Building Community and Seeking Justice Since 1886
As I create my last article for the Bar Bulletin as the Executive Director of the King County Bar Association, I am reminded of the excitement and genuine gratitude I felt to have been selected to lead the Association. Gratitude is an important element of leadership and an inherent part of Indigenous culture and teachings. I remain grateful to have had this opportunity and for the lessons, both personal and professional. As an Indigenous woman, I understand all things to be interwoven and connected and I will carry the experiences I have had, whether they reflect on successes or the deeply felt, and often painful, outcomes our members and community have experienced.
Expressing gratitude serves a particularly important role in times of change. Affirming the goodness in others should be a habit each of us aspires to achieve because it builds community and community builds our sense of belonging. When we affirm the goodness of another, especially when we find ourselves expressing divergent perspectives, we can better connect to the person rather than focusing on their differing position. Outwardly expressing gratefulness to others for sharing their divergent perspectives creates a sense of belonging and belonging breeds success.
Strategic planning is another key element in achieving change and organizational success. Because clear strategies and implementation plans focus energy and resources, they will help ensure that our staff, board committees, and membership are working toward common goals. Common goal setting and implementation provides clarity and will help our teams during the change in leadership, but also guide the process of adopting a refreshed and clearer mission for the Association and incorporating values like gratefulness and belonging into KCBA’s lexicon. With my leadership, the KCBA team has created, and the board of trustees has adopted a strategic framework and set of priorities.
On August 21, 2024, the Board of Trustees approved our framework and the following values: Building Community, Integrity, Respect, Service, and Equity and Belonging, among others. What these values mean and how they will show up in the work of the Association is made clear in the framework and will be incorporated into the implementation plan. Values will be carried by each person working to achieve our priorities and goals and success will be measured through them.
KCBA priorities to achieve our mission will be to increase member recruitment, retention, and engagement; reinvest in systems excellence and equity; rebuild the KCBA culture, enrich accessibility and belonging; and implement best practices in board governance. Each priority area will be assigned a champion to lead teams in achieving the goals required for success.
Finally, the work of our team in creating the above also resulted in a refresh of the KCBA mission. I am humbled by the opportunity I was provided to guide the Association and grateful to be able to unveil it by way of my final Bar Bulletin article: The mission of the King County Bar Association is:
To connect and serve our diverse legal community, promote professional and judicial excellence, engage in public policy, and increase access to justice.
In creating the strategic framework and priorities KCBA trustees, staff and members participated in focus groups, surveys, and planning sessions. This work was instrumental in building a strong and informed foundation for priority and goal setting. The importance of clearly identifying and communicating goals and measures of success for the next 3–5 years cannot be overstated. Communicating this work and engaging champions to lead implementation motivates all involved in the change process and keeps the momentum going throughout the entire process. I am so pleased to have successfully led this work and to announce it via the Bar Bulletin.
Finally, yaw^ko (a big thank you) to the hiring committee, our resolute team, and myriad members and community partners for your support of my vision for the KCBA: to prepare a framework and strategic plan to achieve a transformation of the KCBA Mission, Vision and the adoption of a values laden system. While I will no longer lead this work, I remain a member of our legal community and will remain motivated and engaged in the KCBA’s work in building community and achieving meaningful access to justice. NЛki’wah (see you again).
