Schedule and Education

 

Website & Resources Toolbox

Join us for this interactive, one-hour tour of the ALA website through the eyes of the chapter leader. You will learn where to find resources, how to create and update your profile and how to use the new Online Community, including the discussion rooms. You will also discover where to find the chapter resource page, education, events and the ALA Education Hub app. You will learn about the leadership and networking opportunities, where to find the volunteer and vaccination policies, and much more!

  • Gain a deeper knowledge of the website so that you can help members be active and engaged in ALA.
  • Be an expert on the resources available to members, leaders and volunteers.
  • Learn the location of the education and social media resources to help you and your chapter gain attention and visibility.

Speakers

Rose Jaworecki

 Rose Jaworecki

Rose A. Jaworecki is the New York Legal Office Administrator at Thompson Hine, LLP, in New York City. In 2020, she assisted with the creation, implementation and co-management of the firm’s National Resource Group. Jaworecki has served on the board of the New York City Chapter of ALA as a Vice President and President. In 2021, Jaworecki began a two-year term on ALA’s Chapter Resource Team. 

Clara Onderdonk, CLM

 Clara Onderdonk, CLM

Clara Onderdonk, CLM, is an Office Manager at Ernstrom & Dreste, LLP, in Rochester, New York. She has served as President of the Western and Central New York Chapter of ALA. At the international level of ALA, she has served on the Regional Nominating Committee twice, on the Association Nominating Committee, as a Region 1 Representative and on the Annual Conference & Expo Planning Committee three times. She is currently serving on the Chapter Resource Team. In May, she will begin a three-year term as a Director on the Board of Directors. 

Karie Rivkin, CLM

 Karie Rivkin, CLM

Karie Rivkin, CLM, is the Chief Financial Officer in the Austin, Texas, office of Eichelbaum Wardell Hansen Powell & Munoz, PC. For the Austin Chapter of ALA, Rivkin chaired several committees and served as President from 2013 to 2014. From there, she served on the ALA Nominating Committee, as a Region 4 Representative and as a Product and Service Review Committee member and Chair. She currently serves on ALA’s Board of Directors. 

  • Education
 

Chapter Leader Training: Fiduciary Responsibilities

ALA chapter leaders who serve in a board or officer position take on unique responsibilities that accompany those roles. Carrying out these responsibilities well helps a chapter leader not only satisfy legal and financial standards but also foster overall effective chapter management by clearly defining expectations and assigning accountability. This session will inform chapter leaders about important fiduciary duties and considerations. 

  • Review the general legal responsibilities of a chapter board.
  • Recognize the overall areas of financial responsibility of a chapter board.
  • Explain the unique relationship between a chapter and ALA.
  • Discuss other best practices and key duties of chapter leaders owed to a chapter’s members and business partners.

Speakers

Stephanie Hood

 Stephanie Hood

Stephanie Hood is the Chief Operating Officer of Sulloway & Hollis in Concord, New Hampshire. With more 25 years of law firm experience, she works closely with firm leadership to draft and improve process, develop and implement strategy, and focus on the financial and cultural health of the firm. Hood has served the Boston Chapter of ALA in many capacities, including President. In addition, she has served as the President of the Foundation of ALA. She is a current member of the Chapter Resource Team. 

Kevin Lee, JD, MDiv

 Kevin Lee, JD, MDiv

Kevin S. Lee, JD, MDiv, is the Building Management Administrator for the City of San Jose. He has been in the legal profession for more than 25 years, working as a Senior Litigation Legal Analyst — specializing in intellectual property and general business litigation with several prominent law firms — and as a Legal Support Manager at the City of San Jose Attorney’s Office. Additionally, he served as a board member for ALA’s Silicon Valley Chapter and as a member of the Chapter Resource Team. He is currently serving on ALA’s Board of Directors.

Kathryn Vidal, CLM, SHRM-CP

 Kathryn Vidal, CLM, SHRM-CP

Kathryn Vidal, CLM, SHRM-CP, is the Office Manager at Squire Patton Boggs (US) LLP. She has been a legal administrator since 1992. She has served ALA in several capacities, including Vice President and President of the Houston Chapter and member and Chair of the Regional Legal Management Conference Planning Committee. She is currently on the Certification Committee and the Chapter Resource Team. 

 

Wednesday's Continue the Conversation

The conversation continues in this 30-minute virtual discussion. Participants can go over what they learned in the previous sessions, share chapter management experiences and dissect best practices.

