PRESIDENT ' S MESSAGE
Congratulations on Your Retirement , Terri !
Y ears ago , when deciding whether to throw my name into the proverbial hat for the Atlanta Bar Association Treasurer spot , I thought to myself , “ At least I know that with Terri Bryant as executive director , things run smoothly .” After all , having come from Section leadership , I was well familiar with Terri ’ s fantastic leadership skills and the amazing Atlanta Bar staff working with her . So when Terri and I spoke in August 2021 , and she informed me that she would be retiring from the Atlanta Bar to spend more time with her family , I took a deep breath .
First and foremost , I was excited for Terri - I know how much she loves her family , which includes several young grandsons - and the flexibility this decision would provide her to spend added time being a part of their lives . Next , I felt a little sad for myself ( moment of honesty here ) because I was losing a great executive director who made the role of president much easier . So while working to lead the Atlanta Bar to find its “ new normal ” in the continuing pandemic , I was now going to lead the Atlanta Bar to find its new executive director as well . I say “ new ” executive director instead of “ replacement ” because there is no way to “ replace ” her .
CHRISTINA M . BAUGH Barnes & Thornburg LLP cbaugh @ btlaw . com
Terri has worked with the last ten presidents of the Atlanta Bar ( including me ). It should go without saying that ten different attorneys means ten different personalities , ten different visions , and ( at least ) ten different initiatives . Through all this , Terri has worked tirelessly to leverage the strengths of the Atlanta Bar ’ s leadership to ensure the Atlanta Bar remains in the best possible position as it navigates changes in the view of what a Atlanta Bar should be , changes in technology applicable to the Atlanta Bar , and even a global pandemic . The Atlanta Bar has gained financial stability under Terri ’ s leadership , including balanced budgets and fiscal responsibility , while still spending money to ensure the Atlanta Bar has the tools and resources it needs to best suit the members . Terri led a multiyear process of revamping the Atlanta Bar ’ s website to bring it into the modern day with better mobile accessibility and more intuitive content placement . She prodded the Atlanta Bar to make necessary
4 September / October 2021