CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (CLARKSVILLENOW) – On the latest episode of Clarksville’s Conversation, Katie Gambill and Charlie Koon sat down with Judge Katy Olita.
Olita was recently appointed by former Gov. Bill Haslam as Circuit Court judge for the 19th Judicial District, which serves Montgomery and Robertson counties.
The appointment fills a new trial court judgeship established in 2018 by the Tennessee General Assembly.
Olita said the selection process for judgeship was a positive experience.
“I got the opportunity to be interviewed by [former] Governor Haslam and his legal staff, which was just such an incredible opportunity in and of itself. He is an amazing leader and really invested a lot of time in that process. Not all governors have personally interviewed judicial candidates, so he really cared about who he appointed and knowing about them,” she said.
Olita has practiced law for 15 years in Middle and West Tennessee, most recently with the firm Batson Nolan in Clarksville since 2006. Her most recent practice also included serving as board attorney to the Clarksville-Montgomery County School System. Olita began her practice at Rosenblum & Reisman in Memphis, where she worked from 2003-2006.
Once appointed, Olita gave up her practice to pursue her new career.
“When you take an appointment like this you have to give up any private practice. I was there for 13 years and became a partner in 2012. I had a lot of strong relationships and built a great practice there so it was bittersweet on both ends,” she said. “I have really found it to be a good opportunity to kind of connect with people and feel like I am servicing an important role in their lives.”
Olita says the highlights of her new job are adoption cases. Because she was adopted as a child, she feels a special connection to these cases and loves bringing new families together.
Olita hopes to continue to make a difference in the Clarksville area through her position.
“I love this place. There is just something so great about where we are right now as a community and how much we have grown and changed over the years. We are in such a sweet spot that there is opportunity and it’s just a really good time for Clarksville,” Olita said.
To further serve her community, Olita is part of Project Transformation, a program that connects at-risk elementary-age children with volunteers to read to them and develop relationships. The program returns to Clarksville again this summer.
To learn more about Olita and her experiences, listen to the full Clarksville’s Conversation podcast below:
About Clarksville’s Conversation:
The Clarksville’s Conversation podcast, hosted by Katie Gambill and Charlie Koon on Clarksvillenow.com, gives you the opportunity to eavesdrop on interviews with leaders and innovators in Clarksville-Montgomery County who shape our community. Check back every Wednesday for new episodes.