Alpha Brady has been named the new executive director of the American Bar Association, the first person of color chosen for the position, according to the ABA Journal.
According to the press release, the appointment came after a nationwide search. Brady has management responsibility for staff operations at the ABA’s headquarters in Chicago, Washington D.C, Texas, California and about 60 countries, the press release explained, adding she oversees a staff of more than 1,000 people and a consolidated budget of more than $200 million.
“It gives me great pleasure to make this historic announcement,” ABA President Deborah Enix-Ross said in the press release. “Alpha has a deep well of knowledge about the association and the needs of its members based on her many years of experience. Her vision for the American Bar Association’s future and her talents at leading a large organization are exactly what we need today.”
The executive director is responsible for membership and non-dues revenue programs, directs the implementation of ABA’s strategic goals and has responsibility for the programs and activities adopted by ABA’s governing and policymaking bodies, the Board of Governors and House of Delegates.
“I am deeply honored and excited to lead the ABA,” Brady said in the press release. “Our association is the national voice of the legal profession. Our members are devoted to defending the rule of law in the United States and around the world, and our dedicated professional staff is second to none. I look forward to working with every lawyer, judge and legal professional in the country to improve our nation’s justice system.”
Brady has been serving as the ABA interim executive director since former Executive Director Jack Rives departed in March. Brady joined the ABA staff in 1988 after a year as assistant corporation counsel with the City of Chicago, the press release stated. Brady started as assistant director of the ABA Commission on Opportunities for Minorities in the Profession — now the Commission on Racial and Ethnic Diversity in the Profession — and later became special assistant to the president, director of policy administration, senior manager of the Governance and Public Services Group and senior associate director and chief governance officer, the press release noted.
Brady was named the deputy executive director in September 2022 serving on the Executive Director’s Leadership Team, along with the ABA general counsel, chief financial officer and chief of staff, the press release added, as Brady holds a law degree from Northwestern Pritzker School of Law.
The ABA will hold its annual meeting in Denver Aug. 2-8. The event will feature CLEs and social events. It’s the first time since 1989 the ABA has hosted its annual meeting in Colorado and 2,000 participants are expected to be involved.