Leadership & Policies
The SDCBA’s Board of Directors is the Association’s governing body and is responsible for guiding the organization, within the parameters set forth by the SDCBA’s Bylaws, the SDCBA Policy Manual, the California Corporations Code, and other relevant provisions of the law of the state of California.
Leadership & Policies |
2024 Board of Directors
The San Diego County Bar Association is governed by up to 20 elected Board of Directors, including one director from North County, East County, and South Bay who act as a regional representative. In addition, the chairs of the New Lawyer Division and the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Division serve a one year term on the Board as the New Lawyer Representative and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Representative, respectively. Director elections are held in November of each year and the Bar's president is elected by the board from the second and third year directors. The board meets on the second Tuesday of each month at the Bar Center. For a list of all of the SDCBA's past presidents, click here.Click here for information on joining the SDCBA Board of Directors.
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President
Stacey A. Kartchner
Klinedinst PC
skartchner [at] klinedinstlaw.com -
President-Elect
Michelle A. Gastil
California Department of Toxic Substances Control
gastillaw [at] gmail.com -
Immediate Past President
Melissa Johnson
Johnson Heeder LLP
melissa [at] johnsonheeder.com -
Treasurer
Spencer Scott
Office of the Public Defender
spencer.scott [at] sdcounty.ca.gov -
Secretary
Timothy G. Williams
Berger & Williams, LLP
williams [at] bergerwilliams.com -
Director
Leslie L. Abrigo
Leslie L Abrigo, APC
ABRIGO [at] CHULA-LAW.com -
Director
Michael L. Crowley
Crowley Law Group
mlcrowley [at] crowleylawgroup.com -
Director
Nicole D’Ambrogi
San Diego Legacy Law, PC
nicole [at] sdlegacylaw.com -
Director
Jason Evans
Casey Gerry Schenk Francavilla Blatt & Penfield LLP
jevans [at] cglaw.com -
Director
Sarah Garrick
Briggs Law Corporation
sarah@ [at] briggslawcorp.com -
Director
Nicole Heeder
Johnson Heeder LLP
nicole [at] johnsonheeder.com -
Director
Brandon Kimura
United States Attorney's Office
bkimura [at] gmail.com -
Director
Flavio Nominati
Office of the Attorney General - San Diego
fnomina[at]gmail.com -
Director
Stephanie Pengilley
CA Consumer Law APC
sp [at] caconsumerlaw.com -
Director
D. Elisabeth Silva
The Law Office of Elisabeth Silva
elisabethsilva.esq [at] gmail.com -
Director
Cynthia L. Stratton
Stratton & Green, ALC
cstratton [at] sglawcorp.com -
Director
Fanny Yu
Office of the District Attorney
FannySDCBA [at] gmail.com -
Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Division Representative
Taneashia Morrell
Salk Institute-Ofc of Technology Development
tmorrell [at] salk.edu -
New Lawyer Division Representative
Elijah Gaglio
Aguirre & Severson, LLP
etgaglio [at] gmail.com
Section and Committee Leadership
A full list of the SDCBA's Section Leadership can be found here. For more information about SDCBA Sections, click here.For more information about SDCBA's Committees and Committee leadership, click here.
Internal Team
The Association is fortunate to have an amazing team of professional experts and program specialists who execute its various functions and priorities. You may contact any team member by emailing them directly or by calling 619.231.0781 and entering the extension listed below.
Executive Leadership
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Debra Rosen
Executive Director
drosen[at]sdcba.org
ext. 4111
Fee Arbitration
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Gloria Varela
Fee Dispute Specialist
gvarela[at]sdcba.org
ext. 4154
Finance
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Anna Gallich, DBA, Ph.D.
Director of Finance
agallich[at]sdcba.org
ext. 4124 -
Dawn Young
Manager of Accounts Receivable
dyoung[at]sdcba.org
ext. 4127 -
Cynthia Davis
Staff Accountant
cdavis[at]sdcba.org
ext. 4131
Governance & Strategy
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Ashley Turner
Governance Coordinator & Admin Assistant
aturner[at]sdcba.org
ext. 4113 -
Jessica Larson
Program & Strategy Specialist
jlarson[at]sdcba.org
ext. 4133
Lawyer Referral and Information Service
Call toll-free at 800-464-1529 or Local at 619-231-8585
Hable Gratis al 800-464-1529 o Local 619-231-8585
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Michelle Chavez
Director of Public Service Programs
mchavez[at]sdcba.org
ext. 4150
Bio -
Elizabeth Arias
Attorney and Community Outreach Specialist
earias[at]sdcba.org
ext. 4153 -
Holly Thomas
Senior LRIS & SCRA Specialist
hthomas[at]sdcba.org
ext. 4130 -
Perla Perez
LRIS Specialist
pperez[at]sdcba.org
Marketing & Membership
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Scott Carr
Director of Membership & Communications
scarr[at]sdcba.org
ext. 4116 -
Attiba Royster
Marketing Manager
aroyster[at]sdcba.org
ext. 4115 -
Katelynn Robinson
Editor and Marketing Coordinator
krobinson[at]sdcba.org
ext. 4119
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Kayla Higgins
Member Relations Manager
khiggins[at]sdcba.org
ext. 4157 - Adriana Linares
Operations & Events
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Nic Hagan
Director of Operations & Events
nhagan[at]sdcba.org
ext. 8878 -
Stephanie Watson
Events Manager
swatson[at]sdcba.org
ext. 4135 -
Julie Marquardt
Office Manager
ext. 4100
jmarquardt[at]sdcba.org -
Vannakmolidy Seang
Event Specialist
vseang[at]sdcba.org
Adriana Linares
Adriana Linares serves as the Technology and Practice Management Advisor of the SDCBA. She is a frequent speaker at national technology conferences and a regular contributor to legal blogs and publications. Adriana has a BA in Geography from Stetson University, an MA in Corporate Communication and Technology from Rollins College, and is an IAPP Certified Information Privacy Technologist. She is a 2013 Fastcase 50 honoree, recognizing “the law’s smartest, most courageous innovators, techies, visionaries, and leaders,” and was profiled as a Legal Rebel Trailblazer by the ABA Journal in 2018. She served as Chair of the American Bar Association TECHSHOW 2017. Adriana calls herself the SDCBA's "human member benefit" as she regularly offers legal technology training and consulting to Bar members.
