NAFUSA Past President Deborah J. Daniels has been elected as Krieg DeVault’s new Managing Partner. Daniels  begins her three-year term effective January 1, 2015. Krieg DeVault has grown from about 35 attorneys based in Indianapolis in 1991 to a firm of 150 professionals with offices in various parts of Indiana and four other states. With an emphasis on strategic growth and client satisfaction, Daniels’ focus will be to enhance the already-strong footprint of one of Indiana’s largest locally-owned law firms.

Her leadership skills have been honed in her past service, including at the U.S. Department of Justice, as United States Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana (1988-1993); as Director of the National Office for Weed and Seed; and as Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Justice Programs, where she managed multiple research and grant-making agencies and oversaw a $4.2 billion budget. As United States Attorney, she served on the Attorney General’s Advisory Committee. She has also served as Executive Director, and more recently Board Chair, of the Greater Indianapolis Progress Committee; and as President of the Sagamore Institute. During her nearly 15 year tenure at Krieg DeVault, Daniels has been instrumental in representing the firm’s public and private-sector clients in relation to internal investigations, homeland security, disaster preparedness, strategic planning, and federal and state regulatory compliance.

“I welcome the challenge and privilege of leading our great law firm in the years ahead,” said Daniels. “Our firm has prided itself on staying true to its founding principles for more than 140 years. Our full commitment to our clients, our colleagues, and the communities we serve has been the foundation of our success in the past; and these principles will continue to lay the ground work for our future growth.”

“Deborah is an extraordinary lawyer, leader, manager, mentor and citizen.  She is a visionary thinker, who brings creativity, passion and focus to serving her clients, elevating her firm and advancing our state.  Deborah has long been one of the most talented and accomplished lawyers in our state.  She has used her talents broadly to make our community more just, safe, decent and compassionate.  Deborah’s election as managing partner is wonderful news for the firm’s clients, our legal community and our state,” said Matt Gutwein, President and Chief Executive Officer of The Health and Hospital Corporation of Marion County.

“Deborah’s record of local and national service has made her an inspiration to me and countless others in Indiana,” said Robert S. Manuel, President of the University of Indianapolis. “I am certain that her history of creating strategic and thoughtful solutions to the issues that have faced our greater community will serve her well as she takes on this new role at Krieg DeVault. I am excited for Deborah, and I know that in this new position she will advance her firm’s practice and continue her unwavering commitment to developing new leaders for Indiana.”

In addition to Daniels’ numerous professional achievements, she has been an active business and civic leader, serving as a board member of various community organizations. She serves on the boards of directors of the United Way of Central Indiana, Greater Indianapolis Progress Committee (immediate past chair), Health and Hospital Corporation of Marion County, and the Economic Club of Indiana (immediate past president); nationally, she is a board member of the National Center for State Courts. She is a Trustee of the University of Indianapolis, and chaired the search for its current president, Robert Manuel. Additional community boards on which she has previously served include Noble of Indiana; The Children’s Bureau of Indianapolis, Inc.; Mental Health America of Indiana and its Foundation; the Indianapolis Sports Corporation; and two pro bono legal services organizations.

 
Daniels continues to be involved in the criminal justice system and services to victims of crime. She helped found Coburn Place, an organization providing transitional housing for victims of domestic abuse and their children. In recent years, she played a key role in the review and revision of the Indiana Criminal Code. She is a signatory of the national Right on Crime initiative, seeking to improve the safety of communities through effective supervision of offenders while reducing the incarceration of low-level offenders. She serves as a member of the Board of Visitors of the Forensic and Investigative Sciences Program at Indiana University-Purdue University at Indianapolis (IUPUI).

 
Daniels has been honored with the Antoinette Dakin Leach Award by the Indianapolis Bar Association; the Nancy Maloley Outstanding Public Servant Award by the Richard G. Lugar Excellence in Public Service Series; and the Touchstone Award by Girls, Inc. She has twice been named one of the “Influential Women in Indianapolis” by the Indianapolis Business Journal. She was recently inducted into The Indiana Academy in recognition of her achievements and contributions on behalf of the citizens of Indiana.
Daniels received a B.A., with honors, from DePauw University; and a J.D., cum laude, from the McKinney School of Law, Indiana University.