FBA Leadership

Robert J. DeSousa
Bob is general counsel for R.E. Harper Associates LLC in Harrisburg, Penn. He was formerly chief executive officer of the Vartan Group Inc. He is a lieutenant colonel in the Judge Advocate General’s Corp of the Pennsylvania Army National Guard. Bob has served the federal government as a law clerk and as an assistant U.S. attorney; he has served the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania as chief counsel of the Department of State, and as the state’s inspector general. FBA member: 17 years. FBA Activities: With the help of several other members, Bob re-chartered the then-defunct Middle District of Pennsylvania Chapter and set forth an aggressive program of CLEs, judicial receptions, and membership drives. Bob has served in every office in the Middle District of Pennsylvania Chapter, including that of president and national delegate; National Council member; Federal Career Services Division; Constitution Committee, Bylaws Committee, Rules Committee; Governance Review Committee; Membership Committee; vice president for the Third Circuit; chair of the vice presidents of the circuits; and is a Charter Sustaining Life Fellow of the Foundation of the Federal Bar Association and a sustaining member of the FBA. During his two terms as a vice president, he started a chapter via phone, letters, and e-mails in the Virgin Islands. He was elected by his peers to the position of chair of the vice presidents of the circuits. During his tenure, and with the help of his fellow vice presidents, the vice presidents increased activity while at the same time spending less dues money. The now annual Chapter Leadership Training Program for presidents-elect, training at all conferences, and updating the chapter’s leadership manual are all results of these efforts. He was awarded the Middle District of Pennsylvania Appreciation Award in 1997, the Middle District of Pennsylvania President’s Award in 2002, and was awarded a Special Recognition Award in 2002 and 2005 by the FBA president. Bob served for three years on the former Executive Committee.

	Officers
	Juanita Sales Lee, President Juanita is a senior attorney with the U.S. Army, Space and Missile Defense Command in Huntsville, Ala., where she primarily practices labor and employment law. Although practicing with various Army commands for over 20 years, she has also worked with the Legal Aid Society of Madison County, Huntsville; Alabama A&M University; the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development; and was in private practice in her hometown of Phenix City, Ala. She is a graduate of the University of Alabama School of Law, and has a Master of Laws degree from the Judge Advocate General’s School, U.S. Army. She is admitted to the State Bar of Alabama, State Bar of Georgia, the Supreme Court of the United States, and the U.S. District Court, Northern and Middle Districts of Alabama. As an FBA member for over 15 years, Juanita has served in many leadership positions such as national treasurer (2005-2006); national secretary (2004-2005); deputy secretary (2003-2004); vice president, Eleventh Circuit (1999-2003); vice presidents for the circuits, secretary (2001-2003); vice presidents for the circuits, chair, Chapter Activity Fund (1999-2001); as Eleventh Circuit vice president, she was instrumental in reactivating the Mobile and Birmingham Chapters; Sarah T. Hughes Civil Rights Award Committee (2002-2004); Public Relations Committee (2001-2003); Federal Career Services Division member (1991-present); North Alabama Chapter president, Delegate/Acquisition Symposium chair, secretary/treasurer and parliamentarian for two cycles (1991-2001); at her local chapter, she spearheaded the First Annual FBA Personnel and Employment Law Symposium in 2003. Juanita is also a member of the Board of Directors, Legal Services Alabama Inc.; the Museum Committee, Alabama Space Science Exhibit Commission; the Alabama Citizens for Constitutional Reform; Georgia Bar delegate to China, People to People Ambassador Program; past president of the Phenix City NAACP; past secretary, Russell County Bar Association; past member, Advisory Committee, Alabama State Docks.
