Board Secretary

About the Office

The primary objective of the Office of the Executive Director is to ensure that the State Bar’s mission of public protection through the primary functions of licensing, regulation and discipline of attorneys; the advancement of ethical and competent practice of law; and support of efforts for greater access to, and inclusion in the legal system. The Executive Director reports directly to the Board of Trustees (BOT), whose members are appointed by the California Supreme Court, the Governor, or the Legislature. The BOT establishes the strategic direction for the State Bar and ensures that the organization is fulfilling its statutory mission.

About the Role

The Board Secretary (Principal Program Analyst) serves as the State Bar’s central governance and Board meeting management lead. The position is accountable for the accurate, timely, and effective administration of Board and Board committee meetings, provides strategic and analytical support to the Executive Director and Board leadership, and coordinates governance processes across the organization.

The Ideal Candidate

This ideal candidate will have significant experience with board or committee governance, policies, procedures, and best practices, experience with the Bagley-Keene Open Meetings Act and Rosenberg’s Rules of Order is strongly preferred. The ideal candidate will have experience supporting an Executive Director or other executive-level leadership, including the ability to pivot and prioritize high-impact projects or assignments due to time and/or resource constraints. Technical savvy and comfort discovering and learning new applications and technology tools to increase efficiencies and audience impact will be important skills.

The successful candidate will be a creative problem-solver who uses strategic thinking in resolving delays, challenges, or roadblocks. The role necessitates excellent oral and written communication and the ability to pivot between various internal and external stakeholders, including translating complex information into easily understood concepts for the appropriate audience using data, graphics, and design. Strong leadership with the ability to think strategically, connect the dots, and use sound judgment in decision-making. The Board Secretary needs the ability to remain calm and focused on the goal despite shifting priorities and deadlines, exceptional attention to detail, including the ability to review complex materials for factual accuracy, internal consistency, procedural compliance, accessibility, and clarity, as well as the ability to work independently and ensure effective time management.

Examples of Essential Duties

Duties may include, but are not limited to the following:

- Serves as the lead staff member responsible for planning, coordinating, and executing all meetings of the Board of Trustees and its standing committees, consulting with the Executive Director, Board Chair, Office of General Counsel, and other appropriate staff.
- Manages the complete Board meeting lifecycle, including annual and multiyear meeting calendars, agenda planning, workback schedules, solicitation and review of agenda items, preparation and posting of notices and materials, public comment administration, accessibility arrangements, meeting technology, and post-meeting follow-up.
- Establishes and enforces meeting-production schedules, internal deadlines, review protocols, checklists, and quality-control processes. Conducts the final administrative review of notices, agendas, staff reports, attachments, links, presentations, and other materials to verify accuracy, completeness, consistency, and accessibility, and functionality before publication.
- Prepares or oversees the preparation of accurate minutes, resolutions, voting records, notices of adjournment, action-item logs, and other official meeting records. Maintains the integrity, accessibility, and organization of current and historical Board records.
- Plans and facilitates the orientation and onboarding of Board members. Provides training and guidance to State Bar staff supporting Board committees and subentities regarding governance requirements, meeting procedures, and applicable systems.
- Uses active listening and sound judgment to capture Board direction, decisions, assignments, and follow-up obligations accurately and ensures that responsible staff complete assigned actions.
- Conducts complex research and qualitative and quantitative analysis; identifying policy, governance, operational, and organizational implications; evaluating risks and alternatives; and developing clear, evidence-based recommendations for the Executive Director, Board leadership, and other decisionmakers. Streamlines workflows, improving onboarding systems, and creating policies and procedures to ensure organizational uniformity and consistency.
- Coordinates and provides oversight to sub-entity members, including, but not limited to, onboarding, assignment and monitoring of compliance requirements, technical and application management and support, meeting management, and documentation.
- Directs the work of contractors and consultants, ensuring that contract requirements are followed and in accordance with State Bar policies.
- Oversees the implementation of special projects, particularly those crossing multiple offices or units within the State Bar.
- Triages external inquiries and ensuring timely/effective responses.
- Serves as lead staff to assigned analytical, administrative, and technical staff.
- Other duties as required.

Employment Standards

Knowledge of:

- Issue identification and conflict resolution.
- Employee, customer, and member feedback systems, including education, data collection and sourcing, action planning, and related outcome-focused activities.
- Strong interpersonal skills and ability to work collaboratively.
- Effective writing and verbal presentation, including copyediting and public speaking.
- Expertise in policy analysis and implementation.
- Ability to be neutral and impartial.
- Principles of board and committee administration.
- Principles of program evaluation, policy assessment, and implementation.
- Principles of problem identification, analysis, and resolution.
- Principles of institutional management.
- Ability to perform all job functions in an inclusive and equity-informed manner.
- Principles of project planning and implementation.
- Principles of computer information systems, including database, report generation, work processing, spreadsheet, and presentation software.
- Within the introductory period, obtain a working knowledge of State Bar office and functions.

Ability to:

- Handle confidential information appropriately.
- Learn quickly on the job.
- Work within shifting, sometimes ambiguous parameters while still driving toward practical solutions in support of the State Bar’s mission.
- Communicate effectively with officials in the legislative, judicial, and executive branches of California State government.
- Exercise good judgment and integrity in handling crises.
- Identify problems, analyze responses, and implement relevant solutions.
- Communicate effectively within institutional parameters, considering different constituencies.
- Review and analyze complex written documents.
- Effectively present and speak publicly to large groups of people.
- Make recommendations on complicated and difficult program matters and present them effectively to governing authorities.
- Obtain and present material in oral and/or written form.
- Effectively interact with others in a collaborative environment.
- Effectively apply conflict resolution techniques to de-escalate and resolve contentious issues.
- Establish inclusive processes and practices.
- Quickly adapt to changing environments and critical needs, and adopt and effectively implement courses of action.
- Facilitate change by bringing different stakeholders together to find creative solutions to difficult problems.
- Create a culture of service, rigorous analysis, impartiality, fairness, and confidentiality.

Minimum Qualifications:

Education:

- Bachelor’s degree in a field that develops skills related to essential duties or equivalent academic achievement.
- Master’s degree in a relevant field may substitute for up to two (2) years of experience.

Experience:

Minimum five (5) years of progressively responsible experience in business process reengineering, data collection and evaluation, research or performance or financial auditing in a public sector, legal or nonprofit environment, or equivalent.

License, Certificate, Registration Requirements:

Special Qualifications including specialized knowledge, abilities, education, experience or license may be established for individual positions.

Applicants who meet the minimum qualifications will be required to successfully complete the State Bar’s selection process for this classification.

About the State Bar

The State Bar of California’s mission is to protect the public and includes the primary functions of licensing, regulation, and discipline of attorneys; the advancement of the ethical and competent practice of law; and support of efforts for greater access to, and inclusion in, the legal system.

Our Values

Clarity | Investing in Our People | Excellence | Respect | Growth Mindset

Learn more about our values.

DEI Statement

We are a diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplace where all of our employees and prospective employees experience fairness, dignity, and respect. Learn more about our commitment to DEI.