Steele will succeed Judge Jane Woodward Miller who retired at the end of her term on Dec. 31, 2020, but remained on the bench as a senior judge.
Since 2015, Steele has served the City of South Bend, first as assistant city attorney and then beginning in 2017 as corporation counsel. From 2010-2015, she served as a deputy prosecutor for St. Joseph County.
Steele earned an undergraduate degree from University of Michigan and a law degree from Arizona State University.
Steele will be sworn in as the judge of the St. Joseph County Superior Court on a date to be determined.