Joan Wiley Named to
Inaugural LEAP Class
Nevada Paralegal Association member Joan E. Wiley, ACP, has been named to the inaugural class of 15 paralegals from throughout the nation to participate in NALA’s new Leadership Enhancement and Preparation (LEAP) program. The class will have its first meeting during the 32nd annual NALA convention this July in New Orleans.
Michelle Erdmann, ACP, Chair of NALA’s Professional Development Committee that conceived and developed the LEAP program, announced the class selection in June, stressing the important role these participants will play.
“Preparing future leaders is crucial to the success of our Association,” she said. “These first LEAP participants will set precedents and tradition for the future of the program, the Association, and the paralegal profession. We envision the LEAP program as an ongoing part of NALA’s mission to remain the leading paralegal association in the nation.”
The class will be divided into smaller teams that will undertake research and reading assignments. There will be monthly Internet “Webinars” on subjects ranging from general information on the paralegal profession and the structure of NALA to specific leadership skills such as public speaking and association governance.
No program is scheduled for December, and May and June are to be devoted to team projects to demonstrate the participants’ grasp of LEAP objectives. All groups will be doing a presentation at the 2008 convention. There is the possibility that one group (or more) will be chosen to do a presentation to the membership at the meeting.
There is no enrollment fee for the program, but participants have a significant time commitment and incidental costs associated with buying texts and attending the requisite annual convention meetings at the beginning and end of each “LEAP Year.” Each participant who successfully completes the program will receive a Certificate of Completion.
Other members of this first class are: Patty H. Allred, ACP, Salt Lake City, UT; Mona H. Chandler, CP, Daingerfield, TX; Amy Jo Clingan, CLA, Jacksonville, FL; Ruth S. Conley, CLA, Houston, TX: Julie M. Daniels, ACP, Wichita, KS; Ida Farhat, ACP, Lansing, MI; Kristine M. Hill, CLA, Pensacola, FL; Melissa M. Klimpel, ACP, Bismarck, ND; Susan K. Lewis, CLA, Cheyenne, WY; Louise C. Mulderink, CP, Chattanooga, TN; Kathleen M. Rosenstock, ACP, Glendale, CA; Debra L. Overstreet, CP, Broken Arrow, OK; Lorena A. Shingleton, ACP, Charleston, WV; and Melissa M. Wickerath, CLA, Ankeny, IA.
More information about LEAP may be found on the NALA Web site at www.nala.org, or by contacting NALA Headquarters at 1516 S. Boston Avenue, Tulsa, OK 74119; (918) 583-5485.