Jackie Holmes has been named vice president and general counsel for the College. A seasoned attorney well-versed in administrative law, Holmes will begin in Gambier as Kenyon’s chief legal officer on Oct. 8.
In her new role, Holmes will be responsible for managing the College’s legal affairs and overseeing legal services provided to Kenyon. A member of the senior leadership team who reports to the president, she will provide advice on a wide array of legal questions, including the impact of existing and proposed laws and regulations on College operations or policies.
“Jackie is an accomplished attorney who brings with her a great deal of passion and integrity, and I’m excited to welcome her to our team,” said President Julie Kornfeld. “Her considerable talents, honed over three decades, will be a welcome asset as we work together to move the College forward.”
Holmes also will serve as secretary to the College’s board of trustees. She will maintain minutes and serve as an informational resource, briefing the trustees and president on a range of board matters, including governance policy and practice.
“Jackie represents the perfect blend of legal acumen and commitment to the mission of the College. We can’t wait for her to join us,” said Aileen Hefferren ’88 H’12, chair of the board of trustees.
Holmes spent 30 years at Jones Day in Washington, D.C., serving as partner and focusing on labor and employment law as well as administrative law. While there, she led the legal strategy team for the firm’s Laredo Project, which has represented hundreds of migrants crossing the U.S. southern border in asylum hearings since 2014. Holmes also worked with the City of Minneapolis as part of the Jones Day Constitutional Policing and Civil Justice Reform Initiative, established shortly after the murder of George Floyd.
Holmes received a bachelor of science degree from the California Institute of Technology, where she majored in chemical engineering, and a law degree from Loyola Law School.
Holmes said she is excited to join the Kenyon community, which has impressed her with its devotion to a common cause.
“Kenyon is an extraordinarily special place with a group of people working toward a common mission with shared values, and that’s super important to me,” she said. “I wouldn’t have gone anywhere else.”
As an outside counsel working for Kenyon in recent years, Holmes has interacted with more than 100 faculty, staff members and administrators from across the College.
“I felt like everyone that I worked with was absolutely devoted to the mission of the College and to the students. It was incredibly touching to me,” she said. “I will approach every single decision that way — with the institution’s interests top of mind.”
Committed to advancing educational opportunities for children, Holmes has served on the board of directors for Communities in Schools of the Nation’s Capital, which provides in-school support to children living in poverty.
Her spouse, David Edwards, is a professor in the Department of Mathematical Sciences at the University of Delaware. The couple, who have an adult daughter, look forward to relocating to Knox County with their rescue dog, Ellsi, and rescue cat, Pogan.