Hon. Mary W. Sheffield
Judge Sheffield was appointed to the Missouri Court of Appeals, Southern District, in 2012 and served as chief judge. She served as a trial judge from 1983 - 2012, handling criminal, civil, juvenile, and family court cases. She is the former president of the National College of Probate Judges and past president of the Blue Ridge Institute for Juvenile and Family Law Judges. She has received the Chief Justice Award for Public Service.
Judge Sheffield was appointed in 2003 to serve as one of three U.S. international liaison network judges for the Hague Convention on Child Abduction. She has presented papers and conducted trainings on Hague matters in Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Botswana, Brazil, Canada, England, Ecuador, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Jamaica, Korea, Malta, Singapore, Switzerland, Slovakia, Tanzania, and Trinidad-Tobago.
Judge Sheffield participated in the Washington, D.C. National Convening on Trafficking and Child Welfare held at the White House, and the New York National Summit on Human Trafficking and State Courts. She currently serves on the Supreme Court Combatting Human Trafficking and Domestic Violence Commission. She has chaired the Supreme Court Family Court Committee and served on numerous committees and commissions.
Judge Sheffield received her Juris Doctor from the University of Miami Law School and her B.A. from North Carolina State University.