2026 NCWBA Women's Bar Leadership Summit Materials
2026 WOMEN’S BAR LEADERSHIP SUMMIT
AMPLIFYING WOMEN’S VOICES IN LEADERSHIP
AGENDA
Friday, July 31, 2026
8:45 - 9:15 Check-In to Connect to your Colleagues Check-In and Networking
9:15 – 9:25 Welcome: Connecting with NCWBA Welcome by Jami Cooper, 2025-2026 NCWBA President
9:25 – 9:30 NCWBA SIGNATURE PROGRAM: Food From The Bar
Learn how to connect to the community by bringing a Food from the Bar program to your city Food from the Bar is a friendly competition within local legal communities to support local food banks
Speaker: Beth Bryson
9:30 – 10:30 SESSION 1 Keynote: Own the Room: How Women Lawyers Lead Loudly and Effectively
Speaker: Melissa Romano, Owner of Reclaiming Healthy
Speaker: Jacqueline Schafer, Founder & CEO of Clearbrief
11:15 – 12:00: SESSION 3: On the Mic-Own Your Voice
Speaker: Amanda Alexander, NCWBA Past President
12:00 – 1:15 SESSION 4 Awards Luncheon
Awards Luncheon and Awards Presentations: Amplifying your Impact
2026 WOMEN’S BAR LEADERSHIP SUMMIT
AMPLIFYING WOMEN’S VOICES IN LEADERSHIP
1:15 - 1:25 Break
1:25 – 2:30 SESSION 5: MENTORING CIRCLES with NCWBA Board Members
Interactive session for attendees to participate in two Mentoring Circles led by experts on topics of your choice
Plan to Amplify -Planning Your Year
Activating Voices and Expanding Reach - Membership Engagement
Platforms that Elevate Women Leaders - Programming
Purpose Driven Advocacy - Policy and Purpose
2:30 – 2:40 Break
2:40-3:45 SESSION 6: NCWBA SIGNATURE PROGRAM: Ladder Down
Moderator - Sheila Abron
Mary Smith (Former ABA President)
Justice Cunningham (IL Supreme Ct)
Justice Maria Salas Mendoza
Judge Heather Walsh
Judge Toni Clarke (Ret)
3:45 - 4:00pm Closing: NCWBA President
Summit Closing Remarks by Tami Munsch, 2026/2027 NCWBA President
6:00pm Dine Arounds
The Summit Dine-Around will follow Summit, and will give attendees, keynote speakers, and workshop leaders the opportunity to enjoy dinner at one of several amazing local restaurants in small groups. Sign-up information will be available during registration.
2026 WOMEN’S BAR LEADERSHIP SUMMIT
AMPLIFYING WOMEN’S VOICES IN LEADERSHIP
PROGRAMMING
This year’s theme, “Amplifying Women’s Voices in Leadership,” invites us to explore how women bar leaders can step confidently into leadership, use their voices to create meaningful change, and strengthen the organizations, profession, and communities we serve.
Throughout the Summit, you’ll hear from inspiring speakers and thought leaders, engage in collaborative conversations with fellow women bar leaders, and gain practical insights and strategies to take back to your own organization. Together, we’ll share ideas, learn from one another, tackle common challenges, and celebrate the impact of women’s leadership including this year’s NCWBA award recipients.
We are pleased to welcome you to this year’s Summit and grateful to have you with us We hope you leave inspired by the connections you make, the ideas you exchange, and the collective strength of women bar leaders working together to shape the future of our profession.
Keynote Speaker
This year’s Summit keynote address will focus on helping women lawyers step into their leadership power with clarity and confidence empowering leaders and teams to thrive more authentically, effectively, and sustainably.
Melissa Romano is a multi-certified professional in health, healing, and social work and the owner of Reclaiming Healthy. She is the author of Vagus Nerve Deck: 75 Exercises to Reset Your Nervous System and specializes in nervous system regulation, recovery, and embodied resilience through clinical and holistic approaches.
Melissa explores how internal states such as self-doubt and imposter syndrome impact not only individual confidence but also leadership presence, communication, and organizational culture. Through a blend of polyvagal theory, somatic therapy, and mind-body techniques, she helps individuals recognize, address, and move beyond patterns of self-doubt to create lasting transformation.
