VOTERS MATTER!

Kenda has always had an interest in public service.  After she graduated from the University of Michigan in 1982, she moved to Chicago. While living in Chicago, she served as a committee organizer for several years. When Governor Matt Blunt was in office, at his request, she served on his securities advisory board.  As a young lawyer, she also served on various non-profit boards of directors including the Neighborhood Housing Services and Alphapointe School for the Blind.   In Kansas City, she has continued to serve the community in various capacities including servicing as the Fine Arts Booster President at Sion during her daughter’s Junior year and through her church community. 

Kenda has established herself as a leading authority in corporate finance and structured finance transactions, earning recognition for her expertise and innovative approach to complex legal matters. As a senior partner leading the structured finance practice since 2008, she has played a pivotal role in advising clients, structuring deals, reviewing offering materials and definitive agreements, supervising teams, and escalating significant issues for resolution. 

Prior to her retirement, she is responsible for collaborating with colleagues to determine optimal approaches to addressing challenges, advising clients on transaction structure, developments and risks, and negotiating with counterparties to balance demands against client risk tolerance. She is also known for finding alternative solutions that protect her clients’ interests while facilitating successful outcomes.

Kenda’s tenure is marked by her leadership as attorney, partner and chair of the structured finance practice group. Kenda’s practice involves complex tax and securities law questions and disclosure. She has guided clients through multi-billion-dollar transactions and represented clients across diverse industries. She was at the forefront of negotiating the oversight structure and adjustments needed to address investor concerns in connection with new issuance asset backed securitization deals following the Great Recession.  Kenda has continued to develop and grow the firm’s involvement in this industry not only in the new issuance world (expanding past CMBS to SFR and Whole Business asset backed deals), but also on the creditor’s right side representing lenders and special servicers in commercial loan workouts, liquidations and foreclosures.  

Beyond her firm, Kenda’s professional influence includes active participation in industry organizations. In 2018 she spoke at the American College of Real Estate Lawyers annual meeting regarding CMBS new issuance transactions and in 2019 was invited to join the College. She served as secretary of the Capital Markets team in 2021, Vice President of Capital Markets in 2022, and on the program committee in 2023. Kenda has been an active member of the CRE Finance for years and served as the co-chair of the Special Servicer Transfer Task Force in 2014 and as the chair of the Rating Agency Task Force in 2013. Additionally, she is a member of the Mortgage Bankers Association and served as a contributor at the Distressed Debt Summit in 2012. Notably, Kenda was named in 2019 by Ingram’s Business Magazine as one of the Most Influential and Accomplished Women Lawyers in the Greater Kanas City Area.

Kenda’s academic foundation includes a Juris Doctor from Chicago-Kent College of Law in Chicago, Illinois, and a bachelor’s degree in general studies with a focus in accounting from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan. 

Among her most notable achievements is her dedication to mentoring young attorneys, fostering their professional growth and ensuring the continued excellence of the legal profession.

Voters matter! As Kansas Citians, we deserve leadership that reflects our values, from the grassroots to public companies. We need to change the atmosphere in Kansas City.  The people we have running this city and who say they want to run this city do not currently reflect the values of the voters.