	Lawrence R. Baca, President-Elect Lawrence is retired from the U.S. Department of Justice and currently an adjunct professor of federal Indian law at the Howard University School of Law. He retired as deputy director of the Office of Tribal Justice where he had been for four years. Previously, he served for 28 years in the Civil Rights Division, where he rose to the rank of senior trial attorney. Lawrence was the first American Indian attorney ever hired through the Attorney General’s Honor Law Program for Honor Law Graduates and was also the first American Indian attorney ever hired in the Civil Rights Division. He is a 1973 graduate of the University of California, Santa Barbara where he received a B.A. in American Indian History. His J.D. is from Harvard Law School, class of 1976. He was the sixth American Indian graduate of Harvard in the Twentieth Century. Having previously served as a Harvard teaching fellow, he served as a professorial lecturer in federal Indian law at the American University College of Law in 2004 and 2005. Lawrence has been an FBA member for 22 years. His service to the FBA began in 1985 when he was appointed by the FBA president to chair of the Indian Law Committee of the Energy, Environment, and Natural Resources Section, where he served for five years. In 1989, with the assistance of FBA President William R. Robie, he founded the Indian Law Section and served as its chair for 15 years. As chair of the Indian Law Section, he also chaired the Annual Indian Law Conference from 1986-1989. In 1999, he founded the D.C. Indian Law Conference that the FBA co-sponsors with the National Native American Bar Association and the Native American Bar Association of Washington, D.C. He has also served as a member of the FBA National Membership Committee (2002-2004), the Governance Review Committee, the inaugural Sarah T. Hughes Awards Selection Committee, and as chair of the Committee on Minority Membership. Under his leadership, the committee sponsored a symposium on Racial and Ethnic Diversity and the Bar in 2003. He was also deputy section coordinator, and has served on the National Nominations and Elections Committee (2000-2003) and the Continuing Legal Education Committee (2002-2003). He has received numerous FBA awards for his services, including the President's Award (2002), a Special Presidential Recognition Award (Spring 2001), Section Leadership Award (2000), a Career Achievement Award presented jointly by the FBA Indian Law Section and the National Native American Bar Association (April 2000), and Section Leadership Awards for the years 1998, 1995, 1993, 1992, 1988, 1987, and 1986. He has, over the years, contributed photographs for the cover of The Federal Bar News & Journal and The Federal Lawyer on 17 occasions and has delivered speeches in the name of the Federal Bar Association to high schools, colleges, and law schools on occasions too numerous to mention, including 26 presentations in 2004 alone with respect to the 50th Anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education. He is a Life Fellow of the Foundation of the Federal Bar Association. He has been president of the National Native American Bar Association three times, served on its Board of Directors for 18 of the last 21 years, and is the immediate past chair of the American Bar Association Commission on Racial and Ethnic Diversity in the Profession. Previously, he has served as a member of the Inaugural Commission and was a member of the ABA Council on Racial and Ethnic Justice. At the Department of Justice, he was the founding member of the Indian Trial Lawyers Association of the DOJ and was its chair for 30 years. He has served on the Board of Directors of the UCSB Alumni Association and was presented a Distinguished Alumni Award in 1985. He has also served on the Board of Directors of the UCSB library’s Multi-Ethnic Collection. Formerly a competitive 800 meter runner, he is even more proud of having performed on stage at the Warner Theater with Sir Ian McKellen. He and his wife JoAnn live in Alexandria, Va., and dream of Venice, Italy, where (because they have no children to put through college) they have visited 14 times since 1986.
	Ashley L. Belleau, Treasurer Ashley is a partner with Montgomery, Barnett, Brown, Read, Hammond & Mintz, L.L.P. in New Orleans, La. Her main areas of practice include commercial litigation, business law, and alternative dispute resolution. Ashley earned her B.A., cum laude, and her J.D. degree from Tulane University. Before entering private practice, she served as a judicial law clerk for Hon. Henry A. Mentz Jr. in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana. Ashley is a past president of the New Orleans Chapter of the Federal Bar Association and a past vice president for the Fifth Circuit. In September 2003, she was elected by her peers as chair of the vice presidents for the circuits and served in that position for two years. Her past FBA activities include having served as deputy secretary on the Executive Committee for 2005-2006, and as a director on the Younger Lawyers Division Board for 1991-93. Ashley also served on the 2002-05 Governance Review Committee, the 2003 and 2007 Chapter Activity Awards Committees, and the 2001-02 Judicial Nominations Committee. She also has been a speaker at several annual FBA Chapter Leadership Training Programs for chapter presidents-elect. Ashley has been a member of the National Council for a number of years and is a Fellow of the Foundation of the Federal Bar Association. Since the adoption of the new governing structure by the FBA membership, Ashley has served on the Board of Directors. In 2006, she was appointed general counsel to the FBA by then-president William N. LaForge, and was re-appointed by then-president James S. Richardson for the 2007-2008 term. In 2008, Ashley was elected treasurer of the association.

