March Meeting: Budget, Membership, New Trustees, and Bulletin Report
By Kathleen Jensen, KCBA Executive Director
The following are highlights from the KCBA Board of Trustees meeting held on March 19, 2025, convened by KCBA President Erin Overbey.
The KCBA Board of Trustees met on March 19, 2025: President Erin Overbey called the meeting to order and welcomed all in attendance. She also introduced Lee Nacozy, the new Bar Bulletin Editor, who will be starting her role with the May issue of the Bulletin.
Next, NLD Vice Chair Ray Williams thanked the Board for their continued support of NLD events, and he encouraged their attendance at the Spring Soiree on March 27 at the Rainier Club.
Treasurer Neal Black provided highlights from the February 2025 financials, noting that we are 67% through the budget year. Revenue and expenses continue to trail the budget although membership numbers have shown an increase. There was discussion on the potential budget impact that the withdrawal of federal funding may have on our programs.
Membership Director Bridget Schuster reported on the membership front, including welcoming a new team member, the ongoing membership campaign, and planning efforts to help increase membership. In addition, she encouraged the Trustees to attend the New Member Mixer on April 23 where a vote will be taken on the proposed changes to the bylaws.
Pro Bono Services Director Judy Lin presented highlights from her report including the end of 2024 grant reporting, funding updates, and volunteer and program recognition in the Bar Bulletin. She added that this year’s Breakfast with Champions client story and video will be from the DV LEAD Project (Domestic Violence Legal Advocacy Project).
The Board handled some business matters at hand. First, they approved the 2025–2026 Board Slate, which includes: Sidney Tribe (President), Mary Sakaguchi (First Vice-President), and Cynthia Jones (Second Vice-President) for one-year terms and Trustees Peter Talevich, Lindsey Pflugrath, Johanna Coolbaugh, and Neeta Saran for three-year terms.
Then the Trustees discussed the Bar Bulletin Task Force report and the proposed editorial guidelines with Task Force Chair Benjamin Gould before approving the feedback to be incorporated in a revised version for approval at the next Board meeting.
Finally, they approved their statement in support of Perkins Coie.
Before President Overbey moved to executive session, ABA Delegate Kathleen Hopkins briefly summarized important issues addressed by the Board of Governors at the ABA Midyear Meeting, noting that the finalized version of the SCOTUS Code of Ethics resolution that KCBA co-sponsored was adopted.
