AALA Board Profiles

Dina Wolfe President Office Administrator Slutzky, Wolfe and Bailey, LLP dwolfe@atlanta-ala.com		Dina is the Office Administrator of Slutzky, Wolfe and Bailey, LLP. She has been with the firm for 12 years and in her current position for 8 years. Dina has been a member of the ALA since 1999 while she was acting as a paralegal and assistant to her predecessor with the firm. Dina has been actively involved with the Small Firm Section of AALA since she became a member. She has attended four national conferences and two regional conference. Dina is a native of Atlanta and currently resides in Powder Springs with her husband, Brad, and three children, Maggie, Connor and Molly.

Will Lee President-Elect Firm Administrator Goodman, McGuffy, Lindsey & Johnson, LLP wlee@atlanta-ala.com		Will is the Firm Administrator for Goodman, McGuffy, Lindsey & Johnson, LLP. Will has been a Legal Administrator since 1985 managing law firms in New Orleans, Louisiana; Memphis, Tennessee; and Corpus Christi, Texas before moving to Atlanta in 1997. Will has been very active in ALA serving as Chapter President of the South Texas Chapter, Regional Officer for Region IV, Region IV and Region II Nominating Committee, National Conference Committee, and the AALA Director of Vendor Relations. Will is also a member of the Cyber Chapter of ALA and continues to serve on its Board of Directors. While in Texas, Will was a member of the Legal Administrator’s Division of the State Bar of Texas and served as Chair of the Division and as a member of its Board of Directors. Will is a native of Kosciusko, Mississippi and is a graduate of Mississippi State University. In his spare time Will can usually be found racing Sailboats or spending time with his wife, Pamela.

Marianne Lawhead Past President Atlanta Office Administrator Stokes Roberts & Wagner mlawhead@atlanta-ala.com		Marianne began her career in the legal field over 24 years ago as the receptionist at then Stokes, Lazarus & Watson. She moved from that role to legal secretary to one of the senior partners. Along the way, she added responsibilities to her plate, including accounts payable, file room management, etc. In 1992, Marianne joined three of the partners of that firm as they left to found Stokes & Murphy. Marianne took on the role of Office Manager. In 1997, as the firm grew to 5 offices in 5 states, Marianne was named the Firm Administrator. In 2004, Stokes & Murphy merged with the firm of Shea, McNitt & Carter, creating the new firm of Shea Stokes Roberts & Wagner, ALC. Marianne now serves as the Atlanta Office Administrator with responsibility for all employees in the Eastern United States. Marianne joined ALA in 2000. She has attended 5 regional conferences, two national conferences and CLI. She has enjoyed participating in the Small Firm Section, as well as serving as the Chairman of the Multi-Office Section in 2005. Marianne served two terms as Director of eNewsletter and she looks forward to serving on the Board again this year as Vice President/President Elect. Marianne is a native Atlantan. She currently resides in Newnan with her husband, Jeff, and faithful Welsh Corgi, Archie.

Sarah Turner Secretary Office Administrator Thompson Hine LLP sturner@atlanta-ala.com		Sarah is the Office Administrator for the Atlanta Office of Thompson Hine. She began her legal career when she joined the Army in 1987 as a paralegal. In 1994 she became a Legal Administrator and ran Army law offices of various sizes in places such as Ft Irwin, California; Ft Benning, Georgia; Schofield Barracks, Hawaii and culminated her 21 year career in Atlanta at Ft McPherson, GA. She retired from the Army as a Chief Warrant Officer Four in 2008. Sarah has been a member of ALA since 2003 and has attended three National Conferences. She joined the Atlanta Chapter in 2007 and was the Chair for Community Relations before taking on her role as Secretary in 2010. Sarah earned her Certified Legal Manager (CLM) designation in 2008. Sarah has two grown boys, Michael and Rick and lives in Douglasville. In her spare times loves to travel, work in her garden and ride her motorcycle.

Sheri Rowand Treasurer Atlanta Director of Administration Carlton Fields, P.A. srowand@atlanta-ala.com		Sheri Rowand is the Director of Administration for the Atlanta Office of Carlton Fields, P.A. She has been in the position since the opening the office in 2004. Sheri began her career in the legal field 25 years ago in a law firm located in Florida and has worked in several different capacities. Sheri joined the Atlanta Chapter of the Association of legal Administrators in 2004 and has attended 2 Regional and 2 National conferences as well as several local seminars. She has served as the Multi-Office Chairperson for the past two years. In her spare time, Sheri is on the Board of the Southeastern GTO Association, the Denver Classic GTO Association as well as the Vinings Cove Homeowners Association. Sheri was raised in Decatur, Illinois and has been a resident of Atlanta for 15 years.

