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More About Khyla D. Craine

Get to Know Khyla

For over 20 years, Attorney Khyla D. Craine has been a social justice advocate.  From 2012-2019, Khyla served as an attorney for the NAACP, the nation's largest and oldest grassroots civil rights organization. Prior to being on staff, volunteered with the NAACP on the local and national level, specifically focused youth programming and policies. Khyla's legal work has focused on voting rights/civic engagement, environmental justice, and corporate governance.  In 2019, Ms. Craine returned home to work for the Michigan Secretary of State leading the Department's efforts to expand the returning citizens program, operationalize efforts to increase Youth in Foster with obtaining IDs or Driver's Licenses, and the creation of the Road to Restoration project. 

The Ann Arbor, Michigan native is a graduate of Howard University School of Law and South Carolina State University. Ms. Craine served as the 2016-2017 Chair of the National Bar Association’s (NBA) Young Lawyers Division (YLD). Through her leadership, the YLD was named Division of the Year by the President of the NBA. In 2014, Ms Craine co-authored an article entitled Returning Citizens: How Shifting Law and Policy in Maryland Will Help Citizens Who Return from Incarceration in the University of Baltimore Law School’s Law Forum. She has also written op-eds and columns for The Root Magazine. A frequent speaker across the country, Ms. Craine has received numerous awards, including the 2022 South Carolina State University National Alumni Association's Trailblazer Award, 2021 Inaugural South Carolina State University Top 40 Under 40 Alumni Award,  2019 National Bar Association Equal Justice Awardee (one of the organization's highest awards); 2016 National Bar Association Top 40 under 40 Nation’s Best Advocates Award; 2016 Young Alumni of the Year, Washington, D.C. Chapter, South Carolina State National Alumni Association; 2015 NAACP Youth and College Division Director’s Award; and 2014 National Bar Association Young Lawyers Division Chair’s Award.

 

Her work in service to the community continues through membership in the National Bar Association; Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., where leads the Sorority's Census and Redistricting advocacy and outreach as a member on the National Social Action Commission; and the Junior League of Ann Arbor, Michigan.

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