Judith Teresita Perez Won Pat , (born December 6, 1949), also known as Judi Won Pat, is a

Guam Guam (; ch, Guåhan ) is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States in the Micronesia subregion of the western Pacific Ocean. It is the westernmost point and territory of the United States (reckoned from the geographic cent ...

anian

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...

, teacher, and school administrator who served as the speaker of the

Guam Legislature The Legislature of Guam ( ch, Liheslaturan Guåhan) is the law-making body for the United States territory of Guam. The unicameral legislative branch consists of fifteen senators, each serving for a two-year term. All members of the legislature a ...

from 2009 to 2017. A member of the

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

of Guam, served as the senator of the Guam Legislature from 1994 to 2003 and again from 2005 to 2017. Won Pat was the former sitting chairperson of the Committee on Education, Public Library and Women’s Affairs in the 32nd Guam Legislature.Guam Legislatur
''Legislative Committees''
Hagatna.

Early life and education

Won Pat was born on December 6, 1949, the youngest daughter of Antonio Won Pat and Ana Salas Perez. Judith Won Pat's family moved to

Silver Spring, Maryland Silver Spring is a census-designated place (CDP) in southeastern Montgomery County, Maryland, United States, near Washington, D.C. Although officially unincorporated, in practice it is an edge city, with a population of 81,015 at the 2020 censu ...

, because her father had been elected to serve as delegate to 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 ...

in Washington, D.C. She graduated from

Montgomery Blair High School Montgomery Blair High School (MBHS) is a public high school located in Four Corners, Maryland, United States, operated by Montgomery County Public Schools. The school's total enrollment of 3,600 makes it the largest public high school in Montgo ...

. After high school, she attended

Montgomery College Montgomery College (MC) is a Public college, public community college in Montgomery County, Maryland. Founded officially in 1946 as Montgomery Junior College, its name comes from the county in which it is located. The earliest start date that c ...

and attained an Associate of Arts in liberal arts with emphasis in political science. She graduated from

Columbia Union College Washington Adventist University is a private Seventh-day Adventist university in Takoma Park, Maryland. History Washington Adventist University was established in 1904 by the Seventh-day Adventist Church as Washington Training College. ...

with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Secondary Education. Judith Won Pat attained her

Master of Education The Master of Education (MEd or M.Ed. or Ed.M.; Latin ''Magister Educationis'' or ''Educationis Magister'') is a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. This degree in education often includes the following majors: curriculum a ...

from the

University of Guam University of Guam ( ch, Unibetsedåt Guåhan) (U.O.G.) is a public land-grant university in Mangilao, Guam. It is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges and offers thirty-four degree programs at the undergraduate level a ...

and her Doctor of Education degree in Educational Leadership from the

University of San Diego The University of San Diego (USD) is a private Roman Catholic research university in San Diego, California. Chartered in July 1949 as the independent San Diego College for Women and San Diego University (comprising the College for Men and Schoo ...

Political career

Guam 1977 Constitutional Convention

Authorized by Guam Public Law 13-202, the Territory of Guam held the Guam Constitutional Convention of 1977 to provide a local framework for self-government. When Judith Won Pat was 27 years old, she served as the Sinajana delegate to the 1977 Guam Constitutional Convention. Judith Won Pat served as the chairperson of the Women Rights Committee, vice chairperson of the Education Committee and also served as a member on the Gubernatorial Powers, the Municipal Government, and Natural Resources Committees, respectively. All 32 delegates to the Constitutional Convention signed the Constitution on December 15, 1977.

Senator in the 23rd, 24th, 26th, 28th and 29th Guam Legislatures

Judith Won Pat-Borja first ran to serve as senator in the 23rd Guam Legislature in 1994. She has served in the 23rd, 24th, 26th, 28th, 29th, 30th, 31st, 32nd and 33rd Guam Legislatures.Guam Election Commission
''Election Comparative Analysis Report 2012''
Hagatna, 2013. The 29th Guam Legislature had a bare majority of 8 Republican senators. After the passing of Republican Senator Antonio R. Unpingco, a special election was held on January 5, 2008, at which former Chief Justice Benjamin J.F. Cruz, a Democrat, was elected to fill the vacancy left by the late Senator Antonio R. Unpingco. After the special election, the Republican minority refused to allow a change in leadership to reflect its minority status. Early in the morning on March 7, 2008, the Democratic majority held session and appointed a new leadership for the Guam Legislature, with Judith T. Perez Won Pat serving as Guam's first woman speaker of the Guam Legislature. An opinion by Attorney General Alicia Limtiaco upheld the validity of legislation issued by the Guam Legislature under its new leadership.

Speaker of the Guam Legislature

Judith Won Pat has served as speaker in the 29th, 30th, 31st, 32nd and 33rd Guam Legislatures. Speaker Won Pat was the sitting chairperson of the Committee on Education, Public Library and Women’s Affairs in the 32nd Guam Legislature.

Post-Guam Legislature

After Won Pat lost re-election she has stayed out of politics since 2017 to focus on her private life and worked as an Administrator at Guahan Academy Charter School from August 2019 to October 2021. In May 2022, Won Pat reentered the political scene and publicly announced her run to become Guam's next Congressional Delegate. She lost to Republican

James Moylan James Camacho "Jim" Moylan (born July 18, 1962) is an American politician serving as the delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives for Guam. He became a member of the Guam Legislature in 2019 and was elected to the U.S House of Representati ...

References

, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Won Pat, Judith T.P. 20th-century American politicians 20th-century American women politicians 21st-century American politicians 21st-century American women politicians Candidates in the 2022 United States House of Representatives elections Chamorro people Guamanian Democrats Guamanian people of Chinese descent Guamanian people of Spanish descent Guamanian women in politics Living people Members of the Legislature of Guam Speakers of the Legislature of Guam University of Guam alumni University of San Diego alumni 1949 births