Winter 2017 SBAND Gavel | Page 4

SBAND PRESIDENT

FUTURE FOCUS

IMPLEMENTING SBAND ’ S STRATEGIC PLAN

CHARLES DEMAKIS SBAND President

It has been an interesting and exciting first six months as the State Bar Association ( SBAND ) president . My main focus as your president was to evaluate where SBAND had been , where we are now , and where we are going in the future . In October , the Board of Governors ( BOG ) completed a two-day strategic planning session coordinated by a facilitator from ALPS . The strategic plan was approved by the BOG at our November meeting . That session was tremendously valuable in identifying how SBAND can best serve our members and gave us an opportunity to reflect on our past , identify our current strengths and weaknesses , and formulate a plan to grow and improve our organization and services to our members .

I have attended a number of conferences and sessions since taking this position , and it has been very enlightening to meet and learn from other bar associations and their leaders as to how their organizations operate and the challenges they face . I have learned we have a dedicated staff and a very wellrun organization that is providing excellent services and benefits to our members .

We recently had our annual “ coffee ” meeting with the Supreme Court , and it was a very fruitful and beneficial meeting . There are a number of issues in the legislative session that affect the judicial system and the profession . We have an excellent relationship with our Supreme Court , and our meeting and discussion with the court proved to be evidence of that .

With the legislative session in full swing ,

SBAND has been very busy reviewing legislation as it is proposed and identifying matters of relevance to the association and our members . The session is a busy time for the association staff and the BOG as we work closely with the Legislative Committee to identify those issues and take the official position of SBAND .

As I look forward to the last six months of my term , I am focused on implementing our strategic plan , as well as working on reviewing and strengthening our committees and sections . As always , I encourage any of you wishing to serve on a committee or section to contact the SBAND office or me directly , as we are always looking for members who are willing to lend their expertise and leadership to the association and its sections .

Call for CLE Speakers

SBAND and the North Dakota CLE Commission sponsor seminars and programs throughout the year in all sorts of formats , including live , webinars and IVNs .

We want to know about SBAND members who have ideas for topics or who are interested in being a presenter .

Contact Carrie Molander at carrie @ sband . org .

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