Governance Task Force

Board of Governors Responds to Governance Task Force Recommendations

The Board of Governors has completed its review and discussion of the Governance Task Force Recommendations. The Board's report received a first reading at the July 24-25, 2015, Board meeting, and the Board will take action on the report at the Sept. 17-18, 2015, Board meeting in Seattle.

All comments should be forwarded to governance@wsba.org by the BOG Book materials deadline of Sept. 2, 2015. All comments will be published in the Sept. 17-18, 2015, Board meeting public session materials.

On Sept. 17, 2015, the Board of Governors adopted the final Leadership for Today and Tomorrow: Report of the Board of Governors of the Washington State Bar Association on Governance. 

Governance Task Force Completes Final Report

The Governance Task Force spent 18 months conducting an in-depth review of the governance of the WSBA and its report is now complete. The Task Force's recommendations are considered a starting point for the Board of Governors' and the state Supreme Court’s discussions. The Court has asked for the Board’s response to the report. In preparation for taking action at its Sept. 17-18, 2015, meeting, the Board is seeking member input over the next year on the recommendations (see priority order of topics for Board discussion below).

To facilitate the Board’s ongoing discussions of the report, a work group comprised of members of the Board of Governors has been formed.

Governance Work Group:

Vern Harkins, chair
Michele Radosevich
Anthony Gipe
Brad Furlong
Robyn Haynes
Karen Denise Wilson
Ken Masters
James Armstrong
Bill Hyslop
Paula Littlewood, WSBA executive director

The work group will establish distinct agenda items for discussion at board meetings. In conjunction with the Officers of the Board, the group will schedule appropriate portions of the recommendations for discussion by the entire Board, and after the Board has met and discussed those portions, return with a draft consensus for review. All board meetings are open to the public, and the membership will be notified as priorities are placed on the Board meeting agendas.

Priority Order of Board Discussions: (dates of BOG discussion)

1. Board of Governors and the WSBA (Nov. 14, 2014)
2. Organization and Selection of the BOG (Nov. 14, 2014 & Jan. 22-23, 2015) 
3. Supreme Court and the WSBA (March 19 & April 24-25, 2015) 
4. State Bar Act (June 5, 2015)

View a summary of the report's recommendations here.

On Sept. 21, 2012, the Board of Governors approved the charter for the Governance Task Force. Seattle attorney Rima Alaily chairs the group, which is tasked with undertaking an in-depth review of the governance of the WSBA.

Members

All Task Force members are appointed by President Radosevich. The current roster includes eight members drawn from various sectors. The members are:
Rima Alaily, Task Force chair
Loren Etengoff
Nancy Isserlis
Lee Kerr
Doug Lawrence
Craig Simms
Hugh Spitzer

Charter

Meeting Minutes

Nov 2012 - June 2014

Reports

Interim Report of Governance Task Force (June 2013)
Second Interim Report and Recommendations (April 2014)
Final Report and Recommendations (June 2014)