 

Financial Controls

Beyond simply recording your chapter’s receipts and expenditures, accounting policies and procedures should set clear standards of transparency and accountability for every person involved with your chapter's financial transactions, including your board, committee chairs and volunteers. Internal financial controls help prevent theft, financial fraud and the misuse or misappropriation of funds. These same controls also help you maintain accountability to your members, sponsors, business partners and the legal community. We will discuss how establishing a clear, organized, systematic set of internal financial controls will pay dividends for your chapter’s financial sustainability and longevity.

  • Outline how chapters are organized, the hierarchy of governance documents and their impacts, and the Board of Directors’ responsibilities.
  • Discover how to manage chapter financials and incorporate key financial controls.
  • Identify best practices for preserving internal financial controls.
  • Develop a written financial policy.
  • Recognize cybersecurity risks.
  • Explain insurance options.

Speakers

Karen Beasley

 Karen Beasley

Karen Beasley is the Administrator at Thompson Miller, PA, in St. Petersburg, Florida. She is a Past President of the Suncoast Chapter and previously served as a Region 2 Regional Representative. She is currently in her second term as a member of the Chapter Resource Team. Beasley has a bachelor’s degree in English from the University of South Florida and has been a legal administrator since 1998.

Suzy Klepac

 Suzy Klepac

Suzy Klepac is the Office Administrator at Kirk & Chaney in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Since April 2015, Klepac has been in an ALA leadership role either in her chapter or at international level of the Association. For the Oklahoma City Chapter, she has served as Social Media and Communications Chair, Treasurer, Secretary, President-Elect and President. Klepac is currently a Chapter Resource Team member. She also co-moderates the First Five Online Community.

Amanda Koplos, CLM, CPA

 Amanda Koplos, CLM, CPA

Amanda Koplos, CLM, CPA, is the Executive Director for Shuffield Lowman & Wilson, PA, in Orlando, Florida. Koplos has been active in ALA since February 2005. She has held numerous positions at the local, regional and international levels. She was on the Austin Chapter’s board for many years and served as the 2009–2010 President. Additionally, she served on the 2012 Annual Conference & Expo Planning Committee; spent three years as a member of the Association’s Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility Committee; and joined the ALA Board of Directors in 2021. 

 

Get with the Programming

Join us in elevating your chapter’s programming as we walk through tips and resources at the international and chapter levels on topics including best practices for education, business partners, mentoring and events.

  • Review and arm chapters with the best practices for success in networking and events within your committees, community and the association communities.
  • Identify resources through our business partners programs on both Association and chapter levels.
  • Educate on the Association’s resources to help chapters integrate their new members through initiatives like the Membership Ambassador program and the Foundation of ALA’s Susan L. French Emerging Leader Fellowship Program.
  • Explore education programming available to hone specific areas of legal management and continued Certified Legal Manager (CLM)® accreditation.
  • Discover or reacquaint yourself with the various educational resources and materials on current topics that ALA provides for members and chapters to help us lead the legal industry.

Speakers

Stacie Hedrick, CLM

 Stacie Hedrick, CLM

Stacie Hedrick, CLM, is the Director of Administration for Welborn Sullivan Meck & Tooley, PC, in Denver, Colorado. Hedrick joined ALA in 2005 and served on various roles for the Mile High Chapter, including on the Professional Development, Business Partnering and Education Committees. Wanting to take her ALA opportunities to the international level, Hedrick applied for the Chapter Resource Team and was accepted to serve a two-year term in 2020. She was re-elected to serve a second term from 2022 to 2024.

Nick Manty

 Nick Manty

Nick Manty is the Marketing Manager for the Minneapolis, Minnesota, and Salt Lake City, Utah, offices of Barnes & Thornburg, LLP. He oversees all marketing initiatives for those markets, working with a team of skilled professionals from across the country. In addition to his marketing work, Manty is also active in the National Association for Law Placement (NALP), the Legal Marketing Association (LMA) and ALA. He recently concluded his term on the Board of Directors for the Minnesota Chapter of ALA and stepped into an international role with the Chapter Resource Team. 

Holly Pulido

 Holly Pulido

Holly Pulido is the Chief Operating Officer of Slack Davis Sanger LLP in Austin, Texas. She has over 20 years of experience in all areas of legal administration and finance. She currently serves on ALA’s Board of Directors. She’s had many volunteer roles in ALA, including on the organization’s Chapter Resource Team and as President of the Austin Chapter. She is also a member of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM). 

