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A Note From the Chair – Jessica Heffner

Jessica, a white woman with blond hair, wears a black dress.
Jessica B. Heffner

Welcome to the 2026–2027 Bar Year!

I am incredibly excited — and truly honored — to serve as Chair of the Family Law Section of the NCBA this 2026-2027 bar year. I have always appreciated that our Section is more than just a professional organization. It is a community. Our chosen profession, and particularly the practice of family law, is challenging (to say the least), but having colleagues across this state who are willing to share ideas, answer questions, teach, mentor, collaborate and (often) commiserate is truly special. I hope to build on that sense of community this year while making our Section an even more valuable resource.

We are kicking off the new bar year in New Bern on September 17–18, and I hope many of you will join us! The Family Law Council will meet at 4 p.m. on Thursday, September 17 at the DoubleTree (and on Zoom), followed by an Early Arrivals Reception/Oyster Roast at 5:30 p.m. also at the DoubleTree.  On Friday, September 18, we have a six-hour CLE program entitled “All in a Day’s Work,” being planned by Michelle Connell and Carolyn Peacock. 

My Primary Goals for the Year

First, I hope we can all work together to increase the value of membership in the Family Law Section. I want our members to feel that being part of this Section makes a real difference in their professional lives. Of course, that includes continuing to provide outstanding CLE and substantive resources but also creating new and different opportunities for members to connect with one another, become involved in Section projects, develop leadership skills and contribute to the future of family law practice in NC.  If you have an idea for something our Section could be doing better — or something entirely new that we should be doing — I want to hear it.

Second, I plan to make meaningful progress on succession planning. We have an incredibly talented group of family law attorneys throughout our State, and I want to make sure we are intentionally developing the leaders who will take our Section into the future.  Let’s prioritize projects and initiatives that are working well, so we do not have to start over every year. Good ideas should have the opportunity to grow, and future leaders should have a clear path to pick up where those before them left off.

In other words, I want us to think not only about what we can accomplish this year, but also about what we can build for the years that follow. 

Meet Your 2026–2027 Leadership Team

I am fortunate to be working with a fantastic group of people this year. Thank you to everyone named below who has agreed to volunteer their time and energy to improving our Section and the practice of family law in NC.   

Officers & Executive Committee

  • Jessica Heffner, Chair
  • Susan Simos, Vice Chair
  • Emily Jeske, Alternate Vice Chair
  • Larissa Mañon, Immediate Past Chair
  • Rachel Beard, Treasurer
  • Elysia Prendergast-Jones, Secretary

Council Members

Class of 2027

  • Andrea Bosquez-Porter, Raleigh
  • Jacob Ehrman, Asheville
  • Kyle Frost, Charlotte
  • Robert Inge, Salisbury
  • Ayanda Meacham, Wilson

Class of 2028

  • Maria Hawkins, Raleigh
  • Robin Jones, Raleigh
  • Jessica Macropoulos, Charlotte
  • Bennett Rainey, Winston-Salem
  • Thomas Thurman, Charlotte

Class of 2029

  • Josh Finney, Concord
  • Mariana Godwin, Raleigh
  • Rachel Myers, New Bern
  • Emily Queen, Wilmington
  • Theresa Viera, Charlotte

Committee Chairs

  • Lauren Quinn — ADR
  • Michele Smith & Melanie Lucky — Adoption
  • Wes Gelb — Alimony
  • Maria Hawkins — Custody & Child Support
  • Jonathan McGirt & Kyle Frost — Appeals Monitor
  • Becky Watts — Bylaws
  • Amy Britt & Andrea Bosquez-Porter — CLE
  • Hannah Litty & Andrea Renegar-King — Communications
  • Elysia Prendergast-Jones — Diversity & Inclusion
  • Sarah Caraffa & Trynity Ojeda — Domestic Violence
  • Whit Clanton — Equitable Distribution
  • Rachel Beard — Family Law Desk Book
  • Spencer Schold — Ethics
  • Emily Jeske — History of Family Law
  • Jonathan Lambert-Melton & Kris Hilscher — Legislative
  • Lisa LeFante — Membership
  • Jen Tharrington — Modern Family
  • Larissa Mañon — Nominations
  • Elysia Prendergast-Jones — Pro Bono
  • Tayler d’Alelio & Cheyenne Van Leeuwen — Social

Liaisons

  • Riley Bittner — YLD Liaison
  • Judge Rhonda Young — Bench Bar Liaison (District Court)
  • Peggy Pardue — Paralegal Division Liaison

We have a tremendous amount of experience, energy and enthusiasm represented on this team, and I cannot wait to see what we can accomplish together.  If you are not on the above list and want to get involved, please reach out. 

Save the Dates!

And, of course, one of the best ways to get involved with the Section is to show up. We have a great lineup of CLE programs planned this year. Please mark your calendars for the following:

Registration for the New Bern Fall Meeting/CLE is live now. Registration for the Essential CLE should be opening this week (if not prior to the publication of this post). Official details on the others to come. We are also planning a late summer social to bridge the months between the Annual Meeting and Fall 2027 CLE. 

If you know a family law attorney who could benefit from our CLEs, networking opportunities, or the resources of the Section, bring them along!

Let’s Make It a Great Year

Ultimately, the success of this Section does not belong to the Chair or any of the Leadership Team. It belongs to all of us.

My hope for this year is that more members will find a way to participate, whether that means joining a committee, attending a CLE, volunteering for a project, mentoring a newer attorney, sharing an idea or simply getting to know another member of this great community.

See you in New Bern on September 17-18!

Jessica Heffner serves as the 2026-2027 chair of the Family Law Section.

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