Kris D. Meade

Kris has decades of experience as a trusted advisor to leading multinational corporations and is a highly regarded labor and employment thought leader. With equal facility, he collaborates with senior executives, regulators, employee representatives, labor economists, and industrial and organizational psychologists to help businesses develop, implement and manage forward-thinking, proactive employment policies and initiatives.

Kris recognizes that every organization must address multiple audiences simultaneously: employees, subcontractors and other internal team members, as well as shareholders, regulators, community groups and related external stakeholders. As an advisor who recognizes the importance of listening, Kris synthesizes complex information and multiple points of view to develop and deliver guidance aimed at building consensus and achieving practical results.

Among other issues, Kris counsels clients on racial equity and civil rights audits, as well as assessments of DE&I programs following the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in the Harvard/UNC cases; gender‐, race‐ and age‐based claims of systemic discrimination; environmental, social, and governance (ESG) initiatives; human capital reporting requirements; the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and predictive analytics tools in hiring, training, promotion, and other employment processes; privacy standards and frameworks; and legislative advocacy and policy development.

Based in Washington, D.C., Kris has developed highly effective relationships with federal and state regulators across the country. Believing that action must be based on information, Kris has authored hundreds of articles, client alerts, and blog posts and speaks frequently before industry and legal groups on labor and employment regulation, compliance, litigation and strategy.

Kris serves as co-chair of Crowell’s Regulatory and Policy Department and co-chair of the Labor & Employment Group.