A NOTE FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

WAKE BAR FLYER

VOL. L | ISSUE 3 | THIRD QUARTER 2022 A NOTE FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: THE POWER OF THREE

Presidents

YVONNE ARMENDARIZ, WAKE COUNTY BAR ASSOCIATION DAYATRA MATTHEWS, TENTH J.D. BAR Presidents-Elect JUDGE ASHLEIGH P. DUNSTON Secretary MEREDITH PACE BREWER Treasurer ELYSIA PRENDERGAST-JONES Immediate Past Presidents DAVE HOLM, WAKE COUNTY BAR ASSOCIATION RUSSELL D. BABB, TENTH J.D. BAR Board of Directors TIFFANY COX ANNA DAVIS JAKE EPSTEIN DAVID FERRELL NIYA T. FONVILLE JUDGE SAM HAMADANI LEANOR B. HODGE JOHN HOOMANI DEAN J. RICH LEONARD (EX OFFICIO) KELLIE MYERS KIMBERLY MILLER BRIAN P. OTEN SARAH PRIVETTE STEPHANIE N. ROBINSON KRISTINA THOMPSON JUDGE CHRISTINE WALCZYK JOHN WARD BENJAMIN O. “BOZ” ZELLINGER

BY WHITNEY D.G. VON HAAM || EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, WAKE COUNTY BAR ASSOCIATION THEREISNODOUBT that a leap of faith was taken by a search committee in 2010 to hire a new executive director who was also mother to a toddler and two infants. After all, it was a time when I was just glad to show up at work without something smudged on my clothing. But, I had watched the Wake County Bar and Tenth JD Bar from a distance for years, and knew that I had some ideas that could benefit the local bar, even with some beloved “baggage” in tow.

Here we are almost 12 years later, and my three kids – Nyah (15), Tamryn (12) and Adam (12) -- have truly been reared, in part, by the lawyers of Wake County. Not a lot of kids have a natural comfort with strolling around the courthouse or being hugged by the chief justice. They know more about district court and public defender elections, and the difference between the bar association and judicial district bar than many lawyers. They know where the candy and sodas are hidden at the WCBA house. They have suggested the games, art projects and giveaways for the Family Picnic. They even have a working knowledge of the grievance process.

I always dreamed of having three kids, and my road to motherhood was not an easy one, involving many more shots and procedures than I even knew existed. And, because of this struggle to have them, my appreciation for all the happiness and exhaustion that they bring is particularly sweet. I promised myself when they were infants that I wouldn’t just survive, but I would thrive and make sure that we all spent happy, quality time together. This commitment remains today a driving force in my life: creating joyful time and memories, valuing experience over material things.

Yes, you can sometimes find them lounging around my office or stuffing bags for an event. When they aren’t there, my office is riddled with memories of them being there – whether it is a note they’ve written on a pad of paper for me, a happy face created from a “Whitney von Haam” signature stamp or the many pictures we’ve taken on different adventures. WBF

Young Lawyers Division President JONATHAN BOGUES Young Lawyers Division President-elect JACOB M. MORSE Executive Director WHITNEY D.G. von HAAM Wake Bar Flyer Editor CANDACE B. MARSHALL Communications SARAH L. JUSTICE Wake Bar Flyer Designer CLAIR S. SMITH Tenth Judicial District Bar Councilors JULIE L. BELL HEIDI C. BLOOM WALTER E. BROCK ASHLEY H. CAMPBELL KATHERINE A. FRYE KIMBERLY A. MOORE JUDGE ROBERT B. RADER WARREN T. SAVAGE

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