Elena Lee Director of Membership Secretarial Services Manager Troutman Sanders elee@atlanta-ala.com		Elena is the Secretarial Services Manager for the Atlanta Office of Troutman Sanders. She began her career in the legal field 26 years ago in a law firm located in Texas. Elena has been with Troutman Sanders since 1998 where she began as a Legal Secretary for seven years, moved into the Resource Center Manager role and has held her present position since 2007. Elena has been a member of the ALA/AALA since 2006 and has been actively involved with several committees, including Gene Henson, Vendor Relations & Membership. She attended her first national conference in 2008. Elena is originally from San Antonio, Texas, raised in Houston, Texas and has been an Atlanta resident since 1991. She lives in Lilburn with her husband, James, daughters, Miryea and Victoria and Yorkshire terrier Koda. In her spare time, Elena takes classes, working toward her Managerial Sciences degree. She also likes to run and coaches cheerleading for her daughters.

Jack Huddleston Director of eNewsletter Director of Operations Thomas, Kayden, Horstemeyer & Risley, LLP jhuddleston@atlanta-ala.com		Jack began his career in the legal field 32 years ago as a paralegal in the United States Air Force Judge Advocate General Corps. After serving as a paralegal in different roles, Jack was selected to become a member of the Inspector General’s team at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska traveling throughout the United States evaluating Air Force law effectiveness and support of the Strategic Air Command’s mission. Upon completion of this tour of duty, Jack assumed responsibility for his first Law Office Manager position at Hickam Air Force Base Hawaii, he continued as a Law Office Manager through other assignments up to his retirement from the United States Air Force. After retirement Jack moved to Atlanta and reentered the civilian work force initially as a paralegal and subsequently moved into his current position of Director of Operations for Thomas, Kayden, Horstemeyer & Risley, LLP where he has been since October 2002. Jack joined ALA in 2005. Jack has attended 1 regional conference, 1 Intellectual Property conference and 2 national conferences. Prior to joining the board, Jack was the chair of Bar Relations for the AALA. Jack looks forward to serving on the Board as the Director of the eNewsletter for 2010. Jack is current resides in Powder Springs with his wife Cleo, their son Ian, and their two dogs, Franklin and Bella.

Joe McAdams Director of Vendor Relations Firm Administrator The Weathington Firm, P.C. jmcadams@atlanta-ala.com		Joe is the Firm Administrator for The Weathington Firm, P.C. Joe started his career in the legal industry in 1998 in the facilities management area. Having worked for various facility management companies in some of the largest firms in the city, Joe completed his degree in Business Management from Mercer University in 2006. In 2007 Joe left the facility management industry and accepted the Firm Administrator position at The Weathington Firm. Joe has been a member of AALA since 2007. During this time he has served on the Vendor Relations Committee and the Gene Henson Scholarship Committee. Joe is a native of Atlanta and currently lives in Villa Rica with his wife Tanya. In his spare time Joe enjoys playing golf, reading and cooking.

Amanda Davis Director of eCommunications Firm Administrator Fields Howell adavis@atlanta-ala.com		Amanda is the Firm Administrator of Fields Howell. Amanda started her legal career in 1991 at the firm of Lord, Bissell & Brook, LLP. She spent 11 years at LBB learning all facets of branch office administration. Her main roles there were Billing Coordinator and I.T. Coordinator for the Atlanta office. In 2002, Amanda joined Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner, LLP where she worked as an I.T. Specialist supporting the Atlanta office and working with the Litigation Support team in Washington, D.C. In 2004, when four partners left LBB to form their own firm, Amanda joined them to begin her career as a legal administrator. Amanda joined ALA in 2004 and has been active in the Small Firm section. She has attended several regional and national conferences. She is looking forward to continuing her post on the AALA Board this year. Amanda was born in Boston, MA, but has lived in Atlanta since she was six. She currently resides in Doraville. In her spare time, Amanda enjoys spending time with family & friends, traveling and watching movies.

Jennifer Brinkley Chapter Manager Chapter Manager Atlanta Association of Legal Administrators jbrinkley@atlanta-ala.com		Jennifer began her legal career as an administrative assistant at the law firm of Chambers, Mabry, McClelland & Brooks. In 2000, several partners from the firm branched off to start their own firm and Jennifer joined them as a legal secretary. She was soon promoted to the position of Firm Administrator and continued in this role until 2005. In 2006, Jennifer became the proud mother of her first child and is now working full-time as a mom and part-time for the AALA as their first Chapter Manager. As Chapter Manager, Jennifer assists the board members in their administrative duties, acts as a contact person for members and business partners and handles much of the correspondence to the chapter. Since joining the AALA in 2001, Jennifer has served as the Community Relations Chairperson and Director of Membership. Jennifer lives in Braselton with her husband, Matt, son, Jason, daughter, Maddie and dog, Luke. She is an active member of 12 Stone Church in Dacula and spends her “free” time reading and enjoying the sights of North Georgia.

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