By: Susan L. Pollet, Chair of the Archive and Historian Committee

Q: Your WWBA Presidential year was pivotal in many ways, especially with it being the continuation of the 50th anniversary of the WWBA. What were the highlights, for you, of the 50th anniversary celebrations?
A: It was an enriching experience to work closely with Sherry A. Bishko during her term as WWBA President in 2024-2025. Our excitement about the 50th anniversary was already percolating in January 2025 when rolling out plans for the Afternoon Tea honoring Past Presidents, and went full steam ahead when the occasion was held on April 9, 2025. That was a beautiful celebration, which brought together members through the decades – adding to the festivities was getting to wear and see everyone in out-of-office couture. For me that afternoon marked both the thrill and rising responsibility of the role ahead. Mary F. Kelly, a Past President of the WWBA (1981-1983) and WBASNY (1987 -1988), set a perfect tone, both nostalgic and present, with eloquent remarks about her history with the WWBA and its founding members. She also spoke more generally about how the organization set about addressing the needs of women in the legal profession, how they advocated statewide on matters of importance, and how they advanced their opportunities in the law. Mary revealed that she had retained her notes and records all these years, and so began, slowly, our project to collect and archive material from Past Presidents. In my own collection from that afternoon is a dried yellow rose and more than a dozen photographs, in all the days after, of a bouquet of yellow tulips that I got to take home, a life in tulips from the tea.

The Annual Dinners and Installations of Officers in June 2025 and June 2026 were of course very special, with the Honorable Rowan D. Wilson, Chief Judge of the State of New York and the New York Court of Appeals, joining us both years as our keynote and honored guest. In 2025 we again looked back at earlier years of the WWBA, lauding its trailblazers and legacy makers, and Chief Judge Wilson spoke thought-provokingly on the history of the Equal Rights Amendment and the continuing need for a women’s bar association. Among the themes explored in 2026, most speakers looked back even further to the founding of the nation, reflecting on people and principles from the viewpoint of the semiquincentennial.

A lasting highlight toward the completion of my term was the WBASNY Convention in Rochester, and the time spent traveling by train with three Past Presidents for whom I have endless respect and admiration, for their stories and strength especially, and for their commitment to the WWBA.

Q: Did you learn anything about the organization that you did not know before that you want remembered?
A: There was everything to learn, from my very first event, which was a Book Club meeting. The Judge Lisa Margaret Smith Book Club is still going strong and should be known as one of our great offerings. My speech at installation, as then a relative newcomer, talked about some legwork I did at the time to glean our history. But since then WWBA archival materials have become so much more accessible thanks to the project undertaken by Michelle Tarson, another Archive & History and Committee Co-Chair. The photographs are amazing, and it’s also important to remember the amazing newsletter this organization has run for decades. Many Past Presidents and longtime members remain actively involved in the WWBA, and the newsletters illustrate the brilliant practitioners and prolific advocates they have always been. The newsletters bring to life the energy of the times they cover, and are still important resources with valuable legal substance, if some content might now be a start point for further research.

As President so many other details of how the organization operates came to light while working with Executive Director Amanda Teitel on administrative functions. The experience of being President presents many opportunities – among them chances to sharpen your business skills and get more adaptive and creative with them, to refine the WWBA’s relationship within WBASNY, to advocate, and to seek out opportunities where the WWBA can benefit our local community.

Q: What were the greatest accomplishments of the WWBA under your leadership?

A: Health and wellness initiatives were a consistent part of my platform – we had a steady framework of guest speakers on topics including the professional-caregiver balance, women’s health, and mindfulness, interspersed with regular opportunities to get outdoors.

Also making for a full year were the opportunities to collaborate with the Westchester County Bar Association and our affinity bar associations, such as being invited to plan and participate in the “Multi-Bar Summit for Equity and Allyship,” held in March 2026. And we collaborated with committees within the 9th Judicial District on Heritage Month honors and celebrations, training programs, and the annual high school essay contest. It was a privilege to have a place at the table and represent the WWBA in this way.

We had something special happen in that three members were honored with highly deserved and prestigious statewide awards: Mary F. Kelly received the WBASNY Joan L. Ellenbogen Founder’s Award, Rachel Chazin Halperin received the New York State Bar Association’s Haywood Burns Memorial Award, and the Honorable Kim P. Berg (WWBA President 2018-2019) received WBASNY’s Betty Weinberg Ellerin Mentor Award.

Q: Which efforts would you like to see continued in the next Presidency?

A: I know that President Shari R. Gordon will do an outstanding job leading the WWBA and ensuring that our voice will be heard where it matters, both in Westchester and on a state level. I know that we will have a robust program schedule. I look forward to attending and being part of substantively planning programs going forward, particularly as an Appellate Practice Committee Co-Chair. I hope that strong attendance will continue at these programs, knowing that we are the sum of our parts and knowledge and experience. Everyone contributes to the energy in the room and the topics being discussed. I hope that camaraderie will continue such that there is genuine enjoyment when we work together, hold programs and discussions, and celebrate as those occasions arise.

Q: Do you have any advice for new women lawyers, those in mid-career, and those in “retirement?”

A: Invest in the work that you do, and recognize the privilege it is to do it. At every stage, stay visible and stay connected. Don’t lose sight of your personal goals, and take care of what makes life meaningful in addition to law.