Penny Babb is from the United States where she was raised an Illinois farm girl but has made her home in the Phoenix, Arizona area for over thirty years. She earned Bachelor’s degrees in Criminal Justice Studies, Sociology, and African American Studies; and a Master of Educational Leadership. She became a Deputy Sheriff with the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office in Arizona where she met her husband of 34 years. Their son is also in law enforcement serving as a criminal prosecutor of gang related crimes. Penny retired in 2009 as a Deputy Sheriff Captain after twenty-five years of service in areas such as major felony investigations, patrol and detective division commander, and training commander. Three years after retiring, Penny became the Director of Law Enforcement Operations at Glendale Community College managing their police academies, advanced training for law enforcement officers, firearms classes for citizens, and dispatcher training courses. She retired again in 2020.

Ten years after joining Soroptimist in 1998, Penny was elected to the Golden West Region board and became the 2016-2018 Governor overseeing 45 clubs in four states. Penny was elected to the Soroptimist International of the Americas Board of Directors for 2018-2020 and is serving on a taskforce to develop the Northern Philippines Region. She was elected as SIA President-elect for 2019-2020 and is presently the SIA President for 2020-2021 where she oversees clubs in twenty-one countries. She is passionate about Soroptimist, serving her community, volunteering at church, and experiencing different cultures. And, she is passionate about helping women achieve their dreams. Penny and her family love to travel. In the last few years, she has visited South Africa, Israel, Jordan, Japan, Germany and the Philippines.