Parsons Behle & Latimer is pleased to announce that domestic law attorney Nicole Salazar-Hall has been named recipient of the 2021 “Children’s Champion Award” by Voices for Utah Children.
Salazar-Hall has a storied history of community leadership involvement. Since 2015, she has been a lecturer on family law issues and continuing legal education classes. She is an active volunteer, working with Utah State Bar Indian Law Section as a former Section officer; on the board of trustees for Centro De La Familia de Utah, an organization that holds Federal Head Start grants to provide Head Start services in rural Utah for the children of migrant farm workers; as a member of the State of Utah’s Child Welfare Improvement Council for the State of Utah Division of Child and Family Services (DCFS) working to improve caseworker training to increase the rate of kinship placements for foster children; and is commissioner of the Salt Lake City Human Rights Commission. She is currently working with Justice Himonas and the Utah Supreme Court Advisory Committee on the Rules of Civil Procedure to improve family law access to justice. She was also recently named as a member of the core commission for Salt Lake City’s new Commission on Racial Equity in Policing.
Salazar-Hall says, “I am honored to receive this award. The work that Voices for Utah Children does is so important for the children in our state. To be recognized by such an organization is beyond anything I could have imagined my work would ever lead to. Thank you to everyone who has made this possible: Parsons Behle & Latimer for encouraging my volunteer work; my parents for always pushing me to take on the next great challenge; my brother for being my “partner in crime;” and most importantly to my husband Brent and our two daughters. They are my reason for being and for working as hard as I do.”
Voices for Utah Children is a policy and advocacy group for Utah children ages zero to 18 years old and their families. This year marks its 35th anniversary and the 35th Children’s Champion Award. The theme of this year’s award is “Family.”
Salazar-Hall began partnering with Voices for Utah’s Children approximately three months ago in her capacity as a member of the Commission on Racial Equity in Policing, specifically studying the School Resource Officer (SRO) programs and the “school-to-prison pipeline” affect. As a DFSC social case worker in her early career, and later as an attorney and member of Salt Lake City Human Rights Commission, Salazar-Hall has been troubled by the school-to-prison pipeline affect i.e. the long-term negative consequences that affect school children who are involved in the Juvenile Justice system and cited or arrested by SROs – most often children of color and students with disabilities – and is advocating for changes in these programs. Because of her work, a subcommittee has been created within the Commission on Racial Equity in Policing to research this issue with other members of the Commission.
Moe Hickey Voices for Utah Children CEO says, “As I reviewed the organizations with which Nicole is affiliated and the boards on which she serves, it was very clear that her advocacy matches up so well with our organization’s goals. Everyone who has interacted with Nicole throughout the award process has been impressed by her accomplishments, her drive and dedication to our community. She is one of those rare individuals who gives selflessly to positively impact so many in our community. I think she is the perfect choice.”
Salazar-Hall was chosen from five Board-nominated individuals for the 2021 award. Other Voices for Utah Children awards being given this year are for student advocates, alumni, and community partner. Parsons Behle & Latimer is proud of the work its attorneys and professional staff members perform for the community and encourage all firm members to become involved.
