Paulette Sullivan Moore

Year Honored: 2023

Biography:

Paulette Sullivan Moore is Delaware's first African American female attorney. Following her 1977 admission to the Delaware Bar, Ms. Moore achieved another “first” in 1989 when she was elected New Castle County Recorder of Deeds – thus becoming the first African American person elected to a NCC county-wide position.

Ms. Moore has served within the State of Delaware on a variety of levels including, prosecutor, private practice attorney, Assistant Solicitor for the City of Wilmington, Counsel and Parliamentarian for New Castle County Council, Managing Attorney and Deputy Director at Community Legal Aid Society, as well as New Castle County Recorder of Deeds. She also worked for ten years as the Director of Public Policy at the Delaware Coalition Against Domestic Violence (DCADV), where she engaged directly with legislators, law enforcement, civil and criminal defense attorneys, elected officials and so many others to affect change in Delaware’s laws and policies in order to best serve Delaware victims and survivors of domestic violence.

Paulette Sullivan Moore opened the doors for so many people in Delaware, especially Black women in the law. Her determination to follow through on her pursuit of law school and join the Delaware Bar at a time where no other women in the field looked like her deserves recognition all its own. As importantly, however, she would note that her eagerness to use whatever privilege she acquired to advance the needs of those who were not at the table – or even in the building – has been a vital component of her life of public work and advocacy. So, whether raising the critical “but” while serving as a member of her church community or on the ACLU’s Board of Directors; or volunteering as a pair of extra hands as a Baylor Women’s Prison tennis “instructor” or an Attorney Guardian Ad Litem for teenage girls, Paulette constantly had her antennae raised for opportunities to positively impact the lives of others.

Domestic Violence Advocates will tell you, however, that although many have benefitted from the influence of Ms. Moore, none have benefitted more than survivors of domestic violence. As Policy Director for DCADV, she helped shape important legislation and policy initiatives. She repeatedly used her voice to ensure that those in power heard from those usually left unheard, particularly those most marginalized due to race, economic status, and gender. Her Delaware-focused domestic violence advocacy led her to the National Network to End domestic Violence (NNEDV), where she brought that same voice to federal legislators, administrators, and critical stakeholders. Her work, as NNEDV’s Vice President of Public Policy, led to improvements in the 2013 Reauthorization of VAWA that helped expand survivor services, initiate new policies, and strengthen funding for state and territory coalitions and the 2300 programs throughout the United States that provide direct services to those victimized by domestic violence. Ms. Moore also acted as Amici in US Supreme Court cases, US v Castleman and Elonis v US. She has appeared as a guest on C-Span, served as a speaker and panelist for both undergraduate colleges/universities and law schools, and participated with other advocates and think tanks to bring an intersectional and multidisciplinary lens to improving our local and national responses to and prevention of domestic violence.

In her retirement, Ms. Moore continues to serve. She has been an organizer and leader with DCADV's Women of Color Task Force, has reviewed legislation for its impact on women, children, domestic violence victims and members of marginalized communities, and will soon begin training as a reading coach for elementary school children.