IN CLOSING...
Wendy Shiba is a retired corporate attorney and business executive who is the immediate past president of the National Asian Pacifi c American
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Bar Association (NAPABA). She served as an executive offi cer for three NYSE-listed companies and was a tenured associate professor of law at Temple University School of Law. She also worked in private practice and is active with numerous nonprofi t organizations. She will receive two major awards in 2014: the American Bar Association’s Spirit of Excellence Award in February and Corporate Counsel Women of Color’s Diamond Award in October.
Why did you decide to become president of NAPABA? Why is it important to become involved in voluntary bar associations? When I retired from my “day job,” I knew that staying engaged with my community and profession would be important for me, but I didn’t know the precise activities that would fi ll my plate. Several NAPABA friends approached me about running for offi ce and the idea took hold. I became involved with NAPABA during the second year of its now 25-year existence, but the challenges of being general counsel of a public company better suited me to shaping my involve- ment around work on committees and ad hoc projects, serving as a mentor to younger members, and speaking at conferences and conventions. My retirement opened the door to the possibility of the NAPABA presidency that had never been within my fi eld of imagina- tion. I saw it as an opportunity to be fully engaged with an outstand- ing organization that has meant so much to me during my career. I’ve been involved with voluntary bar associations throughout
my entire career, both mainstream associations and bar associa- tions of color. T at involvement provides a two-way street of
DIVERSITY & THE BAR® JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2014
opportunities to grow as a professional and to contribute back to the profession and to nurture the professional development of law students and younger lawyers.
What are you most proud of during your tenure? It would be impossible to name a single item, but I have a short list. As president-elect, I served as chair of our 2012 National Convention in Washington, D.C. Working with a phenomenal host committee from the greater D.C. area, we delivered a convention for the ages that culminated with a conversation with Justice Sonia Sotomayor during our gala installation dinner. During my presidency in the 2012-2013 bar year, we more than doubled our attendance for our Annual Lobby Day, when members from across the country convene in Washington, D.C. to engage in fi rsthand advocacy on the Hill on a range of policy issues that
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