President's Perspective
In Search of Leadership
By Leonard L. Loeb
Now that we've made the transition safely into
year 2000, our association faces new issues and challenges. How should
we address new issues? How do we overcome obstacles and challenges? How
can we restore public confidence in our profession? Perhaps the most
important issue with which we are faced, however, is the question of who
will lead us, as our new executive director, into the next millennium?
The State Bar's Executive Director Search
Committee, chaired by Frank Gimbel, Milwaukee, is in the process of
screening and interviewing the best candidates for the position. The
committee has retained the services of a professional executive search
firm - Gielow Associates Inc., Milwaukee - to ensure that we attract the
most qualified and talented slate of candidates possible. In the 20-plus
years since our association hired its last executive director, the
issues facing our profession have changed significantly.
Our new executive director must not only ensure the continued
financial health of the association, but also must understand technology
and the delivery of information, and the roles they play in today's
practice of law and commerce. Our new executive must be attuned to our
diverse membership with its wide range of needs. And our new executive
must understand the importance of outreach, not only to our membership,
but to the public as well. We must retain a person in whom our trust is
implicit, as he or she will serve - along with the president - as our
spokesperson on all issues pertinent to our profession and
organization.
Some of you have shared with the Search Committee your thoughts about
the background, experience, qualifications, and traits our new executive
director should bring to the position. We thank you for your input, and
we assure you that as we go through the final selection process, we will
assess each candidate with your thoughts and suggestions "front and
center" in our minds. We pledge to you to do our best to secure the most
outstanding candidate to serve and to lead us into the next century.
If you have any questions about the search, please do not hesitate to
contact either Betty Braden at
(800) 444-9404, ext. 6104, or Deb
Tobin at (800) 444-9404, ext. 6177, at the State Bar of Wisconsin.
To share your thoughts or comments regarding the qualifications of our
new executive director, write to Atty. Franklyn Gimbel, State Bar of
Wisconsin, P.O. Box 7158, Madison, WI 53707-7158. If you have any
suggestions on this or other concerns, please contact me by email or by fax at (414)
272-7918.
Wisconsin Lawyer