We're starting a new feature series that we hope you'll enjoy as a way for you to get know The Pro Bono Project's staff, Board members, volunteers and friends. We're keeping it light and fun - 5 questions in 5 minutes with some of The Project's best friends. We invite you to think about how you might answer these same questions because one day, it might be your turn!
We're kicking this series off with The Project's Executive Director, CC Kahr, who came on board in December, 2017 after serving as Executive Director at the Federal Bar Association, New Orleans Chapter for the past several years.
1. What do you love most about your job and why?
It is rare when your professional and personal interests align as they have for me at The Pro Bono Project. I am in the enviable position of advocating for what is right and what will benefit our community.
2. Who or what inspires you most and why? Could be a book, an author, a public figure, a movie, an organization, etc.
I am very fortunate to have inherited a fantastic staff. When I joined The Pro Bono Project last December, I immediately recognized the passion our staff has for our organization and its mission. They provide mentorship, enthusiasm, and humor that inspires me – and our volunteers.
3. What was the last book you read?
Jesmyn Ward’s Salvage the Bones. Ward looks at a fictional town in the days before Katrina. It is a beautiful, poetic novel that doesn't romanticize tragedy or sorrow. There is no nobility or heroism in suffering.
4. If you could trade places with anyone, past or present, who would that be and why?
I am reluctant to trade places with anyone - so many of my favorite writers, artists, and leaders led rather tortured lives. I’m blessed with a wonderful family and friends. However, I am not blessed with either musical or artistic talent. A day or two as Beyonce would check a lot of boxes – not to mention the shoes and clothes!
5. What’s the one thing when people meet you that you want them to remember about you? or What’s the one thing people don’t know about you, but should, and which you don’t mind sharing?
Not everyone may know that my background is in education – specifically Latin American History and Women’s Studies. I’m an adjunct instructor at Tulane University and still find that I identify myself as an educator. This role is central to how I view my work in the community.