Thank You & Farewell
I want to express my deepest gratitude to the LGBT Bar Association & Foundation of Greater New York. When I first arrived in New York in 2015, I never could have imagined how this organization would shape my personal and professional life. It has been an honor to serve as your first openly nonbinary Executive Director.
I also want to share my appreciation for our Director of Operations & Design, Leah Harper. Leah’s 12 years of service to the organization speaks volumes to the caliber of her dedication, and her beautiful designs have forever left their mark on our history.
Since taking on this role in 2022, you’ve inspired me to reimagine how our bar association could better serve our members and community through COVID, Mpox, and beyond. Together, as a nationally respected leader in the legal profession, we’ve accomplished:
- Raising crucial funding to complete the Hon. Deborah A. Batt’s portrait;
- Maintaining innovative CLE programming;
- Implementing a Working Parents Group;
- Launching an updated, accessible website with our mission statement;
- Introducing our vision statement;
- Becoming a NYS Attorney Emeritus Program Host Organization and Pro Bono Scholars Program Placement;
- Adding Law Notes to the NYS DOCCS Law Library to assist pro se incarcerated people across the state; and
- Record-breaking law student and judicial engagement, just to name a few highlights.
As always, it feels as though we are just getting started. I trust the Board of Directors and our steadfast volunteers to continue the exciting projects I’ve already added to the pipeline for 2025. As the bar association enters its 47th year of existence, our work remains crucial to the legal profession and the LGBTQ+ community at large.
My life has never been straight, and I would not expect otherwise for my career path. Though I don’t know just yet what’s next for Leah or I professionally, I do know that the support and strength of our community will carry us all through this next chapter.
Yours in Solidarity,
Shain Filcher, Esq., Executive Director
"It is with deep sadness that my time with the LGBT Bar Association Foundation of Greater New York has come to an end. When I joined Brad Snyder in January 2013, I had no idea this organization would become my home for the next 12 years. I feel honored to have upheld an organization with such a strong history and record of supporting the local LGBTQ community, and I have met so many wonderful people along the way.”
– Leah Harper, Director of Operations & Design
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