President's Update

Bienvenidos!

As the 2010 year rolls out, I am pleased to say that we are hitting the ground running. Before I get into the details, I must first extend a heartfelt “gracias” to Judge Rosendo Peña for the officiating of the Installation of Officers ceremony in January. Aside from the official swearing in, Judge Peña shared information about the positive direction regarding Latino and African-American appointments and committee board posts in the Court system. On the other hand, the decline in the number of Hispanic law school students is unexpected and disappointing. Judge Peña concluded his remarks with a positive message about the importance of organizations such as ours because our continued work within the community is a positive approach with positive results… Thank you Judge Peña.

As the incoming President, it is truly an honor to serve alongside such amazing women and it is my hope that in the coming months you will get to knows me. I take the role of President seriously and fully understand that our success as a League could not take place without cooperation and commitment. I feel fortunate that the 2010 executive board consists of a blend of founding members as well as relatively new members. My mention of “new” reflects new to the organization overall or new to a board position. I must also acknowledge the entire membership for whom it would not be possible to achieve such success without the many hours of volunteerism and leadership year after year.

Understanding that much discussion and planning must take place before any proposed change or modification take place, my first thought is that the League must increase membership and sponsorships. In addition, we should consider whom we would collaborate with and finally, we should place priority on our mode of communication. It is crucial that we become advocates of the online generation while not loosing site of the need to continue to communicate with those members who are not online. By doing so, we should be able to attract a wider range of potential members and a suitable forum for mutual correspondence.

Referring back to “sponsorships,” I decided to research grant opportunities and much to my surprise, I stumbled onto an online video of a speech by Trudy Sullivan, President, and CEO for Talbots. Sullivan was a guest speaker at the 2009 More Reinvention Convention, designed for women who are interested in transforming their careers, finances, health, beauty, fashion and the re-launch of the “Talbots Scholarship Fund”.

Briefly, Sullivan explains how the strongest learning moments are when things do not work and how reinvention is never easy and every experience should be a learning experience. Finally, she discusses how reinvention does not have to involve erasing the past, rather, it is an opportunity to take the best parts of the past and rearrange them in a new way. I could go on and on but I will not, however you can view the entire speech at http://www1.talbots.com/online/pearlsofwisdom/video.jsp?intcmp=20091119_newnoteworthy_leftnav2_video and click on More Reinvention Convention.

In closing, as we review our history, identify our success, and embrace change – all the while staying focused, we will undoubtedly supersede our goals. Stay tuned…there is much more to come!

Sincerely,
Toni Munoz-Woods
2010 LMAW President

President's Update

We are pleased to announce that the 2010 LMAW scholarship recipients have been selected and will be honored at this years brunch.

Meeting Dates

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