by David Ball
Staff Writer
It’s safe to say that Susan Sowards enjoys a challenge.
A few years after earning her law degree from the University of Kentucky, Sowards helped build the Lexington-based Fayette County Bar Association from the ground up as director.
Nearly 17 years later, Sowards assumed executive directorship of the Nashville Tennessee Bar Association, which grew from 2,100 members to more than 3,000 members, saw revenues increase from $728,000 to $1.3 million and won numerous awards with the addition of only one part-time staff position during Sowards’ nine-year tenure.
Now, Sowards is embarking on a new challenge – to grow the Jacksonville Bar Association into a more relevant, well-funded and resourceful organization for its members. The will and ideas for change are already in place, she says, and now the fun begins.
“I was very interested in the locality, and liked everyone I met in Jacksonville,” said Sowards, who was chosen as executive director over nearly 100 other candidates. “There is value in a Jacksonville Bar membership, but I think it could be even greater.”
Sowards replaces 14-year director Diane Gill, who left to pursue other ventures in Georgia with her husband.
Association board of governors member Daniel Bean, an attorney at Holland & Knight, said Gill helped build one of the best bar associations in Florida.
“We saw the opportunity to continue that growth under Susan’s guidance, because she’s been there, done that,” said Bean, who was a part of the interview committee. “She can minimize our mistakes as we grow and be more responsive to our membership.”
Sowards already has a list of goals for the Jacksonville Bar, including a revamping of its Web site — www.jaxbar.org — and the association’s news letter, the Jacksonville Bar Bulletin.
“When a bar grows, it grows now in the area of communications,” said Sowards. “E-mails will help members become aware of what’s happening in different practice areas. Another area is expanding continuing legal education programs.”
In Sowards’ last year in Nashville, her bar produced about 75 continuing education seminars that generated $284,000 in revenue. She said the same could be done in Jacksonville.
Sowards said she would like to expand the Jacksonville Bar’s lawyer referral service as well as expand a mentoring program for young lawyers and programs that encourage diversity in law. A placement service for legal staff could also be integrated and provide a shortcut for firms to hire qualified employees.
When initiating such programs in Nashville, Sowards said she saw a membership dues increase from $175 to $200. Jacksonville Bar dues are now around $175 to support current programs and a staff of four.
However, Sowards reiterated that any changes will be led by the board of governors and will consider the needs of the entire membership.
“This is my career. I’ve done bar association management my whole life, but it’s the members’ bar association, not mine,” said Sowards.
Bean said the board is behind Sowards’ initiatives and her leadership to make the bar more professionally relevant for its 1,900 members and future members.
“We’ve already been able to implement some human resources measures to save money with her help,” said Bean. “I think we have the best bar association in the state, but we can not stand still, and Susan is there to make sure we don’t stand still.”
It’s not in Sowards’ nature to stand still, professionally or at home with her husband, two 100-pound Bernese mountain dogs, chinchilla and jungle carpet python.
Sowards said she loves to travel and is looking forward to venturing out to explore Jacksonville and the rest of Florida.
“I was born in West Virginia, and I went to school in Michigan,” said Sowards. “There was really no access to water, but I love the water, so that attracted me to Jacksonville.”
Traveling and fun on the water will likely create nice breaks for Sowards as she continues the fun of growing the Jacksonville Bar into one of the premier bars in the country.
“In Nashville, we took an existing bar and grew it very well and very efficiently,” Sowards said. “Jacksonville is a different place, but I think I have the knowledge to do it again.”