President’s Perspective: Kim Stogner Installed as 130th NCBA President

Kimberly H. Stogner of Womble Bond Dickinson in Winston-Salem was installed as the 130th president of the North Carolina Bar Association on Friday, June 21, at the NCBA Annual Meeting in Charlotte. She will also serve in 2024-25 as president of the North Carolina Bar Foundation.

Her husband, Stuart Stogner, held the Bible as Superior Court Judge Eric C. Morgan administered the oath of office.

Stogner is a 1986 graduate (cum laude) of Wake Forest University and a 1994 graduate (cum laude) of Wake Forest University School of Law. She has practiced with Womble Bond Dickinson (US) LLP and its predecessor, Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice, LLP, since 2009. She is a partner with the firm, past leader of the Trusts and Estates team, and a member of the Private Wealth Industry team. She is a Certified Specialist in Estate Planning and Probate Law.

Stogner served as a personal trust officer for two national banking organizations prior to attending law school and earned the Certified Financial Planner designation. She began her legal career with Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton (1994-2000) and later practiced with Vaughn Perkinson Ehlinger Moxley & Stogner, LLP (2001-2008).

The following President’s Perspective has been derived from President Kim Stogner’s installation address and is edited for publication.

Kim Stogner, a white woman with dark brown hair, wears a bright pink dress. She has her hand on a Bible, and she is standing next to her husband, Stuart, who wears a white shirt, pink tie, and blue suit. Stuart holds the Bible as Superior Court Judge Eric C. Morgan administered the oath of office.

Superior Court Judge Eric C. Morgan administers the oath of office to Kim Stogner as her husband, Stuart Stogner, holds the Bible.

This is a big day in my life! It ranks equal to my other most important days: my wedding, passing the bar exam, the birth of each of my children and completing my first half marathon! I am honored and incredibly humbled to stand before you tonight as the President of the North Carolina Bar Association.

This moment is not just a personal milestone, but rather, it is a testament to the collective efforts, dedication, and unwavering support of many individuals who have guided me along the way.

I want to acknowledge the bar presidents who have preceded me – whose excellent leadership and dedication sets a high standard for all of us. Most especially, I want to express my appreciation for Patti Ramseur. Over the past twelve months, it has been my privilege to observe firsthand her outstanding leadership and unflagging devotion to the Bar Association and Foundation, and to our profession.

Others have made this statement about Patti, but it bears repeating – she loves this organization. She truly loves it. I have enjoyed her enthusiastic leadership and witnessed her positive, collaborative spirit in facing difficult issues. Patti has given of herself sacrificially in serving as president of this Association. She has more than fulfilled her pledge made at last year’s Annual Meeting to “go all out!”

Kim Stogner, a white woman with dark brown hair, wears gold earrings and a bright pink dress. She and past president Patti Ramseur, a white woman with blond hair who wears a pale pink suit, hold the brown gavel and are pictured smiling.

Patti Ramseur, right, passes the presidential gavel to Kim Stogner.

I routinely receive communications from her at wee hours of the morning addressing various Association and Foundation issues. Patti has two teenage daughters who are aspiring collegiate swimmers who have lots of swim meets. I know she makes every effort to attend them. She also balances a very active practice in a boutique law firm where she serves as a founding partner. I am pretty sure Patti has not slept at all during this entire year!

Patti has been the epitome of civility and respectful professionalism, and most importantly, modeled kindness to others; throughout her presidency, she has encouraged us to focus on nurturing these traits as lawyers. You have left an indelible mark on this organization, Patti. I pledge to do my best to keep at this important work with equal commitment.

To my family, thank you for your love, patience, constant encouragement and acceptance.

I also want to thank Judge Eric Morgan and his wife, Dawn, for being a part of this evening. Eric and Dawn and Stuart and I have shared a few momentous life events and having Eric preside over the oath of office is very meaningful to me.

To my law firm, Womble Bond Dickinson, thank you for supporting my election to this leadership position with your unreserved enthusiasm. Thank you so much for showing up in a big way tonight. It’s meaningful to join the list of partners in my firm who have served this Association as Bar President, including Betty Quick, Dewey Wells and Bill Womble Sr.

Finally, to my colleagues and friends within the North Carolina Bar Association and Foundation, thank you for your trust and confidence in me.

In its truest expressions, the legal profession is not merely a career, it is a calling that demands the highest standards of integrity, justice, and service. As president, I am committed to fostering an environment where these values are not just ideals but lived experiences for every member of our association. Our work in this Bar Association and Foundation is a demonstration of collective hope. It is a hope both in each other, and in how, together, we can make a difference.

As lawyers, we are realists. We acknowledge the difficult problems in our justice system and larger society. But rather than walking away from the challenges, we wade into them. Indeed, this Association exists because we know that to make a difference, we can’t go it alone – we need each other. And so, we tackle challenges together.

With our rich diversity of thought, experience, and background, we demonstrate how people of varying perspectives can set aside our differences and work together to promote the common good.

Our challenges are many.

We must enhance access to legal services for all North Carolinians and bridge the gap between those who need legal services and the resources available to them. In addition, we must continue to create an inclusive environment where every voice is heard, respected, and valued.

Moreover, as both the world we are living in and the way legal services get delivered keep changing, we must keep providing superb continuing legal education that equips our members to navigate an ever-changing landscape.

And, we must look out for the well-being of each other. The demands of our profession can be overwhelming. We must foster a culture of support and empathy. Challenges like these, and others lie ahead, but I am confident in our collective ability to meet them head-on.

When I was a baby lawyer, my mentor and past bar president, Bob Vaughn, strongly encouraged me to get involved in volunteering with the North Carolina Bar Association. He wisely advised that I would get back from the volunteer experience far more than I would give.

He was right. I have made so many friends throughout my career, especially in other practice areas, that I never would have had the privilege of knowing, but for our common connection of serving as volunteers for the North Carolina Bar Association.

My experiences in serving on committees and presenting at CLE events have strengthened my leadership skills and honed my legal expertise.

It can be easy to get lost in the weeds of the daily demands of a legal practice. But, as I recently shared with our two current Open Door Fellows, my involvement with the North Carolina Bar Association always grounds me in a sense of purpose. It reminds me of why I wanted to be a lawyer.

So much important, meaningful work gets accomplished by the Association and Foundation that connects with the aspirational ideals most of us embrace and desire to achieve – including promoting the administration of justice and the equitable treatment of all people under the law.

Serving as president-elect this past year has been incredibly educational. I’ve been exposed to the depth and breadth of the operations of our Association and Foundation. There are so many amazing resources available to our members. We offer Communities, where we can learn from and network with one another, and Committees, where we can volunteer doing important, necessary and meaningful work to improve our profession and provide public service.

I’ve had the opportunity to attend national meetings for bar presidents and it has become clear to me that the North Carolina Bar Association and Foundation is a unique and premier organization. No other entity operates quite like our Association and Foundation and accomplishes so much.

It is a treasure, populated by our diverse membership and excellent staff, that needs to be cared for and nurtured to remain healthy and continue providing value to its members and benefit to the people of North Carolina.

To that end, one significant initiative for the upcoming year will be to engage in comprehensive strategic planning for the Association and Foundation. This will enable us to align our members, donors and employees with the goals for our organization and create a forward focused vision for our future.

Our North Carolina Bar Association and Foundation serve as vehicles through which we lawyers, can build a more just, inclusive, and vibrant legal community – a community that is a model for the larger society.

I look forward to working together with all of you toward this common purpose in the coming year.

Russell Rawlings is director of external affairs and communications for the North Carolina Bar Association.