	Elected Members
	Fern C. Bomchill Fern has been a member of the FBA for over fifteen years. She was an active member of her local FBA chapter for several years before undertaking the chapter office positions of treasurer, secretary, vice president, and president. During these years, she had the opportunity and pleasure of working with the federal judiciary on a variety of issues—related and unrelated to the FBA. Fern began work on the national level for the FBA as the Seventh Circuit vice president for four years. During that period, she was a member, and later chair, of the Chapter Activity Fund, which gave her the opportunity to learn more of the FBA chapters throughout the country. Subsequently, Fern was honored to be elected to the first board of directors under the new governance structure. It has been exciting to be part of the transition, and her experience on “both sides” provides a unique and invaluable perspective in moving forward. As a board member, she has served on several committees, including the Task Force for the Future and the budget committee. Fern is a partner in the Chicago office of Mayer Brown LLP, a global law firm; she have been associated with the law firm since her graduation from the University of Chicago Law School in 1972. Fern has concentrated on litigation, primarily in the federal courts, in a variety of substantive areas. She has been appointed to serve as a special master and claims administrator in class actions. In addition to her client work, Fern currently acts as her firm’s “counsel.” She handles claims and other client issues; drafts and approves firm contracts; and advises on, and teaches, professional ethics and firm policy issues. She currently serves as the president of a community organization and the treasurer of an investment entity. Fern is a member of several other bar associations and legal clubs in the city, including the Lincoln Inn of Court. She has been recognized as an Illinois Super Lawyer, a Leading Lawyer, and a Top Lawyer in Illinois.
	Warren P. Burke Warren is assistant counsel, Office of the Legislative Counsel, U.S. House of Representatives, Washington, D.C. He specializes in public health, food and drugs, communications, clean air, and safe drinking water and previously served as a law clerk to Hon. Edith Brown Clement in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana. FBA Activities: Capitol Hill Chapter president (2005-present), president-elect (2004-2005), vice president (2003-2004), treasurer (2002-2003), council member (2001-present). Education: He received his undergraduate degree from the University of Texas at Austin (1992) and his J.D. from Tulane Law School (1997). Bar admissions: Louisiana, 1998; Maryland, 1999; Supreme Court of the United States, 2003.
	Hon. Michelle Burns Hon. Michelle Burns is currently a U.S. magistrate judge in Phoenix, Ariz., appointed to the bench on Mar. 1, 2007. Previously, she worked in the U.S. attorneys office, white collar crime unit, and before that spent 11 years in private practice. She has spent 22 years as a trial attorney, with over 70 jury trials in county and federal courts, including several appeals to the Arizona and the Ninth Circuit Courts of Appeals in the areas of complex securities fraud, wire fraud, and conspiracy litigation. She has been a member of the Horace Rumpole Inn of Court, the Arizona Judicial Performance Review Committee, and a lawyer delegate to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. Education: 1981 B.A., University of Michigan; 1985 J.D., University of Toledo. FBA Activities: Burns fulfilled the positions of secretary, treasurer, vice president, and president of the Phoenix Chapter of the FBA from 1998-2001. In 2003, she was placed on the board of the Federal Litigation Section, and became the editor of the section’s newsletter, Sidebar. She was elected chair of the Federal Litigation Section in 2004 and served until 2007. During her term as president of her chapter in 2001/2002, and as chair of the Litigation Section in 2005/2006, she received Presidential Citation and Excellence Awards from the National Organization. Previously, she served on the Chapter Activity Fund Committee, the Nominations and Elections Committee, and the Task Force on Sections and Divisions. In January 2008, she was appointed to fill the remaining 20 months of a resigning board member’s 3-year term on the FBA Board of Directors. FBA member: 12 years.
