Hon. Mary Beth Bonaventura's exceptional contributions to the profession of law and the citizens of Indiana were recognized at the Indiana State Bar Association's annual meeting, where she received a presidential citation from R. William Jonas Jr., outgoing president of the ISBA on Thursday, Nov. 5.

Judge Bonaventura, of Crown Point, is senior judge of the Lake Superior Court, Juvenile Division. She is the current chair of the ISBA’s Civil Rights of Children Committee. In 1993, Chief Justice Randall T. Shepard appointed her to the Juvenile Justice Improvement Committee. In 2008, Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels appointed her to the Indiana Commission on Disproportionality in Youth Services. Previously, she served as trustee of the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges and as past president of the Indiana Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges. She currently serves on the board of directors for the American Red Cross, Lake County Mental Health Association, Southlake Mental Health Association and the Boys and Girls Club of Northwest Indiana. Judge Bonaventura received her B.A. from Marian University and her J.D. from Northern Illinois University.