Pamela E. Barker Inspiring the Next Generation of Leaders
May 21, 2025As the first woman president of the State Bar of Wisconsin in 1993, Pamela E. Barker inspired the next generation of lawyers to be leaders. Her encouragement played a pivotal role in Michelle Behnke's path to leadership. Michelle served as president of the State Bar of Wisconsin in 2004-2005 and will become the president of the American Bar Association in August of 2025.
In a recent article by Wisconsin Lawyer, Michelle shared that Pam's leadership inspired her to increase diversity within the legal profession.
"When Pamela Barker was sworn in as the first woman president of the State Bar in June 1993, she told younger lawyers in attendance that they didn’t have to wait 30 years to be at the table and contribute, which Behnke found inspiring – but also a call to action. She approached Barker after the latter’s speech and noted that there didn’t seem to be many 'who looked like me' serving on bar committees and in bar leadership.
And she said, ‘Well, what do you want to do about it?’” Behnke recalls. “That spurred creation of the [originally named] Diversity Outreach Committee, which was an effort to throw open the doors of bar work and invite people of all different perspectives into the bar and help them understand that we needed their viewpoints and involvement. And to look at our justice system to see how lawyers of color fared in courtrooms, and in board rooms, and in law firms."
To learn more, click under "Resources" below.
Pam serves as a Practice Group Leader for the Environmental Compliance practice group. With more than 25 years of experience practicing environmental law, Pam is a national leader of the bar in this area, and she is the past Chair of the American Bar Association's Section of Environment, Energy and Resources. Additionally, Pam is a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation, an honorary organization of lawyers, judges, and legal scholars whose careers have demonstrated outstanding dedication to the welfare of their communities and to the highest principles of the legal profession. She also serves in the House of Delegates for the ABA, and she is a Fellow of the American College of Real Estate Lawyers (ACREL).
