‘Bridging the Bay’ summit connects voluntary bar leaders
Leaders from voluntary bar associations across Tampa Bay gather for the Hillsborough County Bar Association’s “Bridging the Bay” summit on November 7. The event, co-chaired by Valeria Obi and Vivian Cortes Hodz, provided a forum for networking, collaboration, and sharing best practices among bar leaders.
The Hillsborough County Bar Association convened more than 40 leaders from voluntary bar associations across the Tampa Bay region on November 7 for “Bridging the Bay,” a summit designed to strengthen cross-association collaboration and highlight strategies for engagement, continuity, and joint programming.
The event was co-chaired by Valeria Obi and Vivian Cortes Hodz.
The agenda included a panel of past presidents who discussed their experiences leading volunteer-driven organizations and offered perspectives on membership engagement, continuity, and cross-association collaboration. The summit also featured networking sessions to encourage leaders to connect directly and begin identifying opportunities for co-sponsored programming, community service, and other shared initiatives.
Obi said the gathering reflected the value of strengthening relationships among voluntary bar associations.
“Our VBAs in the Tampa Bay area are already so well established on their own but we are all at our strongest when we work together,” Obi said. “This event was created when I served as a past president and it created a space for meaningful dialogue among leaders who share similar goals and challenges. By building stronger relationships, we create more opportunities for collaboration and collective impact in the legal community.
Obi said it was inspiring to see how much creativity, dedication, and passion exists within the areas voluntary bar associations.
“The connections made here are just the beginning,” she said. “We hope this summit becomes a continued tradition of unity across the bay.”
Cortes Hodz said the summit was an opportunity to bring together leaders with a range of organizational perspectives.
“Bar associations and bar leaders are stronger together and it was a privilege to have the opportunity to organize this event,” Cortes Hodz said. “Valeria and I served as past presidents of the George Edgecomb Bar Association and the Tampa Hispanic Bar Association and we are now current board members of the Hillsborough County Bar Association. This event allowed us to share our unique small and larger voluntary bar leadership backgrounds and experiences from both perspectives and to inspire current and upcoming leaders.”
