The Inclusive Education and Training Committee (formerly Programs Committee) typically meets at 5:30 p.m. on the first Tuesday of each month over Zoom (or in person). 

The Inclusive Education and Training Committee is dedicated to fostering a culture of lifelong learning and professional development within the Colorado legal community with the lens of advancing women as leaders in the law. Through innovative and inclusive training programs, this committee will develop and deliver high-quality continuing legal education (CLE) opportunities that address the evolving needs of women legal professionals. The committee’s mission is to: design and implement CLE programs that reflect diverse perspectives, promote equity, and ensure accessibility for all members; highlight emerging trends and critical topics in the legal profession, including technology, diversity, and leadership development; and partner with law firms, legal organizations, and community groups to provide collaborative and impactful learning experiences. The Committee will be charged with bringing CLE programming to members consistently throughout the year (at least one per quarter). The Committee will work with the Officer of Professional Development on creating spaces for dialogue, growth, and empowerment. The co-chairs may also work closely with the Officer of Community Action and Advocacy to develop and implement community training opportunities.

For more information about this committee or the next committee meeting, please contact the Committee Co-Chairs Ellen Blatt and Leanna Gavin. 

The CWBA Board's Executive Officers, Board Members, and Leadership Advisory Council all meet together on the third Wednesday of the month in July, October, January, and April. PLEASE NOTE: THE OCTOBER MEETING IS A WEEK EARLY AND IS OCTOBER 8, 2025.

Board members are encouraged to attend in person. For more information or for RSVP assistance, contact the CWBA office at (303) 831-1040. 

Join CWBA members for a "meet and greet" opportunity for CU law students to gain information about the work of the CWBA and the many benefits of membership. 

The Convention Committee typically meets at 5:30 p.m. on Zoom the second Monday of each month unless there are scheduling conflicts.

The Convention Committee plans the CWBA's Annual Convention. Committee duties include organizing an exciting and educational annual convention with nationally recognized speakers, interesting and varied programming and entertainment, all to attract strong attendance and sponsorship, while coordinating with board members on fundraising, theme development, organizational and member needs, and event planning. 

To get involved or learn more, contact Convention Committee Co-Chairs Elizabeth Horton, Angie Nelson, and Megan Rettig. 

Let's walk and talk together in Boulder! 

Please plan to join us on a football-free fall day in Boulder on Saturday, October 18th, from 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. for a hike with members of the Colorado Women’s Bar Association (CWBA) Boulder Chapter and the Boulder County Bar Association (BCBA).

The group will meet at the Chautauqua Ranger Cottage to hike a trail loop from the Bluebell Road Trail to the Bluebell Mesa Trail, stopping at the Bluebell Shelter for a mid-hike break, and then descend down the Chautauqua Trail, a 1.75-mile easy-to-moderate hike. Leashed dogs are welcome!

After the hike, the group will head back to the grassy area near the Cottage of Chautauqua Park for some post-hike networking, beverages, and snacks. Feel free to bring a folding chair!

We look forward to seeing you out in nature! This event will be capped at 24 attendees. Register quickly to secure your spot! 

Further details will be sent out to attendees closer to the hike.

The Bench Builders Judicial Committee typically meets the third Tuesday of the month from 6-7 p.m. New members always welcome!

The Bench Builders Judicial Committee engages membership in the diversification of Colorado’s bench; promotes a well-qualified, diverse judiciary; advocates for the appointment of judicial officers who will further the CWBA’s mission; actively engages in the appointment of judges by interviewing short-listed candidates for Colorado’s state district courts, the Colorado Court of Appeals, the Colorado Supreme Court, Federal District Court of Colorado, and the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals; and provides feedback on and endorsements of the candidates to the Governor's Office. The newly envisioned Bench Builders meets monthly to identify additional opportunities for diversification of the bench and to create pipelines for members to become judicial officers. The Committee will partner with the Officer of Communication for opportunities for community education regarding the judicial nomination and evaluation processes.

For more information, contact our Bench Builders Judicial Committee Co-Chairs Rebecca Cohn and Cynthia Sánchez.

