Judge Cleo E. Powell

CLEO 1979

“CLEO filled a gap on which I had not focused and, in some respects, did not even realize that I had and it truly made all the difference. Thank God for CLEO!”

Judge Cleo E. Powell became a justice for the Supreme Court of Virginia in July, 2011. Prior to this, she served for three years as a judge for the Virginia Court of Appeals. From the year 2000 until 2008, she held the position of Circuit Court Judge for Chesterfield and Colonial Heights (Virginia) where she adjudicated civil cases, divorce and family matters, felony criminal cases and appeals from juvenile and domestic relations and General District Courts. From 1993 to 2000, she served as a General District Court Judge for Chesterfield and Colonial Heights where she adjudicated civil, criminal, and traffic cases and was the Chief Judge between 1996 and 1998.

Judge Powell graduated with distinction with a BA in American Government from the University of Virginia (UVA) in Charlottesville, VA in 1979. At UVA, in addition to being involved with her sorority, Delta Sigma Theta, Inc., and other on-campus activities, Judge Powell was an Echols Scholar, a National Merit Semifinalist, and a University Honor Award Recipient. In 1982, she earned her JD from the University of Virginia School of Law, where she was a member of the Black American Law Student Association and a Moot Court competition semifinalist.