Management

CEO

Mr. Gary D. Housepian
CEO Term Start: July 2007
CEO Email: ghousepian@las.org

CEO Experience

Mr. Housepian earned a B.A. in Business Administration from Houghton College in 1974 and a J.D. from the University of Detroit Law School in 1977. His extensive legal and management experience includes positions with: Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee (Executive Director and, previously, Managing Attorney); Tennessee Protection and Advocacy, Inc. (Managing Attorney); Tennessee Justice Center (Staff Attorney); Tennessee Department of Human Services (General Counsel); Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation (General Counsel); Tennessee Office of the Attorney General (Assistant Attorney General); Knoxville Legal Aid Society (Staff Attorney); Legal Services to Migrant Farm Workers (VISTA Attorney); and private practice (Trial Attorney). Mr. Housepian served as Hearing Committee Member of the The Board of Professional Responsibility of the Supreme Court of Tennessee from 1999-2005. In 2005 and 2006, he was Chairman of the Board of the Tennessee Alliance for Legal Services (TALS). He has also been a group facilitator for Study Circles on Racism.

Number of Full Time Staff: 72
Number of Part Time Staff: 17
Number of Volunteers: 600
Staff Retention Rate %: 87
Organization has Strategic Plan? Yes
Years Strategic Plan Considers: 3
Date Strategic Plan Adopted: Dec 2006
Management Succession Plan: Yes
Organization Policies And Procedures:Yes

Former CEOs and Terms

Mr. Ashley Wiltshire, Jr. Jan 1976 - June 2007
Judge Walter Kurtz July 1973 - Jan 1976

Senior Staff

Mr. Neil McBride is General Counsel. Previously, he was Executive Director of Rural Legal Services of Tennessee from 1978 to 2001, when that organization joined with two other legal services organizations to form the Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands. His law degree is from the University of Virginia School of Law and his undergraduate degree is from Hamilton College, Clinton, New York. He is a member of the Tennessee Bar Association House of Delegates and past president of the Anderson County Bar Association. He is an adjunct professor at the University of Tennessee School of Law, where he teaches a clinical seminar on nonprofit corporations. He has incorporated scores of community-based organizations in Tennessee, including domestic violence shelters.

Mr. David Kozlowski is Assistant General Counsel and Managing Attorney of the Columbia office. Before joining the Legal Aid Society he was a staff attorney with the Tennessee Justice Center for one year. Prior to that he was Chief Counsel at Legal Services of South Central Tennessee, where he had worked since 1980. Prior to that he was Clinical Instructor and Acting Director of the Legal Clinic at the Vanderbilt University School of Law. His law degree is from Vanderbilt and his undergraduate degree is from Rutgers. David has published work on unemployment compensation law, juvenile law, and general sessions appeals. In 1998 he was named Public Interest Lawyer of the Year by the Tennessee Bar Association. He was appointed to the Tennessee Bar Association Juvenile Justice Committee in 2000.

Management Reports to Board? Yes
CEO Formal Evaluation and Frequency: Yes - Annually
Senior Management Formal Evaluation and Frequency: Yes - Annually
Non Management Formal Evaluation and Frequency: Yes - Annually

Collaborations

Legal Aid Society is involved in over 100 collaborations through formal agreements, informal referral and consultation practices, and staff participation on a wide variety of coalitions, task forces, and associations. Due to space restrictions, we are unable to list them in this field. A complete list is available upon request.

Affiliations

ANE (Association of Nonprofit Executives) - 2005
Center for Nonprofit Management Excellence Network - 2005
Tennessee Coalition Against Domestic & Sexual Violence - 2007
Nashville Coalition for the Homeless - 2003
National Coalition Against Domestic Violence - 2000
American Bar Association - 1968
Tennessee Bar Association - 1968
Nashville Bar Association - 1968
Nashville Coalition Against Domestic Violence - 1994
Greater Nashville Area Agency on Aging and Diability - 2007

External Assessments and Accreditations

Awards

Award                                                       Awarding Organization
2007 Chief Executive of the Year               Center for Nonprofit Management
2007 Excellence in Communications      Center for Nonprofit Management
2006 Gold Award                                          United Way of Sumner County
2006 Chairman’s Elite Club                       United Way of Sumner County
2006 David Brown Parrish Award              United Way of Sumner County

Risk Management Provisions

Accident & Injury Coverage
Automobile Insurance
Computer Equipment & Software
Directors & Officers Policy
Disability Insurance
Employment Practices Liability
General Property Coverage
Improper Sexual Conduct/Sexual Abuse
Life Insurance
Medical Health Insurance
Professional Liability
Workers Compensation & Employers' Liability
Government Licenses
Nondiscrimination Policy
Whistle Blower Policy
Document Destruction Policy

CEO Comments

In the words of Justice Learned Hand, “If we are to keep our democracy, there must be one commandment: thou shalt not ration justice." America was founded on the concept of equal justice for everyone. . .it is confirmed in our pledge of allegiance and it is written above the doors of many courthouses, including the Supreme Court. However, there is a gap in our system. In civil cases, people who cannot afford legal representation usually must struggle alone against complicated government programs, individuals and entities in a position of power who are taking advantage of them, and violent family members. Legal Aid Society strives to fill that gap, helping to preserve that precious, cornerstone American value of justice for all. Legal Aid Society is the only comprehensive provider of free civil legal services in Middle Tennessee. I am honored to work with Legal Aid Society’s Board, staff, and volunteers towards the goal of equal justice. I invite you to join us.