2026 WOMEN’S BAR LEADERSHIP SUMMIT AMPLIFYING WOMEN’S VOICES IN LEADERSHIP
Our Speakers
The conversations and ideas that shape this year’s Summit are enriched by the voices and experiences of our featured speakers. Each brings a unique perspective, expertise, and passion for advancing women’s leadership. We are honored to welcome this accomplished group of thought leaders and look forward to the insights, inspiration, and meaningful conversations they will bring to our time together.
Jacqueline Schafer Founder & CEO of Clearbrief
Jacqueline Schafer is the founder and CEO of the leading litigation drafting platform in Word, Clearbrief.ai (2026 Legalweek Litigation Product of the Year, 2025 Clio Best Practice of Law App, 2025 Compliance Solution of the Year), and a Lecturer in Law at Columbia Law.
The Legalweek Awards recently recognized Schafer as its 2025 Innovator of the Year and the American Bar Association named her a 2025 Legal Rebel for Clearbrief's platform that catches Al hallucinations and helps litigators, arbitrators, inhouse investigators, and judges write and file legal writing with hyperlinked citations to the evidence.
She serves as one of the inaugural members of the Texas Bar's Al Taskforce and the WA Bar's Legal Technology Committee, and serves as a Board member of the nonprofit Scale Justice. Her contributions to legal innovation have been recognized by LawDragon (2024 Leading Al and Tech Advisors), the ABA (2022 Women of Legal Tech), Fastcase (2022 Fastcase 50. Honoring 'Innovators. Techies. Visionaries and Leaders' in Law), and the Washington State Bar (2021 APEX Award for Legal Innovation).
2026 WOMEN’S BAR LEADERSHIP SUMMIT
AMPLIFYING WOMEN’S VOICES IN LEADERSHIP
Amanda Green Alexander Founder & Managing Partner of Alexander Law NCWBA Past President
She leads a firm of litigators who defend a wide range of cases, including representing insurance carriers, businesses and public entities in the areas of commercial litigation, general litigation, premises liability, workers’ compensation, labor and employment law and all areas of civil litigation. Additionally, the firm practices in the areas of family law, including wills and estates. Alexander Law, P.A. is the only civil defense firm of its size led by an African American woman in the state of Mississippi.
Amanda is actively involved in the profession and the community both locally and nationally, including serving as Past President of the National Conference of Women’s Bar Association and the Executive Committee of the Mississippi College Board of Trustees. She is a member of the Mississippi Bar Association and the District of Columbia Bar Association
She has received recognition and accolades by the professional community, including being named as one of the “2018 Top 50 Leading Business Women” and “Top 50 Under 40 in Business” by MS Business Journal; “2015 Top Women Lawyers in the Mid-South” by Memphis Magazine “2015 Outstanding Woman Lawyer of the Year” by the Mississippi Woman Lawyers Association; “Champions of Women Business Owners Award” by the U S Small Business Association and “Women Trailblazer Award” presented by the Mississippi Bar for Women in the Profession Committee She holds an AV® Peer Review Rating™ from Martindale Hubbell and has been recognized by Mid-South Super Lawyers
2026 WOMEN’S BAR LEADERSHIP SUMMIT AMPLIFYING WOMEN’S VOICES IN LEADERSHIP
Mary Smith
Immediate Past President, Vice Chair
American Bar Association, Veng Group
Mary Smith served as President of the American Bar Association (ABA) from 2023-2024 and was the first Native American woman in this role
Mary is an independent board member and former CEO of a $6 billion national healthcare organization, the Indian Health Service Mary currently serves on the board of PTC Therapeutics, Inc (NASDAQ: PTCT), a global biopharmaceutical company and on the board of HAI Group, a leading member-owned insurance company for the affordable housing industry Mary is also Vice Chair of the VENG Group, a national consulting firm
She has served at the highest levels of government, both at the federal and state level Mary served on the senior team of the Civil Division at the United States Department of Justice and was General Counsel at the Illinois Department of Insurance Earlier in her career, Mary served in the White House as Associate Counsel to the President and Associate Director of Policy Planning
In her private sector experience, she served in a senior role at Tyco International (US) Inc , a $40 billion public company, where she managed a $60 million budget Mary also served as Special Counsel & Estate Trust Officer at the Office of Special Deputy Receiver; a Partner in the Chicago office of Schoeman, Updike & Kaufman, a women-owned firm; and an attorney at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP in Washington, D C where she specialized in governmental investigations and securities class actions
In bar activities, Mary is a past ABA secretary She was the first Native American to serve as one of 13 commissioners on the Commission on Women in the Profession She has held leadership positions in both the ABA Section of Litigation and the ABA Section of Civil Rights and Social Responsibility She also served as an ABA representative to the United Nations Economic and Social Council.
