ABA ROLI Chair Receives the 2017 White House Fellows Foundation Award

The American Bar Association Rule of Law Initiative (ABA ROLI) would like to congratulate our Chair, Judge Margaret McKeown, on receiving the 2017 White House Fellows Foundation Legacy of Leadership Award.

ABA ROLI Chair, Judge Margaret McKeown (pictured center), receives the 2017 White House Fellows Foundation Legacy of Leadership award, pictured with ABA ROLI's Director Elizabeth Andersen (right) and ABA ROLI Special Advisor, Ambassador Stephen J. Rapp (left).

The below text is taken from the White House Fellows Foundation website.

The White House Fellows Foundation and Association (WHFFA) is extremely pleased to announce that we will be presenting the 2017 Legacy of Leadership Award to Judge M. Margaret McKeown (1980-81). This is the highest award presented by the WHFFA, given in recognition of proven leadership, dedicated public service, and sustained support to the White House Fellows Program.

During her fellowship year Judge McKeown served as Special Assistant to the Secretary of the Interior for Secretary Cecil Andrus transitioning to Secretary James Watt, and then as a Special Assistant at the White House. She returned to her law practice as a partner at Perkins Coie in Seattle and Washington, DC after the fellowship, and served there until 1998. During those years she served on the firm’s executive committee, founding its Washington, D.C. office and its intellectual property practice. Nominated by President Bill Clinton, Judge McKeown has served on the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals since 1998. In 2013 she was elected as the president of the Federal Judges Association. As an expert on judicial ethics, Chief Justice Roberts appointed Judge McKeown to chair the Codes of Conduct Committee (judicial ethics) of the Judicial Conference of the United States, the national governing body of the federal courts. She served for ten years, including service as chair of the committee. She currently serves as chair of the American Bar Association Rule of Law Initiative (ABA ROLI), working with judges and lawyers around the world. She also serves on the Council of the American Law Institute and chairs the Georgetown Law School Board of Visitors.

Judge McKeown has served as a Board member and President of the White House Fellows Foundation and Association. While President of the WHFFA she served on the President’s Commission on White House Fellowships, helping to select the Class of 2000-01. She has helped organize regional meetings for White House Fellows in San Diego and San Francisco, and participated in the first WHF Alumni trip to Vietnam. She hosts reading sessions, serves on regional selection panels in Los Angeles and San Francisco, and hosts regional panels at the Ninth Circuit Courthouse in Pasadena. Judge McKeown has been very active in youth activities, including service on the National Board of the Girl Scouts of the USA and also as a volunteer counselor at a camp for children with cancer.

Judge McKeown’s record of lifelong achievement demonstrates the highest fulfillment of John Gardner’s vision for the program. We will present the Legacy of Leadership Award to Judge McKeown during our Annual Leadership Conference in Washington D.C., October 26-28, 2017.