Tonya A. Butler is a Berks County magisterial district judge and veteran attorney who has dedicated her legal career to public service and working creatively to improve the quality of life in the city of Reading and surrounding areas. She will be the 2022 spring commencement speaker for Penn State Berks on May 6.
WYOMISSING, Pa. — Penn State Berks graduating students will have an opportunity to walk across the stage during the college’s spring 2022 commencement, which will be held promptly at 10 a.m. on Saturday, May 7. The event will be held at Santander Arena, located at 700 Penn St. in downtown Reading, and there will be one ceremony for all graduates.
More than 200 Penn State Berks students will participate in the ceremony, receiving their baccalaureate and associate degrees. This semester nearly 250 students will earn their degrees from Penn State Berks.
Berks County Magisterial District Judge Tonya A. Butler will deliver the keynote address. Butler has dedicated her legal career to public service and working to improve the quality of life in the city of Reading and surrounding areas. She began her career as a Berks County assistant public defender. Subsequently, she opened the Law Office of Tonya A. Butler, which provided affordable legal services in both civil and criminal matters. Butler then served as an assistant city solicitor. In November 2017, she was elected magisterial district judge in northeast Reading. In this position, she uses her legal background and experience to serve the community with compassion and provide a fair and transparent legal system.
Passionate about working with youth in the Reading area, Butler created and taught the juvenile justice curriculum for the criminal justice degree completion program at Albright College. She also speaks to youth regarding social and legal issues and often has a student interested in criminal justice shadowing her in court. She is a graduate of Albright College and Widener University School of Law. She serves on several boards and committees, including the Berks County Bar Association board of directors, The Village of Reading board of directors, and the Northeast Youth Development Task Force.
Penn State Berks will offer a livestream on YouTube of the commencement ceremony for the benefit of students’ family and friends who may not be able to attend the ceremony in person. The feed is available on the college’s YouTube page starting five minutes prior to the ceremony and will be available after the ceremony ends.
For more information, visit the Penn State Berks graduation website.
