July 2024 AA Secretary Message

Hello Affiliates, 

I am writing this message to all of you on the evening of Monday, July 15th, after getting back from a week in Louisville, Kentucky, for NALACON24, and what a week it was. 

My week began with touring the sites of Louisville from Monday through Wednesday morning with some of my NALA friends. NALACON24 officially kicked off on the evening of Wednesday, July 10th, with the Happy Hour and Pre-registration event. 

The keynote speaker on Thursday morning, July 11th, was Iliana Oris Valiente, CPA, CA. She opened her presentation by introducing her AI-generated virtual twin Lila, who spoke to us for a few minutes. Then Ms. Oris Valiente took over and spoke to us on the topic of “Embracing the Future: Human-Centric AI for the Modern Paralegal” and how AI could help paralegals with some of the day-to-day tasks we perform so we can concentrate on the other tasks that are higher up on our to-do list.  

Ms. Oris Valiente also spoke about some of the legal questions AI faces, such as Fair Use (is AI use of others’ copyrighted material transformative under copyright law to be declared Fair Use), who is liable for defamatory statements or content, and admissibility of evidence (deep fakes). 

After the keynote address, attendees had the pleasure of meeting Hank the horse’s caretaker, lovingly known as Hank’s mom. Despite having broken her hip just two weeks prior, she made it to the conference to share how much NALA’s 2024 charity, For Hank’s Sake, contributes to various charitable causes. 

In the afternoon, it was time for the Annual Membership Meeting and Awards. During the meeting, officers from the 2023-2024 Board gave reports. Then the following awards were presented: 

Student of the Year: Amelia Reece
President’s Award: Jill Francisco, ACP – former NALA President
Founders’ Award: Carl Morrison, ACP 

Following the awards presentation, the results of the election for the 2024-2025 NALA Board of Directors were announced. 

President: Cheryl J. Nodarse, ACP, who was elected at the Board of Directors spring meeting
Vice President: Peonca S. Grier, CP
Secretary: Debby J. Sawyer, ACP
Treasurer: Vicki Kasper, ACP
Area 1 Director: Claire Smith, ACP
Area 2 Director: Lisa Stone, ACP
Area 3 Director: Kristine Custodio Suero, ACP  

Continuing on the Board are the two At Large Directors who were elected for a two-year term at the 2023 Conference and Expo: Jeanne M. Elliott, ACP, and Bridget M. Stuhr, ACP. Certifying Board Chair, Christine K. Lillo, ACP, also remains on the Board for the final year of her two-year appointment. 

After another break, the Affiliated Associations Annual Meeting took place, during which we welcomed two new NALA Affiliated Associations, the Volusia County Paralegal Association and the Rocky Mountain Paralegal Association. We also celebrated the 20th anniversary of NALA affiliation for the Houston Paralegal Association and the Legal Assistants/Paralegals of Southern West Virginia. 

Following that celebration, we announced the new NALA Affiliated Associations agreement, which will make it easier for new associations to affiliate with NALA and eliminate any conflicts between current Affiliated Associations’ bylaws and NALA’s bylaws. 

The results of the election for Affiliated Associations Director and Affiliated Associations Secretary for the 2024-2025 term were announced. Sharon D. Jones, ACP, was reelected as Affiliated Association Director. Melissa Klimpel, ACP, was elected as Affiliated Associations Secretary. 

The next item on the agenda was to present the annual awards. A total of 16 Affiliate Awards were given to AA members and committees who were selected by their association. The new NALA Affiliated Associations Pinnacle Award was given to Stephanie B. Elliot of the Metrolina Paralegal Association in Charlotte, North Carolina. The new NALA Affiliated Association of the Year Award was given to the Charleston Paralegal Association. 

After the awards presentation, the Affiliate Exchange presentation on Benefits of Collaboration was given by Amy McGuigan, ACP, of the San Francisco Paralegal Association and Tony Sipp of the Los Angeles Paralegal Association.  

Thursday evening concluded with the Affiliate Showcase, where various affiliates shared swag and information about their association. The winners of the Virtual Derby Hat Contest were also announced, with the in-person winners receiving sashes. 

Saturday, the last day of NALACON24, started with the first meeting of the 2024-2025 Board of Directors, where they ratified the appointments of the following people as NALA standing committee Chairs: 

Desire D. Smith, CP: Continuing Education Council (CEC) Chair
Terri Walters, CP: Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Committee (DEI) Chair
Adrienne D. Berry, ACP: Professional Development Committee (PDC) Chair 

The conference ended with a trip to the Louisville Slugger Field for a baseball game between the Louisville Bats and the Saint Paul Saints, where NALA CEO Vinnie Finley threw out the ceremonial first pitch. The home team won 5-4 on a bases-loaded wild pitch in the bottom of the 10th inning. 

Even though NALACON24 officially concluded on Saturday evening, close to 30 NALA Liaisons and Presidents stayed for a Sunday add-on session facilitated by Shelley Cadamy. This session included such topics as membership, Board recruitment, and orientation. Those who stayed for the session said it was very helpful and that they will bring what they learned back to their local associations. 

Finally, as my term has come to an end, I would like to thank all of you for giving me the honor of serving as your Affiliated Associations Secretary for the 2023-2024 term. I wish Sharon and Melissa the best as the Affiliated Associations Team leaders for 2024-2025. I hope to serve NALA and its affiliates in some capacity in the future.  

Richard (Rich) Hahn, ACP 

Former Affiliated Associations Secretary