April Member Spotlight

Doreen Young

What 3 pieces of advice would you give women in this industry?

Stay true to your values regardless of the pressure you may feel from time to time. There is no substitute for your integrity.

Be humble and treat everyone with respect. You can do these things and still be effective.

Learn to be flexible. Life (professional and personal) will throw you some curve balls. How well you deal with them will be tied to your stability to cope with change.

What is your greatest professional accomplishment?

When I was President of the St. Petersburg Bar Association, one of my goals for my tenure was to form a charitable foundation through which the legal community could pursue its charitable work. With the help of the board, we launched the St. Petersburg Bar Foundation which continues in existence today. Forming a 501(c)(3) allowed bar members to more effectively pursue fundraising for their charitable causes and allow the bar association to more fully focus on its primary mission of serving the legal community. I was particularly proud of this accomplishment because I had recently become a first-time mother at the beginning of my term and was an upper-level associate working toward partnership in a large firm with demanding billable hour requirements.

What has been your greatest professional challenge?

Striking a balance between my professional life and personal life and making adjustments as priorities change from one stage of life to another. I’ve had to make sacrifices in my career and on a personal level from time to time. Knowing my values and my priorities has helped drive these decisions, and although they haven’t always been easy to make, I am at peace with them and have no regrets.

Member News

SWIFS Congratulates…

Dominique Heller, who will be joining Raymond James as Assistant GC/VP - Employment Practices.

Melissa Acayan, the new Director of the Senior and At-Risk Clients Team at Raymond James.