Exactly one year ago today, the headline on this blog read, Just Days Before Its Annual Conference, ILTA Reshuffles Its Management. One year before that, again just ahead of its annual conference, its longtime executive director Randi Mayes announced her retirement. Well, here we go again.

Legal IT Insider reported this morning that Dan Liutikas, who became ILTA’s CEO in March 2017 to succeed Mayes, is leaving to pursue another professional opportunity. He will not attend ILTACon, ILTA’s annual education conference, which begins Aug. 19 in National Harbor, Md.

In a letter sent yesterday to ILTA partners, Angela Dowd, president of the ILTA board, said:

Today I reach out to you with news regarding ILTA’s professional staff. ILTA’s CEO Dan Liutikas recently approached the Board of Directors to discuss pursuing another professional opportunity. After much discussion, we agreed to accept Dan’s resignation from ILTA effective August 31.

The Board is working closely with Dan, Jason Stookey and the Partner Development Team to ensure a smooth transition for all of ILTA’s partners. Dan will not be available to attend ILTACON 2018.

Stookey is vice president, partner development, at ILTA. He was one of the new executives appointed as part of last year’s reshuffling just ahead of the 2017 annual meeting.

Dowd’s letter goes on to say:

Working closely with the Board, volunteers and professional staff, Dan has been instrumental in assembling an incredibly capable professional staff team that includes both veterans and new faces, establishing critical organization support structures and helping to focus efforts on key segments and programming needs. A highlight of these efforts was the inaugural Ascend Volunteer Leader event held in January that brought together more than 125 volunteers from all reaches of the organization to collaborate on programming and networking ideas.

Many of the concepts that started as ideas in January will be on full display as we head into ILTACON 2018. ILTA’s 41st annual educational conference will kick off in less than two short weeks. A team of more than 35 volunteers along with ILTA’s professional staff have done a tremendous job of preparing for what is sure to be an amazing week of peer-powered education and networking. We look forward to seeing many of you in National Harbor.

Looking ahead, we will build on the momentum of ILTACON in pursuit of our 2018 goals of improving access to relevant information, making meaningful connections, serving our diverse membership and ensuring we have the resources in place to deliver the value and service our members, partners and the entire ILTA community expect. ILTA’s partner community will be an important part of these efforts.

We wish Dan the very best and thank him for the hard work, dedication and creativity he brought to the role. While the Board implements a plan to fill this important leadership role, we are confident that Jason and his team will be able to deliver the service and value you expect from your ILTA engagement.

Last year’s management reshuffling was unpopular among some ILTA members. It prompted some veterans of the organization, spearheaded by nQueue CEO Rick Hellers, to break off and form their own group, the Association of Legal Technologists.

Photo of Bob Ambrogi Bob Ambrogi

Bob is a lawyer, veteran legal journalist, and award-winning blogger and podcaster. In 2011, he was named to the inaugural Fastcase 50, honoring “the law’s smartest, most courageous innovators, techies, visionaries and leaders.” Earlier in his career, he was editor-in-chief of several legal publications, including The National Law Journal, and editorial director of ALM’s Litigation Services Division.