Board of Governors Candidates

Hardeep Grover
CapEx Legal

With several years of active involvement in the DC Bar, I have developed a deep understanding of its strengths, challenges, and operations through my contributions to various committees.

My work with the Pro Bono Committee has deepened my understanding of the community's needs relative to the capabilities of the city’s service providers. Having co-chaired a Community before joining the Communities Committee taught me the importance of fostering meaningful programming to engage members while acknowledging the efforts and needs of our volunteers. Serving as president of an affinity bar organization
has highlighted the critical role the DC Bar plays in uniting and supporting diverse groups of practitioners across the region.

My vision for the DC Bar is twofold: firstly, to support early career attorneys as they navigate the complexities of a profession undergoing rapid technological change, ensuring they are equipped with the necessary skills and resources. It's crucial we ensure the new generation of attorneys is adept in not only utilizing new technology, but also in developing business in a scenario where our competition may be technology rather than
alternate counsel. Secondly, I aim to expand access to legal services across the spectrum, from pro bono to low-bono and full-priced services,making sure all residents of the Washington, DC area have appropriate information and resources to access the counsel they need.

Through collaborative efforts and innovative strategies, we can face these challenges head-on, ensuring the DC Bar remains at the forefront of adapting to and shaping the future of our profession. The Bar’s mission evolves through dialogue with its members. Your insights are invaluable, and I encourage you to share your perspectives with me. I also invite you to visit my website, www.hardeepgrover.com or engage with me at https://www.linkedin.com/in/hgrover/, to view endorsements and join our ongoing conversation.

Sadina Montani
Crowell & Moring LLP

Sadina Montani has held numerous voluntary leadership positions with Bar organizations, legal services providers and community nonprofits.

Sadina was president of the Women’s Bar Association of the District of Columbia (WBA) during the 2020-21 Bar year. As president, she focused on allyship and the WBA’s advocacy in support of its membership and interests central to the association’s mission.

The WBA’s Discussing Racism and Being Anti-Racist Tool Kit – developed under her leadership – received the National Conference of Women’s Bar Associations' Outstanding Member Program Award: Special Recognition for Social Change. And for the 2021 calendar year, which included Sadina’s WBA Bar year (and the Bar year of Bridget Bailey Lipscomb), the WBA was recognized as the D.C. Bar’s Voluntary Bar of the Year.

Sadina has been active in the D.C. Bar for more than a decade, serving in the first cohort of the D.C. Bar’s John Payton Leadership Academy in 2013. She has chaired the D.C. Bar’s Nominations Committee, and served on the Leadership Development Committee and Screening Committee.

Sadina is an experienced nonprofit board member, currently serving as a board member, governance committee chair and chief governance officer for Ayuda, a nonprofit providing legal, social, and language services to help low-income immigrants in the D.C. community. She recently stepped down from the board of the Greater D.C. Diaper Bank, on which she served starting in 2017, including as governance committee chair and board chair.

Sadina has a robust pro bono practice, primarily supporting nonprofit organizations focused on education, the environment, and social services.

Sadina is an employment law partner at Crowell. She serves as co-chair of Crowell’s Women’s Leadership Initiative, as a member of Crowell’s Technology Innovation Committee, and on the Steering Committee for Crowell’s Labor & Employment Group.

For more information visit sadinamontani.com.

Phillip L. Husband
DC Health

I am deeply honored to have been nominated for Treasurer-Elect of the DC Bar. I have been a proud member of the DC Bar since 1998 and have the privilege to serve the District’s residents, businesses, and visitors since 1999. If elected, I would bring from my years of public service as well as my years of private practice and federal clerkship my passion, decisiveness, balance, diversity, inclusivity, sensitivity, initiative, compassion, and vision. I vow to employ these principles prudently and equitably to the unique challenges and opportunities that will confront our postpandemic community. I am the General Counsel of the Department of Health who helped to lead the District through the pandemic and the recovery. I am a graduate of Tulane Law and Mississippi State College of Business. I appreciate your kind consideration and hopefully your vote! Thank you.

