Michelle Gonzalez earned joint degrees in 1994, a JD from University of California, Berkeley School of Law and an MPA from Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government. Prior to graduate school, Ms. Gonzalez worked on voter registration and political campaigns in largely minority communities in Los Angeles, and was staff in a California State Senate office. After completing her joint degree, Ms. Gonzalez began her legal career in Seattle as an associate with a civil litigation law firm Schroeter,Goldmark & Bender, litigating employment and social security disability matters in state and federal courts. After four years in private practice, she became a trial attorney for the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in the Seattle District Office, representing employees who had been discriminated against on the basis of: gender, race, national origin, religion, and disability. She subsequently clerked for Federal Magistrate Judge Monica J. Benton in the Western District of Washington, and taught civil rights courses as an adjunct faculty at Seattle University School of Law.
From 2011 to 2015, Ms. Gonzalez was an Assistant Dean at the University of Washington School of Law, where she oversaw and directed the Center for Professional and Leadership Development. Since 2015, she has taught courses on the intersection of law and policy, including Policy Implementation and the Law; Policy, Law, and Equity; and Negotiations and Mediation.
Ms. Gonzalez is committed to increasing diversity and access to the justice system. From 2000 to 2009, she served on the Board of Directors of the Northwest Justice Project, the largest legal services organization for low-income people in Washington, including serving as board president. She has served on the Judicial Evaluation Committee for the Latina/o Bar Association of Washington. Ms. Gonzalez frequently speaks on the importance of diversity and inclusion. She also takes time to mentor students and young professionals who are beginning their careers.
She has lived in Washington for 23 years. She is married to her husband of 23 years and they have two teenage sons.
