ABA annual meeting. Adapting Annual

• Author: Amanda Robert, Lee Rawles
• Pages: 67-68

Plans for term:

“When I was chair of the Senior

Lawyers Division, I used the acronym

‘WISE.’ That is what I would like to

use as my goal for service on the board.

The ‘W’ stands for well-being, and that

involves the nancial well-being of the

ABA and also the physical, nancial

and mental well-being of our members.

‘I’ is innovative. We need as an orga-

nization to think outside of the box as

we plan and implement programs and

projects. ‘S’ is service. The ABA needs to

be of service to our members. We need

to make sure that our members receive

benets and value. And ‘E’ is experi-

ence. We are fortunate to have many

experienced attorneys, and it’s import-

ant for them to share their knowledge

with other ABA members.”

Vickie Yates Brown Glisson

GOAL III WOMAN MEMBER-AT-LARGE

President of VYBG

Consulting in Lou-

isville, Kentucky.

Former candidate

for Congress in

2018 and secretary

of the Kentucky

them a trajectory where they can go

into service or make contributions.”

Marvin S. C. Dang

GOAL III MINORITY MEMBER-AT-LARGE

Managing member of the Law Ofces

of Marvin S. C.

Dang in Honolulu.

Former member of

the Hawaii House

of Representatives.

Member of the

House of Delegates

since 2018. Imme-

diate-past chair of the Senior Lawyers

Division; vice-chair of the Diversity &

Inclusion Committee; and liaison to

the Commission on Racial and Ethnic

Diversity in the Profession, Commis-

sion on Sexual Orientation and Gender

Identity, and Diversity and Inclusion

Advisory Council. Member of the Fund

for Justice and Education. Former

member-at-large of the Solo, Small Firm

and General Practice Division Council.

Member of the National Asian Pacif-

ic American Bar Association-Hawaii

Board of Directors. Received JD in

1978 from George Washington Univer-

sity Law School.

ABA Insider | ABA LEADERSHIP

ABA ANNUAL MEETING

Adapting

Annual

In light of the COVID-19 pandemic,

this year’s ABA Annual Meeting

will take place virtually

BY AMANDA ROBERT

AND LEE RAWLES

In response to the evolving

COVID-19 pandemic, the ABA

Board of Governors decided in

April that this year’s annual meet-

ing will be entirely virtual.

The 2020 ABA Annual Meeting is

scheduled for July 29 to Aug. 4. In addi-

tion to nearly 500 meetings and events,

it includes the convening of the board

to discuss the association’s business

matters and the House of Delegates to

consider a number of policy proposals.

“While we will not meet in person

this summer in Chicago, I am pleased

that we will nonetheless gather togeth-

er to continue our important work,”

ABA President Judy Perry Martinez

said. “The ABA will present our annual

meeting this year with a fresh new ap-

proach to our always-informative and

inspiring event that so many of us and

our families look forward to.”

The virtual meeting will be free to

ABA members.

“The health and safety of attendees

and staff remains the primary concern

of the ABA,” ABA Executive Director

Jack Rives says. “The decision to go

virtual will allow us to give our mem-

bers the best possible meeting expe-

rience while guaranteeing everyone’s

well-being. We also expect that many of

the innovations incorporated into this

year’s meeting will be added to future

in-person meetings.”

The ABA already has canceled the

in-person portions of dozens of events,

including ABA Day in April. Chang-

ing the association’s main lobbying

day into a virtual event actually led to

more participation, says Rives, and that

success will inuence planning for the

annual meeting.

“We had bigger numbers that were

able to communicate with their repre-

sentatives on Capitol Hill than we did

in the past, when you had to be here to

really be heard,” Rives says. “We will

learn some lessons from that and apply

them to the future.”

Making the call

Rives says a working group of both

staff and members studied options for

Cabinet for Health and Family Services

(2015-2018). Member of the Youth

at Risk Advisory Commission since

2017. Chair of the Health Law Section

(2008-2009). Received JD in 1979 from

the University of Kentucky J. David

Rosenberg College of Law.

Plans for term:

“There are initiatives that I want

to help support that are within the

Diversity and Inclusion Center. The Grit

Project, for instance, is a wonderful

initiative. I live on a farm, where you

better be gritty and have the mindset

that you are tenacious and will rise to

the occasion.

“So many times, women have not

been called upon to dig down into

themselves. I am that representative

for women, and I want to be able to

represent their interests and continue

the growth we see in diversity and ac-

ceptance. I also want to work with the

other Goal III entities to help them have

that inclusion and diversity.”

Reason to serve:

“I really believe in the American Bar

Association. I believe in its mission and

its overarching ability to support our

profession.” Q

Photos by Danny Duran, courtesy of Vickie Yates Brown Glisson

ABA JOURNAL | JUNE–JULY 2020

67