 

Thursday's Continue the Conversation

The conversation continues in this 30-minute virtual discussion. Participants can go over what they learned in the previous sessions, share chapter management experiences and dissect best practices.

 

Run Your Board Meeting with Panache

Looking for ways to have more efficient and effective board meetings? In search of methods to increase inclusivity and the active participation of all members on your board? Then this session is for you. In this interactive workshop, we’ll discuss how to organize and conduct a meeting using basic meeting parliamentary procedure and how to get the meeting back on track if it goes off the rails. We will also discover how to boost the inclusion of all board members and facilitate open conversation. Additionally, we’ll look at how to encourage board members to be respectful of one another's differences and to understand the importance of how those differences can lead to a stronger board.

  • Conduct an orderly and effective meeting from beginning to end using basic parliamentary procedure.
  • Effectively deal with meeting interrupters and distractors.
  • Gain tips and tricks on how to be inclusive in your meetings.
  • Optimize the acceptance of diversity of thought.
  • Encourage all members of the board to actively participate in idea sharing during meetings.

Speakers

Jenna Carter

 Jenna Carter

Jenna Carter is the Director of Administration for Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman, LLP’s Northern Virginia office. She currently serves on ALA's Board of Directors, where she has assumed the role of Association Treasurer. She is also a Past President of the ALA Capital Chapter. Carter earned her master’s degree in accounting from Strayer University in Washington, D.C.

Kameelah Hakeem, MBA

 Kameelah Hakeem, MBA

Kameelah Hakeem, MBA, is the Director of Administration for the Los Angeles, California, office of Sullivan & Cromwell LLP. Hakeem attended law school and has a master’s in business administration. As the current President of the Greater Los Angeles Chapter of ALA, Hakeem is coming to the close of an exciting term that leveraged the innovation, creativity and diverse talent in her chapter to offer continuing education to its members. She is also a member of ALA’s Chapter Resource Team. 

Terri Moore-Natal, SPHR

 Terri Moore-Natal, SPHR

Terri Moore-Natal, SPHR, is the Firm Manager at Holzer Patel Drennan, a boutique intellectual property and business law firm in Denver, Colorado. Moore-Natal is certified as a Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) and is a Past President of the Mile High Chapter of ALA. She is currently serving ALA as a Membership Ambassador and Chapter Resource Team member. 

 

Leading Volunteer Leaders

As legal professionals, many of us know all about managing employees and working with our teams in the office. Working with and leading volunteer leaders can be an entirely different challenge. While volunteers are ready and willing to help, real-life issues can still arise. In this session, we will explore leadership and how to successfully lead and engage other volunteer leaders.

  • Discuss the basics (and benefits) of volunteer leadership.
  • Explore what makes a good volunteer leader.
  • Share ideas on creating successful volunteer teams.
  • Discuss how to lead a group of volunteers and handle issues if they arise.
  • Discuss how the Board can navigate challenges

Speakers

Sarah Cramer

 Sarah Cramer

Sarah Cramer is Manager of Administrative Services at Lathrop GPM LLP. Her primary focus is coordination, management and development of legal administrative assistants in the firm's Kansas City, Missouri, office. Cramer has more than 12 years of law firm experience in various legal support roles. She joined ALA in 2013 and is an active Greater Kansas City Chapter member, serving in various roles including President, Business Partner Committee Co-Chair and Membership Committee Chair. Cramer serves on ALA’s Chapter Resource Team. 

Debra Elsbury, CLM

 Debra Elsbury, CLM

Debra Elsbury, CLM, is the Firm Administrator for Threlkeld Stevenson in Indianapolis, Indiana. She attended Marian College and earned her Certified Legal Manager (CLM)® credential in 2009. Elsbury has been a very involved member of ALA and the Indiana Chapter since 2003, having served her chapter in various roles and now serving the international Association as Immediate Past President. 

Andrea Everage, CLM, MHR, PHR, SHRM-CP

 Andrea Everage, CLM, MHR, PHR, SHRM-CP

Andrea Everage, CLM, MHR, PHR, SHRM-CP, is the California HR Business Partner for Baker McKenzie. She earned a master’s degree focused in human relations from the University of Oklahoma. She is skilled in administration, management, facilities, organizational development and recruiting. Everage attained her Certified Legal Manager (CLM)® designation in 2020.

 

Friday's Continue the Conversation

The conversation continues in this 30-minute virtual discussion. Participants can go over what they learned in the previous sessions, share chapter management experiences and dissect best practices.