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2019/2020 BOARD OF DIRECTOR CANDIDATE STATEMENTS

Published on 2/25/2019

2019-2020 BOARD MEMBER CANDIDATE STATEMENTS

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INCUMBENT CANDIDATES
  Gail Barsky For the last 6 years, Gail Barsky has served on the Board of Directors for Scottsdale Bar Association and served as “Treasurer” to the organization in 2017-2018. She enthusiastically seeks re-election to the Scottsdale Bar Association Board of Directors. Since elected in 2012, she has delivered on her commitment to increase her service by regularly attending Board Meetings, volunteering at Pauite Center, and serving on the Community Outreach Program. Gail seeks your support and vote to continue as a Director of the Scottsdale Bar Association.

For over twenty-five years, Gail has been proud to say that she is a member of our legal profession. She has worked in the Federal Government, Managing Trial Attorney for Nationwide Insurance, Ryley, Carlock, & Applewhite, and Resnick & Louis. Her primary focus of law is now in the personal injury area and she teaches as a part-time Professor at Brighton College in the paralegal division.
Community involvement and volunteerism have been a way of life for Gail since she was a teenager, including serving in leadership positions: Board of Directors for the Maricopa Bar Association, Phoenix Philanthropists, Free Arts of Arizona, Senior Centers, U.S. VETS, and Andre House.

The Scottsdale Bar Association offers its members monthly luncheons, featuring a monthly update in the law with current cases and interesting speakers. SBA provides a unique opportunity to learn and socialize with colleagues at the monthly luncheons and at the semi-annual socials.

Gail values her colleagues’ input and understands the challenges that we face in the profession. She seeks re-election to be of continued service and hopes that each lawyer no matter what size of practice can find opportunity and grow the Scottsdale Bar Association stronger. Gail always welcomes any member to contact her directly with any questions about the Association or give her ideas how she can better serve the organization as the strength of any organization is its members. Thank you.

  Coni Rae Good is concluding her first term as a director of the Scottsdale Bar Association. She asks your support in continuing her work and representation of you on the Board of Directors. She is currently serving on the Speaker and Publicity Committees and has been personally responsible for finding and guiding two speaker luncheons and is working on a third. She has practiced law in the Phoenix area for over 25 years, primarily in the areas of real estate, contract and business law. She earned three degrees from Arizona State University (bachelor, MBA and JD) and was an editor and author for the Arizona State Law Journal. Having “learned the ropes” during her first term, she expects to be a more valuable member of the Board of Directors if re-elected. She is a certified CLE trainer for the State Bar of Arizona and is a frequent speaker at local and national seminars. Again, she will serve in any area or capacity for the Board of Directors and the Scottsdale Bar Association.
  Stephen J.P. Kupiszewski was born in Lake Whales, Florida. He came to Arizona in 1981 as an All-American on a swimming scholarship to Arizona State University and was team captain for the 1984-85 season. Also during the 1984-85 school year, Stephen was president of the Volunteers for Youth program, serving underprivileged children in the Phoenix area. He graduated with a B.S. in 1986. Like his father, he attended Cumberland School of Law at Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama graduating in December of 1989.
 
Stephen was appointed to the superior court bench as a Commissioner and began his career as a judicial officer on August 3, 2003. Through the rotation process, Stephen has presided over Criminal, Family, Probate, Juvenile, Mental Health, Tax and Civil calendars. He retired from his last rotation on March 29, 2013. After two long days in retirement, Steve opened his law practice working as Of-Counsel at the law firm of Kile and Kupiszewski with his wife Jennifer and her law partner, Emily Kile. Steve has focused primarily on Mediation and Litigation services in probate, and family court cases. 
 
He married Jennifer in January of 2009. They have a blended family with 5 children: Michael, 30, Stephen, 29, Joseph 27, Ashley, 24 and Alexis 23. All having obtained college degrees and meaningful employment. 
 
Steve is currently serving as a board member of the Scottsdale Bar Association and is chairperson of the membership committee and is looking for additional volunteers.

  Jim Padish presently serves on the Board of Directors and is a member of the Executive Committee as Treasurer. He also chairs the Spring Training game CLE and baseball outing. He seeks reelection to the Board and hopes to continue to provide opportunities for our local attorneys to enjoy collegiality through our luncheons as well as seasonal events, like holiday socials, the annual golf tournament and a Spring Training outing.

Jim is a former Judge of the Superior Court of Arizona, serving on all departments, prior to his return to practice several years ago. He’s a longtime resident of Scottsdale, where he and his wife, Gay Lynn, raised their four children.

Jim’s practice is concentrated in mediation and general litigation, especially family law. His oldest daughter, Erica (also a Scottsdale Bar member), practices with him, along with two other former judges, Robert Budoff and Carey Hyatt. He is a graduate of Indiana University and The John Marshall Law School, Chicago, Illinois, where he was inducted into its Hall of Distinction. Jim’s admitted to practice in Arizona, Illinois and Indiana (inactive), as well as before the United States Supreme Court.

   



























NEW CANDIDATES
Tricia Shafer Bio Photo  Tricia Schafer fell in love with Scottsdale by running through it. A lifelong athlete, she embraced Scottsdale’s signature Night Run for the Arts and formed a nonprofit to resurrect that historic race for a three-year revival (2012-2014). Tricia’s commercial litigation and transactional practice followed in her footsteps, moving from Phoenix to Scottsdale in 2015.

After a small-town upbringing on the Oregon Coast, Tricia earned her B.A. in Economics, with honors, from the University of California at Berkeley in 1991, and her J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center in 1994. Tricia also earned her Personal Trainer certification from the American Council on Exercise in 2002, and has encouraged numerous lawyers, judges, business professionals, and their families to gain strength and flexibility and maintain healthy lifestyles. Tricia’s company, Starting Now Fitness LLC, also serves the legal community through the Arizona’s Finest Lawyers Foundation’s Fit to Practice® initiative. Tricia has served as the Executive Director of the Arizona’s Finest Lawyers Foundation since 2013.

Tricia created Vitality Law PLLC in 2017, after more than two decades of practice at large, small, and mid-sized Arizona firms, as well as in-house and the public sector. The firm’s name governs its engagements – harmonizing professional excellence with positivity and quality of life. In addition to serving its own clients, Vitality Law contracts with other firms, particularly with respect to commercial litigation, entity formation, transactions, intellectual property protection, and strategic planning. Tricia takes pride in delivering compelling advocacy with diplomacy, integrity, precision, and enthusiasm.















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