“100 Best and Brightest Women in Corporate America,” according to Ebony Magazine, is only one of the titles used to describe Judge Glenda Hatchett. Hatchett, who today joins Grand Valley State University as the Martin Luther King Jr. Commemoration Week’s keynote speaker, is considered by many a visionary of justice, and maintains strong authoritative character in today’s world.

Bobby Springer, the associated director of GVSU’s office of Multicultural Affairs, is part of the group tasked with selecting the annual keynote speaker, and he has been planning Hatchett’s arrival for some time now.

“So we have brought in another exceptional keynote speaker to enhance the MLK events,” Springer said. “It’s all about giving back and enhancing our communities.”

A graduate of Mt. Holyoke College and Emory University School of Law, Hatchett was the recipient of an Emory Medal, the highest award given to alum by the university, selected by the Emory Alumni Board’s Nominating and Leadership Committee.

“I never really expected to be a lawyer,” Hatchett told students during a commencement speech at Morehouse College. “I went to law school to expand my options, and while I was there, I discovered a passion for litigation. After my clerkship, I started litigating at Delta Air Lines, and I truly believed I would remain there for the balance of my career. I couldn’t have been more wrong.”

Upon accepting an appointment as chief presiding judge of the Fulton County, Ga., Juvenile Court, Hatchett became Georgia’s first African-American chief presiding judge of a state court and the department head of one of the largest juvenile court systems in the country.

Despite awards and accolades, Hatchett said she still firmly believes her most important accomplishment has been her ability to impact the lives of troubled youths and their families.

She remains a significant part of the television show, “Judge Hatchett,” which is currently moving on into its tenth season. The founder of the online parenting network, Hatchett has launched campaigns that range from childhood obesity prevention to another that encourages children to put their dreams in bold letters above their bed so it’s the last thing they see at night, and the first in the morning.

Author of two national bestsellers, “Dare to Take Charge,” and “Say What You Mean, Mean What You Say,” Hatchett is currently on the Board of Advisors for the Atlanta Falcons Football Organization, and she resides with her two sons in Atlanta, Ga.

In an effort to reinforce that her brand of justice matters for all, Hatchett will be speaking out of her book, “Dare to Take Charge: King’s Expectation for Justice.”

For more information about the week’s events, visit www.gvsu.edu/mlk.

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