On April 6, 2022, I was honored to be installed as the 124th President of our Bergen County Bar Association along with my fellow officers, trustees, and Young Lawyers Division officers. We made history by electing the first Black attorney and person of color as the President of the Association. To be sworn in the presence of my family, friends, and colleagues by the first Black woman to ascend to the New Jersey Supreme Court, Justice Fabiana Pierre-Louis, and to have it occur the day before Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson was confirmed as the next Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court feels like a magnificent turn of events. I am determined to ensure that this opportunity to lead our Association will be more than a surface-level diversity exercise – instead, building a model of the power that can result when inclusion is truly embraced at an institutional level.
The Annual Meeting and Beefsteak Dinner included many firsts. Thanks to our 122nd President, Joseph Maurice, it was the first time we held our installation ceremony at The Fiesta. It was the first time our installation event was sold out. It was the first time the Bergen County Sheriff’s Honor Guard presented the Colors to begin the event. It was the first time that the Association invested resources into the lighting and a professional sound system to create an upgraded visual and auditory experience. Finally, it was a first to have the newest New Jersey Supreme Court Justice, Justice Fabiana Pierre-Louis, participate in our installation ceremony by swearing-in the President.
In the feedback received thus far, the positive energy of the BCBA was both obvious and memorable. It had been 2 years since we were able to convene in person for our marquee event. Everyone who attended took full advantage of the opportunity to enthusiastically fellowship with friends, and colleagues. My goal is that we carry the Association’s post-pandemic energy forward and come together to build upon our human connection as citizens and as servants to our clients and communities.
We were honored to have in attendance many of the leaders who elevate our profession: Bergen Assignment Judge Bonnie Mizdol and members of the Bergen County and Municipal Court Bench; Essex Assignment Judge Sheila Venable and members of the Essex County and Municipal Court Bench; members of the Passaic County Bench; members of the New York Supreme Court, Bronx County Bench; Parimal Garg, Chief Counsel for Governor Murphy; Sheriff Anthony Cureton; members of the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office; Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia Valdes; members of the Burlington and Mercer County Prosecutor’s Offices; New Jersey State Senators Holly Schepisi (39th District), Joseph Lagana (38th District), Gordon Johnson (37th District), Senator Paul Sarlo (36th District); New Jersey State Bar President Domenick Carmagnola with NJSBA Executive Director Angela Scheck and his executive officers; Garden State Bar President, Husain Gatlin; Association of Black Women Lawyers President, Jennifer Downing-Mathis; Association of Criminal Defense Attorneys for New Jersey President Aidan O’Connor; Former New Jersey and National President of the Hispanic Bar Association, Miguel Pozo; members of the Asian Pacific American Lawyers Association for New Jersey; National Association for the Advancement of Colored People for Bergen County, President Jeff Carter; representatives from the Syracuse University Alumni Multicultural Office; Bergen County Black Lawyers Alliance; and many of the Past Presidents of the Association.
This year we will pursue multiple goals together – all geared toward serving the membership, forwarding, and elevating the administration of justice, and strengthening our connections with each other. We will achieve the following goals during this term:
1. Cultivate a rapport with and strengthen our relationship to our State Senators with the specific goal of addressing the significant judicial vacancies that plague our courthouse. We will also develop ways our members can serve as resources to state senate constituencies who may need legal guidance and services.
2. Leverage the resources of our leadership and membership to support our NJSBA Working Group on Jury Selection Reform to impact the reforms being considered in our jury selection process.
3. Update our Bylaws and propose changes regarding the process of selecting future leaders.
4. Sponsor admission to the United States Supreme Court for members.
5. Form Roundtable Discussions to explore new issues of interest to our membership.
6. Host our Golf/Tennis Outing on May 23, 2022, at the Hackensack Golf Club, in Emerson, New Jersey.
7. Host the renamed “President’s Gala” on September 22, 2022, at The Rockleigh (I have special plans for this!).
I am confident that with the input and participation of our membership, the continued dedication of Executive Director Jacqueline Guenego and Assistant Director, Lucy Vargues, and the commitment of my fellow officers, trustees, and committee co-chairs, we will meet and exceed our goals, continue to raise the profile of the Association, and strengthen our ties to each other. I am committing myself to serving this organization to the best of my ability. Let’s get to work in moving our beloved BCBA “onward and upward” toward our greater destiny.
Sincerely,
FOY & SEPLOWITZ LLC
/s/ Jason E. Foy
Annual Dinner Video Highlight
