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Photos Courtesy of Roanoke Bar Association
For the first time in its 98 years of existence, the RBA has an all-female executive committee.
Established in 1925, the Roanoke Bar Association has a long history of “provid[ing] a forum for the promotion of professional excellence among members of the Bar in the Roanoke area” – a history primarily consisting of male leadership at the helm.
But this year, the tide is turning. For the very first time, the organization has an all-female executive committee. Amy Geddes, the association’s secretary/treasurer, notes that while this milestone is a remarkable feat now, she looks forward to when having all executive positions filled by women isn’t such a rarity. “As we are coming up on the 100th anniversary of the RBA in 2025, I think it is fantastic that we finally have an all-female board,” she says. “I hope this moment will highlight that the RBA is committed to change and progress and hopefully we will get to the point where an all-female board is no longer an anomaly.”
Macel Janoschka, the association’s immediate past president and chair of the Roanoke Law Foundation, the Bar’s philanthropic arm, adds that having women in leadership positions better represents the RBA’s member composition. “Forty percent of our membership are females, so, at the very least, the make-up of our board and executive committee should be reflective of that.”
Female leadership has been essential to the expansion of the RBA’s attorney education efforts. They have developed “a yearly courtroom orientation program for new attorneys” and are in the early stages of launching a mentorship program for young attorneys and those new to the Roanoke area.
In addition to connecting fellow attorneys, the RBA also engages with the community through a variety of public service projects. Santa at the Station, the association’s yearly holiday party for children and their families living in local shelters, was a smashing success in 2022 with record-breaking attendance.
The association is also raising funds to help the Roanoke City Department of Social Services renovate visitation rooms used by children in the foster care system through a project called “Operation Family Time.”
While having an all-female committee is a momentous occasion, Janoschka says that it’s having leaders dedicated to the RBA’s mission, regardless of their gender, that makes the association the success that it is. “Whether under male or female leadership, I believe we will continue to grow stronger.”
For more information about the Roanoke Bar Association, visit their website at roanokebar.com.
The story above is from our March/April 2023 issue. For more stories like it, Subscribe Today. Thank you!
