Kirra joined the DC Bar Foundation in 2014 as its Chief Executive Officer with more than 20 years of service and investment within the District community through her professional and volunteer work. She oversees the implementation of the Foundation’s strategic direction, manages its $34M budget, and leads the Foundation’s efforts to create a Coordinated Intake & Referral System that will make it easier for District residents to secure civil legal aid. Working hand-in-hand with DC’s legal aid community and other key stakeholders, Kirra seeks to ensure that every individual, regardless of income, education, or power, has access to justice.
After graduating from Harvard College and the University of Michigan Law School, Kirra worked on the Hill as Counsel on the Senate Judiciary Committee and Legislative Director to Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton. She then founded the law practice of Jarratt & Jarratt where she represented parties in the child welfare system.
“I’ve always been inspired by the ability of the law to make huge differences in our lives, either through individual cases or systemic reform,” says Kirra. “I never really thought about being anything other than a lawyer.”
Afterward, she served as agency counsel within the District’s Office of the Attorney General for the Child and Family Services Agency and the Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services. Kirra also advocated on behalf of the American Bar Association on issues related to domestic violence, tort reform, anti-terrorism, the environment, and the elderly. Most recently, Kirra received her MBA from the MIT Sloan School of Management.
Kirra was the 2015 recipient of the Charlotte E. Ray Award given annually to an African American female attorney who has demonstrated a strong commitment to community involvement, membership, advocacy, and excellence in the Metropolitan Washington community. In October 2019, she was recognized by the Washington Business Journal as one of their “Women Who Mean Business” honorees. She is also a member of the Leadership Washington Class of 2015.
Kirra serves on the board of Leadership Greater Washington and is a past board member of Philanthropy DMV (formerly the Washington Regional Association of Grantmakers), the Washington Improv Theater, the National Conference of Bar Foundations, and the DC Bar Board of Governors. In her spare time, Kirra enjoys hosting dinner parties, spending time with dear friends, gardening, and reading.