Chair’s Column

It is from that perspective that I want to extend my gratitude to 1) all those who came before me in the Forum leadership who allowed me the space to make an impact, and 2) all those people during my time as Chair who used their space to help accomplish our goals for the Forum’s programs and publications.

The list of leaders who impacted my Forum journey is a long one. It starts with my immediate predecessors, past Forum Chairs Cary Wright and Arlan Lewis. With their respective Chair terms complicated and extended by COVID, they remained steadfast in guiding the Forum through unprecedented circumstances. The past Chair whose footsteps I most closely tracked was Kristine Kubes–as our paths to leadership both included a move from Special Programs and Education Committee (SPEC) Chair to Chair-Elect of the Forum. I hope my leadership will be remembered as having even a fraction of the grace, kindness, and determination with which Kristine led the Forum. Several other past Chairs of the Forum impacted my term as Chair. I attempted to emulate Tom Rosenberg’s humor that kept smiles on everyone’s faces and encouraged people to volunteer more time. I patterned my drive to increase meeting attendance on Wendy Venoit’s highly successful model. Will Hill’s analytical approach helped shape my planning calculations. I could not help but be inspired by Harper Heckman’s unbridled affection for the organization. Steve Lesser’s passion and drive were impossible to match. Terry Bookie’s keen awareness of Forum finances was a foundation of the Forum’s financial stability. I could go on, but I will stop with Andy Ness, whose role was so appreciated we awarded him last year’s Cornerstone Award.

My thanks must extend not just to past Chairs, but also to those who served on the Governing Committee with me, those who did the hard work on the Forum’s standing committees, my Trial Academy Co-chair and Forum confidant, Cathy Altman, and all of those whom I had the pleasure of working with during my time in Forum leadership. The Forum friends who have supported me are too many to count–but I hope I thanked you all in real time for your effort.

To the extent I was able to make space for people to do great things, I am grateful for the long list of people who stepped into that space during my year as Chair. Most notably, I want to thank my program teams and Governing Committee liaisons: Catherine Delorey, Brian Zimmerman, and Rob Ruesch in Washington, DC; Jeff Reichard, Jean Terry, and Kristen Sherwin for the regional programs that took place in numerous cities; David Suchar, Carrie Okizaki, and Karen Erger in Las Vegas; and Brenda Radmacher, Joe Imperiale, and Buck Beltzer in New Orleans. The tireless efforts of these folks and the fantastic marketing teams that supported them resulted in bringing together tremendous numbers of our members to enjoy great content while having a good time in fun locations.

Critically, the success of these programs made it possible to reverse some of the pandemic era austerity measures. Most importantly, we restored diversity scholarships and fellowships to prior pre-pandemic levels–further adding to the Forum’s pipeline of future leaders.

The foundation of the Forum is the quality of its programs. That quality rests foremost with the speakers who make it all happen. I want to thank all of the speakers for all of my programs for their hard work and dedication. They orchestrated high-quality, entertaining programs throughout the bar year.

The sponsors and exhibitors deserve special recognition. They contributed mightily to the success of the organization and the atmosphere that makes our meetings so special. To further enhance their role, we formed a new standing committee–the Industry Outreach Committee–to both better serve our existing sponsors and broaden our reach into the construction industry.

None of this is possible without the incredible support from our Forum staff. We should count ourselves fortunate to be able to lean on the dedication and expertise of Tamara Harrington, Patricia Harris, Shannon Costis, and Colleen Hardison. This quartet is critical to allowing the Forum’s attorney/consultant volunteers to have space to do their work for the Forum.

Personally, I must thank my law firm, Fox Rothschild, for the support it has shown me and the other folks currently active in Forum leadership. And special thanks to the Fox attorneys who picked up the ample slack I left behind at the office while carrying out my duties as Chair. My family and friends also deserve a thank you for tolerating me through the busy schedule of my years as Chair-Elect and Chair.

My final round of thanks goes out to the many, many people who attended our three national programs and our regional programs. Your support was overwhelming.

The quality of the Forum experience is what drives the strength of this organization. The steady stream of people seeking to become involved in Forum leadership speaks volumes about what this organization means to its members. I am now moving on to “make space” for a new group of Forum leaders, and I could not be more excited for the future. Our incoming Chair and my dear friend, Keith Bergeron, has much in store for you in this coming bar year. I am sure that he and the other Forum leaders who follow will honor Ms. Mayes’ leadership model by making space for the many members who have the ability and the drive to do great things.

It has been an honor to serve this wonderful organization as your Chair. I thank all of you for the opportunity. Now, I look forward to the best position in the Forum–Immediate Past Chair.