KEYNOTE:
Sheley Secrest
At the age of 31, Sheley Secrest was named president of the Seattle/King County branch of the NAACP, and received the organization’s National President’s Award in recognition of her efforts. Today Secrest serves as the President of the NAACP Alaska, Oregon, and Washington State Area Conference.
Since she was nine years old, Sheley Secrest knew she wanted to be a civil rights lawyer. She never lost sight of her dreams, but had little knowledge of what it would take to make her goal a reality. As a first-generation college student, it wasn’t until she enrolled at Pierce College that she was able to connect with instructors able to help set her on a course that would determine the direction of her life.
Pierce College played a key role in getting to her dream school, the highly competitive Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia.
She attended law school at Seattle University and has since developed a strong reputation and track record as a community organizer, civil rights attorney, activist and more.
Professionally, as a staff attorney and policy associate for Alliance for a Just Society, she has tackled a number of issues from police misconduct and disparities in government contracting to restoring the right to vote for felons released from prison.
Through her work with the Alliance she has also been active in the fight to raise Seattle and SeaTac's minimum wage.
