Bar in Brief > A Note From Your Bar Foundation President

BY HON. TRACY FLOOD

To the members of the Washington State Bar Association,

I am the president of the Washington State Bar Foundation (WSBF) Board of Trustees, and I will use this column to give some information about the history of the WSBF and the work that we do. First, I want to extend gratitude to WSBA Executive Director Terra Nevitt for allowing me to be a guest writer for this month’s Bar in Brief column. I am also grateful to WSBA Foundation Development Officer Laura Sanford, who over the last three years worked diligently with me in my roles as WSBF president and vice president. Lastly, I want to thank members of the WSBA for their trust in and support of the WSBF to do the necessary work in the area of access to justice and diversity programs. This year, we emphasized expressing our sincere appreciation for the support of these endeavors. For example, we gathered for an in-person meeting and wrote thank-you notes to various donors and supporters. By doing this, we acknowledge that the work we have done is a collaborative effort between the WSBF and supporting WSBA members.

WSBF HISTORY

The WSBF was established in 1957 but was inactive for the first several years. In 1980, the WSBF Board of Trustees was reorganized as a 501(c)(3) public charity. The foundation members are made up of trustees from the WSBA Board of Governors and other members of the profession and the community. This includes the WSBA immediate past president, who holds a position as trustee, and the WSBA executive director, who holds the position of secretary. 

From 2002 to 2010, the WSBF supported numerous programs, which included being a fiscal sponsor for the Washington Leadership Institute (WLI), LAWFORWA.org, SEA MAR/Access to Justice Technology Project, and Access to Justice Technology Bill of Rights. A diversity scholarship and loan repayment assistance program were also introduced to the WSBF programs. 

WASHINGTON LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE

I was honored to be in the inaugural class of WLI in 2005. I was also the first WLI fellow to serve on the WSBA Board of Governors, from 2010 to 2013. During my tenure, we made the difficult decision to move WLI to the University of Washington—understanding that the WSBA’s creation of the WLI program has continued to benefit our legal community and has received national recognition, celebrating 20 years in 2025. 

APEX AWARDS

From 2013 to the present, the WSBF has been involved with the WSBA’s annual APEX Awards. In particular, the foundation and the WSBA jointly present the Sally P. Savage Leadership in Philanthropy Award. This award is named after the foundation’s late former leader, who was a catalyst for the organization’s refocused mission to sustain the WSBA’s efforts to advance justice and diversity, and is given to donors and volunteers who emulate Savage’s spirit of philanthropy and generosity. Read about the 2024 recipient of the Sally P. Savage Leadership in Philanthropy Award here.

POWERFUL COMMUNITIES GRANTS AND OTHER PROGRAMS

Today, the WSBF has been reorganized to support public service and diversity programs. Many organizations in Washington are doing this work, filling in the gaps where lawyers and the government have fallen short in serving the underrepresented and helping to provide access to justice for all. Much of the WSBF’s work takes place through the WSBA’s Powerful Communities grant program, which has provided funds through more than 60 awards, to nonprofit organizations including the Lavender Rights Project, Living with Conviction, West African Community Council, Kitsap Legal Services, Clark County Volunteer Lawyers Program, Wenatchee for Immigrant Justice, and Kitsap Immigrant Assistance Center. The WSBF also supports the biennial Access to Justice Conference and other equity and justice programs. During the COVID-19 pandemic, support was provided to some minority bar association and specialty bar association legal clinics. 

WSBF SERVICE

As a judge, I am often isolated in the work that I do. Judges are limited in what we can say and what actions we can take. The work of the WSBF has allowed both me and WSBF Board of Trustees member Gloria Ochoa-Bruck—who is also a judge and fellow of the inaugural WLI class—to stay connected and serve in the Washington state legal community. Our contributions through the foundation benefit those who are voiceless and support many legal nonprofits across the state. I am grateful to our board, which includes lawyers and nonlawyers, for their commitment to our mission.

Practicing law day in and day out, whether civil or criminal, can go without any acknowledgement. Serving on a board, opening a door for someone, completing a survey, or simply showing up often goes without gratitude or appreciation. The COVID-19 pandemic completely changed the dynamics of relationships, exposed collective traumas, and caused us to become disconnected from one another. 

Because of these dynamics, I felt it really important to reconnect and say to WSBA members: We appreciate you and your support of the Washington State Bar Foundation. Every day we make choices, and the choice to support the WSBF touches so many lives. My life is one that has been touched by the WSBF and I decided what better way to give back than through service on the board. After the reorganization, the following past presidents began the work that we continue to benefit from today: first WSBF President Ronald Ward (also a past president of the WSBA), second WSBF President Sally P. Savage, and third WSBF President Judy Massong (also a past WSBA governor). I had the pleasure of serving with all of them, and I thank each of them for supporting the vision of the WLI and the mission for the WSBF. Members and staff of the WSBA, without you there is no us. In gratitude, I want to express my heartfelt thanks to each and every one of you for your unwavering support and commitment. 

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