Dear CWBA Community,

I am honored to step into the role of President of the Colorado Women’s Bar Association as we mark fifty years as an organization. It is a milestone that asks something of all of us, not just to celebrate what has been built, but to think seriously about what comes next.

CWBA has spent five decades doing work that doesn’t always make headlines but changes lives. Mentoring young attorneys, advocating for policy that protects women in this profession and beyond, and creating community in a field that can be isolating, especially for those who don’t see themselves reflected at the top of it. That work is not finished. If anything, it feels more necessary right now than it has in years.

I’ve chosen “Continuing the Fight” as my theme for this year because I believe this is a moment that calls for persistence over comfort. Civil rights protections are being tested across the country. Communities that have fought for decades to secure a seat at the table are watching that progress come under pressure. CWBA has always been an organization that responds to that kind of moment rather than waiting it out, and I intend for this year to be no exception.

My priorities for 2026–27 will center on three things: expanding who feels truly welcome in this organization, strengthening our advocacy on issues that affect women in the legal profession, and making sure the mentorship that shaped so many of our careers is available to the next generation of attorneys coming up behind us.

I also want this to be a year where we are willing to have hard, difficult conversations about the issues that matter most, even when, and especially when, those conversations are uncomfortable. Real progress rarely comes from staying in agreement. It comes from being honest with each other, sitting with discomfort when it arises, and trusting that this community is strong enough to hold complexity without falling apart.

None of that happens without this community. I’m deeply grateful to Alison Connaughty for her leadership this past year, and to the incoming board for the energy and commitment they’re bringing to this one. I’d encourage anyone reading this who isn’t yet involved to consider joining a committee or coming to an event this year. There is a place here for you and we need you.

Thank you for trusting me with this role during such a meaningful year for our organization.

With gratitude,

Azra Taslimi

CWBA President, 2026-2027