Attorney, 31, chosen local NAACP leader

The Seattle King County branch of NAACP has named a 31-year-old attorney with a history of holding police accountable to lead the civil-rights organization.

Sheley Secrest, a Washington native who has served on the organization's executive committee for three years, is its third president in as many years.

Secrest said Tuesday she wants to ensure that the NAACP remains a visible force for race relations in this region. And she wants to work to ensure that low-income people are not displaced by the region's real-estate explosion, to address the disproportionality of black students placed in special education who end up in prison, and to continue to hold police accountable for their actions. "Our marching orders remain the same," Secrest said.

Employed as an attorney with The Defender Association in Seattle, Secrest replaces Alfoster Garrett Jr., who resigned recently after an unsteady year at the association's helm.

She earned her law degree in 2003 from Seattle University School of Law and a bachelor's degree in 1998 from The Evergreen State College.

She sits on the board of the Seattle Office of Professional Accountability, formed in 1999 to provide citizen review of the Seattle Police Department's disciplinary system, and most recently served as a law clerk with U.S. District Judge Frank Burgess.

Members of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People on Tuesday praised her energy and dedication.

"Sheley is not somebody that just came into this organization; she's been working in the vineyard effectively for a while," said Lem Howell, a Seattle attorney.

In fact, Howell said, while Secrest was still in law school, she immersed herself in NAACP efforts and the causes of Loren Miller Bar Association, an organization mostly of black lawyers. "She's committed, and a competent person — very driven."

Attorney James Bible, a member of the executive committee, said Secrest's age may belie her experience.

"I have no doubt she'll listen to the public and ... executive committee and consider all positions before making a decision," he said. "Ultimately, what we chose was the best person for the job. It just happens that person is 31 years old."

Secrest takes on the presidency as chapters across the country are struggling to draw and keep young members.

In 2004, the Seattle chapter received the Thalheimer Award for more than tripling its membership over the previous year, organizing a voter-registration drive and reactivating its youth chapter.

"We are blessed to have giants in our backyard who are still committed to serving the NAACP," Secrest said. "And Alfoster will remain on the board, and will continue to whisper in my ear, about the mistakes that he made, as well as what works well."

Among the goals she laid out were to ensure that low-income people are not displaced by new residential development, and that minority business owners are given opportunities to bid on public projects.

She said the organization also wants to address a troubling correlation between black children placed in special education and those who show up in the prison system.

The organization will continue to monitor what it says is the unfair treatment of children of color in the Kent School District.

In May, a lawsuit filed on behalf of 16 black students who claimed they were roughed up and handcuffed by school officials was thrown out after Garrett was late getting to court.

Police accountability, Secrest said, remains a priority.

Specifically, the group will closely watch the outcome of an internal investigation into the July shooting death of James Monroe by two Kent police officers.

Lornet Turnbull: 206-464-2420 or lturnbull@seattletimes.com