By Tom Kelly

The President’s Award is given to the person who epitomizes the character and strengths of our King County Bar Association and who had been particularly helpful to the Association this year. Ginna Owens is the obvious choice.

The character of our Association is a commitment to justice and to our profession. Ginna has unbounded enthusiasm and an optimism that, if we all just try a LOT harder (as she would say), we’ll improve the quality of justice for all in our community. Each day, she pushes herself and all of us who come into contact with her toward that objective. And I can’t think of anyone who likes lawyers more. Or who believes more that lawyers really are problem-solvers.

The strengths of our Association are many, but important among them is the way our lawyers and staff are able to work together as equals to achieve our common goals. Also, this is an Association for self-starters and innovators. And for people who are willing to make financial sacrifices to do what they believe in. That’s Ginna.

Ginna came to us from the Kitsap Community Foundation in October of 2000, where she had managed a start-up public foundation for two years. Before that, she had been Development Director for Friends of Youth in Redmond for two years, and prior to that did development work in Iowa for a large human service agency called Alternative Services of Cedar Rapids. From 1973 to the time of her hiring she has worked in public affairs or development for a wide variety of non-profits and human service agencies. In 1989, while serving as Director of the Snohomish County Office of Children’s Affairs, she received the coveted Children’s Award.

Ginna’s education was as a social worker, with a BA from Marycrest College in Davenport, Iowa. She did work at the University of Illinois in Journalism, Radio and TV, graduate work in Institutional Advancement at Northern Arizona University, and more recently she completed the Managing for More Fund Raising Seminar conducted by Terry Axelrod, one of the premier development training programs.

Ginna fully supports the objectives of the Association. She is a “true believer” and genuinely considers it an honor to work to support our programs. Far from finding fund-raising work difficult -- as most of us do -- she thinks it is fun and challenging and the important way we act on our values.

Ginna was instrumental in bringing together the diversity coalition and, without detracting from the important work that all of those involved in the Coalition brought to the several diversity projects that grew out of the Coalition work, Ginna’s passion for establishing active programs (not just fund raising) to address the paucity of diversity in the legal profession was instrumental in launching the successful Future of the Law Institute and Initiative for Diversity.

Since Ginna has been with KCBA, the Foundation has consistently exceeded its financial goals, which have been ever more ambitious. Since she joined us in 2000, we have increased the amount the Foundation raised by 60%. She added membership development to her responsibilities two years ago, and since then membership has increased by 10%. She is extraordinarily creative in producing events, as well as clever and engaging written materials and the little touches that have become our stock and trade at the Breakfast With Champions. She is a vital source of encouragement and ideas to the members she works with on the Membership & Development Commit-tee, as well as to the members of the Foundation’s Board of Trustees.

We have benefited greatly from her talent and commitment. She has truly earned the gratitude of our Association and the President’s Award.