	Sean M. Connolly Sean is a senior associate at Greenberg Traurig, LLP, an international law firm with over 1,700 attorneys, and a member of the Government Contracts Practice Group. He is also a Major in the U.S. Army Reserve currently serving with the 151st Legal Services Organization in Alexandria, Va. Prior to joining Greenberg Traurig, Sean served on active duty as an army judge advocate in a variety of positions, most recently as a trial attorney with the U.S. Army Legal Services Agency, Contract and Fiscal Law Division, litigating government contract disputes, defending bid protests, and advising on procurement fraud actions. He also previously served as assistant legal advisor and executive officer for the Office of the Secretary of Defense, Office of the Appointing Authority for Military Commissions, where he advised the appointing authority and general counsel of the Department of Defense on legal and procedural issues. Prior to that, Sean served as prosecutor and brigade legal advisor with the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) at Fort Campbell, Ky., and in Kuwait and Iraq, where he was responsible for trying all courts-martial, nonjudicial punishment, elimination boards and administrative separation actions within two brigades, as well as advising on operational and administrative law matters. He has taught as an adjunct lecturer at the Catholic University of America Columbus School of Law. He also previously served as a legal intern and later as a law clerk to Hon. H.F. “Sparky” Gierke, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces. As an FBA member for 9 years, his FBA activities include National Council (2004-present); Pentagon Chapter national delegate and immediate past president (2005-2006); Pentagon Chapter president (2004-2005); Pentagon Chapter second vice president (2004); vice chair for the lawyer in uniform, Federal Career Service Division (2004-2006); board member, Younger Lawyers Division (2005-present); and member, Government Contracts Section (2005-present). Sean received his undergraduate degree from Bryant University, cum laude (1996), and his J.D. from the Catholic University of America Columbus School of Law (1999). He is admitted to the bars of Connecticut, the District of Columbia, the U.S. Army Court of Criminal Appeals, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces, and the U.S. Court of Federal Claims. He is also a member of the Connecticut Bar Association; District of Columbia Bar Association; National Defense Industrial Association; Judge Advocates Association; 101st Airborne Division Association; The Army and Navy Club; and the Association of the United States Army. Sean’s military awards and decorations include the Bronze Star Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal, the Army Commendation Medal, the Army Achievement Medal, the Iraqi Campaign Medal and the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal. He is also entitled to wear the Air Assault Badge and the Office of the Secretary of Defense Identification Badge.
	Robert J. DeSousa Bob is general counsel for R.E. Harper Associates LLC in Harrisburg, Penn. He was formerly chief executive officer of the Vartan Group Inc. He is a lieutenant colonel in the Judge Advocate General’s Corp of the Pennsylvania Army National Guard. Bob has served the federal government as a law clerk and as an assistant U.S. attorney; he has served the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania as chief counsel of the Department of State, and as the state’s inspector general. FBA member: 17 years. FBA Activities: With the help of several other members, Bob re-chartered the then-defunct Middle District of Pennsylvania Chapter and set forth an aggressive program of CLEs, judicial receptions, and membership drives. Bob has served in every office in the Middle District of Pennsylvania Chapter, including that of president and national delegate; National Council member; Federal Career Services Division; Constitution Committee, Bylaws Committee, Rules Committee; Governance Review Committee; Membership Committee; vice president for the Third Circuit; chair of the vice presidents of the circuits; and is a Charter Sustaining Life Fellow of the Foundation of the Federal Bar Association and a sustaining member of the FBA. During his two terms as a vice president, he started a chapter via phone, letters, and e-mails in the Virgin Islands. He was elected by his peers to the position of chair of the vice presidents of the circuits. During his tenure, and with the help of his fellow vice presidents, the vice presidents increased activity while at the same time spending less dues money. The now annual Chapter Leadership Training Program for presidents-elect, training at all conferences, and updating the chapter’s leadership manual are all results of these efforts. He was awarded the Middle District of Pennsylvania Appreciation Award in 1997, the Middle District of Pennsylvania President’s Award in 2002, and was awarded a Special Recognition Award in 2002 and 2005 by the FBA president. Bob served for three years on the former Executive Committee.
