© 2016 The Texas Lawbook.
By Natalie Posgate
(July 22) – The Dallas Bar Association said Friday that it has selected lawyer and longtime DBA employee Alicia Hernandez as its new executive director.
Hernandez will succeed Cathy Maher, who has served as the DBA’s executive director for more than 20 years and been with the organization for almost four decades. Hernandez will take over when Maher retires at the end of the year.
“I have some big shoes to fill. Cathy has seen the DBA through much growth and major changes over the years – everything from changes in the face of the legal community to expanding our headquarters. She is a great leader.
“I am honored the Dallas Bar Association Board has the confidence in me to take the reins from Cathy, ” Hernandez said.
In her new position, Hernandez will run the Dallas Bar’s daily business, which includes oversight of the Belo Mansion, managing a staff of 24 and budgets that total around $4.3 million.
“I will work closely with our board, members, and staff to expand our reach and proactively respond to the needs of our legal market. We have been and will continue to be a beacon of hope through our many special projects for the community, whether it is legal aid to the poor, building homes through Dallas Habitat, our educational programs for DISD students, or one of our many other community service projects,” she said.
Currently, Hernandez serves as the director of the Dallas Volunteer Attorney Program, which serves thousands of low-income Dallas area residents each year. Hernandez also serves as director of the DBA’s community service programs and the Lawyer Referral Service.
Before joining the DBA 15 years ago, Hernandez worked as an in-house attorney at Legal Services of North Texas for more than seven years. While there, the University of Notre Dame Law School graduate represented clients in family law cases, developed a Homeless Law Project and helped lead a pro bono program, according to her LinkedIn page. Before that, Hernandez served as the assistant regional counsel for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
The DBA’s selection of Hernandez follows a rigorous and comprehensive national search for the new executive director that began after Maher announced her retirement in September.
“Alicia will continue to keep us in the forefront as one of the most respected bar associations in the country,” DBA President Jerry Alexander said in a statement. “She is steeped in the traditions of this bar and has a broad understanding of the needs of lawyers and bar associations as we look to the future.”
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