Meet the 2026-2027 Missouri Bar Leadership Academy class
Twelve young lawyers have been selected to participate in the 2026-2027 Missouri Bar Leadership Academy. Individuals selected for this long-standing program are:
- Savina Balano, Davis Bethune & Jones, Kansas City
- Austin Davis, Missouri Office of Administration, Jefferson City
- Ashley Flood, Clay County Prosecutors Office, Kansas City
- Mary Hirsch, Missouri State Public Defender-STL Trial Office, St. Louis
- Sarah Holt, Edmundson & Holt LLC, Poplar Bluff
- Sarah Johnson, Commerce Trust, Leawood
- Rebecca Langsam, Missouri Department of Social Services-Division of Legal Services, St. Louis
- Hannah Lundry, Greene County Prosecutor’s Office, Springfield
- Trevion McGhaw, Straight Talk Legal, St. Louis
- Audrey Pauls, Stubblefield Law LLC, Springfield
- Nandi Person, Attorney General’s Office of Missouri, St. Louis
- Mike Sinamon, Hartnett Reyes-Jones, St. Louis
The Missouri Bar’s Leadership Academy was developed in 2000 to encourage diversity among the bar’s leadership by recruiting young lawyers (those recently admitted to the bar under the age of 40 or those admitted for 10 years or fewer) who have already shown leadership qualities within their communities. Each class contains about a dozen lawyers who are diverse in terms of sex, race, ethnicity, practice area, and geography. Since its inception, about 300 Missouri lawyers have completed the Leadership Academy program.
The Leadership Academy class interacts with current leaders from the bench and bar, attends the Annual Meeting of The Missouri Bar, makes a presentation to The Missouri Bar Board of Governors, and participates in workshops throughout the year designed to help the class learn more about the bar, develop leadership skills, and complete a service project.
At the end of the bar year, class members commit to serving the bar in an active capacity for two years, such as serving on the Young Lawyers’ Section Council or committees, presenting continuing legal education programs, or assisting with the bar’s civic education opportunities.
The 2026-2027 class will officially launch its year-long program in October.
Learn more about Leadership Academy and the impact its graduates have had on the profession here.