New Senior VP and Manager of Member Services strives to offer firms growth opportunities
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Attorney Spotlight
New VP and Manager of Member Services strives to offer firms growth opportunities
By Brian Cox
The union of a law degree with a penchant for hospitality and service makes Katie Bundyra ideal for her new job.
Recently named Senior Vice President of Services at Primerus™, Bundyra embodies a host of traits that make the position a natural fit.
“My job, first and foremost, is to make sure members remain happy with their membership,” says Bundyra, “which requires identifying what their needs and expectations are and providing them the necessary opportunities to meet those conditions, all while making sure they’re utilizing the options provided to them.”
Born and raised near Grand Rapids, Michigan, Bundyra’s childhood was full of sports and the outdoors. Her early love was basketball, until she “stopped growing,” after which she pursued more “height-appropriate” activities. While she still participated in group and individual sports, she shifted her focus to other extracurriculars including musical theater, student government, and serving a two-year term as a student representative on the Board of Education in her school district.
Bundyra knew as a young teen that she wanted a career she found meaningful and that involved service in some way. Initially, she thought she might find her calling in politics. So, after high school, she attended DePaul University in Chicago with plans to earn a degree in political science. While she loved the school and the city, Bundyra says after a few years she simply missed her family and friends too much.
Bundyra graduated from Cooley Law School in Grand Rapids, Mich., in 2012.
She returned to the area and transferred to Michigan State University in East Lansing, graduating in 2008, right in the midst of the Great Recession and a shrinking job market.
She took a position as an executive assistant with Habitat for Humanity of Kent County as she considered her next step.
“I loved it there,” recalls Bundyra. “I think deep down I was always hoping to do some greater good for the community. It was a really interesting job for someone fresh out of college.”
The following year, Bundyra concluded that a law degree would bring greater opportunities and she enrolled at Cooley Law School in Grand Rapids. She thought she might work for a nonprofit organization or legal aid – something that aligned with her upbeat personality and drew on her interest in serving.
In law school, Bundyra clerked for 17th Circuit Court Judge Daniel Zemaitis and interned with a solo practitioner who ran a general practice that mostly focused on family law and criminal defense.
After earning her juris doctorate degree and passing the bar, Bundyra stayed on at the firm, but she soon discovered that she was too empathetic for the nature of its work.
“I wear my heart on my sleeve,” she says. “I knew that the practice area would just completely drain me every single day, and I didn’t want that for my career. I wanted a career in an area I maintained a passion for, and where I looked forward to going into work every day. “
As she was considering how to take her career in a new direction, she happened to meet a friend from high school for coffee. Chris Dawe was serving as a Membership Coordinator at Primerus™ at the time and he asked Bundyra, “Would you be interested in doing something different in your career that doesn’t involve the courtroom?”
It was the right question at the right time. Bundyra was immediately interested and joined Primerus™ in 2014 as a membership coordinator.
Bundyra embraced the mission of Primerus™ and found fulfillment in working with mid-size law firms to help them expand their practices. Her organizational skills lent themselves well to assisting firms in membership toward courting new business by staging events where the firms were able to get in front of potential clients and highlight their expertise.
“We’re constantly striving to provide our members opportunities to show who they are and what makes them unique,” she says, “whether that is via in-person conferences, webinars or publication opportunities, we are there to recommend the perfect fit.” Bundyra adds, “It’s never been a passive membership. Members need to be actively involved. As the services team, we are here to help members be active and to remind them of how to make the most of their membership.
Bundyra and her husband, Jacek, attend a Blue Angels event on the 4th of July in Traverse City, Mich. The couple met at a concert they went to with friends while in high school.
Katie Bundyra and her husband, Jacek, enjoy the outdoors with their two children, Annie and Matthew.
As a services coordinator, one of the first challenges can sometimes be explaining to members how these opportunities are beneficial for their firm’s future growth and why it is critical to take time from billable hours to market themselves.
“One thing we need to focus on as a member services team is stressing that lawyers need to continue to think about marketing even when there are files on the desk. As we all know, they won’t always be there,” says Bundyra. She often reminds firms, “You need to always be conscious about marketing your firm even if maybe you feel, ‘I’m too busy to do it right now.’”
In her new position, Bundyra says she hopes to bring her own “flair” to the role. Members can continue to expect a high level of commitment to excellent service.
“I want people to continue to be happy with what we’re serving,” says Bundyra, harkening back to her days as a waitress during high school and college.
One of the challenges facing Bundyra is ensuring that the right balance is struck between in-person and virtual opportunities now that the pandemic is over. When COVID-19 shut down large gatherings, the member services team pivoted to devise a wider range of online options, such as webinars and Coffee & Conversation.
“We are constantly striving to enhance what we offer in terms of marketing opportunities to ensure we are effectively promoting members not only to one another but also to potential clients,” she says.
Now that in-person events are back, part of Bundyra’s focus in the next year will be tailoring a strategy for each firm based on their skill set, personality, and practice to ensure that every opportunity is a worthwhile investment for the firms. Her message to members is “Let’s figure out what’s most important for you, what is the right fit, and what is a reasonable time and financial investment considering your firms’ and individual goals.”
Bundyra met her future husband, Jacek, at a concert they went to with friends in high school. The two married soon after Bundyra finished law school and they now have two children. Their daughter, Annie, is 6-1/2 and in kindergarten. Their son, Matthew, is 3.
“I probably talk about my kids way too much,” laughs Bundyra. “They are my entire world. Family is very important to me, and I love to share what is going on in my life in the hopes that others around me feel comfortable enough to share their personal stories with me as well.”
Bundyra says she gleans value from every relationship in her life.
“There are a lot of people who have been influential in getting me to where I am today,” she says. “My husband’s work ethic is incomparable. He is an inspiration every day. My mom has educated me in how to be a successful woman in the professional world. She taught me never to compromise my values, but also how to be strong and effective as a female leader. And, if I can take one important lesson away from the founder and president of this organization, Jack Buchanan, it would be about maintaining a passion for what you do no matter what.”
A family portrait of Bundyra, Jacek, Matthew and Annie at Luton Park near their home in Rockford, Mich. ‘Family is very important to me,’ says Bundyra.
“I think that’s probably why I love this company and this role,” adds Bundyra. “Because it gives me the opportunity to learn from people from all over the world and to take in the things that I find the most valuable in order to shape who I am, who I want to be, and to continue to grow and learn every single day.”