From Antoinette E.M. Leoney, MCLE’s Board President

Channelling energy
into initiatives to move
MCLE forward

Lowering barriers, providing opportunities,
and advancing the quality of legal services

B O A R D  O F  T R U S T E E S Antoinette E.M. Leoney, President Phyllis E. Federico, First Vice President
Craig E. Stewart, Second Vice President
William J. McNally, Treasurer
Joan Corcoran Steiger, Secretary
Richard C. Allen
Lee C. Bromberg
R.J. Cinquegrana
Daniel L. Goldberg
Eric P. Hayes
Amy Cashore Mariani
Mark D. Mason
Martha A. Mazzone
Paul J. Ricotta
Denise Squillante
Kenneth J. Vacovec
Richard C. Van Nostrand
Joseph P.J. Vrabel
Steven H. Wright
Jennifer Yelen
Richard M. Zielinski
John M. (Jack) Reilly, Executive Director
Richard S. Milstein, Founding Director

Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education, Inc.
Ten Winter Place
Boston, MA 02108-4751
617-482-2205
MA toll free 800-966-6253
FAX 617-482-9498
www.mcle.org

MCLE congratulates Antoinette E.M. Leoney on her election at the 2006 Annual Meeting of the Board of Trustees in December as MCLE’s 16th president.

“Each president sustains and propels an organization's existing agenda, but at the same time must also make her own unique contribution.”

When you become a Board president, you're presented with a unique opportunity to bring your own energy to the table. You have a chance, as well, to channel that energy into initiatives to move the organization forward. Even more important, you have an obligation to draw out and mobilize the energy of others to achieve new goals.

When I began my new role as MCLE's president in December of last year, the Board's Bylaws Committee had already spent considerable energy on achieving a goal that is close to my heart—the goal of achieving greater Board diversity.

Last Fall, the MCLE's Bylaws were revised for the first time in almost two decades: We increased the total number of Trustees to 21 and created up to five openings for Trustees-At-Large, to be nominated and elected by the Board membership. The spirit behind this initiative is to bring more talent, experience and expertise to the table; to create a Board of Trustees that reflects the diversity of the bar. And we are achieving that diversity in several ways: For the first time in MCLE's

history, our Board membership includes some lawyers still in the early stages of their careers. Not only do they bring a fresh perspective, but their welcome presence on the Board also represents MCLE's commitment to train a new generation of lawyers to be leaders. Our Board draws from a broad range of practice specialties, including family law, commercial litigation, estate planning, real estate, solo and small firm general practice, financial institutions, government and corporate inhouse practice, employment practice, among others. To quote from St. Paul, “There is a diversity of gifts, but the same spirit.”

As part of my goal for diversity, I would like to see more lawyers of color not only participate in MCLE's governance, but also take advantage of MCLE's offerings to the bar. Many of these lawyers practice in neighborhood law firms, in government, or in legal services clinics; either with small budgets for CLE or none at all. I truly believe that access to justice begins with an educated and diverse bar. MCLE's growing scholarship program–and the diversity it achieves—needs to be among our top priorities: Nearly 1,300 scholarships were awarded last year based on need. I will make it my priority to help grow the number of awards that can be offered to lawyers who make it their life work to advocate for a diverse community.

I am looking forward to helping MCLE maintain its position at the forefront of continuing legal education, and I hope to encourage our Board to continue to celebrate its diversity of gifts with the same strong and energetic spirit.