BAEC Bulletin | May/June 2023 | 11
CANDIDATES FOR DIRECTOR
Keri D. Callocchia Partner, Callocchia Law Firm, PLLC I am grateful to be nominated for this prestigious opportunity to serve on the Bar Association of Erie County’s Board of Directors. I am a hard-working attorney, entrepreneur and mother who gives her all every day and I’ll do the same for the Bar Association. I will seek to increase attendance and involvement at events we host throughout the year. Originally with a prestigious law firm in downtown Buffalo, I started my own solo practice in 2006 following the birth of my first child. Tackling motherhood and solo practice would have been impossible if it weren’t for the learning, growth, and leadership opportunities I found as a member, and later Chair the Bar Association’s Real Property Committee. Over the years, my practice and family have grown, and I am excited about what the future holds for our profession. Having a larger leadership role would enable me to give back to the organization that gave me so much. Over the past twenty years I have held many outside leadership positions that have complemented my law practice including as a Committee Member for Lawyers for the Arts, Committee Member for the Citizen Commission for Reapportionment for the City of Buffalo, Board Member for the Elmwood Village Association, and Judiciary Committee Member for the Women’s Bar Association. In addition to serving these organizations, I also founded Suits for the Troops with the BAEC, Erie County Clerk and City of Buffalo and founded a Playground Development group within my neighborhood and regularly speak for non-profit organizations and real estate brokerages to promote home ownership in our great city. I have a great deal of energy and enthusiasm for all of us in this profession. I am asking for your vote and your commitment to get more involved in BAEC events this coming year. Together, we can strengthen the profession and one another. It is an honor to be considered for the position of Director of the BAEC. I am a first-generation Latina-American and moved to Buffalo nearly 20 years ago to attend UB Law School. After spending almost a decade in private practice (at the law firms of Hodgson Russ and Phillips Lytle), I joined Rich Products in 2015 and today serve as VP, Deputy General Counsel. In this role, I oversee legal matters for Rich’s and its subsidiaries in various business sectors, including food, manufacturing, transportation, travel, hospitality, and entertainment. Despite growing up on a tropical island, I am a Buffalonian at heart and have been active in our community for years. I served as Board member and/or volunteer at various local charities, including The Kevin Guest House, Zonta Club of Buffalo, Big Brothers Big Sisters, and Family Promise of WNY. I have also done a fair share of pro bono work, especially in the non-profit law area, and was recognized as a “40 under 40” by Buffalo Business First in 2019. If elected, I hope to bring enthusiasm and a fresh perspective to the Board. As a business counselor to a multi-billion-dollar enterprise and busy hockey mom of two, I value practicality and efficiency, which are principles I tend to prioritize in evaluating business and personal matters. I am passionate about expanding resources available to area attorneys, such as increasing the accessibility of continuing education, professional skill training, practice management resources, and wellness/ mental health assistance. Geanne M. Zanatta Associate Attorney, Gross Shuman P.C. Dear Colleagues,
Thank you for your consideration.
Joshua E. Dubs Partner, Webster & Dubs, PC
“Pay it forward,” is what my mentor, Jennifer Stergion, told me when I asked her how I could repay her for the kindness she showed me as I began my fledging legal career. One of the best pieces of advice I was given was to join the Bar Association of Erie County. “The opportunities for education, networking, and professional development would be of immeasurable value” people told me, and they were right. I do not hail from Western New York originally; I had few professional contacts when I went solo right out of law school. The Bar Association provided me with guidance without which I would never have been able to begin my career, let alone get where I am today. I am running for Director of the Bar Association so that I can pay the community back for its kindness, and to pay it forward, not only to the experienced members of the Western New York Bar but to younger, less seasoned members as well. Thank you for your consideration and your vote!
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