Minneapolis: -- Jewelie Grape becomes the 93rd president of the Hennepin County Bar Association (HCBA) on July 1. Grape is general counsel for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) Board of Pensions, a nonprofit corporation that provides health, retirement, disability, and survivor benefits to employees of the ELCA and other faith-based organizations.
Originally from Wisconsin, Grape moved to the Twin Cities following high school to study at the University of Minnesota where she completed a bachelor’s degree in business administration and a master’s degree in industrial relations. After working in the human resources field, Grape went on to complete law school at William Mitchell College of Law. Upon graduation, she joined the Leonard, Street and Deinard firm and practiced there prior to joining the ELCA Board of Pensions.
Chairing the bar association’s Corporate Counsel Section was Grape’s first leadership role within the association. She then developed her leadership skills further by completing the bar association’s LINC (Leaders Impacting the Nonprofit Community) program. Grape is also involved in the community through the City of Lakes Rotary Club, Haiti Outreach Inc., and the Minnesota Literacy Council.
Grape believes that securing adequate judicial funding and ensuring that professional development resources are available to new attorneys entering the less-than-robust legal employment market are important issues currently facing legal professionals in Hennepin County. In addition, Grape sees the bar association and its foundation uniquely positioned to improve the administration of justice during this tough economic period.
Grape’s experience with and enthusiasm for the profession will guide her in leading the association and its 8,500 members.
= = =
Also serving on the 2011-2012 Executive Committee of the Hennepin County Bar Association are:
Thomas D. Jensen, President-elect, Lind, Jensen, Sullivan & Peterson
Eric Cooperstein, Treasurer, Law Office of Eric T. Cooperstein
Thomas Nelson, Secretary, Leonard Street and Deinard
Courtney Ward Reichard, Past President, Nilan Johnson Lewis
Jennifer Mead, New Lawyers Section Chair, Boston Scientific Corporation