The October meeting will be held on Wednesday, October 22 at Noon. This committee typically meets the second Tuesday of each month at Noon unless there is a necessary schedule change, as is the case this month.  All members welcome to attend at any time!  

The MembHERship and Mentorship Committee is the recruitment arm, welcoming committee, and mentoring development leaders of the CWBA.  The Committee’s goal is to develop ways to increase membership (new and renewals), increase member participation (on committees, by attending events, etc.), and create and improve structures to inclusively welcome and engage new members. This Committee also manages the CWBA’s LIFT! mentoring program. It also works with law student members and liaisons to CU and DU Law to increase ties between women attorneys and law students with the goal of maintaining women in the organization through the transition from law school to practice. 

This Committee will have several fun event and networking planning opportunities throughout the year - to include the summer social and winter holiday party. The Committee will work with the Officer of Partnership and Development on growth opportunities for membership; on sponsorship opportunities for all membership events; and on sponsorship, publicity, and growth opportunities for the mentoring program.

For more information, contact MembHERship and Mentorship Committee Co-Chairs Kylie Ngu and Kara Chrobak.

Welcome, new members! Come join us to meet people, ask questions, and learn more about the CWBA. These virtual lunches are typically held quarterly (June, October, January, April) on the fourth Thursday at Noon via Zoom.

Let's walk and talk together in Fort Collins! 

Join the CWBA Larimer Chapter on October 24 from 5:30-7:00 pm for a hike of the Poudre River Trail in Fort Collins starting and ending at Lee Martinez Community Park.

The group will be hiking an easy, flat out-and-back from Lee Martinez Community Park to North Shields Ponds Natural Area, ending back at Lee Martinez park. Friendly dogs are welcome! 

After the hike, the group will head back to Lee Martinez Community Park for some post-hike snacks and beverages.  

As a contingency plan in case of poor weather, the group will meet at New Belgium Brewery in Fort Collins for an evening of casual networking. 

We look forward to seeing you in beautiful Fort Collins. This event will be capped at 24 attendees, so register quickly to secure your spot!

Further details will be sent out to attendees the week of the hike, but please contact organizer Katherine Carroll via email (katherinecarrollesq@gmail.com) with any questions. 

The CWBA EmpowHERment and PublisHERS Committee typically meets the fourth Tuesday of each month at Noon unless there are scheduling issues. New members always welcome!

The Zoom link will be included in your RSVP confirmation email.

The Professional Advancement Committee AND Publications & History Committee have been combined and reimagined, and together they make up the new EmpowHERment and PublisHERs Committee. We are hoping to capitalize on the amazing work the Professional Advancement Committee does nominating outstanding women in our community by publishing the efforts in our blog!

The EmpowHERment and PublisHERs Committee does two very important things: identifying deserving CWBA members, organizations, and/or programs to submit as nominees for consideration for local and national awards, and amplifying the voices and accomplishments of our community members on the award-winning blog, The 1891. Committee members strategically identify fresh content and potential authors, as well as edit and even write articles and blog posts. The Committee prioritizes showcasing diverse authors and views. In addition, the committee vets nominees for the Annual Mary Lathrop Trailblazer Award and organizes the reception for the Mary Lathrop Award recipient at Convention each year. The Committee will also build a speaker database of honorees and featured blog spotlights. The Committee will work with the Officer of Communications on publicizing efforts, publications, and award winners.

For more information, please contact the Committee Co-Chairs: 
Hon. Colleen Clark and Katherine Carroll

Join us for a timely and engaging panel that will discuss the challenges and opportunities facing the judiciary today, including judicial independence, advancing meaningful diversity on the bench, and shaping a more inclusive judicial future in Colorado.

Speakers:

Colorado Supreme Court Judges: Chief Justice Monica Márquez,  Justice Maria Berkenkotter, and Justice Melissa Hart, along with Colorado Court of Appeals Judges: Chief Judge Gilbert Román, Judge Jaclyn Casey Brown, and Judge Christina Gomez. 

