Further solidifying the North Carolina Bar Association’s reputation as one of the most innovative bar associations  in the country, the American Bar Association’s Bar Leader publication featured comments from NCBA Executive Director Jason Hensley in a pair of articles this month.

The article “Right On the Money: Careful Strategy, New Technology Help Bars Move Toward the Future,” focuses on how bar associations across the country are tackling challenges posed by changes in the legal profession. Hensley told the Bar Leader that staff restructuring has been an important part of his approach since becoming executive director two years ago. Those changes include three new staff leadership positions designed to break down silos and encourage more communication among various bar departments.

“We can’t operate in a steady state. The organization really needs to be in a steady state of evolution,” Hensley says. “Is the structure durable, and is it adaptable? Does the underlying structure allow for change? How will we move as everything continues to move? You want to be able to identify and lead that change.”

A second article on executive directors who have replaced long-tenured predecessors, “New Executive Directors Bring Change But Appreciate Continuity,” also spotlights Hensley’s work at the NCBA.

“I had the benefit of knowing it was a strong organization, and the fact that it is a strong organization provides a lot of opportunities,” Hensley says. “This organization has had a tradition of innovation. It’s interesting to put tradition and innovation together, but I think it’s been a tradition here to find new programs and new opportunities and to innovate them.”