Mary Noonan

2021-Present

Judge Mary Noonan is a retired juvenile court judge. Her interest in joining the FHSP board stems from years spent in the greater Yellowstone ecosystem. While in graduate and law school, she camped extensively in Yellowstone, and her master's degree thesis focused on the Endangered Species Act and its effect on the grizzly bear population. Later, she and her husband vacationed regularly in the Island Park area and introduced their kids to cross-country skiing at Harriman. She was appointed to Utah’s Fourth District Juvenile Court in May 2003 where she served Juab, Millard, Utah, and Wasatch counties. Judge Noonan received her law degree from the University of Utah College of Law and a Master of Public Administration degree from the University of Utah. Prior to her appointment to the bench, Judge Noonan served as southern division chief of the Utah Attorney General's Office Child Protection Division from July 1998 through May 2002. From 1994 through 1998, Judge Noonan worked for the Utah Department of Human Services as the director of the Utah Division of Child and Family Services and as the director of the department's Office of Legal Counsel. 

Judge Noonan was a long-time member of the Board of Juvenile Court Judges and a founding member of the Wasatch/Summit County Children's Justice Center. Judge Noonan was also a member of the Utah Court Improvement Project and steering committees for the local family drug court, juvenile drug court, and Division of Child and Family Services rocket docket. She additionally served on the Utah Judicial Council and as a member of the Judicial Council's Legislative Liaison Committee. Most recently, she began serving on the Juvenile Justice Oversight Committee in 2017 and was appointed Vice Chair in 2018. Judge Noonan was appointed to the position of State Court Administrator for the Utah State Courts on July 23, 2019. 

Judge Noonan retired in 2021. Shortly before retiring, Judge Noonan and her husband moved into a cabin just down the road from the Park.  They continue to ski at Harriman all winter and now enjoy summer time fun, including hiking, biking and sitting for hours somewhere along the creek with a good book and binoculars. She feels fortunate to call this area home.