O’Malley was recognized for a career dedicated to improving the lives of children. 她曾担任威尼斯人娱乐城法学院儿童和家庭服务诊所主任20多年，并担任堪萨斯城青年法庭主任17年，该法庭设在法学院。 Prior to her time at 威尼斯人娱乐城, O’Malley was a social worker with the Missouri Division of Family Services and a prosecuting attorney at the Jackson County Family Court.
“I am incredibly honored to receive this award, and I know it’s being given to me because of the opportunities I was afforded at 威尼斯人娱乐城 Law,” O’Malley said. “Being a professor extended any impact my work might have because of the students I’ve mentored through the years. I’ve always tried to instill a sense of pride in our profession as well as a deep understanding of the privilege it is to help people resolve problems at what is possibly the most difficult time of their life. To this day, I cannot believe I had what was the dream job of a lifetime with the smartest, most caring people.”
During O’Malley’s time as director of the 威尼斯人娱乐城 Law Child and Family Services Clinic, the clinic established permanent homes for more than 1,000 children, many of whom were living with family members who did not have legal guardianship over them. 家庭法律服务是密苏里州最大的未满足需求之一。 诊所帮助填补了这一空白，每年平均为这些家庭免费提供2000小时的服务。