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The Board of Directors

 

President
Lori Wagner, RP, IRP
Fort Wayne, IN

Lori Wagner started her paralegal career in 1992, and is a member of the Northeast Indiana Paralegal Association (NIPA).  She served as President of NIPA in 1997 for a two-year term and then again in 2010 for a four-year term, holding various positions in between.   

She was the NIPA Primary Representative to NFPA from 2010 – 2016. She received the NIPA Outstanding Paralegal Award in 1997, 2011 and 2014. She is also a member of the Indiana State Bar Association where she received the Outstanding Affiliate Member Award in 2015. She has been registered with the Indiana State Bar Association as an Indiana Registered Paralegal since July, 2015.

Lori has held several positions with NFPA prior to becoming President including NFPA Strategic Planning Coordinator from 2012 – 2015, and the 2016 Convention Coordinator. She then served on the NFPA Board of Director as Region III Director from 2016 – 2019.  Lori was elected Treasurer, Director of Finance, for 4 years before taking over the role of President-Elect and then ultimately, President.   

Lori is passionate about NFPA and committed to seeing it thrive.

 

President Elect - VACANT


Director of Profession Development
Camille Chirillo
Charlton, Massachusetts


Director of Positions and Issues
Beth Bialis, RP®
Indiana

The Director of Positions and Issues will assist the President and the Director of Profession Development in leading NFPA and the paralegal profession by addressing positions and issues that will directly affect the association and the profession.

Beth Bialis, RP®, earned her paralegal certificate in 1990 from the National Academy for Paralegal Studies, an ABA approved program and obtained her Registered Paralegal credential in 2012.

Beth has been a member of the Western New York Paralegal Association, Inc. (“WNYPA”) since 1996 and is now a member of the Northeast Indiana Paralegal Association. Throughout the years Beth served the members of WNYPA in various roles on the Board of Directors and in 2010 was elected to the NFPA Board of Directors serving three years as Region V Director and two years as Vice President and Director of Profession Development. Beth also served as President of the Empire State Alliance of Paralegal Associations, Inc. for four years.

Beth has over twenty years of experience as a litigation paralegal and is currently employed as a Government Paralegal at Yoder, Ainlay, Ulmer & Buckingham, LLP in Goshen, Indiana.


Director of Membership
Julie Rosenau

Julie Rosenau has worked as a legal assistant / paralegal for over three decades. She is currently employed by RHIMagnesita, a world leader in refractory services. She is a member of the Central PA Paralegal Association and has been involved in non-profit Board volunteer work for over two decades.

Julie won a full scholarship to a two-year business school and started her higher education two days before she graduated from high school!  At the end of the two-year associates degree program she was hired by an insurance defense firm in downtown York, Pennsylvania.  She worked in the suit unit of State Farm Mutual Insurance Company for six years and received her insurance designations from the Insurance Institute of America.  When State Farm was re-organizing (and not wanting to leave central PA), she went to work in a small law firm, where she focused her time primarily in bankruptcy and employment law.  During that decade she spoke at a conference on the paralegal’s role in bankruptcy to an audience that included a U.S. Trustee! She and Attorney Austin worked on an employment discrimination case that went to the Third Circuit Court of Appeals.  She also worked in the bankruptcy department of CGA Law Firm, in York, one of the premier firms in York, and the best bankruptcy department in central PA and beyond!

Julie has served on committees and the Board of Affordable Housing Advocates (AHA) as Chair and current Secretary for well over a decade. She is the Recording Secretary of her large church Board and was the Secretary of the Christian School of York. Julie has been PA certified paralegal since her employment with RHI US Ltd. began in 2021.

Julie hopes to meet as many of you outstanding paralegals (and associations) as she can in the near future. If you are on the east coast, please contact Julie (especially with virtual meetings !) Since Julie and her family love to travel, contact Julie and she just may try to visit further associations too.  Julie’s goal is to strengthen the relationship between the NFPA and our local associations. She looks forward to supporting Lori and all other NFPA Directors.


Director of Marketing - VACANT


Director of Paralegal Certification
Lisa Vessels, RP®, CP®
Miami, Florida


The Director of Paralegal Certification will assist the President in leading NFPA and the paralegal profession by overseeing and managing the administration of NFPA’s two certification exams, the Paralegal CORE Competency Exam®  and Paralegal Advanced Competency Exam®, and the Paralegal Certification Standards Committee, by addressing issues related to paralegal certification, and by being the main spokesperson regarding paralegal certification by NFPA.

Lisa Vessels, RP®, CP®, lives in Miami, Florida, and is employed by Duane Morris LLP managing the docketing function for her firm's U.S. offices. Lisa has worked in the paralegal profession since 1992 with experience in commercial litigation, corporate contract law, and commercial aviation equipment leasing and sales.
Lisa is a former two-term President of the South Florida Paralegal Association and the Florida Alliance of Paralegal Associations. As an active member in both organizations, she has served in many additional roles such as Webmaster, Treasurer, Secretary, and Membership Chair since joining in 2005.  

Lisa served on Miami-Dade College's Paralegal Studies Program Advisory Board from 2006 to 2012, serving as chairperson from 2010-12. She has served four three-year terms as a non-lawyer member of The Florida Bar's Unlicensed Practice of Law Committee for the 11th Circuit in Miami-Dade County, and is currently serving one of the Florida Bar’s Florida Registered Paralegal Disciplinary Committees.  She was an adjunct instructor at Florida International University's Paralegal Studies certificate program from 2006 to 2008.

