Officers
2021 RWPA Board Members
Alice Johnson
President
984-298-9734
Alice Johnson is a Legal/Integrity Specialist with ABB Inc. in Cary, North Carolina. She has been employed as a Paralegal in North Carolina since 2010 and has over 25 years of experience in the legal field. Prior to moving to North Carolina in 2008, Alice worked as both a Legal Assistant and Paralegal in Michigan. She is a North Carolina Certified Paralegal. Alice is a member of the North Carolina Bar Association Paralegal Division and currently serves as Vice-Chair for the Paralegal Division.
Daniela DeJesus
1st VP/Membership
Daniela DeJesus is a Trusts and Estates Paralegal with Smith Anderson and has been a paralegal for over 20 years. She relocated to Wake Forest, NC in August of 2017 with her husband and four children. She received her Associate’s Degree in Paralegal Studies from Norwalk Community College in 2009. She also has a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from the University of Bridgeport. Daniela is also a Guardian ad Litem Volunteer Child Advocate for Wake County since 2018. She represents the abused and neglected children in her community who are currently in foster care. Daniela enjoys spending time with her family, traveling and volunteering during her free time. This will be Daniela’s second year as a board member of the Raleigh-Wake- Paralegal Association.
Marta Kiss
2nd VP/Education
Marta Kiss has worked as a paralegal since 2015, when she began working for a federal public defender. She graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill’s Paralegal program in December 2017, and became certified in June 2018. Marta has been teaching in the UNC Paralegal Certification Program since January 2018. She worked at an immigration law firm from 2017 until last year when she started her own freelance paralegal business, focusing on criminal, immigration and real estate law. This is Marta’s first year on the RWPA board and she serves as VP of Education.
Ciara Scott
Secretary
Sue Atti
Treasurer
Sue Atti graduated from Hilbert College in Hamburg, NY with a bachelor’s degree in Paralegal Studies in 2003. She has been living in North Carolina for about fifteen years, and working as a paralegal since 2004. Sue is a Certified Paralegal with North Carolina. Currently, she works for the City of Raleigh as a condemnation paralegal. Sue has previously worked in bankruptcy, collections, corporate and patent law. She is a member of the Raleigh-Wake Paralegal Association (RWPA), the North Carolina Paralegal Association, and the Research Triangle Paralegal Association (RTPA). This is Sue’s second year as an officer with RWPA.
Committees
Jennifer Eason
Patron & Sustaining
Jennifer Eason is a Certified Paralegal through the National Association of Legal Assistants (“NALA”) and a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology and a Bachelor’s Degree in American Studies. She is also a graduate of the Paralegal Program at Durham Technical Community College, with an Associate’s Degree in Paralegal Technology. As a Certified Paralegal, she provides support to the attorneys in the legal department at Allscripts Healthcare, LLC. Jennifer also serves on the North Carolina Paralegal Association board. This will be Jennifer’s seventh year as a board member of the Raleigh-Wake Paralegal Association.
Ashely P. Hudson
Student Relations
Ashley is the Paralegal Manager at Syncfusion, Inc. Ashley received her bachelor’s in political science (Pre-Law) from UNC Pembroke in December 2012, completed the Paralegal Program at Meredith in May 2017 and became a NC State Bar Certified Paralegal in December 2017. This is Ashley’s fourth year on the RWPA board and previously served as the Social Chair. Ashley lives in Durham with her husband, Brandon, their daughter Charlie, their son Henry, one dog, Bear, and their two cats, Madeline and Jack. While not at work, Ashley enjoys watching Alabama Football, cooking, and spending time with her family.
Melodie Rinker
Parliamentarian/Historian
Melodie is an Estate Specialist with First Citizens Bank, Estate Settlement, and has provided paralegal support for law firms and financial institutions for over 27 years. Melodie received her Associates Degree in Paralegal Technology, with high honors, from Durham Technical Community College. She is an Advanced Certified Paralegal through the National Association of Legal Assistants (NALA) and a Certified Paralegal with the North Carolina State Bar. Melodie is a member of RWPA, North Carolina Bar Association’s Paralegal Division and NALA. This is her fourth year as an officer with RWPA.
OPEN
Public Relations/Job Bank
Please contact Alice Johnson at the number above if you are interested in this position. *****
OPEN
Social
Please contact Alice Johnson at the number above if you are interested in this position. *****
Paulene Scott Kearney
Webmaster
Paulene joined First Citizens bank in 2021 and is currently the Vice President - Compliance Manager of Corporate Complaints. Previously, Paulene was the Legal Operations Manager in the Creditor’s Rights Department at Smith Debnam Narron Drake Saintsing & Myers, L.L.P. She was with the firm from 2000 to 2021. In 2003, Paulene completed the Paralegal Studies Program through UNC Wilmington. She has been a North Carolina State Bar Certified Paralegal since 2007. Paulene is also currently on the board of the NC Bar Association - Paralegal Division and has served on the board of the RWPA in various roles since 2012, including the President from 2018-2020. Paulene has two beautiful daughters, Ciara and Ariel. She also has a sweet mini schnauzer named Penelope Grace.