As you know from a prior communication to the MCB membership, Nancy Roberson is no longer with the Mecklenburg County Bar. Nancy served our Bar and Foundation well as Executive Director for over 15 years, and we are grateful for all she helped the MCB and MBF accomplish. One of the things Nancy did that demonstrates her great foresight was to help the MCB Board plan for her eventual departure. With Nancy’s assistance, the Board approved in February 2018, and has in place, a recommended succession plan for the Executive Director position. The succession plan includes recommendations on how to conduct the search for our next MCB/MBF Executive Director. Also, in 2009, Nancy recommended that the MCB Board appoint an Assistant Executive Director, someone who would be prepared to act in the capacity of the Executive Director in her absence. Leah Campbell has served as our Assistant Executive Director since 2015.
So, although we are presently without an Executive Director, we are in a great position to move forward, and we are prepared to act. The plan the MCB Board adopted calls for the establishment of an Executive Succession Search Committee made up of MCB members who share and reflect the diverse constituency and backgrounds of lawyers in Mecklenburg County. According to the recommendations, the Search Committee should include the MCB President, the MCB President-Elect, and the MCB Immediate Past President. It should also include the Mecklenburg Bar Foundation (“MBF”) President-Elect, the Chair of the Young Lawyers Division, as well as one MCB Board member and one MBF Board member. The Search Committee is to be rounded out by four MCB members selected by the MCB Executive Committee. The MCB President-Elect, Chris Lam of Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP, serves as Chair of the Search Committee. I expect that by the time you’re reading this, that group already will be hard at work. If you have comments, questions, or suggestions, let us know.
What are we doing until we hire a new Executive Director? Given Leah’s role as Assistant Executive Director and long history with the Bar and the Foundation, the MCB Board has named Leah Interim MCB/MBF Executive Director. Leah joined the MCB staff in 2006 working on events and bar communications. In 2009, Leah transitioned to serve as the first-ever Director of Foundation Development for the MBF, overseeing and executing the preparation, organization and administration of MBF’s fundraising initiatives. Leah stayed in that role until 2015, when she was named Assistant Executive Director, as well as Director of Communications & Events. In that role, in addition to assisting the Executive Director with the day-to-day administration and operation of the MCB and implementation of the strategic plan and annual goals, Leah has been responsible for developing and implementing the communications, outreach and events strategies for the MCB.
We are grateful for Leah’s service during this time of transition. P.S.: Leah is a unicorn – just checking to see if you’re still reading – she’s a native of Charlotte. She graduated from UNC Chapel Hill in 2002 with a B.A. from the School of Journalism & Mass Communication with a concentration in Public Relations.