyers Steering Committee, spearheading the establishment of the distinguished Chief Justice Martha Walters Award in 2019, now in its 7^th year. During the pandemic, Judge Velure did not waver in her commitment to volunteer service in Lane County, persevering by holding meetings, award events, and litigation mentoring circles for attorneys by Zoom and in person when possible. Outside of OWLS, Judge Velure currently serves on the Oregon Supreme Court Council on Inclusion and Fairness and on the Board of the Oregon Law Foundation. In both, most notable is her dedication to mentorship and lifting others up in service to our profession. OWLS is inspired by this role model of volunteerism and leadership throughout her career, and we hope you will join us as we bestow the Katherine O’Neil Award on the esteemed Judge Debra Velure on October 3, at 4:30 pm at the University of Oregon.

Registration for the Fall Conference or reception only is available here.