It’s that time of year when we welcome our incoming board members. Each of these public-interest-minded folks will officially join our Board of Directors in September.

Lise Adams

Lise Adams joined the D.C. Bar Pro Bono Center as a Managing Attorney in 2011 and became the Center’s Assistant Director in 2014. She supervises and oversees all litigation and other projects to deliver legal information, advice, and representation to low-income District residents. Lise previously served as the Family Permanency Project (now Families First) Director at the Children’s Law Center and as a Powell Fellow and Staff Attorney at the Legal Aid Society of the District of Columbia. She graduated from University of Virginia School of Law in 2003, where she received the Herbert L. Kramer/Herbert Bangel Community Service Award.

Lise grew up in Greece, Italy, France, and Finland; we’re delighted that she chose us over Greek Council of Lawyers, Italian Council of Lawyers, French Council of Lawyers, and Finnish Council of Lawyers.

Alexis Applegate

Alexis Applegate is a Human Rights Officer with the DC Office of Human Rights, where she investigates claims of employment discrimination under various local and federal laws. She started her career at the Legal Assistance Bureau in Waltham, MA, working in the Bureau’s elder-protection and housing units.

Alexis holds a JD from Boston College Law School and an MPP from George Washington University. Before law school, she was a paralegal at Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton, helping legal teams vindicate Native American rights and represent detainees at Guantanamo Bay.

In her non-legal time, Alexis listens to live music (especially blues, folk, and jazz), enjoys discovering new restaurants, and practices yoga.

Jack Keeney

Jack Keeney Jr. is General Counsel of the Association of Zoos & Aquariums, a member of the ABA House of Delegates, and a past President of the D.C. Bar. He was previously a partner at Hogan Lovells and directed Legal Aid’s Barbara McDowell Appellate Advocacy Project—he found the latter job with the help of our public-interest jobs digest!

Jack has received many awards for pro bono work, including the Justice Potter Stewart Award from the Council for Court Excellence and the Wiley Branton Award from the Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs.

Even more impressively, Jack has hiked and rafted in the Grand Canyon, ridden elephants in Thailand, driven a dog sled on an Alaskan glacier, and entered the Great Pyramid and King Tut’s tomb.

Michael Lukens

Michael Lukens is the Pro Bono Director of the Capital Area Immigrants’ Rights Coalition. At the CAIR Coalition, Michael works expand access to counsel for detained immigrants. Before joining CAIR Coalition, he practiced environmental law at Paul Hastings and served as the Pro Bono Coordinator of the firm’s DC Office. Michael lives in College Park, Maryland, with his wife and adorable son—and three cranky cats.

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We’re also saying farewell to four dedicated lawyers who are leaving our board:

• Evelyn Becker, who recently moved to North Carolina with her family;

• Daniel Bruner, who continues to serve as Senior Director of Policy at Whitman-Walker Health;

• Sara Jackson, who is now the Director of Externships at UC Davis School of Law; and

• Daria Zane, who recently joined the Office of the General Counsel at the National Science Foundation.

Thanks to Evelyn, Dan, Sara, and Daria for their dedication and excellent work over the past several years. And welcome to Lise, Alexis, Jack, and Michael—we can’t wait to work with you!