Joshua L. Mogil
Federal Government

[Endorsed by: Asian Pacific American Bar; Hispanic Bar; Washington Bar Association; Women's Bar; Washington Council of Lawyers; LGBTQ+ Bar]. I'm running for Treasurer to make it more affordable to be a lawyer in DC. I have deep experience in financial management as a former compliance manager at a bank, as a financial institutions lawyer at a firm, as a federal government attorney, and as Treasurer and then President of the LGBTQ+ Bar Association. I want to lower fees for new and public interest lawyers, advocate for student loan forgiveness efforts, increase legal aid, and protect diversity/inclusion programs. For the past few years, I have joyfully served the DC Bar as a member of the Voluntary Bar Leadership Group. If elected, I will continue to work tirelessly to uphold the DC Bar’s standards of excellence, serve those in most need, bolster our sense of community, and ensure that the DC Bar spends your money wisely. Thank you for considering me - I hope to earn your vote!

Leila S. Bham
Federal Government

As Senior Special Counsel at the Securities and Exchange Commission and a two-term Steering Committee leader of DC Bar’s Corporation, Finance and Securities Law Community, I want to use my professional experiences to move the DC Bar forward.

During my leadership of the CFSL Community, we established a subcommittee on diversity and inclusion – the first such group at DC Bar – and produced many insightful programs on emerging issues, for which we were awarded Community of the Year (2021). We also initiated collaborations with Georgetown Law and New York City Bar, enabling valuable professional development. A commitment to expand opportunity and understanding beyond boundaries has driven my career in the public and private sectors and overseas. If elected, I would be honored to work tirelessly to promote access to justice, support Communities, advance diversity and inclusion, and engage non-resident members and outside bars.

Anthony J. Coppolino
Federal Government (retired)

I have been a member of the D.C. Bar since 1989 and have long ties to our Bar community. After graduating from Georgetown University Law Center, I joined the Department of Justice in 1988 as a trial attorney in the Civil Division, and was appointed to the Senior Executive Service in 2004 and later as Deputy Branch Director, before retiring in 2023. I believe my long career in public service has provided me with unique experience that can serve the Bar well. Throughout my career, I have mentored attorneys of diverse backgrounds to help them develop outstanding skills and the highest ethical standards. I now seek to serve the Bar not only to foster excellence in our profession, but to help ensure that we remain a force for the protection of the rule of law, the rights of all people, and the integrity of the judicial process.

Shirley Diaz
Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP

My name is Shirley Diaz. I am an associate at Skadden and the Immediate Past President of the Hispanic Bar Association of DC. I am honored to run for the position of At-Large Member of the Board of Governors for the DC Bar. I am an advocate for inclusion and well being. Specifically, I support creating supportive environments that promote non-alcohol-focused socialization, reflecting our profession's need for holistic health.

Understanding the unique challenges we face in DC, I am dedicated to enhancing access to justice in the community through pro bono, fostering greater networking opportunities, and supporting mental health initiatives. My vision is to build a more inclusive, supportive, and responsive DC Bar.

I pledge to represent your interests and ensure our Bar remains forward-thinking and adaptable. Your support will empower us to cultivate a more collaborative, diverse, and empowered legal community.

Belinda Edwards Taylor
Nonprofit Staff Attorney

"As a dedicated advocate for social justice, I am deeply invested in addressing the pressing needs of our community's most vulnerable members. In my current role, I have had the privilege of working tirelessly to ensure access to safe and affordable housing for low-income seniors, recognizing the critical importance of housing stability in their lives. If elected to the DC Bar Board of Governors, I will bring this firsthand experience and passion to the forefront, advocating for policies that support housing equity and the rights of all residents. By amplifying the voices of those often marginalized, I will strive to create a legal landscape that fosters dignity, security, and opportunity for every individual. Together, let us build a stronger, more inclusive future for our community."

Brian K. Flowers
D.C. Health Benefit Exchange Authority

As an attorney with the District government, I have advocated for an open and online government, testified in support of marriage equality, budget autonomy, increased authority for our independent ethics office, reducing collateral consequences of criminal convictions, and removing discriminatory covenants from property records. I believe the Bar should collaborate with government more often to achieve its public service mission, and maintain the transparency practices we’ve learned from the pandemic that promote public participation.

I have served in many capacities, including the Health Benefit Exchange Authority, Office of the Attorney General, Board of Ethics and Government Accountability, Counsel to the DC Council, Mayor’s Counsel, Uniform Law Commissioner, and ANC Commissioner. Serving in these different roles afforded me unique opportunities and perspectives on public service.

