HARRISBURG (March 4, 2013) - The Conference of County Bar Leaders (CCBL) of the Pennsylvania Bar Association (PBA) has honored David A. Blaner, executive director of the Allegheny County Bar Association (ACBA), with its 16th annual Arthur J. Birdsall Award. The award was presented to Blaner during the 47th Annual Seminar of the Conference of County Bar Leaders, Feb. 21 - 23, in State College.

The award is presented to a county bar executive who demonstrates professional excellence, who is committed to the success of his or her bar association and who significantly enhances the stature of his or her bar association. The award is named in honor of Arthur J. Birdsall, the PBA's county bar services director who retired after nearly 40 years of support to local bar associations.

Blaner has served as the ACBA's executive director for the past 12 years. In addition, he is the executive director of the Allegheny County Bar Foundation and CEO of Proliance Solutions Inc., which is the ACBA's for-profit subsidiary.

Blaner is a longtime member of the National Association of Bar Executives (NABE), presently serving as the group's president-elect. He is past chair of the NABE Executive Committee, past chair of the NABE Administration and Finance Section, past chair of the NABE Program Committee and past chair of the NABE Sponsorship Committee.

He is past chair and past treasurer of the Great Lakes Organization of Bar Executives and the Pennsylvania Association of Bar Executives.

In addition to providing leadership at the county and state levels of the organized bar, Blaner is the immediate past chair of the American Bar Association (ABA) Metro Bar Caucus. He frequently serves as a consultant to the ABA Division for Bar Services, providing peer-to-peer reviews of bar association operations.

The CCBL, whose membership includes leaders from county bar associations throughout the state and from the PBA, organizes a yearly educational conference focusing on the exchange of innovative bar association projects and ideas and on the development of mutually-beneficial relationships among bar leaders that improve the legal profession.

Founded in 1895, the PBA strives to promote justice, professional excellence and respect for the law; improve public understanding of the legal system; facilitate access to legal services; and serve the 28,000 lawyers who are members of the association.