NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc., Chief Operations Officer

Following a national search, the Legal Defense Fund (LDF) has appointed Laura Kadetsky as chief operations officer and general counsel. In this role, Kadetsky will lead organizational operations while serving as a strategic legal partner as LDF advances its mission to protect and expand civil rights during a period of heightened demand for racial justice advocacy. 

Kadetsky brings more than 15 years of experience strengthening mission-driven, national organizations. She joins LDF from New Leaders, a nonprofit focused on education equity, where she served as chief administrative officer and general counsel. 

Prior to her work at New Leaders, Kadetsky was a litigation partner at Kirkland & Ellis LLP, where she represented international and domestic clients and maintained a robust pro bono portfolio. At Kirkland & Ellis, she received the firm’s Pro Bono Service Award for five consecutive years. Kadetsky has also served on advisory and leadership boards at national and local nonprofits, including the Head and Neck Cancer Alliance, where she serves as an ambassador. 

Kadetsky holds a juris doctor from Harvard Law School, where she served as Executive Articles Editor for the Civil Rights–Civil Liberties Law Review, and a bachelor’s from Yale University.

Read the full press release here.

Ernest Brooks led this search with Janette Martinez, Henry Nickerson, and Melissa Barravecchio.