CLE credit requested

THANK YOU TO OUR PROGRAM SPONSOR

THANK YOU TO OUR HOST

Pathways to the Bench: Do I Want to Become a Judge and, if so, What Should I Do? Reflections from Fifth Judicial District Judges

CLE Credit Requested: 1.0 general, 1.0 EDI credits 

Sponsors: Colorado Courts Fifth Judicial District, Continental Divide Bar Association, and the CWBA Mountain Chapter

Join the CWBA for an engaging lunchtime panel featuring five dynamic attorneys who are in the first five years of their legal careers. Panelists will share insights about their career paths, the challenges and opportunities of transitioning from law school to practice, and the lessons they’ve learned along the way. This is a great opportunity for law students and new attorneys to hear real-world perspectives, ask questions, and start building connections within Colorado’s legal community.

Free for CWBA members who are law students, new law school graduates, and attorneys who have been practicing law for five years or less. $5 fee for non-members. Registration includes lunch. 

Panelists:

- Katherine Carroll - Associate at Antommaria Ilevska Elder, LLC

- Hallie Cooper - Associate at Wadsworth Garber Warner Conrardy, P.C.

- Camille Moore - Non-profit attorney at the Community Economic Defense Project

- Alison Noon - Assistant Attorney General Fellow, Colorado Department of Law

- Kylie Ngu Putnam - Associate at Davis Graham

Come for the conversation, stay for the lunch, and leave with practical advice and inspiration for navigating your first years in practice.

Sponsored by the CWBA Boulder Chapter

Join us for The 1891 Book Club. Be part of our discussion led by CWBA EmpowHERment and PublisHERs Committee Members Bethany Reece and Hon. Colleen Clark. The next book club read and discussion is My Beloved World by Justice Sonia Sotomayor.

#1 NATIONAL BESTSELLER • A “searching and emotionally intimate memoir” (The New York Times) told with a candor never before undertaken by a sitting Justice. This “powerful defense of empathy” (The Washington Post) is destined to become a classic of self-invention and self-discovery.

The first Hispanic and third woman appointed to the United States Supreme Court, Justice Sonia Sotomayor has become an instant American icon. Now, with a candor and intimacy never undertaken by a sitting Justice, in this story of human triumph that “hums with hope and exhilaration” (NPR), she recounts her life from a Bronx housing project to the federal bench, a journey that offers an inspiring testimony to her own extraordinary determination and the power of believing in oneself. 

Here is the story of a precarious childhood, with an alcoholic father (who would die when she was nine) and a devoted but overburdened mother, and of the refuge a little girl took from the turmoil at home with her passionately spirited paternal grandmother. But it was when she was diagnosed with juvenile diabetes that the precocious Sonia recognized she must ultimately depend on herself. She would learn to give herself the insulin shots she needed to survive and soon imagined a path to a different life.

With only television characters for her professional role models, and little understanding of what was involved, she determined to become a lawyer, a dream that would sustain her on an unlikely course, from valedictorian of her high school class to the highest honors at Princeton, Yale Law School, the New York County District Attorney’s office, private practice, and appointment to the Federal District Court before the age of forty.

Along the way we see how she was shaped by her invaluable mentors, a failed marriage, and the modern version of extended family she has created from cherished friends and their children. Through her still-astonished eyes, America’s infinite possibilities are envisioned anew in this warm and honest book.

The Policy Action Committee typically meets the first Monday of the month at Noon. However, this month's meeting will be held on the second Monday due to the Labor Day holiday. New members always welcome!

The Policy Action Committee (previously called the Public Policy Committee) monitors national, state, and local legislation to protect and advocate for the interests of women and children. It works with contracted lobbyists to draft and weigh in on proposed legislation and its impact. The newly envisioned Committee will not be charged with planning an annual fundraiser each year - it will focus on prioritizing the CWBA’s legislative agenda for the year, and communicating with diversity bar associations and stakeholders on furthering that agenda. The Committee will partner with the Officer of Community Action and Advocacy to ensure synergies between CWBA’s legislative efforts, community service, and amicus brief participation. The Committee will also partner with the Officer of Communications when input is needed regarding public statements and civic education opportunities.

