Warner’s commitment to the arts has always been intentional – and nowhere is that more evident than in Grand Rapids, where firm partners currently chair the boards of three of the community’s largest arts organizations.
Richard A. Roane is in the second year of a two-year term as chair of the board of the Grand Rapids Symphony after a decade of serving on committees and board. After David L.J.M. Skidmore spent a dozen years on the board of Broadway Grand Rapids, he’s now serving as chair. Jamie C. Slotsema dove right into the arts scene when she arrived in the community four years ago and now is serving her first year as president of the board of Grand Rapids Ballet.
“This leadership trifecta is coincidental for a moment in time, but intentional in Warner’s long-standing commitment to the arts,” said Roane, who concentrates his practice in family law. “Warner encourages its attorneys to be involved in the community and provides that encouragement in word and action.
“The firm gives back to the communities where we live and work in both financial and volunteer ways. It doesn’t surprise me our lawyers rise to the top of the leadership in the organizations they lend their talents to.”
Roane sees his support of the symphony as a full-circle moment that traces its roots to attending the Seattle Symphony as a fifth-grader and falling under the spell of music. That first exposure as a child led to his clarinet performance in high school, which in turn led to a music scholarship that gave him an entrée to college. This served as his jumping off point for law school and into a rewarding career that lifted him from poverty.
“Thirty years ago, as a young attorney, I started volunteering my time and giving back by serving on committees,” Roane recalled. “It seemed the right thing to do to give back to the one organization that essentially changed my life.
“Our symphony performs well above its weight class. I get to work with talented orchestra management folks. I have gotten to know the three principal music directors on a personal level. I am getting to know many of the musicians on a deeper level, and it is thrilling to be able to support them. The payback is phenomenal – and emotional.”
Skidmore has loved musical theater since his father took him to see his first show, Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “Oklahoma!,” when he was 7 years old.
“Broadway Grand Rapids brings the best of Broadway to Grand Rapids, so we don’t have to travel to New York or Chicago to see the newest theatrical shows,” noted Skidmore, a probate litigator. “This nonprofit brings the community together, to laugh and cry and cheer together. It’s a true group experience.
“When West Michigan employers recruit candidates from around the country or the world to move here, one of the selling points is the many and varied artistic offerings in our community, including Broadway Grand Rapids. These shows have a multiplier effect on the economy since the audiences come from an expanded geographic area and stay to dine and shop in Grand Rapids.”
Slotsema has always been drawn to the beauty of dance, enjoying the interplay between classical music, movement and athleticism. Her support of the art form has always been through volunteering, first on the board of the Fort Wayne Ballet and then on the board of the Grand Rapids Ballet, Michigan’s only classical professional ballet company.
“The Grand Rapids Ballet provides our community with an opportunity to experience world class ballet, but it is so much more than the beautiful art we share with our audience on stage,” Slotsema noted. “The Ballet is committed to giving back to the community through its many outreach programs, including Moving with Parkinson’s, its Dance Immersion Program that brings ballet into the Grand Rapids Public Schools and the Summer Dance Festival.
“Being able to give my time to an organization focused on world class art and outreach programs that provide beauty, purpose and support to so many in our community is a true joy.”
Generations of Warner attorneys have supported the arts through their board work. More recently, Alex J. Thibodeau joined Warner last fall and was elected co-secretary and treasurer of the Grand Rapids Art Museum in December. Jeffrey A. Ott, who serves the firm as an of-counsel attorney, is vice president of the board of St. Cecilia Music Center.
“The arts are an integral part of the Grand Rapids community,” Slotsema noted. “Warner actively supports and encourages attorneys to get involved with the community and pursue interests that give us joy and purpose outside of the office.”
Roane agreed, adding his encouragement to get involved.
“Years ago, I asked Chuck Royce what I could do as a young lawyer with modest income,” Roane recalled. “He told me, ‘Do what you can but do something.’ It’s important to give, even at a small level, to find your passion and focus there.
“Chuck Royce and Peter Wege were both fond of saying, ‘Give as much as you can to as many as you can as often as you can for as long as you can.’ Everyone can give something. Volunteer with a committee, which are the workhorses of a nonprofit. Start somewhere. Give your time and be intentional.”
