The 146th president of the ISBA recounts his travels throughout Illinois and signs off as he completes his term.

It’s almost impossible for me to believe that a year has gone by since I took the oath of office as ISBA president on June 1, 2022. By the time you will be reading this, Shawn Kasserman will have been sworn in as the 147th ISBA president. Next month, you’ll be hearing from newly installed President Kasserman as to his plans for the upcoming year. In this, my last column as president, I wanted to take a quick trip down memory lane to recount some of the events of the past year—and to thank some folks who’ve made this year a most memorable one for Sue and me.

The “job” of being ISBA president is actually a labor of love, due to the hard work and diligence of our ISBA staff. Consummately professional, our ISBA staff always had the right information, advice, and counsel at the right time. Their ability to make me look and sound every bit the president was made all the more amazing given what they had to work with in yours truly. Having become acquainted with dozens of bar associations during my years as an officer, and having met association staff from across the country, I can tell you, without hesitation or equivocation, that the ISBA staff is the finest bar association staff in the U.S. We are truly blessed to have them working for the ISBA and serving our membership.

I cannot possibly thank enough our great staff leaders: Dennis Archer, Ernest Barrens, Jim Covington, Jeanne Heaton, Paula Magdich, Charlie Northrup, Tim Slating, and all the folks in our Springfield and Chicago offices who have been there every step of the way, always available to assist me, and doing their best to deliver the very best membership experience to our members.

And then, of course, there is our executive director, Bob Craghead. Suffice to say, I’m deeply indebted and grateful to Bob for his counsel and leadership, and I shall greatly miss my conversations with him.

As many of us know, Kim Weaver, long-time administrative assistant to Bob Craghead, is without peer. Her ability to herd the cats of ISBA leadership so that we all get to where we need to be when we need to be there (and do what we need to do when we get there) is second only to her organizational skills and ability to get vendors and others dealing with the ISBA to “do it our way.” Sue and I will never forget the assistance and insight she provided to us during the past year and the earlier planning stages for it. Her star shines bright in the ISBA galaxy.

Fortunate travels

My goal, as I began my year as your president, was to take advantage of the end of the pandemic, get out on the road, and meet as many members as I could. Sue and I were fortunate to be able to host the first in-person Annual and Midyear meetings since 2019. Both events were wildly successful (see the reference to Kim Weaver above), and I think all of us were happy to meet face to face once again with our friends and colleagues and share the camaraderie and fun those two events have always provided.

Our travels took us from Chicago to Collinsville, Whiteside County in the far northwestern part of the state to Danville near the eastern border—locations large and small, urban and rural, and many points in between. We put a little over 7,000 miles on our car attending almost 60 bar and bar-related events throughout Illinois. We attended local and affinity bar association annual meetings, golf outings, officer installations, and charity fundraisers. We attended judicial installations and receptions, conferences, confabs, and commemorations. We also attended ISBA business meetings, and the very well-received Rural Practice Institute (RPI) listening tour—an amazing opportunity to meet with our rural members—conceived by Angel Warzynek, former Board of Governors member and current chair of the ISBA’s Special Committee on Serving Lawyers in Rural Practices.

Gem of a year

In short, it was the most fun year I’ve had in my professional life, and as promised to me by many past presidents, it all went by in the blink of an eye. We were welcomed warmly everywhere we went, and the pleasure of meeting our members and colleagues as we traveled through Illinois, north to south and east to west, was the single best “perk” bestowed upon me as your president. The memories made will be cherished by us forever, and I can’t thank you all enough for how welcome and comfortable you made us feel at every stop on our journey. Words cannot adequately express my gratitude to all of you—our members—and to say how truly honored I am that you granted to me the privilege of being your 146th ISBA president.

I would also like to finally thank my officers: Shawn Kasserman, Sonni Williams, Bridget Duignan, and Anna Krolikowska for making my year as president a memorable one. I know that you will welcome President Kasserman and his wife Dawn with the same warmth and friendship you showed us. Sue and I congratulate the Kassermans and wish them good luck and Godspeed as they begin their journey. As the song goes: Thanks for the memories!