IBF 
welcomes new Executive Director and a year of regathering.
By Lisa M. Nyuli
To me, more than any other year I remember, 2021 is a year for change and for hope – hope for an end to the pandemic, hope for seeing loved ones and friends in person, and hope for a bright future!
Change is what I will carry out of the pandemic – a changed approach to client representation, a greater appreciation for my family, my friends, and my colleagues, a renewed appreciation for vacation! At the Illinois Bar Foundation, we are embracing 2021 and making changes, hoping to spark the generosity of our contributors, and provide even more support to those who count on us.
Our biggest change at IBF is hiring a new executive director, Stacey Hacker Meehan, who started mid-January, 2021. Stacey comes to us with a wealth of knowledge and experience in working with non-profits and most recently spent 5 ½ years as an assistant director of development and communications for a social service agency in Chicago. She has worked for the March of Dimes and the USO, and has a master’s degree in public administration with a focus on non-profit management from George Mason University.
After her first 3 months at IBF, Stacey still hasn’t met any of us in person, but she has fully embraced her new role. I asked her what the best part of the job has been so far, and instead of saying working with me (which I had hoped for!), she said that she has been impressed with the collegiality of the legal community, and how everyone from the IBF and ISBA boards and staff are able to work together, share ideas, and are willing to make improvements and grow.
Personally, Stacey is married and she and her husband live in the northern suburbs of Chicago with their dog. In August, they will be adding twins to the family! Stacey loves to cook, loves to travel, and is an adventure-seeker. She has sky-dived, hang-glided, and scuba-dived. Stacey has done relief work – in Mississippi after Hurricane Katrina, in Afghanistan, and in Haiti.
Stacey has jumped in and is already working on a new website for IBF, outreach to lawyers and law firms, and assisting in new ideas for fundraising in our pandemic world.
Looking to the future, we are hopeful about what’s to come. With COVID vaccines becoming more accessible every day, we are eagerly anticipating our return to seeing you all in-person once again. This July, we’ll be hosting our first live in-person event since December 2019 with a golf outing and open-air reception at Cog Hill Golf Course in Lemont. Our event will have a little something for everyone, with golfers teeing up to enjoy an afternoon on the course followed by a reception, open to golfers and non-golfers alike, featuring live music from a couple of our fan favorite Lawyers Rock bands! I can’t help but feel that in the coming months, we will all feel a renewed sense of connection and community as we’re able to come together once again. I hope you’ll be able to join us in July. Please visit our website www.IllinoisBarFoundation.org for more information and to get your tickets.
By Lisa M. Nyuli
Illinois Bar Foundation President
Ariano Hardy Ritt Nyuli Richmond Lytle & Goettel P.C.
This article was featured in the May 2021 Illinois Bar Journal by the Illinois State Bar Association.
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