July 1, 2021
Dear MAPLA Friends:
Today marks the end of an era. For the first time in over a decade, the MAPLA Board is without the thoughtful guidance and institutional memory of RJ Holmes-Leopold. Though his current tenure on the Board ended today with the conclusion of his PLANC Board role, RJis still active in pre-law advising and remains part of our MAPLA family.
RJ’s contributions to the profession are impossible to quantify. He served in many leadership roles within MAPLA, including board member, president-elect, conference chair, president, and ex officio PLANC representative, and in PLANC as conference chair, chair-elect, chair, and past-chair. He is a frequent and valuable conference contributor who has educated a generation of pre-law advisors. RJ brings a collaborative joy to his work, and all of us in MAPLA have benefited from his approach.
In my opinion, RJ’s most significant contribution to the pre-law profession is his support of colleagues across the nation. I know I am not the only one who has benefited from his wise counsel, sympathetic ear, and expert knowledge. In the past decade, I met colleague after colleague who felt RJ was their special mentor—somehow, he always has enough to go around!
We are not saying good-bye to RJ, but please do join me in thanking him for his many years of service to, and leadership of, the MAPLA community.
Martha Kirby, MAPLA President