The State Bar Association of North Dakota Summer 2014 Gavel Magazine | Page 4

SBAND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR the committee in submitting names of highly qualified candidates to the Governor. Excellent appointments have been made! 2 TONY J. WEILER SBAND Executive Director It’s official -- I’ve been your Executive Director for more than a year! The year has been full of highlights, and I’ll share some of those highlights with you. Although it’s hard to limit myself, I’ll work with a top 10 list. 1 The Judicial Nominating Committee. I was prepared for occasional meetings of the Judicial Nominating Committee. Little did I know that this excellent group would meet 10 times in just over a year to assist the Governor by submitting lists of highly qualified candidates for judicial appointments. The meetings have been held all around the state, and the permanent committee of six is a hardworking, dedicated group. In each judicial district that group is joined by three temporary members, with appointments made by the Governor, Chief Justice, and the SBAND president from the judicial district in which a vacancy occurs. It has been an honor to meet so many great lawyers, and assist 4 THE GAVEL Revitalization of SBAND Committees. During the last year, nearly all of SBAND’s standing committees met. The committees have important functions to serve. Each committee is made up of lawyer volunteers, and while some meet more often and have more tasks than others, each plays an important role in SBAND, in serving the membership, and in promoting good relations with the public. 3 The Search for a new Home. The C.B. Little house has been the home of the Association since 2004. We have enjoyed a great relationship with our current landlord, the Diocese of Bismarck. From the moment I started we continued the work done by former E.D. Bill Neumann, the staff, and the local committee of looking at many potential office locations. Fortunately, we have landed in the lower level of the North Dakota Association of Counties building. It is located on East Capitol Avenue and we hope to move in sometime in October or November! We hope you will visit when you are in Bismarck. 4 Working with a great Board of Governors. One of my biggest concerns in taking this position was how I would work under the direction of a board made up of 14 (now 15 with the creation of the North Central Judicial District) board members. I can tell you it has been one of the best parts of the job (and this isn’t sucking-up!). The board is dedicated to the profession and the association, and while they direct policy, they allo ܁ѡ