Joanne Hames, the DistinguishedEducator for the month of January,has a long history with De Anza.She started teaching after a stint asa practicing attorney in Sunnyvale,taking time off to have a child.

She said, “Teaching is somethingthat always appealed to me and Ijumped at the opportunity [to teachat De Anza]. I found out that itwasn’t as easy as it looked!”

She helped build the foundationof the paralegal program and got itapproved by the BAR Association,making it the first in Santa Claracounty to get such recognition.

Theapproval helped graduates get wellpaying jobs, and, as opposed tothe paralegal program she used towork for at Santa Clara University(expensive and exlusive), thisprogram had a much broaderreach.

Now Hames teaches part timeat De Anza and is doing continualupdates on the textbooks that she haswritten.

She earned the DistinguisedEducator award because of herundeniable impact on the paralegalprogram and its formation over20 years ago.

Co-worker andDirector of the Paralegal ProgramTerry Ellis said, “She is incrediblystudent centered and committed tostudent success. There are few, ifany, other instructors who knowthe requirements of paralegalinstruction as well as she does. Sheis very deserving of the award.”