Opening General Session

with Amelia Beard, Beth Feder, Gary Lesser and Braulio Rosa

General Session I – Keynote Speaker Dr. Damon Friedman

General Session II – Conversation with Gary Lesser

General Session III – Rapid Fire Ideas for Sponsorships

with Lauren Baugh, Teresa Conte and Aaron McCurdy

Learn results-oriented strategies and techniques for recruiting and retaining sponsors. Become equipped to deploy the Nine “R” Strategies to hit and exceed your target goals. Strengthen your bootcamp basics – the importance of networking, the effectiveness of community boards, maximizing leadership, creating exciting events with high return on investment, and other tactics. Know the fundamentals before squeezing the trigger.

Recruiting, Shaping & Sustaining Board Members (Basic)

with Valeria Obi, Ani Rodriguez-Newbern and Christine Senne

Recruiting and keeping strong board talent takes practice. This session is for the new recruits (and those looking to train up their new recruits)! Three seasoned veterans of voluntary bar leadership will discuss the expectations that board leaders have for new members, tools for training new members for success in your organization, and advice on how to be a better board member based on years in the trenches.

Change of Command: Successful Leadership Transitions (Advanced)

with Paige Greenlee, Lori Ellen Ward and Grace Yang

Leadership transitions happen in every bar association. Careful planning, cooperation, and communication can help transitions go more smoothly when there is a change in command. Attend this session to hear from bar leaders who have been through transitions and share ideas to optimize your next change in command.

The Lone Soldier (Front Line)

with Melissa Byers and Jeff Nall

Budgets and Financial Readiness (Basic)

with Brendalyn Edwards and Jane Muir

Budgets and finances are critical to the overall success of any organization. Every association is unique, but regardless of the size, most depend on member dues, meetings, sponsorships and education for income. Become better equipped to tackle this not-so-fun, but necessary task. Participants will receive a detailed explanation of current accounting, tax rules and requirements for nonprofit organizations. Presenters will cover financial statements, audits, IRS form 990, internal controls, and dashboard reporting.

Wiping Out the Traditional Membership Model (Advanced)

with Jenny Brown, Kyleen Hinkle and Craig Shoup

For decades, bar associations have maintained a traditional approach to membership. However, changing consumer habits and external factors have led some associations to re-think traditional membership models to stay relevant and to improve member engagement, recruitment, and retention. This session will discuss the results of innovative membership models being deployed in both the general association and bar association landscape.

Ally Advice 1 – Emerging Issues (Front Line)

with Carla Brown and Braulio Rosa

This session designed for executive directors/staff will focus on the best ways to address shared emerging challenges and threats, and will cover topics such as increasing expenses, member disengagement, the war for talent and other staffing issues, the impact of COVID-19 on contracts and future events, and changes in the legal landscape.

Enlisting & Retaining New Recruits (Basic)

with Iris Elijah, Alisha Patel and Rebekah Taylor

Learn strategies for recruiting and retaining young lawyers in your organization through programming, incentives, and paths to leadership. Learn more about what the Florida Bar Young Lawyers Division is doing to help you enlist the new generation of leaders.

Putting Diversity on the Front Lines in CLE Programming (Advanced)

with Kimberly Lopez, Nikki Lewis Simon and Kenway Wong

If your CLE programming is not incorporating diversity and inclusion efforts, then your bar association may be in no man’s land. Voluntary bars are boots on the ground for the Florida Bar’s diversity and inclusion efforts, and CLE programming is a large part of the commitment. Join as we discuss the business and moral case for striving for diversity in CLE programming. The panel will review the different ways CLEs can aim to be diverse in speakers, content, and geographical reach. We will show how your organization can bite the bullet and make diversity a part of its CLE programming.

Ally Advice 2 – In the Trenches (Front Line)

with Carla Brown, Jenny Brown, John Kynes and Craig Shoup

This small group discussion forum is designed for executive directors / staff to engage in guided roundtable conversations about their current challenges and successes.

General Session IV – In the Trenches: Battling Burnout

with Melissa Byers

Technology, adrenaline addiction, and the badge of honor culture pervasive in law firms and today’s society are leading to increased rates of burnout and unhealthy coping skills. What is true wellness? What are the weapons needed in your arsenal to combat burnout? Don’t miss this seminar focused on real world guidance to achieve wellness while facing daily professional challenges!

Innovative Tech Solutions to Advance Your Bar (Basic)

with Adriana Linares and Liz McCausland

This session will cover common and affordable technology solutions, programs, and services that can help your bar association efficiently manage bar business, communicate with members, and keep internal records, information, and data secure and centralized.

Planning, Strategy, Tactics, Targets (Advanced)

with Jared Krukar, Lauren Millcarek and Zack Zuroweste

Overcoming Sticky Situations – Navigating Bar Politics (Front Line)

with Braulio Rosa and Lauren Rubenstein

The heavily armed and superbly equipped army is most frequently undone by the unexpected. Such is true for associations. A divisive board member or external crisis can shake up an organization. Learn first-hand from a past president and current chief staff officer how they have handled board members who frustrate the effective governance of the organization and how they have addressed other unplanned challenges in a way that benefits both the organization and those it serves.

General Session V – War Stories from Veteran Bar Generals

with Sia Baker-Barnes, Josh Chilson, John Schifino and Robert Vaughan

This esteemed panel of active leaders all started their service commitment to voluntary bars as new recruits. Listen in on this informal conversation as they recall voluntary bar leadership experiences in a collection of stories that are heartwarming, heroic, harrowing and even at times, hilarious. It’s a steady drumbeat of real war stories told by those who lived them.