My Bar service: Board of Governors, Nominations Committee, DC Affairs, and Administrative Law/ Agency Practice Communities. I graduated from Georgetown University Law Center and Howard University.

Caroline E. F. Frauman
U.S. House of Representatives

Currently, I serve as Tax Counsel to Congresswoman Gwen Moore and advise her on matters within the Ways and Means Committee’s jurisdiction, including tax, trade, health care, and social security. It is an honor to support the Congresswoman advance policies that address serious challenges in our nation, generally centered around reducing economic inequality and improving economic resilience. As a member of the D.C. Bar, I periodically volunteer with the D.C. Bar’s Pro Bono Center's Small Business Brief Advice Legal Clinic. Personally, I am motivated by the words of George Washington, who called on us to “raise a standard to which the wise and honest can repair.” Personal and professional integrity is core to my efforts working for Congresswoman Gwen Moore and would remain so were I to be selected to serve on the bar’s Board of Governors.

Kevin D. Minsky
DocuSign, Inc.

I’m Kevin Minsky, and I ask for your vote. If elected, I will champion issues of importance to you, including:

• The Bar staying laser-focused on meeting your needs whether you’re in private practice, government, non-profit, or a corporation.
• Increasing availability and ease for attorneys to volunteer in pro bono activities.
• Increasing the use of technology to make the Bar’s resources accessible to you.

I bring both legal experience from working at a diverse group of organizations — i.e., Fortune 500 companies, AmLaw 200 Law Firm, and the US Government (FBI) — and volunteer leadership skills from the following organizations:

• Member, DC Bar CLE Committee
• Member, Assoc. Corporate Counsel (Capital Region), Pro Bono Committee
• Former Member, DC Bar Pro Bono Center Committee

Finally, I received the endorsement of the Washington Council of Lawyers. Thank you for your vote. Learn more www.linkedin.com/in/kminsky.

Denis C. Mitchell
Stein Mitchell Beato & Missner LLP

“The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.” - M. Gandhi. We do best when serving others and err frequently when serving only ourselves. On the Board of Governors, my focus will be on service, education, and civility.

My connections with this legal community run deep. I served as president of the D.C. Trial Lawyers Association and co-chaired the Steering Committee of the D.C. Bar’s Tort Law Section. Currently, I serve on the Superior Court Civil Jury Instructions Committee and Superior Court Civil Rules Committee, and on the Advisory Committee for the D.C. Catholic Charities Legal Network (provider of pro bono legal services). I served as an adjunct at Georgetown Law Center for 12 years and currently present CLE seminars and yearly updates on D.C. appellate decisions.

I hope to bring these connections, experience, and enjoyment of service to the Board of Governors.

Adriaen M. Morse Jr.
SECIL Law LLP

As a candidate for the Board of Governors of the DC Bar, I am committed to enhancing the Bar's ability to serve its members and the public. I believe that the Governors play a crucial role in setting the strategic direction of the Bar and ensuring its policies and initiatives align with the needs of its diverse membership and the broader community. Through service on the Board, I hope to have the opportunity to contribute to this vital function and advocate for measures that prioritize member support and public welfare. I served on the Bar's CLE Committee for the last six years (the maximum time permitted) and enjoyed the experience immensely. I hope to continue serving the membership effectively in this new role. Your vote for me would allow me to advance initiatives that foster a more inclusive, responsive, and impactful DC Bar for all stakeholders.

Kathryn L. Rakoczy
U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia

As an attorney who has practiced in the District for nearly fifteen years and served with the Bar’s Judicial Evaluations Committee for the last eight years, I have seen first-hand the incredible work of the D.C. Bar in promoting access to justice, enhancing the delivery of legal services to those in need, fostering and maintaining the high ideals of our profession, and safeguarding the professional interests of its members. I would love to continue helping the Bar to fulfill this noble mission.

Alberto J. Rivera
Krooth & Altman LLP

I have called D.C. home since I moved here from Honduras when I was a child. Ever since then, I felt DC was special and have wanted to find ways to serve and give back to the city that has given me so much. As an attorney in the affordable housing space, I am acutely aware of the unique place that attorneys have in serving our communities. Accordingly, by serving with the D.C. Bar, I believe I can help ensure attorneys become aware and take advantage of pro bono opportunities, the ability to continue our education, and to network in order to achieve greater things together.

