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National Association
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Tulsa, OK 74119
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NALA Annual
Meeting
News - 2008
NALA Membership
Adopts Bylaw Amendments
ALL Directors Now Elected by ALL Members
Background
During its meeting on March 1, the NALA Board of
Directors considered proposed amendments the NALA
bylaws Article IV Directors and Article X Committees
and Their Duties.
With these amendments, the Board of Directors
recommended two changes in NALA procedures. The
first was the method of electing members to the NALA
Board of Directors. The second related to the
requirements of members of the NALA Professional
Development Committee.
Method of electing NALA Regional Directors.
The prior procedure provided that NALA active
members elect one member of the NALA Board of
Directors who is located in their geographic region.
The method of election was by mail ballot and
results were announced during the NALA annual
meeting of members. This procedure had been in
effect since NALA was formed. There was one
amendment to the procedure recently which allowed
that if there is only one candidate for the director
position, a ballot is not required and the candidate
is automatically declared a director of the
corporation.
The NALA Board of Directors recommended a change to
this procedure for many reasons, including:
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NALA voting members
should have a voice in the election of all members
of the NALA Board of Directors, not just the
national officers and one member of the Board of
Directors.
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All members of the NALA
Board of Directors make decisions for the entire
membership.
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The needs of NALA members are not
geographically based.
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NALA does not have a regional structure.
NALA is a nationally based, individual membership organization.
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Candidates for the NALA Board of Directors
should have an opportunity to address the NALA membership in person and
members should have an opportunity to ask questions of the candidates.
The amendment did not change the requirement that candidates for
regional director must work in or reside in the geographic region for
which they are seeking election, nor does it recommend a change in the
term of office. While the NALA Board of Directors recognized that the
needs of NALA members are not geographically based, the Board believes
it is important to maintain a diverse geographic representation on the
board. As a national organization, NALA representatives are often
asked to speak to NALA affiliated associations and other law related
groups. It is helpful that board members are dispersed throughout the
US to help with these requests. With reference to the two year term,
the board did not believe a change in this was necessary and the fact
that board members have staggered terms helps the board maintain its
on-going work.
Professional Development Committee. The amendment to the
description of the PDC in the NALA bylaws was to delete this sentence:
“No member shall be reappointed for a successive term except that a
member appointed to fill an unexpired term may be reappointed for a
successive full term.” The PDC was the only committee in NALA in which
members are prohibited from serving successive terms. The board
considered that it may be helpful to the on-going projects of the PDC
to allow successive terms, particularly if the PDC is involved in the
launch of new programs, such as the LEAP program this year.
2008 Annual Awards . . .below are descriptions of the recipients
of the 2008 NALA membership awards. Consider those you work with
and your colleagues for nominations for the 2009 awards. The
nomination forms may be found on the
NALA Forms page. |
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Congratulations!
Recipients of the 2008 Awards
Click on the following links to open an article
summarizing the award recipients of the 2008 NALA Annual Convention:
2008 Founders Award
Amy Howe, Esq.
2008 Affiliated Associations Outstanding Contribution Award
Cathy L. Davis, ACP
Alabama Association of Paralegals, Inc. |
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Congratulations to the recipients of the
2008 NALA Affiliate Awards |
Arkansas
Shermaine Dowling, CP
Arkansas Paralegal Alliance, Inc. |
North Carolina
Mary Haggerty, CLA
North Carolina Paralegal Association |
Arizona
Linda Mattern, PLS, CLAS
Tucson Paralegal Association
California
Dawn M. DuRocher, ACP
Inland Counties Association of ParalegalsJennifer Gibbs
Los Angeles Paralegal Association
Dennis Nakata
Orange County Paralegal Association
Florida
Ken Blanning
Central Florida Paralegal Association
Cindy L. Houston, CP
Northeast Florida Paralegal Association
Georgia
Jaylen Fenton Katzman, ACP
Southeastern Association of Legal Assistants
Nevada
Patricia L. Alstatt, ACP
Nevada Paralegal Association Christine M. Saito, ACP
Sierra Nevada Paralegal Association
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Oklahoma
Deborah L. Overstreet, CP
Oklahoma Paralegal Association
Terri Cooper, CP
Tulsa Association of Legal Assistants
Tennessee
Sheila L. Williams, ACP
Smoke Mountain Paralegal Association
Texas
Mona Hart-Tucker, CP
Northeast Texas Association of Paralegals
Virginia
Doreen H. Hall, CP
Tidewater Paralegal Association
West Virginia
Wendi Ellis, CP
Association of West Virginia Paralegals Cynthia Lowther, ACP
Legal Assistants/Paralegals of Southern West Virginia |
NALA Board of Directors
The NALA Board of Directors consists of elected
officers (terms are one year) plus members elected
from nine regions of the country. These directors
serve on the national board for a term of 2 years.
The regional directors and states within the regions
are:
Region 1
Kathleen Bonelli, CLA
New Jersey |
Region 2
Dorothe Howell, ACP
Maryland |
Region 3
JoAnne Sorrentino, CP
Florida |
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New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island,
Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, Maine,
New Jersey, Delaware, and Pennsylvania |

West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland, Washington
D.C., North Carolina, South Carolina |

Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Tennessee,
Mississippi |
Region 4
Elizabeth Nellis, ACP
Oklahoma |
Region 5
Cheryl M. Snider, ACP
Ohio |
Region 6
Janie M. Boswell, ACP
Nebraska |
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Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Texas |

Indiana, Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois,
Kentucky, Ohio |
North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Nebraska,
Kansas, Iowa, Missouri
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Region 7
Patricia H. Allred, ACP
Utah |
Region 8
Annette R. Brown, ACP
Montana |
Region 9
Joan Wiley, ACP
Nevada |
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Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, Colorado, Wyoming |
Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Alaska, Montana |

California, Nevada, Hawaii
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National
Officers for the 2008-09 year |
President
Linda Wolf, ACP
Dallas, Texas |
First Vice President
Karen McGee, ACP
Shreveport, Louisiana |
Second Vice President
Sharon Werner, ACP
Taylor, Michigan |
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Secretary
Ann Atkinson, ACP
Omaha, Nebraska
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Treasurer
Kelly A. LaGrave, ACP
Lansing, Michigan
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As provided in the NALA bylaws, in addition to
the regional directors and officers, the voting
members of the board of directors include
members appointed by the President and ratified
by the board members:
- Linda Hess, ACP, of Omaha, Nebraska
NALA Certifying Board Chairman
- Vera Long, ACP of West Palm Beach, Florida
NALA Advanced Paralegal Certification Board
- Kathleen H. Miller, ACP,
NALA Continuing Education Council, Irvine,
California
- Kimberly J. Houser, ACP, Harrisburg,
Pennsylvania
NALA Professional Development Committee
- Jill Francisco, ACP, Huntington, West
Virginia
NALA Affiliated Associations Director (Elected
by affiliated associations)
The NALA Executive Director (a staff
position) is a non-voting member of the board. |
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Several notices are published for NALA members in FACTS & FINDINGS
throughout the year. These generally concern the election
procedure, annual meeting procedure, or other association business.
Please check this frequently to stay up to date with your association.
Forms are also listed on the NALA Forms page.
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