CANDIDATES FOR TENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT BAR & WCBA ELECTIONS

WE ASKED EACH CANDIDATE TO SUBMIT A CREATIVE PHOTO AND ANSWER A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS TO GIVE A GLIMPSE INTO THEIR PERSONALITIES

PRESIDENT-ELECT

ELECT 1 OF 2 CANDIDATES

YVONNE ARMENDÁRIZ

Armendáriz Law Office, PLLC

Indiana University School of Law – Indianapolis, 2006

Most creative thing you’ve done during this weird time:

I decided to try my hand at writing a screenplay about my undergrad years as a first-generation Mexican American female from the Southwest at a university in the Northeast. It’s becoming a dramedy!

Best Piece of Advice a Mentor Ever Gave You:

“Nothing worth having comes easy.”

WCBA/Tenth JD Bar Activities:

• Board of Directors, Wake County Bar Association/Tenth Judicial District, 2018 – Present

• Chair, Co-Chair, Wake County Bar Association Committee on Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion, 2014 – Present

• Member, Wake County Bar Association and Tenth Judicial District Bench/Bar Committee, 2019 – Present

Other Bar-related Activities

• Founder, Triangle Latino Attorney Network (TLAN)

• North Carolina Pro Bono Honor Society

• Speaker and Panelist at UNC Law School and NCBA Minorities for the Profession events

• Member, Exhibition Advisory Committee, CAM Raleigh (Contemporary Art Museum)

• Member, Wake County Bar Association Nominations Committee, 2019 – Present

• Member, Tenth Judicial District Grievance Committee, 2015 – 2018

• Member, Wake County Bar Association Strategic Planning Committee, 2017 – 2018

• Member, Wake County Bar Association Social Committee, 2008 – 2009

DAYATRA (“DAY”) MATTHEWS

Local Government Federal Credit Union

Duke University School of Law, 1997

Most creative thing you’ve done during this weird time:

Don’t know if this counts as creative, but I watched the entire season of “Dating Around, Brazil” in one sitting, without English closed caption, in an effort to improve my Spanish while, of course, also feeding my incessant love of silly reality dating shows.

Best Piece of Advice a Mentor Ever Gave You:

“You don’t have to have positional authority to be a leader. You can influence folks right where you are. If you do that well, then the positional authority will eventually come.”

WCBA/Tenth JD Bar Activities:

• Former member, WCBA Board of Directors

• Past chair, Leadership Development Committee (now Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee)

• Past Vice-Chair and Chair, Grievance Committee

• Member, Strategic Planning Committee

• Former member, CLE Committee

Other Bar-related Activities

• Lawyer-on-the-Line supervisor for Duke Law students (2015-17)

• NC Pro Bono expungement clinic volunteer (2016)

• Past president of Capital City Lawyers’ Assoc. (2010-2011)

• Past president, North Carolina Association of Defense Attorneys (2017-2018)

TREASURER

ELECT 1 OF 1 CANDIDATE

JUDGE ASHLEIGH PARKER DUNSTON

Wake County District Court Judge

NCCU School of Law, 2012

Most creative thing you’ve done during this weird time:

I somehow kept my sanity while working full time, having two kids, and pregnant.

Best Piece of Advice a Mentor Ever Gave You:

“Never sacrifice who you are for where you want to be.”

SECRETARY

ELECT 1 OF 1 CANDIDATE

MEREDITH E. PACE

Dysart Willis Houchin & Hubbard, PLLC

Wake Forest University School of Law, 2017

Most creative thing you’ve done during this weird time:

To celebrate the birth of my nephew in May 2020, I put together a special video of family members sending their best to my sister and brother-in-law in their most creative ways.

Best Piece of Advice a Mentor Ever Gave You:

“Always seek to understand before jumping to conclusions, especially without first understanding the why.”

BOARD OF DIRECTORS SLATED

TIFFANY G. COX

Wake County Magistrate’s Office

North Carolina Central University School of Law, 2013

Most creative thing you’ve done during this weird time:

Since my husband is now fully working from home, and we aren’t doing much traveling with our two kids, we sold and then bought two “new to us” cars within three weeks of each other. We used the excess funds to pay off student loans.

Best Piece of Advice a Mentor Ever Gave You:

Professor Patti Bynum would always remind her students: “Words are the tools of our trade.” This phrase is always at the forefront of my mind, both personally and professionally.

JAKE EPSTEIN

The Epstein Law Firm, PLLC

Georgetown University Law Center, 2007

Most creative thing you’ve done during this weird time:

Became a father.

Best Piece of Advice a Mentor Ever Gave You:

“The best way to build a practice is to do a really good job for every client.”

SAM HAMADANI

Wake County District Court Judge

University of North Carolina School of Law, May 2011

Most creative thing you’ve done during this weird time:

Many home improvement projects including designing the landscaping for our front and back yards.

Best Piece of Advice a Mentor Ever Gave You:

“Do not be afraid to admit when you are wrong.”

KELLIE Z. MYERS

Trial Court Administrator, Tenth Judicial District

Penn State, 2005

Most creative thing you’ve done during this weird time:

Bought a stand-up paddleboard and learned how to use it and how to fish from it.

Best Piece of Advice a Mentor Ever Gave You:

“Try again!”

SARAH L. PRIVETTE

Marshall & Taylor, PLLC

William Mitchell College of Law, May 2009

Most creative thing you’ve done during this weird time:

Not being able to travel to see family and friends outside of the State has been hard with COVID. I have worked hard to come up with creative ways to stay connected to the people we can’t visit by doing everything from sending flowers, potatograms, cards, online game night, virtual events, etc.

Best Piece of Advice a Mentor Ever Gave You:

“If you don’t love it, don’t do it.”

BADGER-IREDELL FOUNDATION

ELECT 2 OF 2 CANDIDATES

JOHN SZYMANKIEWICZ

Matheson & Associates PLLC / Beer Law Center

NC Central School of Law, 2010

Most creative thing you’ve done during this weird time:

Not really “creative,” but as an overweight white male in my 40s, I was staring at some pretty significant health consequences if I didn’t take better care of myself. So a big focus for me during this pandemic was a docs on exercise, eating better, and weight loss generally. Managed to lose a good bit of weight in the process!

Best Piece of Advice a Mentor Ever Gave You:

“Everyday find another job you don’t want to have. You appreciate your work more and find more respect the folks that do the jobs you don’t want to do.”

DEWEY P. BRINKLEY

Law Office of Dewey P. Brinkley

Tulane Law School, 2002