Diane A. Seltzer
The Seltzer Law Firm

I have enjoyed serving on the Board of Governors as its Secretary from 2020-2021, and as a Board member since 2021, and I welcome the opportunity to serve another 3 year term with this energetic, creative, and thoughtful group.

I have seen firsthand how hard my colleagues on the Board work with each other, with our incredible Bar staff members, and with our stakeholders to make sure we are proactive about, as well as responsive to, the various issues the Bar faces.

Having also served on the Board's Executive Committee, Budget Committee, and Compensation Committee, and on the Bar’s 2020-2025 Strategic Planning Committee; the Continuing Legal Education Committee (as Chair (2016-2017, 2022-2024), Vice Chair (2015-2016), and Committee member (2012-2015, 2018-2022); the Screening Committee; the Communities Committee; and the Nominations Committee, I have a deep understanding of how the Bar works and will use that knowledge to best serve the Bar.

Kathleen B. Havener
The Cullen Law Firm, PLLC

I have been a proud member of the DC Bar for 32 years and would be honored to represent the DC Bar in the ABA House of Delegates. The American Bar Association has been my second home for most of my career. I have been a leader of the Section of Litigation and the General Practice, Solo and Small Firm Division, a liaison from the GP|Solo|Small Firm Division to the Commission on Women in the Profession, a Division Director in the Section of Litigation, and a Presidential Appointee to the Council on Diversity in the Educational Pipeline. I have written countless articles for ABA publications and served on editorial boards. I am committed to diversity in our profession because I believe that diverse groups inevitably make better decisions. If elected, I would devote myself to promoting the interests of all the DC Bar’s diverse members in the House of Delegates.

Endorsements

Benes Aldana, Chair, ABA Commission on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity

Jeffrey Allen, Founder, Graves & Allen, Oakland, CA, Former Editor-in-Chief, ABA GPSolo Magazine

F. Franklin Amanat, NY, Dicello Levitt

American Bar Association GP|Solo eReport Editorial Board

George Anhang, DC

Matthew Arkin, CA, actor, attorney, author of “In the Country of the Blind”

Ronald Breaux

Mary Craig Calkins, Blank Rome, ABA Litigation Section Revenue Officer

Stephen Chappelear, OH, State Delegate for Ohio to the ABA House of Delegates

James Ming Chen, Professor of Law and Justin Smith Morrill Chair in Law at Michigan State University (The inclusion of Professor Chen’s title is solely an aid in identification and should not be construed as an endorsement by the university.)

Adrienne A. Cook, Esq., IL

Cheri Crow, Law Office of Cheri L. Crow, Stoneham, MA

Paul D. Cullen, Jr., Managing Partner, The Cullen Law Firm, PLLC, DC

Paul D. Cullen, Sr., The Cullen Law Firm, PLLC, DC

Judge Bernice Donald (Ret.)

Elizabeth Sayle Fenton, Delaware

John M. Ferren, DC

Christopher Gilkerson, Principal, Gilkerson Law, CA; Former CLO at Charles Schwab & Co.; Former Assistant General Counsel for Market Regulation at the SEC

Alison Goldenberg, DOJ-Office of the U.S. Trustee, Colorado

Ashley Hallene, CA, Land Acquisition Specialist, Demeter Land Development, Editor-in-Chief, GP|Solo eReport

Hsiao-chiung Li

Julie T. Houth, Director, Pan Asian Lawyers of San Diego (2021-present); Editor-in-Chief, ABA GPSolo Magazine (2021-present); Managing Editor, The Young Lawyer and After the Bar, publications of the ABA Young Lawyers Division (2021-present); Chair, New York State Bar Association Young Lawyers Division (2023-present); ABA Standing Committee on Publishing Oversight (2020-23) Oversight; ABA Standing Committee on the Law Library of Congress (2023-present)

Jeanne Huey, Managing Partner, Hunt|Huey PLLC, Dallas, TX

Hunt Huey PLLC, Dallas, TX

David H. Lefton, Barron Peck Bennie & Schlemmer, Cincinnati, OH

Chris Lu

Sumbal Mahmud, State Delegate for Minnesota to the ABA House of Delegates

Barbara Mandel Mayden, TN, Former Chair of the ABA Young Lawyers Division, Former Chair of the ABA Section of Business Law, more than 30 years as a member of the House of Delegates, two terms on the ABA Board of Governors

