Northwest Suburban Bar Association Installation Dinner 2016
It may have been storming outside at the 2016 NWSBA Installation Dinner, but the thunder inside the Metropolis Ballroom in Arlington Heights erupted from enthusiastic applause when Nichole N. Waltz was sworn in as President.
Each year, a new President takes the helm for the Northwest Suburban Bar Association, and on June 22, 2016 the tradition continued when new officers and Board of Governors for 2016/17 were sworn in by the Hon. William O. Maki, Presiding Judge, Third District, Circuit Court of Cook County.
Newly installed officers include Jay A. Andrew, First Vice President; Michael Rothmann, Second Vice President; Miriam Cooper, Treasurer and Gary A. Newland, Secretary.
Judge Maki also installed the new Board of Governors for the 2016 - 2019 term: Moe Ahmad, Jonathan Anderson, Anthony F. Calzaretta, Allen S. Gabe and Joseph V. Vito.
Patricia L. Jochum of the Northwest Suburban Bar Association Foundation was also installed by Judge Maki.
Lee DeWald emcee'd the evening's event, and encouraged all members to continue to become involved in all of the NWSBA events that are offered.
Ronald F. Wittmeyer, Jr., outgoing President, thanked his 52 committee chairpersons for their hard work and dedication, and declared his presidency, "the best non-paying job I've ever had!"
"The role of a great bar association is to provide quality CLE programs, and to create a professional community. The NWSBA continues to produce well-attended events, both social and professional. I am very proud of the Pro Bono hours that our members contribute at the Rolling Meadows Courthouse, and I know that with all of the enthusiasm and energy Nichole and the new board members exude, our Association will be in good hands," said Wittmeyer as he handed over the gavel to Waltz.
After her installation, Waltz announced her plans for continued success of the NWSBA. "As the fourth largest Bar Association in the state, we are pretty awesome, but every organization is always looking to improve, and I'd like to continue to be a part of that process. We know that strong organizations benefit from diversity. My sincerest hope as president is that I can be an ambassador for the NWSBA and help to bring a more diverse membership to our organization."
Waltz commented that this successful organization could not exist without volunteers, as well Executive Director, Julie Barth. "The office administrators are always there to help and make us look good."
Waltz recognized that volunteer organizations, without active volunteers, would be little more than a written check. "The NWSBA is far more than just a line on our resume. It is an organization committed to creating and supporting knowledgeable attorneys through its extensive substantive committee structure and its commitment to providing quality CLE's. The NWSBA is about building strong professional relationships."
Waltz is also very committed to rebuilding the NWSBA Foundation, which is the charitable arm of the Association which facilitates fundraising for the Honorable Timothy C. Evans Scholarship. "In 2016, with a new Foundation Board of Directors in place the scholarship award was $5,000. I want the 2017 scholarship amount to be $10,000 and will do everything that I can to support that effort," she said.
Moe Ahmad, received the President's Award for Outstanding Work as a Committee Chair for bringing a renewed spirit and energy to the criminal law committee.
"We ask our committee chairs to wear a number of hats, including organizing monthly meetings, obtaining speakers for CLE events and marketing their meetings and events. It can be very time consuming and requires a lot of personal effort," said Waltz.
"I want to thank you for this award, and acknowledge my Co-Chairs Matt Fakhoury, Dick Adler and Tom Moran. We all care about this committee and appreciate all of the support we receive, especially from judges. I appreciate this award but it's an award for everyone, not just me," said Ahmad, as he humbly accepted this honor.
The President's Award for Distinguished Public Service was presented to The Hon. Pamela E. Loza.
"I have the privilege of giving an award to someone in my professional community who I admire and who has done great works," said Waltz. "In her tenure as Judge and Supervising Judge, Judge Loza has fostered real, positive change by instituting a program with Chicago Volunteer Legal Services to bring much needed pro bono representatives to parentage cases, while also giving young attorneys the experience they very much need. She also played an integral role in the recent overhaul of the Illinois Marriage and Dissolution of Marriage Act and the coming changes to child support in the State of Illinois with the pending Child Support Act," said Waltz.
Judge Loza thanked the Association for this award. "I joined the NWSBA in 1981 and I feel that this organization is my home base. I have been a judge for a long time, and have been involved in many organizations, but this group has a wonderful comradery, and I congratulate everyone for all of your hard work to continue to make this a tremendous organization."
Waltz ended the evening by saying "I am very much looking forward to this next year and I hope to make the NWSBA both proud, and better."
Corporate Sponsors for this event included:
ADR Systems
Attorneys' Title Guaranty Fund, Inc.
BNC Quality Auto Body
The Law Office of Miriam Cooper
DeWald Law Group PC
Drost, Gilbert, Andrew & Apicella, LLC
The Law Offices of Neil H. Good
IICLE
ISBA Mutual
Jensen Litigation Solutions
Waltz Palmer Dawson
Member Sponsors for this event included:
Favaro & Gorman, Ltd.
Kelley, Kelley & Kelley
Newland & Newland, LLP
Daniel K. Robin, Attorney at Law
Michael Rothmann
Law Offices of RF Wittmeyer