Lisa M. Sheppard has agreed to serve as executive director of the Chief Justice's Commission on Professionalism (CJCP). Sheppard will succeed Melvin F. Wright Jr., who will retire from the position after 17 years.

"I am delighted that Ms. Sheppard has accepted this leadership role," said Chief Justice Martin. "She has demonstrated her commitment to the advancement of professionalism over the years, and I am confident that the skills and experience she brings will help her lead the Commission in its important work."

"I feel I can make a meaningful contribution to North Carolina and its lawyers in this position," said Sheppard. "I have truly enjoyed my work on professionalism issues over the past fourteen years. I am very excited about the opportunity to remain involved in professionalism-related matters on a full-time basis."

Sheppard graduated cum laude from Duke University in 1983 and received her juris doctor (J.D.) from Emory University School of Law in Atlanta in 1986, and an L.L.M. in International and Comparative Law from the Institute for European Studies at Vrije Universitiet of Brussel in Brussels, Belgium in 1987. Immediately prior to accepting this role Sheppard served as vice president, senior compliance manager, at Bank of America in Charlotte. She has devoted much of her 30-year legal career to banking and finance, handling both litigation and transactional matters.

Among other notable professional achievements, Sheppard has served as the Chair of the North Carolina Bar Association's Professionalism Committee since 2013, and was appointed by Chief Justice Martin to serve as a commissioner on the N.C. Commission on the Administration of Law and Justice (NCCALJ).

"I consider my work on the NCCALJ to be one of the most interesting, and certainly the most important project I have been involved with during my career," said Sheppard.

ABOUT
Established in September 1998 by order of the Supreme Court of North Carolina, the primary charge of the Chief Justice's Commission on Professionalism (CJCP), chaired by Chief Justice Mark Martin, is to enhance professionalism among North Carolina judges, lawyers and law students. In carrying out this charge, the CJCP is responsible for providing ongoing attention and assistance through a variety of programs, projects and publications, in order to ensure that the practice of law remains a high calling, dedicated to the service of clients and the public good.