TCBA Nominations Notice for 2022-2023

Shortly after the January issue ofTulsaLawyerhitmailboxes, one of my partners and former TCBA President, Pat O’Connor, kindly ducked his head in my office to commend me for my last article. A couple of things struck me about that. First, I realized that I’m fortunate to have that kind of support from my law partners. Second, I learned that somebody actually reads these articles.

Pat was elected TCBA President right around the time I started as a first-year attorney with the Moyers Martin firm. He was a great president - a natural leader as well as a gifted and thoughtful attorney. In the years since Pat’s term ended, there have been 16 presidents of the Association. Given this issue’s focus on women in the law, it seems fitting to remember the eight women included in that group and a few of the many valuable contributions they have made to the TCBAand beyond.

Renee DeMoss succeeded Pat as president. She was not only a brilliant leader of the TCBA, she went on to serve as OBA President. Judge Marth Rupp Carter was an effective leader who was always willing to roll up her sleeves and pitch in to get projects done. She has gone on to serve as a Tulsa County judge since 2011 and was elected in 2018 as a District Judge. Deirdre Dexter served as president of the Association and followed that up as president of the Foundation during the critical planning stages of the capital campaign for the exterior improvements at the Bar Center. The long list of TCBA and TCBF positions held by Faith Orlowski during her career is unparalleled. Her wit and wisdom served us well throughout her time with both organizations and particularly in her year as TCBAPresident. More recently, Christina Vaughn’s steady hand seamlessly guided the TCBA through a change of leadership in the TCBA staff. She was also a driving force behind many improvements in membership benefits,includingthepopulardecisiontoofferfreeCLE. Judge Ann Keele’s enthusiastic leadership as president was recognized at a national level. In addition to her continued leadership roles with the TCBA and TCBF, she has gone on to become a leader with the National Council of Bar Presidents. Kimberly Moore’s decisive leadership proved invaluable during the interior remodel of the Bar Center and the management of challenges as theAssociation tried to climb out of the Covid pandemic. Kara Vincent has used her combination of intellect, energy, and determination to achieve positive results so far during her presidential term. I’m confident she’ll sprintthroughthefinishofheryearandaddtoheralready impressive track record of success.

Together, these women in the law make up an incredibly accomplished group that deserve our admiration and gratitude. I look forward to seeing the leaders that follow in their footsteps.

Thanks for reading, Pat.