DENVER - The Western Athletic Conference has announced that Violet Palmer has been hired as Coordinator of Women's Basketball Officials. She replaces Kaye Garms, who retired following 25 years of service.
Palmer has served as Coordinator of Women's Basketball Officials for the West Coast Conference since 2009 and the Pac-12 Conference since 2010. She is a member of the NCAA Mechanics Committee and assists in the editing of the CCA Women's Basketball Officials Manual.
“Violet is the premier women's basketball coordinator in the country and has all of the necessary skill, dedication and passion to advance the officiating program in the WAC,†said WAC Commissioner Jeff Hurd. “She has proven throughout her career to be among the best at every level in which she has worked, and I am thrilled that she will continue the great work that was started by Kaye.â€
The first woman to officiate a major U.S. professional sport at the highest level when she became a referee in the National Basketball Association (NBA) in 1997, Palmer has officiated over 900 regular season games in the NBA, as well as the 2014 NBA All-Star Game.
The Los Angeles native was an official for the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) during the league's inaugural season, including the 1997 WNBA Championship. As a college official, she officiated in five NCAA Women's Final Fours and two national championship games. Palmer has officiated games in the Pac-10 (currently the Pac-12), Western Athletic, West Coast, Big Sky and Big West Conferences.
A 1987 graduate of Cal Poly Pomona, she was a four-year letter winner and member of both the 1985 and 1986 NCAA Division II Women's Basketball National Championship teams. In 2013, she was honored as a member of the NCAA Division II 40th Anniversary Tribute Team.