	Hon. Gustavo A. Gelpi Judge Gelpi is a U.S. district judge for the District of Puerto Rico. Before that he was a U.S. magistrate judge (2001-2006). Prior to his appointment he was the solicitor general of Puerto Rico. Judge Gelpí commenced his legal career in 1991 as law clerk to U.S. District Judge Juan M. Pérez-Giménez. In 1993, he became an assistant federal public defender and in 1996 was detailed to work as special counsel to the U.S. Sentencing Commission. From there, he went to work at the Puerto Rico Department of Justice, first as a special aide in federal matters, then as an assistant attorney general. In 1999, the governor of Puerto Rico appointed him solicitor general. Prior to joining the federal judiciary, he briefly worked at the McConnell and Valdés law firm as special litigation counsel. Judge Gelpí is a graduate of Brandeis University and Suffolk University Law School. Following his admission to the bars of several states and federal courts, Judge Gelpí devoted the bulk of his practice to federal criminal and civil litigation, at both trial and appellate levels. FBA Member: 17 years. FBA Activities: director of the Puerto Rico Chapter’s Board of Directors (1994-1996); chapter treasurer (1997-1998); vice president (1999); and chapter president (2000). At the national level: chair, Professional Ethics Committee (2001-2002), received a Presidential Certificate of Appreciation for his work in the committee; appointed member, National Council (2001); vice president for the First Circuit (2002-2006); secretary to the Circuit vice presidents (2006), member, FBA Audit Committee (2006-present), chair, FBA Audit Committee (2007-2008, 2008-2009). Judge Gelpí has published two judicial profiles and an article about federal confederate courts in The Federal Lawyer and numerous articles and columns in From the Bar, the Puerto Rico Chapter’s award winning newsletter. He also served on the editorial board of both The Federal Lawyer and From the Bar, has participated as panelist in several FBA seminars and luncheons, and has taught federal criminal procedure and appellate practice for the Puerto Rico Chapter’s federal bar examination course. Currently, he is an adjunct professor of federal criminal procedure at the Interamerican University Law School. During his term as Puerto Rico Chapter president, Judge Gelpí was instrumental in establishing three of the first FBA student divisions in the nation in Puerto Rico’s three law schools. He was also responsible for the Puerto Rico Chapter’s continued increase in membership, the chapter being now one of the largest. Judge Gelpí has been recognized for his work in the Federal Bar Association by its president, the Puerto Rico Chapter president and board, the Pontificial Catholic University Law School FBA Student Division, and the Puerto Rico Senate. During his overlapping tenure as chapter president and immediate past president, the Puerto Rico Chapter received the FBA Chapter of the Year Award. Also during his tenure on the editorial board of From the Bar, the Puerto Rico Chapter received numerous Chapter Newsletter of the Year awards. In 2003, Judge Gelpí became a Fellow of the Foundation of the Federal Bar Association.
	Rene D. Harrod Rene is an attorney with Berger Singerman PA, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. She is a member of the Dispute Resolution department of Berger Singerman, where she practices complex commercial litigation. Rene previously practiced for five years with Latham & Watkins in Chicago, Illinois. FBA activities: vice president, Broward County (Florida) Chapter; Editorial Board of The Federal Lawyer; member of the board of the FBA Litigation Section; National Convention 2005 Planning Committee. Rene received her undergraduate degree from Amherst College (1994) and her J.D. from Cornell Law School (1997). Bar Admissions: Illinois and Florida state courts; U.S. Supreme Court; U.S. Courts of Appeals for the Seventh and Eleventh Circuits; U.S. District Courts of the Southern, Middle and Northern Districts of Florida and the Northern District of Illinois. Other Activities: treasurer, Broward County Women Lawyer's Association; Leadership Broward; Broward Housing Solutions; Community Christian Counseling. Rene was designated one of Florida's Top "Up & Comers" by the South Florida Legal Guide and an "Up & Coming Legal Elite" by the Florida Trend Magazine.
	Matthew B. Moreland Matt is an attorney in the law offices of Daniel E. Becnel Jr., Reserve, La. He is a graduate of Louisiana State University (B.S. 1993 and J.D. 1996). Upon completing law school, he served as a law clerk to Hon. G. Thomas Porteous Jr. FBA Member: 8 years. FBA Activities: Younger Lawyers Division chair (2005–present); National Council (2000–present); New Orleans Chapter vice president (2005-2006); member of New Orleans Chapter Board of Directors (1999-present); New Orleans Chapter YLD chair (1998-1999); chair, Thurgood Marshall Moot Court Competition (1999-2004). Bar Admissions: Louisiana; U.S. District Court, Eastern, Middle, and Western Districts, U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. Other Activities: chair, New Orleans Malcolm Monroe CLE and Swearing-In Ceremony (1998-2000); Law day coordinator for Habitat for Humanity home building program (2000); Coordination and organization of various programs and CLE’s including: Remand and Removal to Bankruptcy for NonBankruptcy Lawyers, Law Day in Schools with Teach for America, Rubin Memorial Symposium, Law Day in the Courthouse, Angola Trips (Federal Prison Education Program) for Troubled Youth and winning the Bar and Grill Cookoff for the New Orleans Chapter of the FBA.
