The National Bar Association publishes Vol. 18, No. 1 August-December 2011 Edition of the NBA Magazine. Click here to view Magazine. Some of the Highlights of this Edition include an Interview with the NBA 69th President Daryl Parks, features of the National Bar Institution and National Association of Bench and Bar Spouses and thought provoking articles by seven outstanding law professors and Met Life. Please contact Tiane Younger at tyounger@nationalbar.org if you did not receive a copy of the Magazine in the mail.

Please meet the National Bar Association 2011-2012 Editorial Board below.

PAMELA J. MEANES, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Pamela J. Meanes is the Editor-in-Chief of the NBA Magazine. Pam is Vice President of Finance and Chairperson of the NBA Finance and Fundraising Committee. Prior to holding these positions, she served as Deputy General Counsel and Regional Director of Region VIII. In addition, she is a Past President of the Mound City Bar Association, a Missouri affiliate of the NBA and past Co-Chairperson of the ABA Section of Litigation Legal Service Delivery Committee. Currently, Pam is President of the Mound City Bar Foundation of Missouri and serves on the board of directors of MERS Goodwill.

Pamela is a partner with Thompson Coburn LLP, St. Louis’ largest law firm. As a partner in the firm’s litigation and public law practices, she represents a variety of clients on wide range of commercial litigation matters from land use, eminent domain and contract disputes, to employment and personnel issues. Pam began her career at Thompson Coburn in 1996 after earning her Juris Doctorate from University of Iowa, and was elected partner in 2005. She is the first African American to be elevated from associate to partner. She is the recipient of numerous awards.

KARL CONNOR, MANAGING/SENIOR EDITOR

Karl Connor is the Managing/Senior Editor of the NBA Magazine. Karl is a former Vice President of the NBA. He is the Director of Government & Public Affairs at BP America and managing member at The Connor Group, LLC. Prior to this, he served as a Judicial Law Clerk to the Honorable Ivan L.R. Lemelle from August 1995 until August 1998, an Assistant US Attorney from August 1998 until February 2002, and a US Bankruptcy Trustee from February 2002 until June 2004. He received his Bachelor of Science from Xavier University of Louisiana and his JD and from Loyola University New Orleans School of Law.

JUSTICE SHELVIN LOUISE MARIE HALL, ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Justice Shelvin Louise Marie Hall received her B.A. degree from Hampton University and her J.D. degree from Boston University School of Law. She was appointed a Circuit Court Judge of Cook County, Illinois in 1991 and elected in 1992. Justice Hall was appointed to the Appellate Court in 1999, elected in 2000 and retained in 2010. From 1998-1999, the Justice was Chairperson of the Judicial Council of the National Bar Association. She is also past Chair of the Illinois Judicial Council. Justice Hall has served as President of the Houston Lawyers Association, Vice President of the Cook County Bar Association, and Vice President of the National Bar Association. A member of the Illinois Judicial Conference, she serves on its Executive and Education Committees. She has been Illinois Appellate Court Presiding Justice of the 1st and 4th Divisions. Justice Hall is married to event producer, Ephraim Martin, President, Martin's Interculture, Inc.

LAVERNE LEWIS GASKINS, ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Laverne Lewis Gaskins serves as University Attorney for Valdosta State University. Ms. Gaskins earned her Juris Doctor degree from Florida State University's College of Law, where she currently serves on the Alumni Board. Prior to beginning her career in education law, she was engaged in the private practice of law. Ms. Gaskins is a member of the Georgia Bar and is admitted to practice in the United States Supreme Court, Georgia Supreme Court, United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, and the United States District Court of Georgia (Middle District). Currently, Ms. Gaskins serves on the Editorial Board of The Journal of College and University Law and the Campus Legal Advisor. She has written several articles that have appeared in national and state publications.

Ms. Gaskins is a former member of the Board of Governors for State Bar of Georgia. Ms. Gaskins also serves as Secretary and Deputy General Counsel for the Democratic Party of Georgia.

KIMBERLY A. FORD, SECTION EDITOR

Kimberly A. Ford serves on the NBA Magazine Committee as a NBA Region Section Editor. Kimberly is an attorney with Dick & Miller, P.C. in Huntsville, Alabama where she advises nascent and established entrepreneurs regarding various topics in government contract law, including bid protests and 8(a) certification, as well as business/corporate transactions and estate planning. Kimberly earned her B.S. degree in Chemistry from Spelman College, MBA from Alabama A&M University and JD from The University of Tennessee College of Law with a concentration in Business Transactions.

