New York – JAMS, the largest private provider of alternative dispute resolution (ADR) services worldwide, is pleased to announce that Kim M. Keenan, Esq., will be honored with the 2023 Joseph R. Biden Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award. The award will be presented as part of the Fall 2023 President’s Volunteer Service Award (PVSA) Honors Ceremony during the week of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s 52nd Annual Legislative Conference in Washington, D.C.
Presented annually, the award honors individuals who have volunteered more than 4,000 hours of service to communities across the country. The award recognizes the service and civic contributions of Americans to their communities and country and is the highest honor in the PVSA system.
Ms. Keenan has dedicated her career to advancing the cause of civil rights and furthering the interests of African American lawyers, judges, law professors and law students. We are pleased to see her recognized with such a prestigious honor and are proud to have her on the JAMS panel.
- Chris Poole, JAMS CEO
Ms. Keenan is a past president of the District of Columbia Bar, the National Bar Association, and the local Washington Bar Association. She Chaired the D.C. Bar Committee that created one of the largest Landlord-Tenant Self-Help Centers in the nation. She was the first female co-chair of the Internet Innovation Alliance, a group of organizations that work to ensure every American has broadband internet access and is the Chief Policy Officer of the bipartisan Digital Progress Institute. After confirmation by the D.C. City Council, she served on the Board of Trustees of the University of the District of Columbia. She was the first Black woman to serve as President of the D.C. Rape Crisis Center. Currently, she is a Director of the Links Foundation, Inc., where she chairs the legal affairs committee.
Before joining JAMS, Ms. Keenan was a nationally known trial lawyer, mediator and in-house counsel, as well as a recognized leader among multicultural social justice organizations. She also served as the 9th Secretary and General Counsel for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), the oldest, largest and most recognized grass roots civil rights organization in the world.
In her role at JAMS, Ms. Keenan serves as an arbitrator and mediator, handling disputes in employment, intellectual property, professional liability, telecommunications, cybersecurity and privacy, entertainment, civil rights, pharmaceuticals and mass torts, personal injury and real property.
The ceremony will be held on Thursday, September 21, at the American Psychiatric Association (APA) headquarters in Washington, D.C.
About JAMS – Local Solutions. Global Reach.
Founded in 1979, JAMS is the largest private provider of alternative dispute resolution services worldwide. JAMS successfully resolves and manages business and legal disputes by providing efficient, cost-effective and impartial ways to overcome barriers at any stage of conflict. JAMS offers customized in-person, virtual and hybrid resolution services locally and globally through a combination of industry-specific experience, first-class client service, the latest technology and highly trained mediators and arbitrators.
With a roster of over 400 neutrals and 30 locations, JAMS resolves thousands of the world’s important cases every year. JAMS neutrals are adept at managing the resolution process whether they are conducting in-person, virtual or hybrid hearings.
More information is available at www.jamsadr.com, and you can connect with us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and our JAMS ADR blog. To learn about diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives at JAMS, visit www.jamsadr.com/diversity/.