Happy fiscal new year! While we may be a few months early according to the traditional calendar, Oct. 1 marks the beginning of the WSBA’s fiscal year, so we want to give you a look at the year ahead. First, allow us to introduce ourselves. Here are our quick bios:
• Bryn A. Peterson, Treasurer. I am the owner of Peterson Law, PLLC, which specializes in corporate law. I have been representing District 9 on the WSBA’s Board of Governors since 2019. At the University of the Pacific, I
minored in business administration and at their law school I took several tax law courses. I obtained a Master of Law in taxation from the University of Washington School of Law and worked for Deloitte Tax in their state and local tax group. I have spent approximately 18 years practicing corporate law and I was a member of the Executive Committee at Tree Top, Inc. For the last two years, I have been a member of the WSBA Budget and Audit Committee. My approach and goal as treasurer will be to facilitate the WSBA Budget and Audit Committee in a manner that assists and provides the information needed for the committee to make the correct decisions for the WSBA and its members. As former V.P. of legal at Tree Top, Inc., and assistant general counsel of Darigold, Inc., I was involved in two coops that work hard for their members. While the WSBA is not a co-op, it is an organization that is by the members and for the members. I never want to forget that the members are the people that provide the money required for the WSBA to function and operate each and every year.
• Jorge A. Perez, Chief Financial Officer. I have more than 20 years of global finance and operational leadership experience in public, private, and private equity-sponsored companies (including Marriott International and Merck). My areas of expertise are internal controls, financial forecasting and planning, and program life-cycle analysis. My approach is as a servant leader with the overall goal of providing maximum value to the organization and its members.
Jointly, we are dedicated to keeping you informed about the WSBA’s finances. As an overall philosophy, we are putting members front and center, which means demonstrating value and responsibility in all that we do. We are extraordinarily sensitive to the need to be transparent and understandable in our financial reporting and to maximize efficiency and reduce expenditures, while maintaining robust programs to serve the public and members and to champion justice. Throughout the coming year, we commit to these goals: (1) to maintain transparency and communications to WSBA members regarding financial reporting; (2) to specifically examine various cost centers and explore the possibility of making some non-mandatory functions revenue neutral; and (3) to conduct a financial forecast for the fiscal year and a continued review of current WSBA cost centers and expenditures.
The WSBA Budget and Audit Committee will be working hard with the entire Board of Governors during this fiscal year to accomplish these important goals with the hope of benefitting WSBA members and continuing to improve the
financial processes of the WSBA as an organization.
Over the next year the WSBA Long- Range Strategic Planning Council and the
Member Engagement Work Group will be reaching out to you as members for your
input in the form of several surveys. While I know that you are all very busy, I would
encourage you to take the time to complete these surveys, so the WSBA Budget and Audit Committee, the WSBA Board of Governors, and the WSBA staff know what you want or do not want, allowing us to better serve you. The bottom line is that we are working hard for you, our members!