For the past two years, I was honored to lead as President-Elect and then President of the Women’s Bar Association of DC.

Having my firm’s support through my terms was vital being the very best President I could be (and not burning out!).  Leading the WBADC was no small task for me, and definitely no small ask from my office.

My colleagues not only supported me, they supported and continue to support the Women’s Bar Association of DC by being All In for the WBA as well as sponsoring a table at the WBA Annual Dinner two years in a row.  They always asked where they could help, including donating to individually and sponsoring our WBA Foundation and covering the membership dues for the entire firm.  Thank you to this amazing firm and all the individuals here that make it so special to do the work we do the way we do it.

Now, as Immediate Past President, I am in awe of the history of the WBA and just how resilient and strong our organization continues to be. In 1917, two suffragettes, Ellen Spenser Mussey and Emma Gillette established the organization at a time in which women:

• Could not vote;
• Could not serve on a jury;
• Were largely denied entry into law schools and the practice of law; and
• Were excluded from what was then the only bar association in the District of Columbia.

Each year the incoming President is given the honor of choosing a theme for the bar year.  I selected Choosing Courage, Leading Authentically, and Being Well.  To that end, we focused on speaking up, finding our truest voice for ourselves, holding space for conversations on a variety of important topics, and connecting with each other at well-being events and programs.

At our Stars of the Bar in September, we honored those who have “chosen courage” against tough obstacles and demonstrated vulnerability in order to make positive changes in the legal community: Michele Craddock (for her determination and courage to fight for gender pay equity in law), AU WCL’s Associate Dean of Student Affairs David Jaffe (for his advocacy efforts to support the well-being and mental health of law students), U.S. Export Import Bank President Reta Jo Lewis (for her courage to forge ahead with courage and her continued dedication to mentoring women and women of color), and Whitman-Walker Health’s Legal Director Amy Nelson (for her steadfast determination and advocacy for LGBTQI+ rights everywhere). 

We created the WBA & WCIE International Leadership Academy to help Afghan women judges in their transition and resettlement to the United States after being forced to flee their home country. The program provides live and recorded zoom modules with topics which include the U.S. Constitution, the U.S. job search, and resume development for U.S. employers, etc.

We also held our first ever Wellness Retreat when 26 women attorneys spent a week together in Lake Atitlan, Guatemala. So many of us left saying that the retreat transformed us in ways we are still feeling and experiencing today.

We also held our first ever WBA Well-Being Conference that brought together national well-being experts, professional leaders, and over 150 attendings to discuss the state of wellness in the legal industry.

Finally, my year as President of the WBA ended with our Annual Dinner at the National Building Museum.  I was so incredibly lucky to have had about 10 minutes of quiet conversation with Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi before she gave the keynote address of the evening.  Not only did she speak to our theme of taking care of ourselves (“we must recreate in order to re-create”), she spoke about her personal story of being a mom and what it was like to be the only woman at the table in leadership meetings and at the White House almost all of the time. She spoke powerfully about her career and women in leadership, “We [women] don’t take anything for granted because we believe when women succeed, America succeeds.”

We also honored the gracious and long-time leader, Jo-Ann Wallace as our Woman Lawyer of the Year and heard from three powerhouse attorneys in a rapid-fire Courage Ignited lineup: Alana C. Brown, Sunu Chandy and Libbey Van Pelt.  Then, I passed the crystal gavel to Kandis Gibson, our 2023-24 President of the WBA, who’s theme for the year is Leading Forward!

My tenure as WBADC President was truly a once in a lifetime experience.  I learned more about leadership than I had ever thought possible.  I had to lean-in and speak-up and make tough decisions.  I couldn’t please everyone.  Raised to be a “people-pleaser,” I had to leave my comfort zone, and then some.

Throughout my year, the words of Glennon Doyle was my affirmation, “We Can Do Hard Things.” We can.  We can choose courage, lead authentically, and take care of ourselves all at the same time. Yes, we can.