CAROLYN M. SAENZ, AACP, President president@aapipara.org

Carolyn M. Saenz, AACP, is Senior Paralegal at Western-Southern Life Insurance Company, Cincinnati, Ohio, where she has been employed since 1995.  She practices in the area of employment law, intellectual property law, and corporate law.  She is a founding member of the American Alliance of Paralegals, serving as Director of Membership, and she is an American Alliance Certified Paralegal.  A member of the Cincinnati Paralegal Association (CPA) for over 25 years, Saenz has served three terms as President, as well as other positions on the Board.  She is an adjunct instructor at The College of Mt. Saint Joseph and a member of its Paralegal Advisory Council. Saenz was formerly Membership Director of the National Federation of Paralegal Associations (NFPA) and is recipient of NFPA’s Paralegal of the Year award.  She also received the CPA’s Professional Achievement Award.  Saenz appeared before the American Bar Association’s Commission on Non-Lawyer Practice presenting written and oral testimony regarding the regulation of paralegals, and has authored many articles including co-authoring with Deborah McKinney, JD “How to Hire a Quality Paralegal” and “Do Paralegals Need to be Certified?” published in the Cincinnati Bar Report.  Her education includes a bachelor of science and an associate degree from the University of Cincinnati, and an associate degree from the University of East Anglia, England.  

KEELIE J. FIKE, AACP, Secretary secretary@aapipara.org

KAREN R. RAISON, Treasurer  treasurer@aapipara.org

Karen Raison, DCP is an Assistant Vice President/Paralegal at Bank of America Card Services Legal.  She has been a paralegal for over 12 years and in the banking industry for 23 years.   In her current role she works on the Transactions Legal team. Her  responsibilities include drafting contracts, participating in contract negotiations, and limiting the Bank's exposure to contractual, regulatory and reputational risks.  Previously, she worked as a Litigation Paralegal and managed the Bank’s subpoena process.  She has also had experience as an Employment Paralegal working on finger print issues, H1B Visas, human resource related issues surrounding corrective action, employment  litigation, inquires from the EEOC, etc.  Karen received her  paralegal certification from Widener University, her  B.S. degree in Business Administration from the University of Maryland Eastern Shore and her  MBA from the New York Institute of Technology.  Karen is a member of Delta Mu Delta International Honor Society in Business, the Delaware Paralegal Association and the National Association of Legal Assistants

JEFFREY A. AHONEN, Director of Membership membership@aapipara.org

Jeffrey A. Ahonen began his career as a law office courier and has advanced to the positions of Senior Paralegal, and to an appointment as an instructor of paralegal studies.  He holds a diploma in Paralegal Studies and undergraduate and graduate degrees in other disciplines, and is currently pursuing the Master of Arts in Legal Studies degree.  Ahonen has acquired more than fifteen years of paralegal experiencce in civil ligitation and criminal defense in the states of Michigan and Wisconsin.  He has specialty interests in case investigation, legal research, and legal writing.  He presently works as a general practice paralegal at a small law firm in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, and also serves as an instructor and paralegal program chair at a for-profit career college in Northwestern Wisconsin.  Ahonen is a member of the Paralegal Association of Wisconsin, the State Bar of Michigan Paralegal Section, NFPA, as well as the American Alliance of Paralegals. 

ANGELA BAKER-COLYER, AACP, Director of Education education@aapipara.org

Angela M. Baker-Colyer, AACP, OSBA Cert. Paralegal, received her Bachelors degree in Paralegal Studies from the College of Mount Saint Joseph. She has been employed as a Corporate Paralegal with Western-Southern Life Insurance Company since January 2000, working in the areas of litigation, employment law, and real estate. She has been a member of the American Alliance of Paralegals, Inc. since June 2004 and has served as Certification Coordinator. She became an American Alliance Certified Paralegal in June 2005, and OSBA Certified Paralegal in 2011. She has served on the Board of Directors for the Cincinnati Paralegal Association since 2001, holding the positions of Paralegal Referral Chair, First Vice President, Liaison/Public Relations Chair, President and Parliamentarian. She also participates in many CPA committee activities.      

JOHN C. GOUDIE, AACP, Director of National Affairs nationalaffairs@aapipara.org

John C. Goudie has been a practicing paralegal for more than 20 years, primarily in the areas of personal injury and workers compensation, both plaintiff and insurance defense. John was one of the first non-lawyers to represent injured employees in workers compensation claims in Wisconsin, having obtained his license to appear before the administrative agency in Wisconsin in 1989. John represented injured employees in workers compensation claims for more than 14 years. John is currently employed in the Health Law Corporate Compliance practice of Gimbel, Reilly, Guerin & Brown, LLP in Milwaukee, as a litigation paralegal. John is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee with a degree in Economics and Industrial Sociology, and holds a paralegal certificate from Concordia University – Wisconsin, which he obtained in 1987. John has been a member of the Paralegal Association of Wisconsin since 1987 and has served that Association as Vice President, President, NFPA Primary and Secondary and currently serves as the Association’s Vice President and Chair of the Professional Development and Public Relations committees.  Additionally, John served as Co-Chair of the NFPA Standing Committee on the Delivery of Legal Services from 1995 – 1997. John was a founding member of the Wisconsin State Bar Task Force on Paralegal Regulation from 1996 – 2004 which drafted the paralegal licensure petition that was heard by the Wisconsin Supreme Court. John has been a frequent speaker for state and national organizations on the topics of paralegal regulation, paralegal ethics, litigation topics for paralegals and workers compensation topics. John is the co-author of a seminar manual “Discovery Skills for Paralegals” which is utilized by the Institute for Paralegal Education.