Kimberly also serves as an adjunct instructor at Strayer University and was appointed as a Substitute Municipal Court Judge (PT). She has held several leadership positions on non-profit boards in her community and is actively involved in her local bar association. Kimberly is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. and Greater Huntsville Chapter of The Links, Incorporated.

MAURICE MCNAB, SECTION EDITOR

Maurice McNab is a graduate of Canisius College, and the University of Buffalo, School of Law. Maurice is the Principle and Managing Attorney of the Law Offices of Maurice McNab, LLC., a litigation based law firm in Greenville, South Carolina. Maurice’s biggest legal accomplishment occurred in 2010 when he convinced the Court to vacate a man’s conviction and 25-year prison sentence (Randy Lee Hill v. State of South Carolina, 2009-CP-39-0946). Maurice is very active in Greenville community, where he sits on the Housing Board of the Urban League of the Upstate, and serves as Associate Head Coach for Fundamentals Prep, a college preparatory basketball program based in the Upstate South Carolina. Maurice credits God for the creation of his family, educational and professional achievements, and balanced life.

CAROLINE WATSON, SECTION EDITOR

Caroline Watson serves on the NBA Magazine Committee’s Editorial Board in the capacity as Division Editor. She’s responsible for soliciting, reviewing and writing articles on the NBA’s numerous Divisions.
Caroline is the Special Assistant to the Director and Staff Counsel for the Cook County Department of Planning and Development. She drafts, reviews and negotiates contracts with 122 municipalities and not-for-profit organizations in Cook County, Illinois. Caroline earned her B.S. in Finance from Illinois State University, Normal, Illinois and J.D. from Cleveland State University, Cleveland, Ohio. Also, Caroline serves on the NBA Awards Committee for the 2011-2013 term and is a board member of the Advisory Council for the National Association of Minority and Women Owned Law Firms (NAMWOLF). She regularly performs pro bono work in estate planning for Chicago’s police, fire and first responders, and is active with various alumni, community and social organizations.

REGAN TAYLOR, SECTION EDITOR

A native of Memphis, Tennessee, Reagan Taylor is an assistant U.S. attorney in the Homicide Division of the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. Prior to joining the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Reagan was a Presidential Management Fellow (PMF) with the Drug Enforcement Administration, where she worked primarily on Diversion Litigation, but she also completed details with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and as Counsel to then-Senator Joe Biden on the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Reagan is a 2001 graduate of Spelman College and a 2005 graduate of The University of Tennessee College of Law where she graduated with honors and on the Dean’s List, and where she served on the editorial board of the Tennessee Law Review.

In addition to her work to ensure a safer DC, Reagan is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., the National Alumnae Association of Spelman College, and serves as a mentor at Thurgood Marshall Charter High School.

RONDA F. WILLIAMS, NBA STAFF LIAISON

Ronda F. Williams serves on the National Bar Association (NBA) Magazine Committee as the NBA Staff Liaison. She has drafted and created substantive written materials for continuing legal education seminars and contributed articles to other bar association newsletters.

Ronda is Senior Corporate Counsel at SAVVIS, Inc., a global internet technology company in St. Louis, Missouri, where she structures, drafts, reviews and negotiates complex information technology and telecommunications-based agreements and directs and develops the company’s global legal sourcing and procurement activities. Ronda is also an Adjunct Professor at Saint Louis University. She earned her Bachelor of Science from Hampton University and Juris Doctorate from Saint Louis University School of Law.

Ronda sits on the NBA Board of Governors as a Member-At-Large, and serves as Chief of Staff to NBA President Daryl D. Parks. In addition to having held several leadership roles in the NBA, Mound City Bar Association (her local NBA Affiliate) and other local bar associations, Ronda is very involved within her community, serving on non-profit boards and volunteering with many civic organizations.
 

TIANE YOUNGER, CIRCULATION COORDINATION

Tiane Younger joined the National Bar Association as Office Manager in May 2011. Tiane graduated with honors from Archbishop Carroll High School in Washington, DC and continued her education at Hampton University in Hampton, VA. She graduated Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English. Upon graduation, Tiane honed her research and writing skills as a research fellow at the University of California-Los Angeles. Prior to joining the NBA, she served as an Associate Recruitment Clerk in the Washington, DC office of Hogan Lovells LLP.

ERIKA OWENS, ADVERTISING COORDINATION

A native of the Washington Metropolitan area, Erika C. Owens was born in Washington, DC and raised in Gaithersburg, MD. Joining the National Bar Association in 2008, she has managed the NBA News Briefs, its member e-communications, media relations, website and marketing materials. Erika graduated magna cum laude from Hampton University in Hampton, VA with a Bachelors of Arts degree in English.