president’s message
on several special occasions during the year. I thank each
and every member of the Atlanta Bar staff for their support,
cheerfulness, and assistance throughout my 366 days as
President. Each is listed below:
Michele Adams, Financial Assistant and Membership
Coordinator
Carla Brown, LRIS Director
Kari DeLoach, Receptionist who recently became our
newest employee.
Amber Johnson, LRIS Assistant
Lucia Keller, LRIS Assistant
Byron Lomas, Office Administrator
Joe Madden, Copy Center Manager
Mary Lynne McInnis, CLE Director
Mariana Pannell, Committee and Special Programs
Coordinator
Brantly Watts, Marketing Coordinator, Sections and CLE
Tanya Windham, Sections Director
Denisha Wise, Administrative Assistant to Sections and CLE
And, deserving extra special mention are two valued longtime employees who are retiring this year -- Financial Director
Nita Wilson and Executive Director Diane O’Steen.
Nita Wilson began working with the Atlanta Bar Association
in October 1975, to help with membership, becoming the
4th employee. Several years later, she began doing the
accounting and later progressed to Financial Director. For
many years, she also handled a number of Human Resource
functions. Mostly, Nita has worked quietly behind the scenes,
except when she has helped staff our bar-wide events. On
more than one occasion, our outside auditors complimented
Nita on the detailed reports she prepares, mostly manual
reports, and that every penny has been accounted for.
During Nita’s tenure, our budget has grown dramatically,
from several hundred thousand dollars in the early 1980’s
to total assets and liabilities of close to $1.3m today. We will
miss Nita when she retires at the end of June 0212 to spend
more time with her six children and eight grandchildren. All
of us sincerely appreciate and thank her for her 37 years of
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8
THE ATLANTA LAWYER
June/July 2012
dedication and service to the Atlanta Bar Association.
Last and certainly not least, is our Executive Director Diane
O’Steen. Diane joined the Atlanta Bar staff in February 1965,
clearly a young woman. As one of only 3 staff at the time,
she handled a variety of tasks, from accounting to sections
to CLE. Diane left the Atlanta Bar for one year, June 1977June 1978, but happily was persuaded to return, making this
her work home and family ever since. Twenty-six years ago
last month, Diane became our Executive Director. Many
of you cannot imagine all of the things she has done and
continues to do for us, many of them behind the scenes.
Her dedication and loyalty is remarkable. I know for certain
that Diane loves the Atlanta Bar Association and she loves
lawyers. And we love her. One of the most wonderful things
about this year has been working so closely with Diane. I
can’t begin to count the number of Diet Cokes or Chinese
lunches we have shared. Nor can I count the laughs, and
no one other than us will ever know at whose expense some
of those moments came!
I now understand clearly why so many of my predecessors
feel so deeply about her. She knows how to make you
feel comfortable and confident in a position you only pass
through for 12 short months. Diane has delayed her
retirement until later this year while we continue to search
for just the right successor. I eagerly volunteered to chair
the new Search Committee. We will have an appropriate
send-off for her as that time nears, and this publication
will include more reflections on her years of service to the
Atlanta Bar Association and our community at large. Still,
in a year focused on relationships, I could not conclude my
final remarks as President without recognizing Diane. We
will always have a very special bond as a result of all we
did together this year. I thank h