William L. Baldwin
William L. Baldwin joins the SDCBA after spending more than a decade as Executive Director of the Delaware County Bar Association. In that role, Baldwin was also active with the Pennsylvania Bar Association and served as President of the Pennsylvania Association of Bar Executives and the Conference of County Legal Journals. In addition, Baldwin was a board member of the Conference of County Bar Leaders and a member of the Pennsylvania Bar Association President’s COVID Task Force. From July 2020 to June 2022, Baldwin served as President of the Board of Legal Aid of Southeastern Pennsylvania.
In addition to his extensive experience as a bar executive, Baldwin brings more than two decades of experience as an attorney in the nonprofit sector to his new role with the SDCBA. He has served as the Legal Services Manager of the Domestic Abuse Project of Delaware County, as the Managing Attorney of the legal services program of A Woman’s Place in Bucks County, and as Legal Services Director and the Deputy Director of Laurel House, a domestic violence program in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania.
Ron Marcus
Ron Marcus joined the SDCBA team as Director of Marketing and Outreach in May 2019. He is an experienced strategic brander, veteran marketing director, expert copywriter, content marketer, and seasoned creative director, with extensive agency- and client-side experience. He's worked in many industries, including technology, financial services, and construction. Ron has also worked extensively with nonprofit philanthropies and associations over the decades.
Ron has helped many organizations improve their results by optimizing their brand positioning, growing their brand awareness, elevating their total customer experience, and boosting their marketing program effectiveness.
In addition, Ron is an accomplished presenter and facilitator, voice over artist, musician, and martial artist. When he’s not working, Ron plays in bands, teaches karate, and volunteers. He is a Southern California native and has called San Diego home since 1985. He lives with his wife Galina and their two cats, Sam and Toby.
Sarah Harris
Sarah Harris has served as the Director of Program and Events since 2014. She brings more than 18 years of experience in the legal industry and was previously a Director of Operations at McCarthy & Holthus, a national law firm representing financial institutions in a variety of banking law matters. Sarah received a BA from San Diego State University and a Paralegal degree from Cuyamaca College.
Michelle Chavez
Michelle Chavez is a program management expert with more than 20 years of customer relations, sales and marketing, and business leadership experience. She is currently employed at the Lawyer Referral Information Service (LRIS), where she serves as the program director managing the day-to-day functions of LRIS programs. She oversees 6 in-house counselors, works with more than 400 attorneys, coordinates all advertising and promotions, and manages the functions of several key programs, including: Fee Arbitration, Modest Means (low-cost family law), Flat fee programs, Servicemember Civil Relief Act Pro Bono, and Law Week Student Poster & Essay Contest. She is also the staff liaison to the New Lawyers Division.
Prior to her current assignment as program director, Ms. Chavez held other roles in sales and marketing management, customer relations, and staff training and development. These positions prepared her for the functions she now performs at the LRIS, a role she has filled since 2006.
While at the LRIS, Ms. Chavez has been invited to speak at several prestigious conferences and meetings, including the ABA Bar School, ABA 2012-2019 National Lawyer Referral Workshop, and Real-Life Experiences of Using Social Media. She also became a member of the ABA Lawyer Referral & Information Service Leadership Forum (June 2012-January 2013), the National Association of Bar Executives, the Better Business Bureau, and the following Chambers of Commerce: Carlsbad, Escondido, East County, San Diego Regional, San Diego North, and Vista Chamber.
Ms. Chavez is a graduate of San Diego State University where she received a Bachelor of Liberal Arts & Sciences in Psychology. She also graduated from the University of San Diego’s Lawyer Assistant Program, an ABA-approved graduate level curriculum.
Andrew Cave
Andrew Cave grew up in San Diego and has worked almost exclusively for non-profit membership organizations since 2008. Andrew loves to cook, is an avid golfer, and a lifelong fan of the San Diego Padres. He recently bought a house in La Mesa where he lives with his girlfriend Lisa and 4-year-old daughter Olivia.
Keith Fisher
Keith has worked in a leadership capacity as a member of senior management in non-profit, service and technology for the past 25 years in San Diego. His areas of expertise include building and developing successful businesses, boards of directors and management teams, business development and sustainability planning, partnership and collaboration development initiatives, corporate oversight of bylaws and governance ,and human resources.
Aside from more recent consulting work, Keith previously held the title of Chief Operating Officer at the San Diego Opera for 15 years. Most notable is his role in the saving of the Opera in 2014 when impending closure of the venerable arts institution rocked the San Diego community. Keith was tasked with leading the transition of the Opera as a facilitator and advisor to the board, staff and community. While certainly one of the most challenging of circumstances professionally, his role in saving of San Diego Opera is one of his proudest accomplishments. Prior to this, Keith held senior management positions in the technology sector which include ConfirmNet and WebSideStory.
Keith’s educational background includes an Executive MBA from San Diego State University and a Bachelor’s of Science in Administration from Northeastern University. Originally from Maine, Keith has lived in San Diego for over 25 years and resides in Kensington with his partner Mark. In their free time, the duo are incurable home improvement junkies.