The Honorable Maria Sampedro-Iglesia, Associate Administrative Judge of the Eleventh Judicial Circuit's Unified Children's Court, received the 2018 William E. Gladstone Award, presented by the Florida Department of Children and Families during its Annual Child Protection Summit this past September 6th in Orlando, Florida.
This prestigious award, named after the late Eleventh Circuit Judge William E. Gladstone for his pioneering work in the placement, motivation, treatment and education of the delinquent and abused, abandoned or neglected children who came before him, is presented each year to the greatest contributor to the protection and well-being of these, Florida's most vulnerable children.
Judge Sampedro-Iglesia has been a judge in Miami-Dade County since 2009 and has served in the juvenile court since that time, rising to associate administrative judge in 2011. In addition to her work as a dependency court judge, she spearheaded the creation of and now presides over G.R.A.C.E. Court, the Eleventh Circuit's court devoted to the protection and healing of child victims of human trafficking - believed to be the first court of its kind in the nation.
During her time on the bench, Judge Sampedro-Iglesia has received numerous awards for her many accomplishments as a judge, a leader, and a tireless advocate for the protection of Miami-Dade's children in distress. Past awards include: Woman of the Year 2012-13 presented by the National Association of Professional Women; Woman of Outstanding Leadership presented by the International Women's Leadership Association; the Leslie Sternlieb Advocacy Award for her work in Human Trafficking, presented by the Women's Fund; the 2018 Hispanic Heritage Judicial Trailblazer Award, and the 2018 Florida's Children First Champion for Children Award.
Pictured: The 2018 William E. Gladstone Award is presented to Judge Maria Sampedro-Iglesia by past award recipients, Judge Jeri Beth Cohen of the Eleventh Judicial Circuit and Judge Hope Tieman Bristol of the Seventeenth Judicial Circuit.