Christen (Christy) Peters. Member of Olympia Rotary since July 2009

What's the most fun you've had so far in Rotary? 
Working at the Spaghetti Bowl was the first Rotary event I participated in.  What a fun time!  

What will be your most valued future contribution to Rotary?
I love to work with others in the community, I'm a positive, optimistic person, and I look forward to many future Rotary projects locally, nationally, and internationally.
 
Where were you born?
Iowa City, IA when father was in medical school and we then lived in Phoenix, AZ and Klamath Falls, OR, before settling in Santa Rosa, CA where I lived from 3rd grade through high school.  My parents still reside in Santa Rosa.

What school(s) did you attend, and what degrees have you earned? 

• University of Iowa (BA in Political Science, BA in Communications-Journalism); 
• Willamette University (J.D.; Dispute Resolution Certificate)

Tell us about your family.  
I'm married to Rick Peters (Lead Deputy Pros. Atty. for Juvenile Prosecution in Thurston Co and former Mayor of Dupont, WA).  I have three children: Molly, Adam, and Lucy.  We all love sports (soccer, gymnastics, track), music (piano, clarinet, violin), theater, and travel!

Describe your job; what you do all day.  
I am the Special Trials Division Chief, Thurston Co. Pros. Atty.  In this role I supervise the Special Victims, Domestic Violence, and District Court trial teams.  I also carry a small caseload of prosecution for child sex offenders, internet related crimes, and serious domestic violence cases.  Every day at work is different as it is driven by arrests or crimes from the previous day (or weekend).  I generally review incoming police reports and assign where the cases will go within the office; monitor court arraignments, pre-trial hearings and train new DPAs in court/trial work.  On the management side, I work with the Prosecuting Attorney's Office (PAO) management team on budget, personnel issues, and other leadership issues that face the PAO.  I also teach for the National District Attorney's Association and the National Center for Prevention of Child Abuse.

How did you get started in this job, and how long have you been doing it? 
During my second year of law school, I started a clerkship at the Marion County District Attorney's office in Salem, OR.  At that time, I was primarily interested in Environmental Law (worked my first law school summer as a clerk in Washington DC for the DOJ in Environmental Enforcement); however, I wanted trial experience.  After a short time in the DA's office, I started to really enjoy prosecuting and working in the criminal law field. 

After law school, my husband, who is from the Seattle area, and I moved to Washington State in 1993.  I started with the Pierce County Prosecuting Attorney's office as a Juvenile Prosecutor at Remann Hall.  After approximately two years in Pierce County, I was offered a deputy prosecuting attorney position in Thurston County.  I loved the Olympia area and moved to the Thurston County prosecuting Attorney's Office in 1995, where I have been ever since.

What do you like the most about your job? 
Keeping the community safe, helping children who have been abused, working toward ending family violence.