Full Name
Kim Keenan, 2007 Woman Lawyer of the Year
Job Title
Mediator & Arbitrator
Company
JAMS
Speaker Bio
Kim Keenan is a mediator and arbitrator with JAMS. She serves as Executive Vice President of Marketing & Research and General Counsel for Odyssey Media, where she focuses on strategic marketing and branding for Fortune 500 companies. She is the first female co-chair of the Internet Innovation Alliance (IIA), a broad-based coalition of business and non-profit organizations working to ensure every American has access to broadband Internet. She has a special interest in privacy and tech policy.
Previously, she served as the President and CEO of Multicultural Media, Telecom, and Internet Council; a non-profit with the mission of improving access and diversity in the telecom industry. Prior to taking the helm at MMTC, Keenan served as the ninth general counsel and secretary of the NAACP– the oldest, the largest and most recognized grassroots civil rights organization in the world. She is the longest serving female general counsel in the 112-year history of the NAACP. Her tenure was significant for voting rights cases and First Amendment case NAACP vs. Philadelphia, which was affirmed on appeal. She solicited more than $1M in pro bono legal services for the organization during her tenure, filed significant lawsuits for voting rights, access to housing, and to protect First Amendment Rights. She overhauled the NAACP’s collective bargaining agreement, negotiated two profitable network and production agreements for the Image Awards, and was responsible for the NAACP Hollywood Bureau.
She is a past president of the District of Columbia Bar where she led the implementation of the first Bar strategic plan. She is the 62nd past President of the National Bar Association, the largest coalition of African American lawyers, judges, law professors, and law students. Her tenure is remembered for significant fundraising and creating the Cora T. Walker Corporate Partnership Award and a Legends Award named for Johnnie Cochran. She is the first woman from the District of Columbia to serve as President of the National Bar Association. Keenan is the third woman president of the Washington Bar Association and the only past president of the WBA to serve as president of both the National Bar Association and the District of Columbia Bar, which is the largest mandatory bar in the United States with more than 100,000 members.
The American Bar Association designated Keenan as a “Rebel In The Law,” and in 2019, the University of Virginia named her as a “Change Agent.” She is the recipient of numerous awards, including the NAACP Medgar Evers Award for Excellence, the Charging Buffalo Award from the New York Society, the Distinguished Civil Rights Advocate Award from the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, and the Lawyer of the Year Award from the Women’s Bar Association. Keenan has appeared on numerous media outlets including, Fox News, CNN, and News One Now.
Previously, she served as the President and CEO of Multicultural Media, Telecom, and Internet Council; a non-profit with the mission of improving access and diversity in the telecom industry. Prior to taking the helm at MMTC, Keenan served as the ninth general counsel and secretary of the NAACP– the oldest, the largest and most recognized grassroots civil rights organization in the world. She is the longest serving female general counsel in the 112-year history of the NAACP. Her tenure was significant for voting rights cases and First Amendment case NAACP vs. Philadelphia, which was affirmed on appeal. She solicited more than $1M in pro bono legal services for the organization during her tenure, filed significant lawsuits for voting rights, access to housing, and to protect First Amendment Rights. She overhauled the NAACP’s collective bargaining agreement, negotiated two profitable network and production agreements for the Image Awards, and was responsible for the NAACP Hollywood Bureau.
She is a past president of the District of Columbia Bar where she led the implementation of the first Bar strategic plan. She is the 62nd past President of the National Bar Association, the largest coalition of African American lawyers, judges, law professors, and law students. Her tenure is remembered for significant fundraising and creating the Cora T. Walker Corporate Partnership Award and a Legends Award named for Johnnie Cochran. She is the first woman from the District of Columbia to serve as President of the National Bar Association. Keenan is the third woman president of the Washington Bar Association and the only past president of the WBA to serve as president of both the National Bar Association and the District of Columbia Bar, which is the largest mandatory bar in the United States with more than 100,000 members.
The American Bar Association designated Keenan as a “Rebel In The Law,” and in 2019, the University of Virginia named her as a “Change Agent.” She is the recipient of numerous awards, including the NAACP Medgar Evers Award for Excellence, the Charging Buffalo Award from the New York Society, the Distinguished Civil Rights Advocate Award from the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, and the Lawyer of the Year Award from the Women’s Bar Association. Keenan has appeared on numerous media outlets including, Fox News, CNN, and News One Now.
Speaking At