For more information, contact our Policy Action Committee Co-Chairs Morgan Carroll and Iris Halpern.

TICKETS ON SALE NOW!  Silent Auction coming soon! 

As book bans surge across the country at an unprecedented rate, targeting stories by and about marginalized communities, librarians have become unexpected warriors in one of today’s most urgent battles over free expression and the future of democracy. Over 10,000 books were banned in public schools last year alone, with most of the bans centering on themes of race, gender, and identity.

This program will feature a panel of librarians who were terminated for refusing to comply with censorship demands. These individuals put their jobs on the line to protect the public’s right to read. Our panel will discuss the escalating clash between censorship and intellectual freedom, the legal and political threats facing librarians and educators, and the broader implications for democracy, public education, and civil rights. This is not just a conversation about books but about power, access, and whose stories are allowed to be told.

In line with this year’s CWBA theme of Speak Up, this fundraiser directly fuels the CWBA’s lobbying and public policy work at the Colorado state legislature and beyond—work that is urgently needed to fight back against censorship, protect civil rights, and ensure marginalized voices are not silenced.

Cost includes: Admission to event, plus one drink ticket and appetizers.

Sponsorships also available for purchase here or contact CWBA Executive Director Kim Sporrer at execdir@cwba.org. 

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS!
SUMMIT - Rathod Mohamedbhai LLC
SILVER - Spark Justice Law LLC

All funds raised through this event will support the Colorado Women’s Bar Association's vitally important public policy work and its lobbyist activities. The CWBA is a 501(c)(6) nonprofit corporation. Ticket costs, sponsorships, silent auction purchases, and CWBA donations are not tax-deductible as a charitable contribution, but may be deductible as an ordinary and necessary business expense, subject to exclusion for lobbying activity. Please consult with your professional tax advisor for further advice.

Join the Colorado Women's Bar Association, CU Women's Law Caucus, and DU Women's Legal Coalition to celebrate our collegiality, shared values, and love for the fall season at a Friendsgiving get-together in Denver. Because mentorship is central to each of our groups, this is a great opportunity for lawyers and students to connect in a relaxed and welcoming environment.

A little nervous to attend? Don’t know anyone? No problem! Friendsgiving attendees will receive a number that matches an attorney with two students. Your challenge is to find your matching group: at least one lawyer, a CU law student, and a DU law student! Food and beverage included with registration. Space is limited to participate in this cross-organizational festivity.

The CWBA Board's Executive Officers and Board Members only meet on the third Wednesday of every month (June - April) unless there is a conflict.  

Board members are encouraged to attend in person. For more information or for RSVP assistance, contact the CWBA office at (303) 831-1040. 

The Policy Action Committee typically meets the first Monday of the month at Noon. However, this month's meeting will be held on the second Monday due to the Labor Day holiday. New members always welcome!

The Policy Action Committee (previously called the Public Policy Committee) monitors national, state, and local legislation to protect and advocate for the interests of women and children. It works with contracted lobbyists to draft and weigh in on proposed legislation and its impact. The newly envisioned Committee will not be charged with planning an annual fundraiser each year - it will focus on prioritizing the CWBA’s legislative agenda for the year, and communicating with diversity bar associations and stakeholders on furthering that agenda. The Committee will partner with the Officer of Community Action and Advocacy to ensure synergies between CWBA’s legislative efforts, community service, and amicus brief participation. The Committee will also partner with the Officer of Communications when input is needed regarding public statements and civic education opportunities.

For more information, contact our Policy Action Committee Co-Chairs Morgan Carroll and Iris Halpern.

Tentative date hold! Join us for a year-end celebration and holiday party with Colorado's diversity bars. We can't wait to celebrate with you!

The CWBA Board's Executive Officers, Board Members, and Leadership Advisory Council all meet together on the third Wednesday of the month in July, October, January, and April. 

Board members are encouraged to attend in person. For more information or for RSVP assistance, contact the CWBA office at (303) 831-1040.