Staff attorney. Mother of four. Devoted wife. Fashion plate. Church cantor. Great cook. Party girl. Oh, and CASA Education Chair.

All of these things describe my friend and colleague, Gina Policano. Anyone who works with her knows of her energy, her enthusiasm, her loyalty, and her intellect. CASA attendees have met her four wonderful children, each of whom have attended a conference or two, and her charming mother Rose, who loves to travel with Gina. Some of you have even had the opportunity to meet her husband Carlton, who has attended an education committee meeting, as well as the annual dinner in Williamsburg, but who usually has to keep the home fires burning while Gina is gallivanting around the country at a CASA conference or committee meeting. You have probably also seen Gina in action chairing the Scholarship Committee, serving as an Education Committee member, and writing articles for CQ. Here are some things you might not know:

Gina graduated from the University of Virginia and, after a brief stint as a paralegal in Ohio, went to law school at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia. She was an editor of the law review, and even found time to meet Carlton, who also graduated from William and Mary's law school. She began working for Midkiff & Hiner, a Richmond law firm, during her first year of law school. After graduation, she began working at that firm as a litigator, concentrating on insurance defense and accounting malpractice. Always ready for a challenge, Gina tried her first case the day she was admitted to the bar and, naturally, she won, the first of many victories.

After three years in private practice, Gina came to the Fourth Circuit's Office of Staff Counsel in 1992, initially as a full time staff attorney and now, as a part time staff attorney. Her litigation experience has come in handy at the Court, where she handles many complex civil appeals, but she has also developed an expertise in interpreting pro se pleadings, a far cry from her private practice days.

As you can imagine, much of Gina's non-work time is spent with her family, at tennis lessons, ballet class, swim meets, and parent-teacher conferences. This year, Gina's schedule is even busier than usual, both because she is serving her first term on CASA's Executive Committee, and because she is the chair of the Education Committee. As Education Committee Chair, Gina, along with her hard working committee, is undertaking the Herculean task of planning the 2005 conference during a time of great uncertainty as CASA attempts to find its way within the newly formed Appellate Judges Education Institute, our umbrella organization for educational programming. Knowing Gina's dedication to CASA, her tenacity, and her vision, I know the conference is bound to be a great success.