Cheryl Woods KCPAO Women in Leadership
This Women’s History Month, the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office is highlighting some of the depth and breadth of women leaders in our office as part of our “Women in Leadership” series. These profiles are only a few of the many amazing women in our office.
How long have you worked at the PAO?
It will be 25 years in May.
What is your role in the PAO?
Chief Administrative Manager for the Criminal Division. I oversee the non-attorney staff in the Division and assist with policies and procedures that impact criminal cases and the Division as a whole.
I literally started at the bottom (in the basement) and worked my way up. Elaine Pauly hired me in May of 1996 as an LAS II to handle closed files. In 1997, I went to the newly opened Maleng Regional Justice Center to work as an LAS III in the Records Unit. My long term goal was to become a paralegal. To increase my skills, I next went to the Civil Division as a legal secretary in the County Services section. In 1999, I was promoted to paralegal in what was then our Fraud Division and then I returned to Civil as the first full-time paralegal to represent the King County International Airport.
In 2002, I was hired by Mark Larson (former Chief of the Criminal Division) as his Executive Assistant. I was Mark’s paralegal for just over 13 years. I then had the opportunity in 2013 to add the role of supervisor for our newly created Discovery Unit to my existing position. In 2016, I went back to Kent as the Records Unit Supervisor and continued supervising the Discovery Unit; and finally, in 2018, I was promoted to Chief Administrative Manager for the Criminal Division after Maureen Galloway retired.
What were you doing before coming to the PAO?
I was working full-time in accounts payable at a garden and pet supply wholesaler and going to school at night to earn my paralegal degree.
What are some of your goals in regards to the work you do?
I want to encourage and mentor our employees so they are able to reach their professional goals and find the work they do fulfilling.
It’s really important to me to promote a culture of respect, support, and trust. I hope to have a positive impact on my colleagues and the way we do business in the Criminal Division.
Some of the ways in which I’d like to build that culture is by listening, communicating, and encouraging others. There is an abundance of gifted and innovative minds in the Criminal Division and the PAO as a whole; I love to hear other’s ideas and suggestions on ways we can do things differently or more efficiently.
On the business side of things, one of my goals is to continue working on moving our office forward in our basic and digital discovery procedures. With body-worn cameras, in-car video, and other digital evidence submitted by law enforcement, this is a fast growing and evolving area of our practice.
What sort of obstacles have you faced in your field? What was it like dealing with those?
Initially, it was as basic as finding the position and role in the office that excited and challenged me the most — and then putting in the time to get there. At times it was difficult to wait, but there are just so many qualified and talented individuals at the PAO that I had to be patient and continue building my knowledge and skillset.
Once I became a mom, and then a single parent, balancing work and home life became much more of a challenge. I constantly struggled with feeling guilty for not always being able to give both roles 100%. I was extremely fortunate to have such strong, capable, and caring role models in Kathy Van Olst and Erin Ehlert; and to also have the very best support from Mark Larson, who always encouraged me to take the time I needed to be present for my daughter.
What advice would you give to other women who are considering a similar career path?
Be flexible — times change and our work evolves. Keep learning. Ask questions. Seek out new opportunities.
Also reach out to people you respect in the office and seek their advice. Emulate the traits that you admire. I’ve been blessed to learn from some of the very best in the PAO.
Anything else you’d like to share?
Time goes by so fast. I can’t believe it’s been 25 years. This has been an amazing place to work — our office and employees are innovative, forward-thinking, and deeply care about the work we do. I can’t wait to see how criminal justice evolves over the next decade.
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Catch up with the entire KCPAO Women in Leadership series on our blog at kcprosecutor.medium.com.
