YWCA to honor 2 LLA Members as Women of Excellence

The YWCA of Northcentral Pennsylvania has identified 13 women who will be recognized as Women of Excellence for having positively contributed to the community. Two Women of Excellence are members of the Lycoming Law Association: Mary Kilgus and Judge Joy McCoy.

The nominees are honored for using their knowledge and leadership skills to pursue a more peaceful, productive community and to improve the quality of life for all in Northcentral Pennsylvania. The winner's achievements epitomize and personify individual potential - in thought, word and deed.

Kilgus began her Pennsylvania law career at Casale and Bonner P.C. in Williamsport in 2004. In March 2006, she joined the Lycoming County District Attorney's Office and began trying criminal cases.

Early on, she took a special interest in child sexual assault cases, elder abuse cases, domestic and sexual assault of adults and cases involving the mentally challenged. Wise Options is an integral part of such cases, as the victims often are traumatized and need a hand to help them through the process.

Recently, Kilgus has been involved in bringing problems in Pennsylvania's Megan's Law Statute to the attention of elected officials. In January, she was present at the Pennsylvania House of Representatives when it passed a Megan's Law registration statute that state Rep. Garth Everett, R-Muncy, proposed. That bill is in the Senate.

She has a bachelor's degree from the University of St. Thomas, St. Paul, Minn., and a juris doctor from William Mitchell College of Law, also in St. Paul.

Judge McCoy is a lifelong resident of Lycoming County. She graduated from Williamsport Area High School in 1985 and received a bachelor's degree in criminal justice from Elmira College, Elmira, N.Y., in 1989.

She spent her junior year of college abroad studying law at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland. McCoy graduated from Franklin Pierce Law School, now the University of New Hampshire School of Law, in 1993. She began her law career at McNerney, Page, Vanderlin and Hall in Williamsport as a college intern in 1988 and became an associate attorney upon her graduation from law school. She became a partner with the firm in 1998.

During her time in private practice, McCoy focused primarily on family law matters. She contributed a substantial number of hours to pro bono service for indigent clients and worked closely with North Penn Legal Services as a resource in family law matters. She also maintained a close working relationship with Wise Options.

In 2002, McCoy received the Lycoming Law Association's Equal Access to Justice Award, which is given annually in recognition of extraordinary volunteer work that demonstrates outstanding achievement and commitment to equal justice for the poor.

In November 2009, McCoy was elected to a 10-year term as judge of the Court of Common Pleas of Lycoming County. She is the Family Court Judge and Administrative Judge for Lycoming County Children and Youth Services.

During her time on the bench, McCoy has worked closely with the Court Appointed Special Advocate program of Lycoming County to provide training and guidance to CASA volunteers. She helped secure approval and location of the Children's Room in the Lycoming County Court House, which provides a secure and comfortable location for children to play during court proceedings.

McCoy also helped establish the Child Custody Advocate Program (CCAP) in Lycoming County, which provides for the appointment of a child advocate volunteer in private child custody cases.

McCoy maintains a leadership role in the Children's Roundtable Initiative of Pennsylvania, which combines the efforts of professionals from both the child welfare services and legal system in attaining the overreaching goals of child safety, well-being and permanency.

McCoy founded the Absenteeism Task Force, which consists of representatives from Williamsport Area School District, Children and Youth Agency, and judges to assess and address excessive student absenteeism. She also is the judicial representative on the Lycoming County Domestic Violence Task Force. The task force consists of representatives from numerous county agencies who work together to stop the cycle of violence within the family.

As an attorney, she chaired Lycoming County's Law Day Celebration for many years, which provides an opportunity for students to be recognized for artwork or essays submitted as part of Law Day. She is the judicial representative on the Law Day Committee.

Congratulations to Judge McCoy and Mary Kilgus for their achievements.