	Nancy J. Moriarty Nancy is a partner at the intellectual property law firm of Chernoff Vilhauer McClung & Stenzel, LLP in Portland, Ore. Nancy’s practice is almost exclusively trademarks, copyrights, and patents, including prosecution, litigation, and administrative proceedings before the Patent and Trademark Office. Nancy received her J.D. from the University of Iowa College of Law, and Bachelors of Science and Masters degrees from the University of California, Riverside. Nancy began her law career as a judicial law clerk to Chief Judge Edward J. McManus, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Iowa. As an FBA member for 19 years, Nancy has served as the President of the Oregon Chapter, on numerous national committees, on the National Council, and is a Life Fellow of the Foundation of the FBA. Bar admissions include the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, Oregon State Bar, and U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth, Ninth, and Federal Circuits. Nancy has been honored by Best Lawyers in America, listed as an Oregon Super Lawyer and one of the Top 25 Women Oregon Super Lawyers, and named as one of Portland’s best lawyers by Portland Monthly. Nancy is the current president of the Pioneer Courthouse Historical Society, former president of the U.S. District Court of Oregon Historical Society, former chair and member of the U.S. District Court of Oregon Local Rules Advisory Committee, and former lawyer representative to the Ninth Circuit Judicial Conference.
	Marc W. Taubenfeld Marc practices in both the Controversies Section and the Bankruptcy Section of McGuire, Craddock & Strother PC, Dallas, and is a shareholder and director of the firm. He received his undergraduate degree from Duke University (A.B., cum laude, 1984), and his law degree from the University of Texas (J.D., 1987). While in law school he was note editor, The Review of Litigation, 1986-1987, and a member of the International Law Society, the Arts & Entertainment Law Committee, and the Honor Council (1985-1986). He was the author or co-author of “The Bankruptcy Changes Are Coming (And Some Are Already Here)” The Federal Lawyer, October 2005; “Bankruptcy and Creditors Rights Symposium,” SMU Law Review, Summer 2004; “Banking Law, Fifth Circuit Symposia,” Texas Tech Law Review (1993-97); “The Effect of a Lessee’s Bankruptcy on a Real Property Lease,” 6 The Practical Real Estate Lawyer 5, November 1990; Speaker–Bankruptcy Law Primer–November 2004 and September 2005, and co-author of written materials; editor, Bankruptcy Briefs, newsletter of the Bankruptcy Section of the FBA (2005). He is a member of the American Bar Association (Section on Corporation, Banking, and Business Law, Section on Real Property, Probate and Trust, and Forum Committee on the Entertainment and Sports Industries); State Bar of Texas (Section on Corporation, Banking, and Business Law, Section on Real Property, Probate and Trust, and Sports and Entertainment Law Section); Federal Bar Association (chair, Bankruptcy Section 2003-05; Dallas Chapter president, 2001-02), American Bankruptcy Institute, Dallas Bar Association, and Dallas Association of Young Lawyers. Bar Admissions: U.S. Supreme Court, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, and the U.S. District Courts for the Northern, Eastern, and Western Districts of Texas.
	Richard P. Theis Richard is an audit liaison, U.S. Department of Justice, Washington, D.C. He manages all congressional investigations for the department. Previously, he practiced in the Office of General Counsel, Justice Management Division. Before joining the Department of Justice, he served as chief of legal standards for the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. He joined the EEOC as a senior trial attorney. He began his legal career in private practice. Richard received his undergraduate degree from the University of California at Los Angeles, his MBA from the University of Southern California, and his J.D. from Southwestern University School of Law. FBA Member: 10 years. FBA Activities: member, Continuing Legal Education Board (2004-2005); National Council (1999-2002); Alternative Dispute Resolution Section, chair (2001-2002); Government Contracts Section, chair (2000-2001), deputy chair (1999-2000), and co-chair for programs (East) (1996-1999); member, District of Columbia Chapter; recipient of a 2002 Section and Division Outstanding Leadership Award. Bar Admissions: U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh and Ninth Circuits, U.S. District Court of the District of Columbia, U.S. Supreme Court. Other Activities: State Bar of California, District of Columbia Bar, the District of Columbia Bar Association.
	Mark K. Vincent Mark is an assistant U.S. attorney, District of Utah and currently serves as criminal section chief. FBA Member: 10 years. FBA Activities: vice president for the circuits (10th Circuit) (2002-present), Outstanding Service Award recipient (2003); co-chair, Fourth (2005) and Fifth (2006) Annual Leadership Training Program for Chapter Presidents-Elect and Sections and Divisions; Executive Budget Committee (2004-2005); National Membership Committee (2002-present); National Council Delegate (2001-present); Fellow, FBA Foundation (2003-present); member, Annual Leadership Training Program Committee (2003-2004); Utah Chapter president (2002-2003), the chapter received the Presidential Excellence Award, two Presidential Citations, and an Outstanding Newsletter Award; and chapter officer/board member (1996-present).

