2026 Nominations Committee

The 2026 Nominations Committee has begun their work under the leadership of CBA Past President Aracely Tagliaventi. The committee is in the process of selecting candidates for the 2026 Board of Governors election to be held in April.

Current Nominating Committee members are Aracely Tagliaventi, Chair (Past President); Melanie Tobias, Co-Chair (President-Elect); Christian Gillikin, Bailey Cavalieri, LLC; Apps Akpofure, BakerHostetler; Josh Cartee, Columbus City Attorney General Counsel Section; Spencer Meador, Cooper & Elliott LLC; Elizabeth Watters, Franklin County Common Pleas Court

Nominations Committee members show a great deal of active engagement within the central Ohio legal community and play an instrumental role in helping shape the future of the CBA.

The committee will select a slate and present it to the Board of Governors for approval. Anyone who is interested in seeking a position on the board can contact one of the Nominations Committee members for information.

2026 Election Schedule and Timeline:

Nominations must be submitted to the Board of Governors on or before April 10, 2026
Nominations, along with explanation of procedure by which additional nominations can be made, will be published on April 17, 2026
- Note: Nominees must submit a nominating petition with ten (10) signatures of voting members of the CBA no later than seven (7) days following publication (April 24, 2026).
Ballots shall be sent via email to all voting members on April 29, 2026 and voting begins at 9 am
Each voting member may vote for up to 5 candidates
Ballots must be submitted by noon on May 8, 2026