Penny Willrich

Penny Ladell Willrich is an American lawyer, academic administrator, and judge who served as the interim dean of the Arizona Summit Law School from 2017 to 2018. In 1999, she became the first Black woman to serve as a judge on the Arizona Superior Court.

Life Willrich is from Grand Prairie, Texas. She is the daughter of civil rights advocates. From 1992 to 1994, Willrich was the assistant director of the administration of children, youth, and families division in the Arizona Department of Economic Security. In April 2007, she was awarded the Maricopa County NAACP Roy Wilkins Award for service. On July 1, 2011, she was appointed as its associate dean of academic affairs, succeeding Shandrea Solomon.