The Ohio Access to Justice Foundation’s directors serve from across the state and are committed to improving access to justice. Meet Mary Amos Augsburger, Foundation board treasurer and Chief Executive Officer of the Ohio State Bar Association (OSBA).
What inspired you to get involved with access to justice work/civil legal services arena?
It goes right to the mission of the Foundation for me. One of the most important things we can do for people when they have a legal problem is to connect them with an attorney. And that’s at the core of what the Foundation does, as well as what the OSBA does.
What part of your professional background do you think best informs serving on the Foundation’s board?
I have over 20 years of advocacy experience changing Ohio law to advance this important mission, which is how I became involved in the Foundation. I also worked with the previous executive director to be one of the advocates for some statutory changes and then was invited to come on to the board.
Is there a particular committee or project you’ve been involved with while serving on the Foundation’s board that has been particularly meaningful to you or that you’re particularly proud of?
First, helping support the work of the Ohio Justice Bus to go out to rural Ohio and make sure we’re reaching the underserved communities that really need the help. I’m also proud of the work I’ve done through the Nominating and Governance Committee to advance justice, equity, and diversity and inclusion work in the civil justice arena.
What do you admire most about the mission of the Foundation? What part of the mission resonates most with you?
The part that resonates the most is the advocacy work that we do to make sure people have access to lawyers in Ohio’s civil justice system, and that the system itself doesn’t create barriers to a just result.
Read more board member profiles.