Staff

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.

Sarah Lahlou-Amine
Director, Law Firm Pro Bono

Sarah joins PBI from Banker Lopez Gassler in Tampa, FL, where she was a Shareholder and Appellate Practice Group Leader. Sarah led a team of appellate professionals, developed comprehensive litigation plans, counseled clients on emerging legal issues, collaborated with industry stakeholders, and developed risk management strategies for sensitive matters. She also served as the firm representative and Past Chair of the 13th Judicial Circuit Pro Bono Committee’s Law Firm Subcommittee, coordinator of the firm’s Sustaining Law Firm program for Bay Area Legal Services, and leader of the firm’s 2023 tri-county Veterans Legal Clinic in partnership with USAA and Bay Area Legal Services. 

Sarah has represented pro bono clients, supported legal services and nonprofit organizations with volunteer recruitment and programming, served as a leader on multiple nonprofit boards and pro bono committees, and presented and published on pro bono topics, while maintaining a full-time appellate practice.

Sarah also spent a decade at Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney | Fowler White Boggs where she co-chaired the firm’s statewide and national pro bono committees and co-founded the Tampa Bay Pro Bono Partners, a pro bono and networking platform partnering law firm attorneys with in-house counsel.

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.

Erin Palmer
Associate Director, Corporate Pro Bono
Erin Palmer joined PBI in 2024 as the Associate Director of the Corporate Pro Bono project. Previously, Erin served as an ethics lawyer for the federal Judiciary, where she specialized in workplace accountability. She has also worked as a litigation associate at Clifford Chance US LLP, where she focused heavily on pro bono matters including winning asylum for an individual fleeing state violence due to their political beliefs, representing a child with disabilities at a local school to ensure they received needed educational supports, and filing briefs with the United States Supreme Court on the science regarding youth brain development to end the use of life without parole sentences for youth offenders, as well as served as Supervising Attorney of a human rights litigation clinic at American University Washington College of Law and a law clerk at the District of Columbia Court of Appeals. Erin invests heavily in local community and public service. She is currently an Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner, a non-partisan, volunteer neighborhood-level elected official. Erin graduated from the University of Pennsylvania where she majored in Politics, Philosophy & Economics and Spanish (with distinction) and from American University Washington College of Law (JD), cum laude, and American University School of International Service (MA), with a specialization in international peace and conflict resolution.

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
Special Advisor, 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.