The New
York State Bar Association (NYSBA) today announced it has hired Susan DeSantis
to lead its communications team.
In her
new role as chief communications strategist, DeSantis, formerly the
deputy editor-in-chief of the New York Law Journal, has been tasked with
revamping NYSBA’s approach to getting out its message to the world – members
and non-members alike – across all media platforms.
“We are
excited to welcome Susan to the NYSBA team,” said NYSBA Executive Director
Pamela McDevitt. “She has demonstrated an intimate knowledge and understanding
of our organization’s challenges, as well as its great potential, and I know
she will help take our communications operation to the next level.”
During her two-year tenure at the Law
Journal, DeSantis helped a global staff of editors, reporters, graphic
artists and photographers coalesce into a collaborative team that produced
high-quality products at a fast pace.
She
employed metrics to ensure that the publication was best meeting the needs of
its subscribers – a data-driven approach she will also use in her new position
at NYSBA.
DeSantis
has over two decades of experience in journalism, much of which she spent
working as an editor at newspapers in New Jersey and overseeing a number of award-winning
projects. She also taught journalism at Rutgers University.
Before
departing the Law Journal, DeSantis authored a series of articles about
the modern-day challenges faced by the more than 200 New York bar associations,
which are competing for a shrinking pool of potential members.
NYSBA
recognizes the need to communicate in a new way in a modern media market where
a growing number of attorneys – particularly those who are just entering the
legal profession – are turning to online resources to meet their information
and ongoing education requirements.
“Susan has an acute understanding of the
information and news lawyers want and need to enhance their practices and
professional development,” NYSBA President Hank Greenberg said. “Her
addition to our team will improve the way we serve our members, both here in
New York and across the nation and world.”
DeSantis
will be re-evaluating NYSBA’s entire communications and marketing operations,
making recommendations and changes in the coming months to ensure information
about a wide variety of projects and policy efforts is reaching the right
audiences at the right time.
“I’m
looking forward to reaching members and potential members with information that
they know they need as well as business intelligence that goes beyond their
expectations,” DeSantis said. “Our staff will be a resource for newly-admitted
attorneys and those with years of experience, New York City lawyers and rural
ones, and attorneys who work in BigLaw and those who run small firms.”
DeSantis
holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Syracuse University. She is a
native of Long Island and lives in Middletown, N.J., with her husband Russell.
They have two sons.
About the New York State Bar Association
The New York State Bar
Association is the largest voluntary state bar association in the nation. Since
1876, NYSBA has helped shape the development of law, educated and informed the
legal profession and the public, and championed the rights of New Yorkers
through advocacy and guidance in our communities.
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Contact: Dan Weiller
[email protected]
518-487-5500
