New leadership role strengthens the organization’s approach to AI governance across products, systems, and internal tools
, /PRNewswire/ — The American Arbitration Association (AAA®) today announced that former Quinn Emmanuel Lead Innovation Counsel, Jennifer Reeves, has joined the organization as its first vice president, legal AI governance and integration lead, a newly created leadership role in which she will build on the AAA’s existing AI governance framework and advance the organization’s responsible AI strategy across products, systems, and internal tools.
The appointment reflects the AAA’s proactive approach to innovation at a time when AI is rapidly reshaping legal, business, and dispute resolution processes. As regulations, technologies, and expectations continue to evolve, the AAA is expanding its governance capabilities to keep pace with changing standards and support the responsible use of AI across dispute resolution.
In this role, Reeves will lead the AAA’s enterprise-wide AI governance strategy and chair the AAA’s AI governance committee, which oversees governance considerations for AI systems developed or used by the organization. Her work will focus on advancing the AAA’s AI risk registry, aligning the AAA’s practices with leading frameworks and regulatory standards, including NIST, the EU AI Act, and evolving global standards, and supporting governance review across internal tools, third-party technologies, case management capabilities, and client-facing solutions.
“It is one thing to have AI governance on paper; the hard part is operationalizing it,” said Sasha Carbone, General Counsel of the AAA. “Creating this role is a strategic investment in responsible innovation. Jennifer brings the legal judgment, technical fluency, and practical implementation experience needed to translate evolving standards into actionable practices and support the development and use of AI tools that are thoughtful, secure, transparent, and aligned with the AAA’s mission.”
For the AAA, the work is both strategic and practical: governance must guide how AI-enabled tools are designed, reviewed, deployed, and used across the organization. Working closely with legal and technical teams, Reeves will help bridge legal, governance, and technical considerations across the AAA’s AI-enabled systems and tools while making governance more accessible and actionable for teams across the organization.
“Governance is not an after-the-fact exercise; it needs to be part of the design process from the beginning,” said Reeves. “The AAA already has a sophisticated AI governance framework in place, and I am excited to help advance that work by making governance even more practical, accessible, and integrated into how teams develop, evaluate, and use AI.”
Reeves joins the AAA with deep experience at the intersection of law, technology, innovation, and AI governance. Most recently, she served as Lead Innovation Counsel at Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, where she led generative AI and innovation initiatives, including AI tool evaluation, implementation, attorney training, governance frameworks, and technology adoption strategies. She previously held legal innovation, knowledge management, regulatory, compliance, and legislative roles at organizations including Crowell & Moring, Morgan Lewis, Meta, and the Texas House of Representatives.
Reeves was named a 2026 Legalweek Leaders in Tech Law Monica Bay Women of Legal Tech Award winner, recognizing her contributions to legal innovation.
This announcement follows the release of the AAA’s AI governance survey, “From Principles to Practice: A Benchmark Study in AI Governance,” which found that while most organizations have AI governance policies, few say they work in practice. The findings underscore the growing need for governance structures that are practical, accountable, audit-ready, and capable of supporting responsible AI adoption as use of the technology expands.
About the American Arbitration Association
The American Arbitration Association is the largest private provider of alternative dispute resolution (ADR) services in the world. Marking its centennial in 2026, the American Arbitration Association has transformed how legal issues are resolved for better since 1926, turning disputes worldwide into opportunities for understanding and progress. A not-for-profit organization, the American Arbitration Association’s mission is to deliver ADR services with integrity, transparency, and innovation. For more information, visit www.adr.org/.
SOURCE American Arbitration Association
