SPECIAL GRATITUDE- After providing staff assistance to the WV Bar Foundation since January 16, 1989, Tom Tinder informed the WV Bar Foundation of his desire to retire sometime in 2021. The contents of his resignation message sent on February 19, 2021, to the Board of Directors, is as follows: “It has been an honor and a highlight of my work career to provide staff assistance to the Bar Foundation since January 16, 1989. From a newly incorporated non profit philanthropic entity with no assets to purchasing and selling two office buildings more than 20 years later, from initiating an Interest On Lawyer Trust Accounts (IOLTA) program and providing approximately $13 million to legal services for low income people programs during a twenty year period, from no philanthropic grants to more than half a million dollars in grants in just the past fifteen years, from having no specific programs to having three extremely successful annual events—Bar Foundation Fellows, Lunch and Laughs With Legal Legends and the Lawyer Leadership Institute, from no endowment fund to a Justice Fund that will reach $1 million in less than ten years during 2021 and from no revenues to an annual budget of more than $100,000—all of these factors and many more place the Bar Foundation in the best position to have continuing success with new staff. The one constant proactive aspect the entire time has been the leadership service and guidance that has been professionally provided by the members of the judiciary and the legal profession, who have given their volunteer time and expertise as Officers and Members of the Bar Foundation Board of Directors. They have formulated the plans and made the decisions to move the Bar Foundation from initial incorporation on December 30, 1988 to a thriving philanthropic entity for the legal profession and the judicial system today. For personal and family reasons, for the impending resolution of the extraordinary virus pandemic, for the past and current Bar Foundation leadership, for the Bar Foundation’s stable financial condition, for the ongoing beneficial Bar Foundation programs and activities and for the bright future planned for the Bar Foundation, it is the right time for me to retire during 2021 and for the Bar Foundation to follow through in pursuing its important mission of improving the administration of justice and the provision of legal services to West Virginia’s citizens. I look forward to working with each of you as to the most appropriate date for my retirement during 2021. I will be eternally grateful to the Bar Foundation and to its leadership for the wonderful opportunity to serve as your staff person for almost 32 years.” |