Mary has also served in leadership roles in state and local bars. Mary served on the Executive Council of the National Conference of Bar Presidents and is a past president of the National Native American Bar Association. She was co-chair of the Litigation Section in the District of Columbia Bar Association and also served on the Board of Directors for the Chicago Bar Association.
2026 WOMEN’S BAR LEADERSHIP SUMMIT
AMPLIFYING WOMEN’S VOICES IN LEADERSHIP
Justice Joy Virginia Cunningham Illinois Supreme Court
Justice Joy Virginia Cunningham was appointed to the Illinois Supreme Court in 2022. She was elected to a full term in 2024. Prior to her judicial service Justice Cunningham served as Senior Vice President -General Counsel and Corporate Secretary for the Northwestern Memorial Healthcare system. Previously, Justice Cunningham also served as a judge of the circuit court of Cook County.
Justice Cunningham has had a broad range of experience over the course of her legal and judicial careers, initially serving as a judicial law clerk to the late Justice Glenn Johnson of the Illinois Appellate Court. She was also an assistant Illinois Attorney General, a litigator in private practice and Associate General Counsel for Loyola University of Chicago.
Justice Cunningham has served on numerous committees and boards, including serving as co-chair of the Chicago Bar Association’s joint state/federal judicial security task force, which resulted in legislation preventing disclosure of personal information of sitting judges; the Board of Managers of the Chicago Bar Association; the Board of Directors of the Chicago Bar Foundation; the Board of Directors of the Chicago Legal Clinic and currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Loyola University Health System; and the Metropolitan Schoolhouse – Chicago.
In 2004, Justice Cunningham became the first black woman to be elected President of the Chicago Bar Association, the nation’s largest municipal bar association. She is a member of the American Law Institute; The Chicago Network; and the Economic Club of Chicago. She writes and speaks on a number of topics including healthcare, regulatory matters, business ethics and issues related to diversity. She is noted for her interest in mentoring young people and regularly participates in educational and community outreach activities.
2026 WOMEN’S BAR LEADERSHIP SUMMIT AMPLIFYING WOMEN’S VOICES IN LEADERSHIP
Hon. Toni E. Clarke (Ret.), Circuit
Court of Prince George‘s County, Maryland
The Honorable Toni E Clarke served as Associate Judge for the Prince George's County Circuit Court, 7th Judicial Circuit, February 6, 1998 to August 31, 2018 She retired on August 31, 2018.
Her judicial service included: member, Public Awareness Committee (2001-15); Maryland Judicial Conference; Chair, Public Defender Regional Advisory Board No. 3 (Anne Arundel, Calvert, Charles, Prince George's & St. Mary's counties (2001-09); member, Court Access and Community Relations Committee; Judicial Council, 2017- (chair, language access subcommittee, 2017- present).
Before joining the Court, Judge Clarke was Associate County Attorney, Prince George's County, 1987-89. She served as a member of the Special Joint Committee on Minorities in the Legal Profession (1987); member of the Redistricting Commission, Prince George's County (1991); and Government Operations Review Commission, Prince George's County (1992-93). State's Attorney, Prince George's County, 1994- 95. She was also a member of the Governor's Task Force on Judicial Nominating Commissions, 1995; and State Administrative Board of Election Laws, 1995-98.
