Governor honors Palochak for work on behalf of women

Copyright © 2009
Gallup Independent
By Elizabeth Hardin-Burrola
Staff writer

GALLUP — A Gallup woman has been named by Gov. Bill Richardson as one of New Mexico’s top 20 outstanding women.

Francisca “Fran” Palochak, the deputy court executive officer for the 11th Judicial District Court, is one of 20 women from around the state named to the 2009 Governor’s Outstanding New Mexico Women, according to the New Mexico Commission on the Status of Women. With more than half of the award recipients coming from communities in the Albuquerque and Santa Fe area, Palochak is the only woman being honored from northwest New Mexico. The recipients were selected because of their exceptional contributions to their community and state.

In an interview on Sunday, Palochak said she believes she was nominated for the award based on her longtime efforts to help victims of domestic violence. Those efforts, she explained, stem from her own childhood which was affected by domestic violence.

“Actually, my mother was a survivor of domestic violence,” Palochak said. She remembers her mother having to quickly pack all their belongings into one suitcase and fleeing in a taxi cab because she didn’t know how to drive. They stayed in a rundown hotel in downtown Gallup, Palochak said, since there was no shelter for battered women and their children at that time.

“It was really frightening as a child,” she recalled.

When she began her professional career working at the local Legal Aid office, Palochak said there still wasn’t a shelter facility in Gallup. Now Palochak serves on the board of Gallup’s Battered Families Services, Inc., and from 2006 to 2008 she served as president of the New Mexico Coalition Against Domestic Violence.

In addition to her professional efforts to help victims of domestic violence, Palochak is a longtime member and now president of the local Soroptimist International, an organization that works to improve the lives of women and girls. The local chapter has been involved in raising public awareness about domestic violence and related issues like human trafficking. Palochak also is a member of the Confraternity of Christian Mothers, an international organization that provides prayer and support for women in crisis.

“I think God just kept guiding me,” Palochak said of her long interest in helping women, particularly women affected by domestic violence.

Palochak and the other recipients will be honored in a ceremony on May 15 at the Hotel Albuquerque of Old Town.

The event will include the announcement of the 2009 New Mexico Women’s Hall of Fame inductees from among the 20 recipients.

Local community members interested in attending the May 15 ceremony in Albuquerque can purchase their tickets by calling the Commission at (505) 222-6600. The deadline for ticket sales is May 11.