DiversitY enhanCes bar LeaDershiP institute eXPerienCe
Bar leadership Institute Committee Chairs : Nicole Duga - Hill Ward Henderson ; John Marchione – Himes & Hearn ; and Valeria Obi – Midland Credit Management , Inc .
“ in diversity there is beauty and there is strength .” — Maya angelou
Even a cursory glance at the Bar Leadership Institute Class of 2017- 2018 will reveal just how diverse this group of rising professionals is . The 26 of us boast a diversity of race , age , and gender . Beyond that , our individual career paths reflect a wide breadth of professional backgrounds — we come from the public and the private sectors , from law offices both large and small ; we do insurance defense and family law , complex business litigation and medical malpractice , personal injury and criminal law — from both sides of the aisle . All in all , we represent a true cross section of Hillsborough County ’ s legal community .
Despite our differences , we share a common goal : developing into the Bar leaders of tomorrow . Because of our demonstrated interest in leadership , the HCBA symbolically passed the torch to us when it selected us to participate in this year ’ s Bar Leadership Institute . And , the diverse composition of our class is no coincidence . It reflects an axiomatic tenet of effective leadership , borrowed from Maya Angelou , that the HCBA holds dear — that in diversity , there is beauty and there is strength . We bring with us an amalgam of perspectives that inform our decision-making processes and leadership styles . We share a commitment to the betterment of the profession , but have different ideas about what
that means and how to achieve that goal .
In furtherance of the BLI ’ s mission , the HCBA has given us the incredible opportunity to benefit from a group of very different but all highly successful leaders within Hillsborough County ’ s legal community . Already , we toured the Port of Tampa Bay , where general counsel provided insight into how management effectively deals with countless moving parts in order to ensure a smooth , profitable , and everexpanding operation . We visited the Moffitt Cancer Center , where we were awestricken by the extent of the Center ’ s innovation and the unique role its legal counsel plays in its success . We witnessed firsthand how Judge Michael J .
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