Her professional associations include: admitted to the Maryland Bar, 1986, and the District of Columbia Bar, 1993; Member, American Bar Association; National Bar Association; Maryland State Bar Association co-chair, special committee on leadership academy, 2002-; member, special committee on civics & law, 2011-); J. Franklyn Bourne Bar Association (president, 1992); Women's Bar Association of Maryland (president, 1994-95); Prince George's County Bar Association (president, 1998-99); Member, Marlborough Inns of Court, 1989-94; Board of Directors, Law Foundation of Prince George's County, 1990-93; People's Pro Bono Action Center; Member, Joint Bar Association Advisory Committee of the Southern Division of Maryland, 1994-; Member, Alan Goldstein Inns of Court, 1995-; Alumni board member, University of Maryland School of Law, 1995-; Board member, University of Maryland Foundation, Inc., 1996-98; Secretary, Judicial Division Executive Committee, National Conference of State Trial Judges, 2010-11.
Awards and recognitions include: Distinguished Woman Award from the Alliance of Black Women Attorneys of Maryland, 1997; Maryland's Top 100 Women, Daily Record, 1999, 2001; Howard County Women's Athletic Hall of Fame, 2000; Wilde Lake High School Hall of Fame, 2000; Maryland Leadership in Law Award, Daily Record, 2004; and Rita C. Davidson Award, Women's Bar Association of Maryland, 2009.
2026 WOMEN’S BAR LEADERSHIP SUMMIT
AMPLIFYING WOMEN’S VOICES IN LEADERSHIP
Hon. Heather A. Welch
Judge, Marion Superior Court, Civil One
Hon. Heather A. Welch is a Judge in the Marion Superior Court, Civil Division, Indianapolis, Indiana. Judge Welch is an Indiana Commercial Court Judge since June of 2016. Judge Welch served as the Presiding Judge of the Marion Superior Courts Executive Committee from January of 2019 to January of 2021. Judge Welch was elected in 2006 and began serving as a Judge in January 1, 2007.
Prior to being elected to the Marion Superior Court, Judge Welch served as a Master Commissioner/Magistrate for 6 years for in the criminal and civil division. Judge Welch serves the legal community in the following organizations and committees: American Bar Association: Immediate past Chair of the National Conference of State Trial Judges, former Business Court Representative for the ABA Business Law Section, and member of the ABA Commission on the American Jury Project; Former Treasurer and current Vice-President of the American College of Business Court Judges; Former Chair of the Indiana Judicial Center Professionalism and Ethics Committee, Member of the State Resuming Court Operations Taskforce, Secretary/Treasurer of the Indiana Judges Association, and member of the State Civil Justice Initiatives Taskforce to name a few.
Since 2018, Judge Welch has been an adjunct professor at Indiana University McKinney School of Law teaching legal writing.
2026 WOMEN’S BAR LEADERSHIP SUMMIT
AMPLIFYING WOMEN’S VOICES IN LEADERSHIP
Chief Justice Maria Salas Mendoza Texas Eighth District Court of Appeals
Chief Justice Salas Mendoza began her legal career at the Harriett Buhai Center for Family Law in south Los Angeles, where she trained volunteer lawyers and students to assist low-income clients representing themselves in family law matters. She also led Spanish-language clinics for clients in east Los Angeles communities. Upon returning to El Paso in 1996, Chief Salas worked as a staff attorney at the El Paso Legal Assistance Society (later TRLA). From 19992006, she served as an Assistant County Attorney focusing on civil defense work.
In 2006, Chief Salas was elected judge of the 120th District Court where she served with distinction for 18 years. Born and raised in El Paso, she attended HarvardRadcliffe College earning a bachelor’s degree (cum laude) in History and Literature. She then received her Juris Doctor from the UCLA School of Law.
Chief Salas is Immediate Past Chair of the Hispanic Lawyers Section, founder of Texas Latinx Judges, and former District 11 Director of the National Association of Women Judges She also serves on the Texas Legal Services Center board, Supreme Court Advisory Committee, Pattern Jury Charge Committee (Business) and ABA Standing Committee on Diversity in the Judiciary In addition to Hispanic Lawyers, Chief Salas served on the councils of the Judicial, Women and the Law, and Criminal Justice sections Chief Salas Mendoza’s dedication to community service includes numerous programs serving students of all ages, veterans, the unhomed and justiceinvolved members of our community; most recently her efforts include service through her local Lions Club
2026 WOMEN’S BAR LEADERSHIP SUMMIT AMPLIFYING WOMEN’S VOICES IN LEADERSHIP
Sheila Abron NCWBA Past President
Sheila Abron is a partner at Fisher Phillips and one of a select few attorneys in South Carolina certified as a Specialist in Employment and Labor Law by the South Carolina Supreme Court. She represents companies and educational institutions of all sizes navigating the full spectrum of employment issues including hiring, discipline, workplace investigations, employment discrimination, Title IX compliance, and unemployment matters.
