FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Adrienne Wheeler, 504-561-7312; awheeler@louisianaappleseed.org
May 4, 2021, NEW ORLEANS, LA - Louisiana Appleseed selected Kenn Barnes and Kimberly Silas as this year's 13th Annual Good Apple Gala Co-Chairs. Gala chairs are recommended through a network of associates, board members, and staff. Gala Co-chairs serve an alternating 2-year term to promote continuity and ensure that Appleseed maintains the highest standards.
Co-Chairs are responsible for planning and leading 2 events each year in addition to setting the tone of the Annual Good Apple Gala. The first event is a private social occasion held in the early fall in collaboration with Appleseed's Emeritus Board. The second event is a new membership meeting in December that explores Appleseed's programming and provides a uniquely curated networking experience. Co-Chairs work closely with Appleseed's Development Committee and Executive Director throughout their term.
"Mr. Barnes and Ms. Silas will be integral in shaping an exciting new pro bono position with Appleseed as we revise the roles and responsibilities of our gala co-chairs," said Adrienne Wheeler, Executive Director of Louisiana Appleseed. "Their leadership will deepen Appleseed's partnership with pro bono communities in Louisiana."
Kenn Barnes is a native Louisianan, a graduate of LSU Law, and is an attorney with the Kenn Barnes Law Firm, where he practices criminal defense, personal injury, and business development. Before founding the Kenn Barnes Law firm, Mr. Barnes served as the Special Counsel of Criminal Justice & Specialty Courts for the Louisiana Supreme Court. As Special Counsel of Criminal Justice and Specialty Courts, his duties included serving on committees on behalf of the Court such as the Louisiana Clean Slate Committee, Drug & Specialty Court Commission, and Justice Reinvestment Implementation Oversight Committee; attending meetings as a liaison of the Court such as attending Louisiana State Law Institute, Louisiana Public Defender Board, and New Orleans City Office of Criminal Justice meetings; and facilitating the execution of court initiatives such as launching a Pretrial Services case management system and program in New Orleans to reduce the use of bail as a condition of release and reduce pretrial detention population at New Orleans’ jail.
Mr. Barnes serves his community as the Political Action Committee Co-Chair of the New Orleans Louis A. Martinet Legal Society, a member of the Son of a Saint “Step Up” Campaign committee, and as a member of the Baton Rouge Immigrants’ Rights Coalition. Mr. Barnes has been a 2020-2021 New Orleans Regional Leadership Institute Fellow, 2020 Loyola Institute of Politics Cohort, and 2019 New Orleans Business Alliance Economic Development Ambassador. Through Mr. Barnes’ work and community involvement, he was recognized in 2020 by Gambit Newspaper‘s “40 under 40” and in 2019 by the American Bar Association’s 40 under 40 Rising Star.
In his free time, Kenn enjoys hanging out with his wife, Damona Barnes, and two cats, Gambit and Weezy, or checking out a new restaurant in New Orleans.
Kimberly R. Silas joined Entergy Services, LLC in 2019 as Senior Counsel in its Regulatory Litigation Department. Prior to joining Entergy, Kimberly worked at the Louisiana Supreme Court on a special assignment as Special Counsel – Language Access Coordinator where she was responsible for developing and managing a language access program for Louisiana. Kimberly also worked as an associate at Barrasso Usdin Kupperman Freeman & Sarver L.L.C for nearly six years before joining the Court where her primary practice was insurance coverage and bad faith. She was recognized by Louisiana Super Lawyers as a Rising Star in 2018. Kimberly is a member of many professional organizations including the Louisiana, New Orleans, Mississippi, and American Bar Associations. She is also the Immediate Past President of the Greater New Orleans Louis A. Martinet Legal Society and the Immediate Past Chair of the New Orleans Bar Association’s Young Lawyers Section. Kimberly is a graduate of the 2015-2016 LSBA Leadership Class and was named a finalist for the Louisiana Association of Defense Counsel Frank L. Maraist Award.
She received her J.D. from Southern University Law Center where she was on law review and the moot court board. Kimberly R. Silas joined Entergy Services, LLC in 2019 as Senior Counsel in its Regulatory Litigation Department. Prior to joining Entergy, Kimberly worked at the Louisiana Supreme Court on a special assignment as Special Counsel – Language Access Coordinator where she was responsible for developing and managing a language access program for Louisiana. Kimberly also worked as an associate at Barrasso Usdin Kupperman Freeman & Sarver L.L.C for nearly six years before joining the Court where her primary practice was insurance coverage and bad faith. She was recognized by Louisiana Super Lawyers as a Rising Star in 2018.
Kimberly is a member of many professional organizations including the Louisiana, New Orleans, Mississippi, and American Bar Associations. She is also the Immediate Past President of the Greater New Orleans Louis A. Martinet Legal Society and the Immediate Past Chair of the New Orleans Bar Association’s Young Lawyers Section. Kimberly is a graduate of the 2015-2016 LSBA Leadership Class and was named a finalist for the Louisiana Association of Defense Counsel Frank L. Maraist Award. She received her J.D. from Southern University Law Center where she was on law review and the moot court board.
Louisiana Appleseed will celebrate the 13th Annual Good Apple Gala on January 27, 2022 at The Sazerac House located in New Orleans.
Louisiana Appleseed is a statewide nonprofit based in New Orleans, Louisiana that focuses on policy-level solutions by recruiting attorneys to provide free services through a research-oriented approach to policy change. Louisiana Appleseed’s mission is rooted in three pillars dedicated to increasing Access to: Justice, Opportunity, and Education.
###