Kba President
| Publication year | 2019 |
| Pages | 09 |
| Citation | Vol. 88 No. 1 Pg. 09 |
Gratitude and Hope
by Sarah E. Warner
It's customary at the end of a KBA President's term for a person to write a final column reflecting on the successes and challenges of the past year, thanking everyone who has contributed to moving the KBA toward its goals. My time as president ends June 30, and—for better or worse—this is far from my last column. Nevertheless now—the dawn of 2019 and the midway point of my term—is an excellent time to pause and recognize someone who went above and beyond to devote his time and efforts to the betterment of our organization in 2018.
As you likely know, I was elected president in a time of transition with the passing of Bruce Kent. Those challenges were heightened by our former executive director's move to a different organization two days after that election.
In light of shake-ups in leadership at both the president and executive director levels, the KBA Board of Governors determined that it would be best to seek to bring in an interim executive director while we conducted a nationwide search for the person who would direct the organization in the long term. We made a wishlist of qualities we would like to have in an interim director: A lawyer who understood the profession and wouldn't need a lot of time to get up to speed. A professional who would be willing to come into the office every day to be present for the KBA staff. Someone who had a history with the organization. Someone who could administer and plan a budget for an organization our size. Someone who valued service and could inspire others to serve. And—perhaps most notably—someone who had the time to run the organization. It was a long list, and even I, who tend at times toward grating optimism, wondered where we were going to find someone with the skills and the willingness to take the helm.
A few days later, I was on the phone with Hon. Evelyn Z. Wilson from Shawnee County, talking about her colleague Hon. Larry Hendricks. Judge Hendricks had just retired from the bench in March of this year, looking forward to spending time travelling with his wife and seeing his children and grandchildren. In many ways, Larry was exactly the type of person we were seeking. Before serving as a judge, he had been in private practice in Topeka where he was managing partner of his law firm and served as city attorney for Alma, Auburn, Lecompton, and Perry—in other...
To continue reading
Request your trial