Tolland Resident Named CBA Vice President

Beginning July 1, Attorney Karen DeMeola will serve as vice president of the Connecticut Bar Association (CBA) during the 2015-2016 bar year.

As Assistant Dean of Student Life at UConn Law School, Dean DeMeola plans, manages, and oversees programs and services for the student body, including career planning, disability services, and student services. She advises students confronted with a variety of issues, including academic advising, personal matters, and wellness challenges such as addiction and mental health concerns. In addition, Dean DeMeola is charged with implementing and managing diversity programming as well as professional and community development activities.

Her over 15 years’ experience as a higher education administrator coupled with earlier years spent as a civil rights litigator in her solo practice, give her a unique perspective. Dean DeMeola’s ability to be forward looking on the changes coming to the legal profession is of great value as a leader of the statewide bar association. She has been a part of the CBA Diversity Committee for nearly a decade and is also a member of the LGBT Section and the Membership Committee.

In addition, Dean DeMeola holds active memberships with the Connecticut Hispanic Bar Association, the George W. Crawford Black Bar Association, and the South Asian Bar Association of Connecticut. She has served on numerous boards and committees, including the Family Equality Council, True Colors Inc.; the Lawyers Collaborative for Diversity; and the Law School Admission Council Subcommittee on Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender Issues.

The CBA is governed by a Board of Governors and House of Delegates. The House of Delegates is its primary decision-making and policy-making body, while the Board of Governors is its administrative board that is responsible for budgetary and financial matters other than setting annual dues. There are also seven officer positions held by members of the Association for a one-year term. The seven positions are president, immediate past president, president-elect, vice president, secretary, treasurer, and assistant secretary-treasurer.

As vice president of the CBA, Dean DeMeola presides over the meetings of the House of Delegates and the Board of Governors in the absence of the president and the president-elect and will serve as the chair of the Pro Bono Committee.

About the Connecticut Bar Association
The Connecticut Bar Association is a professional organization committed to the advancement of justice, the practice of law, the image of the profession, and public understanding of the law. For more information, please visit www.ctbar.org.