ART Siegel: a Tenure with CASANYS that changed the direction of the organization

By Barbara Morgen, Esq.

JANUARY 2020: Art Siegel, Esq., a litigation partner for thirty years at Bond, Schoeneck & King, PLLC, and now General Counsel of the firm, served on the board of Court Appointed Special Advocates of New York State (CASANYS), from 2007 to 2019. He was Board President from 2012 to 2019, deftly steering the organization through challenges that could have daunted one who did not possess some superhero qualities. Luckily for CASANYS, Art certainly has those superhero qualities. Among the many attributes which make Art such a revered past president, however, is that he adamantly refuses to take credit for his many accomplishments, preferring to spread credit far and wide. Though humble and modest, Art’s fellow Board Members, Program Directors, and CASA Advocates have seen Art deploy his intelligence, his tenacity, his ability to build consensus and his persuasive skills to the enormous benefit of CASANYS and local programs during his term as President. Art leaves the organization in a very strong position, with a much more stable financial footing, an energized and capable staff, positive relationships with stakeholders and a vision for the future.

When Art agreed to sit on the relatively placid board of Court Appointed Special Advocates of New York State (CASANYS) in 2007, he had little reason to assume that CASANYS would be on life support in a few short years. But an avalanche of events coalesced in 2012, resulting in CASANYS losing considerable financial support, the loss of the organization’s office, the departure of all paid staff and the departure of at least half of the Board. Ever game for a challenge, Art agreed to take over the role of Board President, and set about reversing the course of events which had brought CASANYS close to dissolution. Art took on what essentially became a second job despite a demanding and challenging legal practice. Art made sure bills got paid, taxes issues resolved, by-laws observed and stakeholder’s issues addressed. He took on grantwriting, event planning and troubleshooting responsibilities when local programs needed help. Board meetings were efficient, but Art managed to grace them with his perennial optimism and humor. If that wasn’t enough, Art’s firm generously hosted CASA’s meetings of the Board of Directors and Program Directors.

One of Art’s lasting legacies is the legislation which was passed by the New York State legislature in 2018 giving CASA statutory recognition. Art spearheaded this effort, which took four years to accomplish, countless meetings with legislators, endless hours of strategizing and considerable stamina. In the process, Art established positive relationships with numerous state legislators, and made the CASA mission much more visible in Albany and the rest of the state.