Wiley’s Kendra Norwood Successfully Concludes Term as President of Washington Bar Association

June 3, 2022

Washington, DC – Kendra Perkins Norwood, a partner in Wiley’s Government Contracts Practice, has successfully concluded her term as the 52nd President of the Washington Bar Association (WBA). Norwood has served in this role for the past year.

Under her leadership, the WBA was able to build organizational capacity; enhance member value; focus the WBA’s programs on the organization’s mission, objectives, and purposes; and preserve the WBA’s rich history and legacy by capturing institutional knowledge through various means. Some highlights of the WBA’s successful initiatives over the past year include:

• Establishing the Washington Bar Association Educational Foundation Spirit of Excellence Scholarship to honor the WBA’s long-standing and distinguished legacy of Black legal excellence;
• Launching the WBA’s new membership management platform to automate membership applications, renewals, and payments and collect donations;
• Revamping the WBA website;
• Participating in the DC Office of the Attorney General’s STAY DC eviction crisis clinic where WBA members volunteered to assist vulnerable District of Columbia residents with applying for funds to avoid eviction as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic;
• Creating the WBA Legacy Series podcast and launching the On Purpose Health and Wellness Podcast Club;
• Holding a fireside chat with DC Councilmember Kenyan McDuffie to discuss public policy aimed at addressing racial disparities;
• Partnering with DC Advisory Neighborhood Commission 7F for holiday community service events.

“I am proud to have led the WBA through such a transitional time. The WBA has a rich history, a wealth of tradition and a distinguished legacy, which I hope will continue well after this bar year. To do this, we must leverage the tremendous talent and significant resources of our members, as well as those available to us here in the nation's capital,” said Norwood. “This will position us to continue building capacity, creating member value, and pursuing mission-focused programming to preserve the WBA's history and embrace its legacy. In my view, the WBA's legendary past should serve as the guide for charting its illustrious future.”

The WBA is the oldest and largest predominantly Black bar association in the District of Columbia. It was founded in 1925, simultaneously with the National Bar Association (NBA), of which it is a local affiliate. Since its founding, the WBA has been dedicated to the pursuit of making America’s promise of equal justice under law a reality for all, in the District of Columbia and beyond. The WBA’s mission is grounded in the philosophy of Houstonian jurisprudence, which recognizes the law as a tool to achieve justice through social engineering. The WBA accomplishes its mission through advocacy, continuing legal education and professional development for its members, public service and community outreach, as well as several pipeline programs, including multiple scholarships awarded annually to local law students through the WBA Educational Foundation.

In addition to her leadership role at the WBA, Norwood serves on the NBA Ethics and Professional Responsibility Committee, and is the founder and immediate past Chair of the NBA’s Government Procurement Law Section. She has previously served as Regional Director for Region XII of the NBA, overseeing one of the largest and most active of the 12 NBA regions.