Pamelya Herndon (born November 23, 1952) is an American attorney, accountant, and politician who was appointed to serve as a member of the

New Mexico House of Representatives ) is the lower house of the New Mexico State Legislature. There are 70 members of the House. Each member represents roughly 25,980 residents of New Mexico. The most recent elections were held on November 3, 2020. Composition Leadership Cu ...

from the 28th district.

Early life and education

Herndon was born November 23, 1952 in

Hempstead, Texas Hempstead is a city in and the county seat of Waller County, Texas, United States, part of the metropolitan area. History On December 29, 1856, Dr. Richard Rodgers Peebles and James W. McDade organized the Hempstead Town Company to sell lots in ...

to Kathryn and Daniel Norris Herndon. She is African-American. After attending

Roy Miller High School Roy Miller High School is a public high school located in the city of Corpus Christi, Texas, United States and classified as a 5A school by the UIL. It is a part of the Corpus Christi Independent School District. The school was known as Corpus Chr ...

, she earned a Bachelor of Business Administration in accounting from

Howard University Howard University (Howard) is a private, federally chartered historically black research university in Washington, D.C. It is classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activity" and accredited by the Middle States Commissi ...

in 1975 and a

Juris Doctor The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice law ...

from the

University of Texas School of Law The University of Texas School of Law (Texas Law) is the law school of the University of Texas at Austin. Texas Law is consistently ranked as one of the top law schools in the United States and is highly selective—registering the 8th lowest ac ...

in 1978.

Career

Herndon moved to

Denver Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

in 1978, where she worked at an accounting firm. She was then hired by the

Internal Revenue Service The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is the revenue service for the United States federal government, which is responsible for collecting U.S. federal taxes and administering the Internal Revenue Code, the main body of the federal statutory ta ...

as a litigation attorney. She moved to

Albuquerque, New Mexico Albuquerque ( ; ), ; kee, Arawageeki; tow, Vakêêke; zun, Alo:ke:k'ya; apj, Gołgéeki'yé. abbreviated ABQ, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico. Its nicknames, The Duke City and Burque, both reference its founding in ...

in 1983. In 1998, Herndon joined the litigation division of the

Attorney General of New Mexico The Attorney General of New Mexico, an elected executive officer of the state, oversees the New Mexico Attorney General's Office and serves as head of the New Mexico Department of Justice. The officeholder, who is required to be a licensed attor ...

's office. In 2006, she was appointed general counsel of the New Mexico Regulation and Licensing Department. In 2009, she became deputy secretary of the New Mexico General Services Department. Herndon operated an independent legal practice until becoming executive director of the Southwest Women's Law Center in 2012. In October 2018, she became president and CEO of the KWH Law Center for Social Justice and Change. She has taught law courses at the

University of New Mexico School of Law The University of New Mexico School of Law (UNM Law or New Mexico Law) is the law school of the University of New Mexico, a public research university in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Founded in 1947, it is the first and only law school in the state. ...

and paralegal courses at

Brookline College Brookline College is a private for-profit college in Phoenix, Arizona, in the United States. It offers associate and bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaure ...

–Albuquerque. Herndon has also hosted radio programs on

KUNM KUNM is a public radio station broadcasting on FM 89.9 MHz from high atop Sandia Crest, with broadcasts originating from the third floor of Oñate Hall, on the campus of the University of New Mexico (UNM) in Albuquerque, New Mexico. As of ...

New Mexico House of Representatives

On June 22, 2021, Herndon was appointed to the

by members of the Bernalillo County Commission. Herndon represents the 28th district, which was vacated when

Melanie Stansbury Melanie Ann Stansbury (born January 31, 1979) is an American politician and scientist serving as the U.S. representative from New Mexico's 1st congressional district since 2021. The district includes most of Albuquerque, along with most of its s ...

resigned to serve in the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

Personal life

Herndon married Alfred Mathewson in 1978. They have three children. Mathewson is an emeritus professor and former co-dean at the

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Herndon, Pamelya American accountants American women accountants People from Hempstead, Texas Howard University alumni University of Texas School of Law alumni Democratic Party members of the New Mexico House of Representatives Women state legislators in New Mexico New Mexico lawyers Politicians from Albuquerque, New Mexico Living people 1952 births 21st-century American women lawyers 21st-century American lawyers African-American state legislators in New Mexico African-American women in politics 21st-century American women politicians 20th-century American women lawyers 20th-century American lawyers African-American women lawyers 20th-century African-American women 21st-century African-American women 21st-century American politicians 20th-century African-American lawyers 21st-century African-American lawyers