The State Bar of Nevada is pleased to announce the following women as the recipients of the 2022 Bryan K. Scott Trailblazer Award.
The Bryan K. Scott Trailblazer Award is presented to members of the state bar who exemplify the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in Nevada’s legal community. Recipients are those who actively work to dismantle institutional bias and who create a welcoming and inclusive professional community by promoting awareness of diverse values, creating or supporting DEI programs, or leading by example. The award is named for its inaugural recipient, Bryan K. Scott, who was, among many other trailblazing roles, the first African American to serve as president of the State Bar of Nevada.
In addition to their other numerous contributions to Nevada’s legal community, these recipients constitute all of the women who served as president of the state bar prior to 2021: nine women between 1928 and 2000. For more biographical information about the recipients, please see the Message From the President in the March issue of Nevada Lawyer.
Margo Piscevich
Margo Piscevich was the first woman to serve as president of the state bar. When asked to reflect on her contributions as president, she said, “As state bar president, I was dealing with a constitutional crisis between the Nevada Supreme Court and the Judicial Discipline Commission, which was resolved with the assistance of the U.S. Department of Justice. … I mentored many young attorneys (and I hope it assisted them).”
Frances “Franny” Forsman
Franny Forsman served as president of the bar from 1995-96. When asked what work she found most meaningful in her time as president, she said, “I am proud of the creation of the Access to Justice Committee. We studied the unmet legal needs of low-income Nevadans and really put a focus on the provision of pro bono services by the Bar.”
Dr. Ann Bersi
Dr. Ann Bersi served as president of the bar from 1999-2000. Reflecting on her presidential year, she said, “Almost 40 years ago, a few remarkable attorneys in recovery and I envisioned, created, and provided critical support for Lawyers Concerned for Lawyers. This is meaningful because, since then, the program has been continually validated to be a safe, confidential resource for lawyers and judges recovering from addiction.”
Hon. Gloria Sturman
Judge Gloria Sturman served as president of the bar from 2002-03. Her response to the announcement of the award was, “Serving as president of the State Bar of Nevada was a career highlight. While I did not consider myself to be a trailblazer, I am honored to be recognized along with the other women bar presidents with this prestigious award. I will attempt to live up to the example set by the first recipient Bryan Scott who exemplifies the highest standard of professionalism, collegiality, and service to the bar and the community. Thank you for this honor.”
Ann Price McCarthy
Ann Price McCarthy served as president of the bar from 2004-05. Upon learning of her award, she said, “The years I served on the Board of Governors and the Family Law Executive Council were the most gratifying of my professional life. What an honor to receive this award, for simply doing my job. I am humbled.”
Hon. Nancy Allf
Judge Nancy Allf served as president of the bar from 2007-08. Upon learning of her award, she said, “Thank you for understanding how hard the path to leadership has been for women. …[T]his recognition is doubly important and I feel very grateful to be among this esteemed group.”
Kathy England
Kathy England, of the Gilbert & England Law Firm, served as president of the bar from 2009-10. Among the many accomplishments she achieved during her presidential year, the state bar made significant strides modernizing its systems – including adding the ability to renew licenses paperlessly. In the April 2010 issue of Nevada Lawyer, she wrote “As president, I have tried to make this bar association a bigger tent.”
Constance “Connie” Akridge
Connie Akridge served as president of the bar from 2011-12. “We struggled for a number of years to develop programing to assist new bar admittees transitioning into the practice of law,” she said. “During my year as president, bar associations in other states were adopting mentoring programs, pairing up new attorneys with seasoned attorneys. We created and received Nevada Supreme Court approval for the Transitioning Into Practice (TIP) program, modeled after these programs in other states. The Board of Governors, Supreme Court Justice Nancy Saitta’s Professionalism Committee, and State Bar of Nevada staff (and the TIP Committee, once formed) worked together to make the TIP program a reality.”
Elana Turner Graham
Elana Turner Graham served as president of the bar from 2014-15. “I am especially proud of my work supporting the Office of Bar Counsel to improve its systems to resolve discipline issues more quickly and consistently,” she said. Reminiscing on her presidential year in the July 2015 issue of Nevada Lawyer, she wrote, “This year marked a huge success for the bar in securing and opening its new Las Vegas headquarters, providing much-improved and sorely-needed modern facilities to support Nevada’s attorneys and serve the public.”