The Missouri Bar initiates selection process for next executive director
Tom Bender, 2019-20 Missouri Bar president, reports the state bar has launched its process to select the 30,000-member organization’s next executive director. Created by the Supreme Court of Missouri in 1944, The Missouri Bar is a statewide nonprofit legal organization which improves the profession, the law and administration of justice on behalf of all Missourians.
“We are conducting an extensive and broad search to find the best person to build on The Missouri Bar’s 75-year history of helping lawyers even better serve their clients and communities,” Bender said.
Bender announced last month that current Executive Director Sebrina Barrett will soon be relocating to New York with her family.
Bender said the executive director oversees the day-to-day operations of the organization and implements policies adopted by the Board of Governors, which is the bar’s representative body of all licensed Missouri lawyers. The organization has 50 employees at its Jefferson City headquarters.
Barrett is the first woman to serve as executive director and only the third person to hold the title since 1957. She has led The Missouri Bar since Jan. 1, 2013, after being chosen from a national search in 2010. Bender said the current selection process mirrors many successful elements of the process used in 2010.
“We want to be thoughtful in this process to ensure we make the best possible selection to benefit Missouri lawyers and the public whom we serve,” Bender said. “That is why we have adopted a transparent plan which incorporates the voices of diverse groups of lawyers at multiple stages.”
The executive committee recently finalized the following process for filling the soon-to-be open position:
Applications shall be submitted to the president of The Missouri Bar, with preference given to applications received by Dec. 1, 2019. To see the full job posting and how to apply, visit our Job Opportunities page (Job Posting).
The president will provide the applications to members of the Search Committee, which is charged with reviewing applications, conducting interviews of selected candidates, discussing the strengths of the candidates, and selecting who to hire for the position. The Search Committee is composed of a diverse makeup of members of The Missouri Bar including geography, practice area, practice setting, gender, race and ethnicity.
The Search Committee will provide its selection recommendations to the Executive Committee. The Executive Committee will discuss the committee’s findings and make a final recommendation to the Board of Governors.
The Board of Governors will vote to approve the new executive director who, if approved, will also serve in the office of secretary on the board.
The goal of the Executive Committee is to have the next executive director selected and approved by the Board no later than the board’s 2020 winter meeting which is set for early March.