Document - Judicial Selection in the States

Judicial Biographies
District 5C
Mary Pat Gunderson
District Judge
Year of Appointment: 2011
Background and Education:
Raised in Davenport, Iowa,
Judge Gunderson attended
the University of San Diego,
graduating with her bachelor’s
degree in 1984. She received
her law degree from the
University of Iowa in 1988.
Career: After graduating from
law school, Judge Gunderson
moved to Des Moines, Iowa,
and served as assistant Polk County attorney from 1989
to 1997. She served as secretary of the Iowa Senate from
1997 to 1998.
Professional Activities: Judge Gunderson is a member
of the Polk County Bar Association, The Iowa State Bar
Association, Polk County Women Attorneys, and the Iowa
Judges Association.
Family and Hobbies: Judge Gunderson is married with
three children.
Eliza J. Ovrom
District Judge
Year of Appointment: 1999
Background and Education:
Judge Ovrom was born and
raised in Keosauqua, Iowa, in
Van Buren County. For Judge
Ovrom, it was a great place to
grow up in the 1950s and ‘60s.
She graduated from Van Buren
Community High School in 1971.
Because it was a small school,
Judge Ovrom was able to be
involved in many activities,
including drama, yearbook, and
the golf team. Judge Ovrom
graduated from Coe College, magna cum laude, in 1975,
and spent a semester of her college career studying
abroad in Costa Rica. She earned her law degree, with
high honors, from the University of Iowa in 1979.
Career: Before her appointment to the bench, Judge
Ovrom’s career was in public service. She served as first
assistant Polk County attorney for the civil bureau.
Community Activities: Judge Ovrom was chairperson
of the Des Moines Public Library Board of Trustees, and
served on the Des Moines Public Library Foundation. She
volunteered for activities involving her children, including
Boy Scouts and show choir and drama parent groups.
the Polk County Women Attorneys, and the C. Edwin
Moore Inn of Court, and she has held several offices
and served on several committees of various legal
organizations. She served as the district director for
the National Association of Women Judges and chaired
the Alternative Dispute Resolution Committee of the
Iowa Judges Association. She currently serves on the
state Child Support Advisory Committee and the state
Child Support Guideline Review Committee. Judge
Ovrom recently served on the Iowa Civil Justice Reform
Task Force and co-chaired the task force’s Discovery
Subcommittee. She has been a frequent speaker at
continuing legal education seminars. Judge Ovrom helped
train new judges in the area of family law, allowing her to
meet with newly-appointed judges and more experienced
judges on the faculty. She learned a great deal from
these experiences and enjoyed working with newer judges
as they begin their careers. Through these experiences,
she has worked with interns from Drake University Law
School, allowing them to observe and practice courtroom
skills that are not available in the classroom, and bringing
a fresh perspective to the courthouse. Judge Ovrom is
appointed to serve on a judicial branch trial management
training team, as part of a group of judges who train
other judges in managing their courtrooms to provide fair
and efficient trials.
Family: Judge Ovrom is married with two adult sons.
Professional Activities: Judge Ovrom has been active in
local, state, and national bar associations, including the
Polk County, Iowa State, and American Bar Associations,
35 Voter Information