Elizabeth M. McGeever, Of Counsel, Prickett Jones & Elliott P.A., Delaware

Nosizi Ralephata, Partner, Gordon Rees, Charleston, SC

Anna Rappaport, DC, Excelleration Coaching

Sarah Redfield, Professor of Law, University of New Hampshire, author of Enhancing Justice: Reducing Bias and Extending Justice: Strategies to Increase Inclusion and Reduce Bias

Lauren Stiller Rikleen, Executive Director, Lawyers Defending American Democracy, Former president, Boston Bar Association, Vice-chair, ABA Advisory Commission to the Task Force on American Democracy

James L. Schwartz, IL, former chair of the ABA Senior Lawyers Division

Charles Stinson, DC, The Cullen Law Firm, PLLC

Daniel J. Tann, Esq., Former Diversity Director of ABA General Practice, Solo, and Small Firm Division

Angela Tung

K. Ann Zimmerman, OH, Former General Counsel, Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association (1995-2015; Vasvari | Zimmerman, Cleveland (2015-present)

Madina Lokova
White & Case LLP

I am honored to be considered as a candidate for the ABA House of Delegates. As a DC Bar member and an active member of the ABA, I will work on combining the synergies of the nation's two premiere bars. I believe that I am qualified for the role given my demonstrated track record of serving in the leadership roles in the ABA International Law Section, Section of Dispute Resolution, and ABA Young Lawyers Division. I currently serve as Co-Chair of the ABA International Courts & Judicial Affairs Committee, Vice Chair of the ABA International Arbitration Committee, and the Young Lawyers Division's Liaison to the ABA Section of Dispute Resolution. By virtue of my roles, i have deep understanding of ABA's procedures and policies. If chosen, I will work tirelessly on advancing the ABA goals of promoting the rule of law, the legal process, and the role of our profession.

Lorelie S. Masters
Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP

I seek to serve again as DC Bar Delegate to the ABA’s House of Delegates to continue work I’ve done in the House. As Delegate from 2016 (when on the ABA Board of Governors and then DC Bar Delegate), I’ve helped obtain passage of important resolutions which then serve as ABA policy. For example, in co-chairing the ABA Litigation Section’s Federal Practice Task Force, I helped draft Resolution 521 calling for random assignment of judges in cases in the federal courts. I have served in many positions in the ABA, DC Bar, Women’s Bar Association of DC, and DC Bar Foundation. I am dedicated to pro bono work and chair the Human Trafficking Legal Center which helps trafficking survivors obtain justice. I have founded and led groups advancing professionalism and collegiality in our profession, and, as a partner in the Insurance-Coverage Group at Hunton Andrews Kurth, help mentor other lawyers.

Laura A. Possessky
Corporation for Public Broadcasting

Laura Possessky seeks re-election as ABA Delegate to represent the interests of DC Bar members in the ABA House of Delegates. An experienced DC Bar leader, she has served as President of the Women's Bar Association, as DC Bar Treasurer, and two terms on the DC Bar Board of Governors, among other leadership positions she has held in service to the DC legal community. For her work with the Leadership Development Committee, she received the Frederick B. Abramson Award for innovative and dedicated service to the DC Bar. Involved with DC Refers and Washington Area Lawyers for the Arts, Laura has dedicated her pro bono efforts to creating access to affordable legal services for modest-means clients. A graduate of Georgetown Law and the University of Pennsylvania, Laura has worked in public media for nearly a decade and currently is Vice President of Business Affairs at the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

Lucy L. Thomson
Livingston PLLC

Lucy is seeking reelection as ABA Delegate. An ABA leader, she is Chair of the ABA President's Task Force on Law and Artificial Intelligence (ambar.org/aiLaw); past Chair, Science & Technology Law Section; and Cybersecurity Legal Task Force founding member. Principal of Livingston PLLC, she focuses on cybersecurity and global data privacy and has been appointed the Consumer Privacy Ombudsman in 35 federal bankruptcy cases. Previously a Justice Department white collar crime prosecutor and senior engineer at a global technology company, she began her career litigating landmark civil rights cases.

With deep D.C. roots, Lucy served two terms on the D.C. Bar Board of Governors and as Bar Secretary. She is past President of the WBA and its Foundation. Her active pro bono practice includes initiatives to combat voter suppression and disinformation. An ALI member, she was elected an Alumni Trustee of Phillips Academy/Andover. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute M.S., Georgetown Law J.D.