On July 12, 2012, the Honorable Lois H. Goodman administered oaths and officially installed the 2012-2013 Board of Directors of the New Jersey Women Lawyers Association (NJWLA).  The event was held at the beautiful Highlawn Pavilion at the Eagle Rock Reservation inWest Orange.

NJWLA’s new President, Galit Kierkut, spoke energetically about her vision for the upcoming year emphasizing the need to continue growing and diversifying the group’s membership and partnership with other specialty bars and commenting on issues of importance to women attorneys in the state.  The new President also promised to institute both a mentoring program and a grant initiative in the year to come, and to focus substantive programming on women’s leadership issues.

NJWLA congratulates our 2012-2013 Officers and Directors on their installation last week.  NJWLA will kickoff the year with a cocktail reception to be held at McLoone’s inWest Orangeon September 6, 2012.

The NJWLA is an independent bar association of over 500 lawyers inNew Jersey. Its mission is to retain women in the legal profession through education and activism; promote its members to the highest levels of law firm, government, academia, community and corporate positions; and endorse qualified female attorneys for appointments to the state and federal judiciary. More information about the NJWLA, including membership applications, can be found at www.njwla.org.

2012-2013 NJWLA Officers & Directors

President/Galit Kierkut
President Elect/Suzanne Cerra
Vice President/Randi Kochman
Co-Chief Operating Officers/Michelle Schaap and Renee Rubino
Co-Chief Diversity Officers/Carmen Garcia and Helen Tuttle
Chief Financial Officer/Teddy McCormick
Secretary/Linda Harvey
Co-General Counsel/Susan O’Connor and Jessica Stein Allen
Immediate Past President/Nominations Chair/Wendy Lario
At Pleasure of President/Director of Endorsements
Lynda Bennett and Kirsten Branigan
At Pleasure of the President/Director of Grants/Charitable Giving – Lynne Anderson

Committees/Directors
Membership – Loryn Lawson, Melissa Bracuti, and Ellen Torregrossa-O’Connor

Corporate Relations –Loren Pierce and Theresa Egler

Marketing –Sandy Moran, Laurie Poulos and Donna Jennings

Programming -Jemi Lucey, Kathleen Einhorn and Nancy Lottinville

Best Practices –Michelle Haas, Nicole Denise Bearce, and Laura Conway

Public Policy –Jody Carbone, Christine Bator, and Ebonee Hamilton Lewis

Diversity – El Rhonda Alston

Endorsements – Kirsten Branigan and Lynda Bennett

Judicial Outreach –Stefani Schwartz, Heather Boshak, Angela Iuso and Dina Mastellone

Women’s Leadership –Cherie Adams, Nancy Arencibia and Kelly Ann Bird

Gala – Annmarie Simeone and Susan Kleiner

Young Lawyers – Kristy Grazioso, Osato Chitou and Elyse Wolff

Solo – Carole Nowicki and Elizabeth Legiec

Grant/Charitable Giving Committee Chairs – Wendy Klein and Karen Wachs

Trustee at Large – Kristin Sostowski, Jodi Rosenberg, Susan Feeney, and Michellene Davis