PRESIDENT'S LETTER
I know it sounds cliché, but it really is hard to believe I am entering my second year as President. Thank you for reelecting me to serve another term as President of WDALA. Being the leader at times is daunting, but with your help, I know I can make it through.
Just a little bit about me, I am employed with the ND Legal Self Help Center as a Citizens Access Paralegal. The ND Legal Self Help Center is part of the North Dakota courts and assists self-represented individuals navigate the ND court system. I have over 20 years of service with the State of North Dakota, with previous employment in the Department of Human Services, the Department of Transportation, and Workforce Safety and Insurance. I am married to Todd and have two daughters, MacKenzie, who is in 7th grade and Katelynne, who is in 6th grade. In our free time we love to watch the Nebraska Cornhuskers and spend time together.
The WDALA Board is working on a number of exciting projects for the next year. Please see the various officer reports in this issue of the Summons for information and updates.
I saw a number of new faces at the Fall Seminar and enjoyed interacting with all the attendees. There was a nice mix of seasoned paralegals, those new to the field, and those in between. The speakers covered a variety of topics and the Seminar Planning Committee did an awesome job pulling it all together – well done!
Two new WDALA members were elected to serve on the WDALA Board for 2016-2017, Lindy Gandy, Second Vice President, and Megan Zerface, Region III Director. Welcome to WDALA and to the WDALA Board! I would also like to
welcome back Charlene Smith, ACP, who was elected Secretary.
A special thank you and welcome back to the Officers and Directors who were re-elected to serve another term in their positions – Afton Basden, CP, First Vice President, Corrina Pfaff, Treasurer, Alice Johnson, ACP, NALA Liaison, and Mary Sue Knutson, CLA, Region II Director. This is a wonderful group of paralegals and I look forward to working with them in the year ahead.
I am a strong believer in saying “THANK YOU” to those that help and volunteer their time and resources for the betterment of WDALA. At the end of the Annual Meeting, I recognized the following paralegals for their hard work in 2015-2016. In addition, I presented them with the corresponding (candy) to reflect their positions. Thanks again to the following members for their hard work:
•First Vice President – Afton Basden, CP - As First Vice President you will oversee all of the great educational programs that WDALA provides. Lottery schemes, ethics, consumer protection, and personal safety are some of the programs that fall under your watchful eye. As First Vice president you will offer support and assistance to the president and may be called on to preside at a meeting. Chairing the education committee you will find that some ideas are plain (plain M&Ms), while some are real nutty (peanut M&Ms). May these help you select successful programs that will interest the WDALA membership.
•Second Vice President – Tami Hulm, ACP, and Lindy Gandy - As 2nd Vice President, you to have a vital role on the Board. You serve as membership chair and review and approve membership applications and keep a current roll of the membership of WDALA. You also process renewal of memberships. May this help you keep score (SKOR) of the membership total and help to keep the membership roster current.
•Secretary – Debi Osterby and Charlene Smith, ACP - As secretary you are the official record keeper of WDALA. It is your duty to keep accurate minutes of WDALA's meetings. When