Women's Bar Association Holds Annual Meeting, Ushers in New Leadership

Women’s Bar Association of Massachusetts

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WOMEN'S BAR ASSOCIATION HOLDS ANNUAL MEETING

Women’s Bar Association Ushers in New Leadership

BOSTON, MA – March 23, 2020 - The Women’s Bar Association of Massachusetts (WBA) held a Virtual Annual Meeting on March 18, 2020 and introduced its new leadership.
 
The WBA is pleased to welcome Nicole Forbes as the organization’s incoming President. Nicole is the Deputy General Counsel at Globalization Partners, a firm that enables companies to expand internationally without setting up local branch offices or subsidiaries, where she focuses on international employment law and legal compliance issues. Prior to joining Globalization Partners, Nicole was in private practice in a number of law firms in Boston focusing on employment law and litigation and business/commercial litigation. Nicole has been actively engaged in the WBA for over 10 years, sitting on the Board since 2013 and serving in other leadership roles such as Co-Chair of the Legislative Policy and Public Relations Committees, Co-Editor in Chief of the Women’s Bar Review, and a founding member of the WBA pay equity task force that helped to draft, advocate for, and pass the Massachusetts Equal Pay Act.  

At the annual meeting, the WBA also voted on a slate of officers and elected members of the Board of Directors. The organization welcomes the following new and returning officers and directors for 2020-21.

WBA Officers
President: Nicole Forbes, Globalization Partners
President-Elect:  Heather Gamache, Rackemann, Sawyer & Brewster
Vice President of Membership & Statewide Outreach: Kim Donlon, Major Lindsey & Africa
Vice President, Operations:  Sarah Gagan, Latham & Watkins, LLP
Treasurer: Kristy Lavigne, Massachusetts Office of the Attorney General
Secretary: Jessica Babine, Cornetta Babine LLC

WBA Immediate Past President
Jennifer Saubermann, Massachusetts Technology Collaborative

WBA Board of Directors
At-Large Directors
Jessica Caamano, Goulston & Storrs PC
Margaret Caulfield, Alkermes, Inc.
Melissa Garlick, ADL
Kristen Grannis, Latham & Watkins LLP
Kate Isley, Massachusetts Office of the Attorney General
Gwen Nolan King, Sugarman, Rogers, Barshak, Cohen, P.C.
Alexandra Mitropoulos, Hirsch Roberts Weinstein LLP
Krina Patel, Biogen
Emily Robey-Phillips, Jones Day
Nancy Rothstein, Massachusetts Office of the Attorney General
Jamie Sabino, Massachusetts Law Reform Institute
Sarah Sousa, Arrowood LLP
Jenna Ventorino, WilmerHale
Raquel Webster, National Grid

Regional Directors
Julie Dick, Community Legal Aid (Central Massachusetts)
Lesley A. Leonessa, Dell EMC (Greater Boston)
Victoria Spetter, Law Firm of Victoria C. Spetter, PC (Middlesex)
Brianna Sullivan, Tang & Maravelis PC (North of Boston)

The new board brings energy, a wealth of experience in varied legal disciplines, and a steadfast commitment to advocating on behalf of women’s issues. 
The reception that typically follows the Annual Meeting and welcomes newly admitted women lawyers has been rescheduled to September 15, 2020 at the Hyatt Regency Boston.

Incoming WBA President Nicole Forbes remarked, “It is an honor to have the opportunity to serve as President of the Women’s Bar Association, which has been an influential organization in both my professional and personal life for more than a decade. I am so proud of our work supporting women within the legal profession and in society at large. While this epidemic presents challenges to our organization and its members, I have no doubt that we will rise to the occasion of supporting one another, helping those in need, and using our collective voice to influence policies and laws that will support women and families across the Commonwealth. I look forward to working with our new executive board, board of directors, and our members to navigate these challenges and continue the mission of the WBA.”

Outgoing WBA President Jennifer Saubermann reflected, “I am deeply grateful that our members provided me with the opportunity to serve as President of the WBA.  It has been the most rewarding experience of my life, and I look forward to stepping into my new role as immediate past president, supporting Nicole Forbes as she leads the WBA through this difficult time.  I want to thank our board, committee chairs, volunteers, and staff at the WBA who contributed to the work of the WBA this year. Over the past year, we worked to modernize the way the WBA communicates with our members and the public; established a new award to honor emerging women leaders in the legal profession; selected a new class of women to participate in our Women’s Leadership Initiative; prepared our members, and particularly women of color, for positions on nonprofit boards; and advocated for important policy changes at the State House that will benefit women across the state.  I am so proud of the work that this organization does to help women succeed.”
 

About the Women’s Bar Association of Massachusetts

Founded in 1978 by a group of activist women lawyers, the Women’s Bar Association (“WBA”) boasts a large membership of women lawyers across Massachusetts.  The WBA is committed to the full and equal participation of women in the legal profession and in a just society. The WBA works to achieve this mission through the work of its committees, events, and the development and promotion of a robust legislative agenda to address society’s most critical social and legal issues.  Other WBA activities include networking and professional development, amicus advocacy, studying employment issues affecting women, encouraging women to enter the judiciary, recognizing the achievement of women in the law, and providing pro bono services to women in need through its sister organization, the Women’s Bar Foundation.  For more information, visit www.womensbar.org.