	Ad Hoc Members
	Kent S. Hofmeister Kent is a past national president of the Federal Bar Association (2002-03) and a founding partner of Brown & Hofmeister, L.L.P. in Richardson, Texas, where he is actively engaged in a state and federal litigation practice with a primary emphasis in local government law. He received both his degree in journalism (B.F.A., 1973) and his law degree (J.D., 1976) from Southern Methodist University. Before entering private practice, Kent was an assistant city attorney for the Dallas City Attorney’s Office from 1977-86, the last five years of which he served as the chief of the Federal Litigation Division. He has served as lead counsel or co-counsel at trial or on appeal in cases that have resulted in more than 30 published opinions at both the state and federal levels, and he is the co-author of Praprotnik, Municipal Policy and Policymakers: The Supreme Court’s Constriction of Municipal Liability, 13 S. Ill. U.L.J. 857 (Summer 1989), cited by the U.S. Supreme Court in Board of County Comm’rs of Bryan County, Okl. v. Brown, 520 U.S. 397 (1997). In May 2003, Kent offered remarks and presented the FBA/ABA 2003 report on “Federal Judicial Pay: An Update on the Urgent Need for Action” to Chief Justice of the United States William H. Rehnquist and Associate Justices Stephen Breyer, Anthony Kennedy, and David Souter at a ceremony held at the U.S. Supreme Court. Away from the office, Kent enjoys playing guitar and singing in his 1960s rock and roll band, the Catdaddies, which performs around the state of Texas at many bar-related functions.
	Stephen R. Jackson Steve is a partner with Willcox & Savage, P.C. in Norfolk, Va. Steve is admitted to practice in Virginia and North Carolina. His litigation practice focuses on products liability defense and employment compensation issues. Steve earned his J.D. from the University of Richmond (1987) and his B.A. with distinction from the University of Virginia (1984). Before entering private practice, he served as a law clerk to Hon. David G. Lowe in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia. Steve has been a member of the FBA since 1989; he was the president (2003-2004) and a board member (1998-2004) of the Tidewater Chapter. He presently serves as a vice president for the Fourth Circuit and the current chair of the circuit vice presidents. Steve chaired the Circuit Judicial Conference Committee and has served on the Leadership Training Committees for new circuit vice presidents and for the annual Leadership Training Program. As chair of the circuit vice presidents, he has served as an ex officio member of the FBA Board of Directors since 2007. Steve is also a Fellow of the Foundation of the Federal Bar Association.
	Kelsey Kornick Funes Kelsey is a partner in the litigation group in the Baton Rouge office of Phelps Dunbar LLP. She practices in the areas of commercial, construction and insurance litigation. She also regularly counsels clients on construction contract issues. Her practice is a regional one, which extends to both federal and state courts and includes work in both the district and appellate courts. In addition to her professional practice, she has been involved in various bar association activities and community service projects. She is the past president of the Baton Rouge Chapter of the Federal Bar Association and is the past chair of the Young Lawyers Section of the Baton Rouge Bar Association. She currently serves as the chair of the Younger Lawyers Division. She received her J.D. from Louisiana State University in 1997, where she was Order of the Coif and president of the Student Bar Association. She received her B.A. in political science and history in 1994, also from Louisiana State University, where she was a member of Phi Beta Kappa, Phi Alpha Theta, Omicron Delta Kappa, and Pi Beta Phi. Kelsey is a member of the following professional organizations: Louisiana State Bar Association; Baton Rouge Bar Association; American Bar Association, Forum on the Construction Industry; Federal Bar Association; National Association of Women in Construction; Louisiana State Law Institute, Security Devices Committee; Alzheimer's Services of the Capital Area (secretary, board of directors); Executive Women International (programs director 2008-09); and Associated Builders and Contractors. She has received the 2007 Forty Under 40 Award by the Greater Baton Rouge Business Report; the 2007 Outstanding Young Lawyer Award by the Louisiana State Bar Association; and was a 2006 graduate of Leadership Baton Rouge for the Baton Rouge Area Chamber of Commerce. Kelsey often speaks on legal issues related to the practice of construction law.


Board of Directors	Vice Presidents for the Circuits	Nominations and Elections FY2010