ALA Gateway: Message From The President
Posted by admin1 on Aug. 6, 2023 / Subscribe 0
Hello to all Gateway Members and Business Partners! A lot has happened in the past couple of months, so let’s jump right in with a quick recap of what we have done as well as what we have on deck.
It has been a very busy year thus far and our Gateway teams have been hard at work with our many Chapter events.
IN CASE YOU MISSED THEM
June 21st – The Chapter held its first social connections custom flower making event. Our group made beautiful flower arrangements while networking over delicious food and drinks. Thank you to Lewis Rice for hosting the event and to our sponsoring Business Partners Lexitas and Adams & Martin Group!
June 25th - Our Chapter, through its DEIA and Strategic Alliance Teams, attended the 2023 Grand Pride Parade. This year’s event was our biggest attendance to date! Thank you to Lexitas for hosting a pre-parade event for our attendees.
July 19th - Katie Rodriquez Banister from Access-4-All, LLC presented a very powerful session at our Women Who Lead in Law event - Being Your Own Ambassador: Creating an Authentic Brand”. This event is co-presented each year by our Chapter and the International Legal Technology Association (“ILTA”). Thank you to our Gateway Business Partners Sherry Hurst Legal Recruiting and Cyber Threat Group for sponsoring our event and thank you to Greensfelder for hosting!
July 20th - 22nd - Several members of the Chapter’s Board of Directors attended ALA’s Chapter Leadership Institute (“CLI”) in New Orleans, LA, networking with members from nearly 60 other chapters, the Board of Directors at the National Level and members of the Chapter Resource Team to collaborate and discuss best practices in membership growth, engagement, finances, inclusiveness, business partner relationships and more. Our Chapter’s very own board members, Allison Worley, Kara Brostron and Julie Logan were selected to speak at this year’s CLI event!
July 25th - The Gateway Chapter hosted a luncheon for the students of the St. Louis Internship Program (“SLIP”). At this event several members along with Thompson Coburn partner, Judge Booker Shaw, held a panel discussion about the various careers in the legal industry, and how some of our very own Chapter leaders got to be where they are today. Thank you to Thompson Coburn for hosting our event and to our panel members, Judge Booker Shaw, Casie Galczynski, Kristen Noll, Kim Kelly, Jessie Fenton and Terri Cole for sharing their career journey stories with the SLIP students!
July 27th - The Gateway Chapter held its annual New Member Social Event offering networking opportunities for our newer members and prospective members of our Chapter. This is an event favorite of our Chapter as we have the opportunity to share why ALA is so important to us. Thank you to Business Partner, LexisNexis for sponsoring our event!
UPCOMING CHAPTER EVENTS YOU WON’T WANT TO MISS
Be on the lookout for upcoming Chapter events in August & September:
August 10th - DEIA Event - Keyway Center for Diversion and Reentry (formerly or Center for Women in Transition event). Please join us for breakfast and networking as we learn about the services provided by Keyway and hear stories from women who have benefitted from the organization. For more information on the event, including registration and information for donations, click here.
August 16th - Educational Event - Building Trust. Loeb Leadership will be presenting on the topic of building team trust. The event will be held via zoom and is free to all members and Business Partners. To register click here.
August 31st - KidSmart - This is a Community Connections event for all members and Business Partners from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m., where we will help with inventory of new school supplies. For more information on the event and to register, click here.
September 27th - SAVE THE DATE for our annual Legal Forum and Business Partner Showcase. Be on the lookout for more details from our Business Partner Relations Team!
UPCOMING CONFERENCES
There are also some upcoming conferences you may be interested in attending:
ALA’s Intellectual Property Conference for Legal Management Professionals, taking place this September 21-23 at the Omni Parker House Hotel, in Boston, Massachusetts.
ALA’s Executive Leadership Summit, taking place this September 28-30 at the Hilton San Diego Gaslamp Quarter, in San Diego, California.
ALA’s Legal Management Fundamentals, taking place this October 13–14 at the Omni Parker House Hotel, in Boston, Massachusetts.
For more information on ALA’s upcoming conferences, click here.
A CALL FOR VOLUNTEERS AT THE NATIONAL LEVEL
Have you ever considered volunteering at the National level? Volunteering with ALA is a great way to get involved with members of ALA across the country and allows you hands-on opportunities to help shape ALA’s future. Several members of our Gateway Chapter have volunteered that the National level and have said the following about their experiences and roles within the organization:
Kara M. Brostron, CLM: I have served on the ALA International level since 2018 as a part of the inaugural Chapter Resource Team, Chair of the Austin Annual Conference in Austin TX in 2021 and now as the Chair of the Product and Service Review Committee. These positions have gotten me out of my comfort zone and really elevated my interpersonal and leadership skills. I couldn’t be the professional I am today without the friends I have met along the way. Volunteer more and get uncomfortable!
Brenda Deertz: Brenda was selected to serve a three-year term on ALA’s Membership Development Committee (MDC). The role of the Committee is to educate new and existing members of the value of their membership, help them find the resources they need and to engage more members. Each committee member has specific roles and Brenda and others are responsible for collaboration with the CRT (Chapter Resource Team) on 1) assisting struggling chapters with the membership engagement; 2) provide monthly information from MDT to the CRT as well as other items and she keeps the board members advised and of involved with membership events.
Mary L. Jennings, CLM, SPHR, SPHR-SCP: Mary serves on the Standards Review committee and has offered the following: ALA offers many opportunities at the National Level to grow your leadership skills, build teamwork, the opportunity to share your experience and help others grow, collaborate with colleagues from different geographic footprints, as well supports an organization which advances and promotes how vital law firm administration is the success of law firms. The rewards are many!
If you are interested in volunteering at the National level, please reach out to Jill O’Connell [email protected].
KUDOS TO OUR CHAPTER MEMBERS
We have a couple of shout outs to a few of our Gateway members. Please feel free to reach out and congratulate them on their achievements!
Congratulations to ALA Gateway members Jodi Flieg, Casie Galczynski, Donna Sobkoviak, MBA, CLM and Cindy Stephens on their inclusion in this year’s Unsung Legal Heroes awards! Check it out!
Julie S. Logan, SHRM-SCP, SPHR: Julie Logan celebrated her 25th anniversary this year with ALA!!! Way to go, Julie!
If you are aware of achievements of other Chapter members, please email me at [email protected]. I would love to recognize them in my next President’s message!
REMINDER ABOUT A FEW ALA RESOURCES FOR MEMBERS & BUSINESS PARTNERS
Just a reminder that ALA has resources available to you as part of your membership benefits, whether a regular member OR a Business Partner at the National level.
Legal Management Magazine (LMM): Included in this publication, you will find topics covering ALA’s five knowledge areas - Legal Industry/Business Management; Human Resources Management; Financial Management; Communications and Organizational Management; and Operations Management. For your convenience, we have added a link to LMM to our website. Click here for the most recent issue.
ALA’s Business Partner Center: There are several ALA opportunities for Business Partners at the National level including marketing, advertising, exhibits, sponsorships and VIP Program. You can see all of these opportunities outlined in ALA’s Business Partner Center.
THAT’S A WRAP
That’s “all of the things” for now. We will reconnect with more updates in a few months when the weather is a little more agreeable - hopefully. Pumpkins and apple spice are just around the corner 😊.
“Give yourself permission to live a big life. Step into who you are meant to be. Stop playing small. You’re meant for greater things.” @leadershipfirst.
Lori Hanlon
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