COMMITTEES

Bar Liaison
Amy Shilingburg & Jennifer Quilon
Mission Statement
As Bar Liaison it is my responsibility to represent SDPA at San Diego County Bar Association meetings to strengthen SDPA's relationship with the Bar, and to notify SDPA's membership of the pro bono, educational and networking opportunities available through same. I am also tasked with promoting the paralegal profession by emphasizing the cost effectiveness paralegals have on legal services.

CAPA Representatives
Primary - Treva Cutts 
Secondary - Lavonne Kiser
Mission Statement
As SDPA's California Alliance of Paralegal Associations (CAPA) representatives, it is our honor to represent SDPA's interests and provide our collective support to CAPA.
It is our responsibility to:
Coordinate the distribution of information between SDPA and CAPA on issues of state-wide importance.

• Attend CAPA Board of Directors meetings on SDPA's behalf.
• Prepare reports to SDPA's Board regarding CAPA's activities and post information on SDPA's bulletin boards for SDPA member review.
• Disseminating information from CAPA to SDPA members which may include publicizing CAPA's educational conferences, State Bar activities and the distribution of RECAP (CAPA's publication).

The California Alliance of Paralegal Associations and the Paralegal Association of Santa Clara will present CAPA's 20th Annual Education Conference, on June 21, 2008 at the Hilton Santa Clara located at 4949 Great America Parkway, Santa Clara, CA. Check the Events page for further details.
Recent issues of CAPA's newsletter (The RECAP) can be viewed on the Archived Newsletters webpage in SDPA's members only section.

Employment Chair Pro Team
Elizabeth Oakes

Mission Statement
As Employment Chair, it is my honor to assist SDPA members find employment by receiving requests from potential employers and posting these job opportunities to SDPA's Employment Bank Bulletin Board, emailing members who have opted-in to receive our job bank email alerts, and helping members post their resumes to SDPA's Resume Bank.

Marketing Chair
Kristine Custodio, CP

Mission Statement
The role of SDPA's Marketing Chair is to develop short- and long-term campaigns aimed at keeping SDPA aligned with the goals stated in its Mission Statement. This includes developing incentive programs and strategies designed to increase membership and entrench SDPA in the events and organizations shaping the paralegal world today. My goal is to continually look the future, recognize trends, and position SDPA as a leader in those markets.

Membership Chair
Sara Minas

Mission Statement
As Membership chair it is my honor to assist you
with getting as much as possible out of your SDPA membership.
SDPA membership can present opportunities for you that you would never have expected. One of SDPA's primary goals is providing services and opportunities to continue your professional growth. Learning to be a paralegal does not end when you leave school!

North County Section Chair
Lavonne E. Kiser

Mission Statement
As North County Section Chair, I fill a growing need to keep SDPA apprised of events, issues and nuances facing North County paralegals. As liaison to the area, I'm also responsible for contributing to the planning and execution of SDPA's North County programs. SDPA values all of San Diego's paralegals and believes that as a whole we are far stronger than the sum of our parts.


Pro Bono Chair
Treva Cutts

Mission Statement
As Pro Bono Chair, it is my duty to identify and communicate with the organizations providing low- or no-cost legal services to the indigent and low income members of the San Diego community. To wit, I work closely with the San Diego Volunteer Lawyer Program and San Diego County Bar Association to determine the types of activities in which paralegals can make a difference and, in turn, promote those activities within SDPA.

BENEFITS OF PRO BONO WORK FOR THE PARALEGAL:
Due to a severe shortage of personnel in the non-profit (legal) world due to cutbacks and our overburdened judicial system, many individuals are falling through the cracks in our legal system. Here's how you can make a difference in someone's life.

Volunteering is:

• An excellent way to serve and meet community needs.
• Make a difference to someone who really needs help.
• A great way to transition into new field.
• A opportunity for new paralegals to gain hands-on experience.
• A chance to learn more about certain areas of law.
• Gain experience and skills handling clients and obtain a fresh perspective that can be personally and professionally rewarding.

Programs and Education Chair
Carla S. Haney, CP

Mission Statement
As chair of Programs and Education it is my honor to assist you with finding informative and interesting speakers on topics pertinent to the paralegal community. It's my goal to host great meetings and provide MCLE credit. Please feel free to suggest a speaker or topic. Please check our calendar of events for the most up to date information.

Public Relations Chair


Mission Statement
As PR Chair, my goal is to ensure effective and timely communications between SDPA and its various publics. Primarily, this involves promoting SDPA's events through press releases and bulletins, responding to general inquires, and forging relationships with the various media outlets that can help disseminate our message. The outcome, hopefully, leads to improving awareness about SDPA within the paralegal community.

School Liaison


Mission Statement
As the School Liaison/Scholarship Chair my goal is to address the needs of the students, faculty and directors participating in San Diego's many paralegal programs. My contributions include fostering SDPA's Mentorship Program, and developing student-oriented Seminars and Programs in an effort to ensure that San Diego is producing the most well-rounded and educated graduates in the country. On an as needed basis, I am also responsible for fundraising and scholarship development.

Website Content Manager
Afsoon Alagheband

Mission Statement
As Website Content Manager, my responsibilities are to maintain SDPA's website listings and oversee its on-line community. This entails performing daily content inspections, facilitating new postings for the other Directors and regularly visiting the Yahoo! message board to keep informed about the issues facing San Diego's paralegals. I'm also responsible for working with SDPA's web designer on an as needed basis