As Chair of the firm’s Government Contracting, Compliance, and Reporting Practice Group, Sheila brings deep proficiency advising federal contractors on affirmative action obligations, OFCCP regulations, and audits. Her practice also includes significant experience handling collective actions under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and wage and hour class actions under state law. On the education side, Sheila counsels colleges, universities, and K-12 institutions on Title IX compliance, including investigation procedures, grievance processes, responding to complaints of sexual harassment and misconduct, and navigating the ever-evolving regulatory landscape governing educational institutions. She is a member of the National Association of College and University Attorneys (NACUA), reflecting her commitment to higher education clients.
Sheila is also a sought-after trainer, regularly delivering sessions for supervisors and managers on harassment prevention, EEO compliance, the Family and Medical Leave Act, diversity and inclusion, and Title IX obligations.
A recognized leader both professionally and in her community, Sheila has been twice named to the Columbia Regional Business Report’s Women of Influence list, recognized in Columbia Business Monthly’s Legal Elite of the Midlands, and honored by the American Bar Association as one of its On the Rise Top 40 Under 40. She has been consistently recognized in South Carolina Super Lawyers and received the Leadership in the Law award.
Sheila is a past president of the National Conference of Women’s Bar Associations, the South Carolina Women Lawyers Association, and the South Carolina Bar Young Lawyers Division. She serves on the Board of Directors for Columbia SHRM and the Riverbanks Zoo Society, and is active in the Richland County Bar, the American Bar Association, and the Junior League of Columbia
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ABOUT NCWBA
Since the establishment of the Equity Club at the University of Michigan in 1886, women lawyers and law students have formed associations of their own: sometimes because they were excluded from the formal or informal mentoring networks of men, sometimes for a special purpose (such as getting a woman on the bench), or sometimes just to share common concerns in a supportive setting.
During the 1980’s, there was great leadership in the women’s bar associations’ pipeline but little recognition of it in the establishment bars. One of the original goals of the National Conference of Women’s Bar Associations (“NCWBA”) was to leverage our training in women’s bar associations into broader leadership positions and to capitalize on the numbers and talents in women’s bar associations that were going unheralded. Other goals were to support other women in their practice of law; to break the glass ceilings of partnerships and judgeships; and to share information and successful projects
In 1981, the Women’s Bar Association of DC (led by Presidents Judy McCaffrey and Susan Low) compiled a list of women’s bar associations across the nation The Women’s Bar Association of the District of Columbia sent out letters to all the women’s bar associations on their list and asked them to send a representative to the 1981 American Bar Association (“ABA”) meeting in New Orleans These state representatives and other women lawyers at the ABA meeting were gathered up to attend the first meeting. Participants at this initial meeting were enthusiastic about starting an organization of women’s bar associations, and the NCWBA was born
Today, the NCWBA provides guidance, tools, and resources to more than fifty women’s bar organizations, which comprise its membership
The NCWBA’s mission is to advocate for equality in the legal profession and in society by mobilizing and uniting women’s bar associations to effect change in gender-based processes and laws by providing a national forum for exchanging ideas, best practices, and information vital to the organizational growth and success of women’s bar organizations and the legal profession.
The NCWBA’s flagship event is the annual women’s bar leadership Summit, bringing bar leaders together for an opportunity to learn from each other, troubleshoot, collaborate, and network. Our goal for Summit is to energize and inspire bar leaders
2026-2027 NCWBA BOARD OF DIRECTORS AND OFFICERS
OFFICERS BOARD MEMBERS
President
Tami L Munsch, Kiln, MS
President-Elect
Elizabeth A. Bryson, New York, NY
Vice President-Fundraising and Strategic Partnering
