Staff

Eve Runyon
President and Chief Executive Officer

Eve Runyon is the President and Chief Executive Officer of PBI. Eve first joined PBI in 2005 to lead the Corporate Pro Bono (CPBO) project, PBI’s global project on in-house pro bono. Under Eve’s leadership, the CPBO project designed and implemented innovative initiatives to expand the commitment to pro bono across in-house law departments to include, among other things, the Corporate Pro Bono Challenge® initiative and support for broader multijurisdictional practice pro bono rules applicable to in-house pro bono.

Before joining PBI, Eve worked as a lawyer at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom in Washington, D.C. While at Skadden, she participated in the Skadden Loaned Associate program, an externship program with Legal Aid Society of D.C.

Eve serves on the Advisory Board of New Perimeter, the nonprofit affiliate of DLA Piper that provides long-term pro bono legal assistance in under-served regions around the world, and is a member of the Standing Committee on Pro Bono Legal Services for the D.C. Circuit Court.

Eve graduated from the University of Virginia and Yale Law School.

Kim Kerker
Director of Communications

Kim Kerker came to PBI from a D.C.-based animal rights organization where she served as Director of Communications and Publications, managing publications, web, social media, electronic communications, and internal communications. Previously, Kim consulted on strategic, organizational, and campaign-specific communications planning for small philanthropic organizations. She worked in communications at the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards for 15 years. Kim is a graduate of Rochester Institute of Technology with a Bachelors in Photography and Ohio State University with a Masters in Journalism.

Nihad Mansour
Assistant Director, Law Firm Pro Bono

Nihad Mansour joined PBI in December 2019 as the Assistant Director of the Law Firm Pro Bono Project® initiative. Previously, Nihad managed statewide pro bono programs as the Pro Bono Staff Attorney of the North Carolina Bar Foundation. While at the Foundation, Nihad developed and led pro bono experiences that engaged volunteers from North Carolina Bar Associations, law firms, corporations and law schools, bringing together local and community partners to reach underserved North Carolinians. Nihad graduated from the University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill where she majored in Global Studies and Hispanic Linguistics, with a minor in Arabic, and from UNC School of Law.

Christopher Niebling
Operations Manager

Chris Niebling joined PBI in June 2010 as the Operations Manager. He manages human resources, office technology, accounts payable, and day-to-day operations. Previously, he was an IT Consultant for Mindspire Technologies, and the office services manager for Widmeyer Communications. He holds a B.A. in Theater with a minor in History from Oberlin College. Chris also moonlights as an actor, director, and fight choreographer at various theaters in the Washington/Baltimore region.

Danny Reed
Director of Development

Danny Reed came to PBI with 20 years of fundraising and nonprofit management experience. Prior to joining PBI in December 2017, Danny served as Director of Development for the Council for Court Excellence, where he launched a major donor program as part of a rebranded annual campaign. His career also includes development positions with The D.C. Bar Foundation, Equal Justice Works, and Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (OutServe-SLDN). Danny holds a B.A. in Economics from Colby College and a J.D. from William & Mary Law School.

Kate Rice
Chief Operating Officer

Kate Rice joined PBI in April 2013 as the Chief Operating Officer. Kate’s extensive leadership and non-profit management experience includes over 20 years in the alternative investment industry, most extensively at Managed Funds Association where she was the Executive Vice President for a decade. At MFA, she was responsible for all operations, strategic planning, financial management, communications, membership, conferences, seminars, and human resources.

Previously, Kate was a member of the Futures Industry Association Senior Management Team as the Senior Vice President, Communications. Before FIA, Kate was the Assistant Vice President, U.S. Business Development, of the London International Financial Futures & Options Exchange. At the beginning of her career, she worked at National Futures Association as the Senior Editor, Public Affairs & Education.

Kate served on the Board of Directors and Finance Committee of Planned Parenthood of Metropolitan Washington, D.C., from 2004 to 2009, and from 2008 to 2011, she lived in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, where she worked with a number of local and international organizations.

Kate graduated from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, with a B.A. in English.

Alyssa Saunders
Director, Corporate Pro Bono

Alyssa Saunders joined PBI with years of pro bono experience. She most recently worked at Cooley, where she served on the Pro Bono Committee in the Washington, D.C. office and coordinated that office’s pro bono summer associate research program. As a law firm associate, Alyssa worked on a diverse array of pro bono matters, including affirmative and defensive asylum cases, social security disability appeals, litigating civil rights cases in federal district court, and representing tenants in eviction proceedings. Alyssa graduated from Harvard College and Harvard Law School.

Erik J.A. Swenson
Director, Law Firm Pro Bono

Erik Swenson joined PBI in March 2020. Before joining PBI, Erik worked for more than 30 years in partner, counsel, and associate roles at four well-known law firms ranging in size from 100 to 4,000 lawyers – Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP; Norton Rose Fulbright US LLP (NRF); King & Spalding LLP; and Chadbourne & Park LLP. During his law firm career, he worked on a variety of groundbreaking matters, including: obtaining the first license for mobile earth stations from the Federal Communications Commission; assisting the Nestle Infant Formula Commission to resolve international disputes over the marketing of breastmilk substitutes; obtaining certifications from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission for, and establishing the rights of, first movers in the green power movement; and securing authorizations for U.S. exporters of liquefied natural gas seeking to improve world energy security. During his law firm years, he devoted many hours to pro bono matters, through chairing NRF’s DC Office Pro Bono Committee and working directly on a variety of pro bono matters ranging from one-day clinics supporting individuals and not-for-profit organizations to leading regional, national, and international initiatives to secure voter’s rights, combat human trafficking, achieve stable peace in Darfur, and improve the health of America’s rivers.

Erik attended the U.S. Air Force Academy and graduated from Columbia College and Columbia Law School.

Genevieve Timm
Project Assistant
Genevieve Timm joined PBI in 2023. Prior to joining PBI, she was a litigation paralegal at a Florida firm. In 2022, Genevieve graduated from the University of Central Florida with a dual bachelor’s degree in Legal Studies and Political Science. While at UCF, Genevieve interned with nonprofit organization, Change Everything, Inc., and successfully led a collective effort that reduced chronic homelessness in Orlando by 60 percent. Additionally, during her time at UCF, she worked as an outreach organizer for the action fund For Our Future and planned community-based events as president of the National Organization for Women (NOW), collegiate chapter. Upon graduating, Genevieve transitioned to the Orlando NOW chapter as the social media coordinator.

To learn more about working or volunteering for PBI, visit Opportunities at PBI.