First Impression Makes Lasting Impression on DeKalb Bar: Reflections On Aubrey Jones

by Katie Wood

Aubrey Jones

First impressions do count. For nearly four years, that first impression of the DeKalb Bar Association has come from our executive director, Aubrey Jones. Aubrey has announced that she is leaving the DBA after our May luncheon to return to her native Orlando, Florida, to be closer to her family. So it seems fitting to reflect on the lasting impression Aubrey’s hard work and kind spirit will have on the DBA.

Aubrey Gets Us Focused
When Aubrey came to the DBA in September 2006, we had been without an executive director for the summer and frankly things were a bit of a mess. Mike Hawkins, who was the DBA president at that time, recalls “feeling overwhelmed when I was first elected. The single thing that allowed me to resume sleep at night was the hiring of Aubrey Jones as our executive director.”

Dealing with the DBA officers and board can be a bit like herding cats, and in our initial interviews with Aubrey, we were impressed with her ability to keep us on task when we tended to stray off track. Having interviewed other applicants for the job, we knew almost immediately that Aubrey was our candidate and offered her the job. We held our collective breath as she talked it over with her husband, Ray, and later celebrated our good fortune when she agreed to come on board. “I can say, without exaggeration, that the Bar would be a very different place had we not been so lucky as to find Aubrey,” Mike says.

In the beginning Aubrey had a huge job just getting caught up on all the administrative tasks that had fallen through the cracks during the time when the DBA had been without an executive director. Plus, she had to hit the ground running organizing our luncheons, mixers and special events. All the while, Aubrey was getting to know not just the board and officers, but the DBA members as well.

“She got to know us all by name, greeting us with a smile at luncheons and events,” says Jody Peskin, editor of the DeKalb Bar News. “She put up with me and my kookiness for years before I had the pleasure of working with her on the newsletter: ‘I’m coming to the event – can I still RSVP after the deadline?’  ‘Oh, I can’t make the event, I don’t feel well.’ ‘I never got my tickets, can I still come to the event?’ Never once did she show irritation or aggravation, only professionalism and concern for my welfare.”

This was possible, in part, because Aubrey was working behind the scenes to improve little things, like the RSVP system and the production of name tags and the recruiting of volunteers, to make check-in at events run more efficiently.

Aubrey Steps Up The Game
Aubrey also worked to keep us from settling into a rut. For example, she shopped around for a better luncheon locale and caterer, leading to the relocation of our meetings from the Holiday Inn to the historic courthouse. Unfortunately, this ultimately made our luncheons a bit too popular, taxing the DBA’s finances when attendance swelled. But Aubrey never wavered from her commitment to the DBA, even when the strain of luncheon costs gave us some concerns about meeting payroll.

“I will miss Aubrey because she took an ‘ownership’ interest in the DBA. It really did matter to her that the DBA was financially healthy for the sake of the organization, as opposed to her own self-interest,” says DBA Board Member Doug Aholt, who also chairs the DBA’s Trial Lawyers Section. Indeed, Aubrey redoubled her efforts to line up sponsors to help defray luncheon costs and to find ways to reduce expenses.

Aubrey has worked closely with Lampe-Farley Communications to improve the DBA’s image – upgrading our website to include pages for our Trial Lawyers, Young Lawyers and Family Law Sections and helping modernize our newsletter by putting it into an on-line blog format. Speaking of these sections, their increased activities with breakfasts, mixers and educational events have added greatly to Aubrey’s workload over the years and yet she has managed to keep up the pace.

“Aubrey not only achieved the goal of getting us re-organized, but she energized our board and our membership,” Mike says. “I am certain that when we look back on this period of the DBA, we will not only have fond memories of our fellowship with each other that Aubrey helped facilitate, but fond memories of our friend and Executive Director Aubrey Jones.”

Aubrey Focuses on Family
Also adding to Aubrey’s duties during her tenure was the birth of Carli Ann Jones on October 16, 2008, which is the only event that has kept our executive director away from DBA activities. Unfortunately, in addition to this happy milestone, Aubrey has had three family members pass away in the past two years. These deaths, no doubt unknown to most DBA members, have made Aubrey realize that she needs to be closer to her remaining family in Orlando.

“I am deeply saddened by Aubrey’s leaving us, though I understand how important it is for her to be close to her family. For a few short years, the DeKalb Bar was part of Aubrey’s family, and I will miss that,” Jody says. Doug adds that Aubrey “will be hard to replace.” And DBA Board Member and YLD President Jessica Rock sums up the sentiments of all of us. “I would just like to thank her for all the hard work and dedication to making our bar successful,” Jessica says. “We will miss her dearly, but wish her the best of luck in Florida.”