Congratulations to the Vermont Paralegal Organization’s (VPO) Louise Reese for winning this year’s Outstanding Local Leader Award from the National Federation of Paralegal Associations (NFPA)! The VPO Board nominated Louise for this award to recognize the almost 30 years of dedication to the VPO, her consistent leadership, and her generous service to the paralegal profession and the community.
We are fortunate to have Louise serve as our Co-Chair of Continuing Legal Education and Newsletter Chair for more than twenty years, and her contributions to the organization span nearly three decades. A VPO member since 1998, Louise has served as Membership Committee Chair from 2001 to 2007, President from 2005 to 2007, and Vice President from 2017 to 2020. Beyond her service to VPO, since at least 2018 Louise has also dedicated her time to reviewing continuing legal education applications submitted by national providers to NFPA as the CLE Co-Coordinator.
As editor of the Paralegal Focus, Louise has consistently provided meaningful, practical, and timely content to VPO members. Her recurring “Tech Talk” articles, in particular, have helped members identify more efficient ways to manage the daily work of paralegals and have contributed to the continued professional development of our membership.
Louise has also been instrumental in expanding and supporting continuing education opportunities for members. She regularly reaches out to attorneys, paralegals, and others to ensure that our programming addresses a broad range of practice areas and remains relevant to the needs of our members.
Her leadership was especially evident when she served as one of the co-chairs of the 2016 Convention. Organizing an event of that scope for an organization the size of VPO was no small undertaking, and Louise’s dedication, organization, and collaboration with the other co-chairs helped make the convention both successful and well attended.
Louise’s record of leadership has also been recognized outside of VPO. In May 2016, at Champlain College’s Alumni Leadership Awards Ceremony, she received the Roger H. Perry Award, presented to an alumnus who embodies long-standing commitment to Champlain College and to their field. Louise received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology/Psychology from the University of Vermont in 1994 and an Associate of Science degree in Paralegal Studies from Champlain College in 1999.
Louise’s willingness to serve the community through volunteering is also important. She is active in Sleep in Heavenly Peace, a nonprofit organization that builds and delivers free beds and bedding to children who do not have a proper place to sleep. She has also joined with other VPO members to rake leaves at the Ronald McDonald House in Burlington.
In addition to all of this, Louise is a full-time paralegal at Downs Rachlin Martin in Burlington, Vermont. With more than two decades of experience in the legal field, she approaches her work with efficiency, professionalism, and a strong commitment to timely and accurate client service. She has extensive experience managing tort and commercial litigation matters in state and federal courts, primarily in insurance defense matters. Please join us in congratulating Louise on receiving the Outstanding Local Leader Award!
