MBLA President Avana Epperson-Temple honored with Pinnacle Award for leadership
By Lisa Hughes
January 30, 2025 / 9:23 PM EST / CBS Boston
BOSTON - Avana Epperson-Temple says one of the best investments you can make is the investment in yourself. Prioritizing personal growth pays dividends far into the future.
As a lawyer, President of the Massachusetts Black Lawyers Association, and a fitness instructor, her time is valuable and in high demand. "What you focus on is what you become," she explains. "Being intentional with your time, how you choose to spend your time and what you choose to focus on, I think, is really critical."
Avana will receive the Emerging Executive Pinnacle Award from the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce on Friday, January 31. The recognition offers a moment of reflection. Avana says that she would tell her younger self that you don't have to accomplish everything all at once. "You don't have to have all the accolades, all the trial wins within the first five years of your career. A career is long. You should enjoy it."
What makes her work with MBLA so gratifying is the group's positive impact on individuals and the community. She is delighted to meet with students who earn scholarships through MBLA and are then able to take on internships they, otherwise, could not afford.
Avana is also energized considering the ways in which a law degree can be advantageous for someone who doesn't necessarily want to work in a law firm. She says it's time to think beyond the typical benchmarks of what we consider successful in a law career. Opening up opportunities
Her thoughtfulness is an asset to MBLA members and scholars. "We are trying to open up opportunities. Job opportunities," she said. "We are bringing in speakers to speak with our members about how they can leverage their degree, leverage their network, leverage their skill set."
She is also proud of MBLA's Judicial Academy Program which is working to help diversify the bench so that the judiciary reflects the Commonwealth's diversity.
Avana says the key to finding growth opportunities is taking calculated risks. They might include putting yourself in spaces where you can think creatively, allowing yourself to be vulnerable and to ask for what you want, and seizing opportunities that stretch you. "That build you," she said. "That help you build resilience and help you think like a leader."
The leader who inspires her most is her father. She says that he taught her to dream and manage her mind. He taught her the importance of her words and manifestation. Avana's father served in both the U.S. Army and the Air Force. "He is the definition of what it means to work hard."
And the life lessons he taught by example-how to love, how to give, and how to pursue a goal, shape her values. "He taught me how to stick to a vision which is really, really inspiring. And I'm grateful for that." Lisa Hughes
Award-winning journalist Lisa Hughes anchors WBZ-TV News weekdays at 5, 6 and 11 p.m. with co-anchor David Wade.
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