Lisa served as NFPA’s Regulation Review Coordinator from November 2009 until September 2012, and was an active participant on the PCC Exam Development Committee from its inception in 2008 through its launch in 2011.  In 2012, she was elected as NFPA’s Vice President and Director of Positions and Issues, and 2014, she was elected as NFPA’s President.  From 2016-2018 she served in the role of NFPA’s Board Advisor.

Lisa earned her Bachelor's degree in Paralegal Studies from Nova Southeastern University in 2005, and Associate's degrees in Computer Information Systems and Computer Programming (Visual Basic) from Miami Dade College in 2002. Lisa earned the Certified Paralegal® designation in September 2005, earned the PACE® Registered Paralegal designation in September 2012, and held the Florida Registered Paralegal registration of The Florida Bar from 2008 to 2018.


 Secretary & Director of Leadership Development
 Cherylan Shearer

Cherylan Shearer, IRP, is a corporate paralegal at the law firm of Yoder Ainlay Ulmer & Buckingham, LLP in Goshen, Indiana.  She has been with the firm for 28 years and received her paralegal certificate with honors in June 1999 from Indiana University at South Bend.  She primarily works with the initial set up of organizations including for-profit, not-for-profit, and limited liability companies, mergers and acquisitions, and maintains corporate compliance for approximately 600 clients of the firm.  Ms. Shearer is also a member of the Affiliate Committee of the Indiana State Bar Association currently serving as Vice Chair.  She has been a member of the Michiana Paralegal Association since 1999 and is a current member of the Northeast Indiana Paralegal Association.  While a member of the Michiana Paralegal Association, she served as Membership Chair, on its Board of Directors, as President, and as Primary Delegate.  She has also served as the NFPA Region III Director from 2009 through 2012, served as NFPA’s Secretary and Director of Operations from 2015 to 2018, served on various committees, as Convention Coordinator, and as Governing Documents Coordinator. She has taught seminars to the paralegal students taking the Business Organization class at the Indiana University at South Bend.  In 2010, she was awarded the Michiana Paralegal of the Year.


Treasurer & Director of Finance 
Catherine Curtis, CP

Catherine D. Curtis, CP is a Trust and Estate Paralegal with McLane Middleton, with over 25 years of experience.  She assists attorneys and clients in a variety of matters with an emphasis in post-death trust administration and funding, probate administration, guardianship administration and related estate and fiduciary income tax returns.  

Catherine obtained her Associate’s Degree in Paralegal Studies from Hesser College and a Bachelor’s Degree in Paralegal Studies from Notre Dame College.  She was certified by the National Association of Legal Assistants as a Certified Paralegal in 2019. 

Catherine has been involved with the Paralegal Association of New Hampshire (PANH) since 2004.  She has held various positions with PANH including President (2011-2016), Primary and Secondary Liaison to the NFPA (2009-2019).  Prior positions held were Treasurer (2009-2011 and 2013-2015) and Vice President (2010-2011).

Catherine has been actively involved in NFPA as the Region V Director (2019-2023), NFPA’s Budget Committee (since 2012), Continuing Legal Education Co-Coordinator (since 2014) and Membership Coordinator (2012).


Region Directors

The Region Directors are the main liaison between members associations and other members of the Board. There are five region directors serving members in the five regions of NFPA.


Director, Region I
Krystal Morris
Anchorage, AK

 

 

 

 


Director, Region II
Cynthia Moss

Little Elm, TX 

The Region II Director is responsible for helping all NFPA associations which are located throughout the Mountain West and Midwest states of Arkansas, Illinois, Kansas, Louisiana, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.


Director of Region III - VACANT

The Region III Director is responsible for helping local associations in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Mississippi, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee.


Director, Region IV
Jessica Durkin
Pittsburgh, PA

The Region IV Director is responsible for helping local associations in Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington DC, and West Virginia.


Director, Region V - VACANT

The Region V Director is responsible for helping local associations in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island and Vermont.


Board Advisor
Josie A. Estes
Nashua, NH

Josie is a member of the Trust and Estate Department at McLane Middleton, PA in Manchester, New Hampshire.  She assists attorneys and clients in a variety of matters with an emphasis in probate and trust administration.

Josie is currently serving as the NFPA's Board Advisor (Oct 2024-Oct 2026) for the National Federation of Paralegal Associations, Inc. (NFPA). She has also served on NFPA’s Board of Directors as President (2022-2024),President Elect (2021-2022), and Director of Region V (2015-2019).  Josie has also served the NFPA through the years in various other volunteer roles including Continuing Legal Education Coordinator, Membership Coordinator, Internal Marketing Coordinator and as a member of the Budget and Marketing the Paralegal Profession Committees.

Josie is a member of the Paralegal Association of New Hampshire (PANH). She has served on the PANH Board of Directors as their Vice President, Secretary, Director at Large, and as their Primary and Secondary Liaison to NFPA (2011-2015).

Josie earned her Associate of Science Degree in Paralegal Studies from Hesser College in 2011.

Josie is a Justice of the Peace and Notary Public for the State of New Hampshire.


 

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