The American Heart Association (AHA) has named attorney M Lewis Kinard as executive vice president, general counsel and assistant corporate secretary for the organisation at its international headquarters in Dallas, USA.
Kinard succeeds Lynne M Darrouzet, who previously announced plans to retire and who moves into a special project role—of counsel—to association executive management.
According to a press release, Kinard has more than three decades of strategic legal, business, public service and change management experience. He has been a key leader in the association’s staff legal team since 2013. His portfolio includes expertise forming and closing legal entities, experience with commercial and real estate transactions, litigation, government grants and contracts, as well as with private equity funding, and regulatory compliance.
Kinard joined the AHA in 2013 as a senior attorney and was promoted to assistant general counsel in 2014, and vice president, deputy general counsel in 2016. Prior to working with the American Heart Association, he spent more than 20 years in private law practice, as well as serving in management roles for non-profit organizations and multi-national technology companies. Kinard’s additional leadership experience includes business process improvement, operations, and federal forensic program fraud investigations.
AHA chief executive officer Nancy Brown comments: “Over the past four years, Lewis has proven himself to be a resourceful and innovative legal advisor, dedicated to the lifesaving mission of the Association. As the Association continues to flourish and we expand both our domestic and international business models, I am excited to have him help lead the organisation to new levels of success and toward our goal of a world free of cardiovascular diseases and stroke.”
