John D. Kemp

Principal

John D. Kemp, a principal in the firm, has a federal law and legislative practice in the areas of disability, rehabilitation, health care, and nonprofit organizations. Mr. Kemp graduated from Georgetown University in 1971 and from Washburn University School of Law in 1974. Mr. Kemp was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Law from Washburn University School of Law in May 2003.

In 2006, Mr. Kemp received the Henry B. Betts Award, the most prestigious award within the national disability community which honors an individual whose work and scope of influence have significantly improved the quality of life for people with disabilities.  In 2003, Mr. Kemp received a special New Freedom Initiative award from the US Department of Health and Human Services in recognition of his "ongoing commitment and strong leadership in improving the quality of life for persons with disabilities."  

Mr. Kemp has served as Chief Executive Officer of United Cerebral Palsy Associations, VSA Arts and Half the Planet Foundation, and serves in that capacity for Disability Service Providers of America, a lobbying trade association. He has served as General Counsel and Vice President - Development for the National Easter Seal Society and managed a law firm that advised companies on state and federal civil rights, employment and education laws and policies regarding persons with disabilities. Kemp & Young, Inc. developed management training programs, offered consulting services, and edited and published Disability & Employment Reporter, a monthly legal and legislative newsletter for employers.

Mr. Kemp currently serves as a member of the nonprofit Boards of Directors for several organizations, including: the United States International Council on Disabilities; the National Rehabilitation Hospital of Washington, DC; and CAST of Wakefield, MA. Mr. Kemp served as a presidential appointee to the National Council on Disability for six years ending in early 2002. He has been a member of the Board of Directors of The Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF), serving as its Chairman for three years; Independent Sector, serving nine years and as its Vice Chairman; the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA); the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago; and the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD), of which he is a co-founder.  Mr. Kemp is an advisory board member of Aequus Technologies, LLC, a for-profit corporation producing disability technology solutions.

Mr. Kemp has personal experience with disability. Having been born without arms below the elbows and legs below the knees, Kemp uses four prostheses in living an independent, productive life. In 1997, he was recognized as Washburn University Law School's Distinguished Alumni Fellow, and in 1991 was inducted into the Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans, an honor extended to singularly accomplished individuals in recognition of their achievements in the face of extraordinary challenges. A frequently requested Keynote Speaker and humorist, Kemp delivers 20-30 major addresses annually before conferences, conventions and annual meetings. He is admitted to practice in Kansas and the District of Columbia.

In March 2004, Mr. Kemp’s co-authored and co-edited book, Reflections From A Different Journey, was published by McGraw-Hill and is available in bookstores nationwide and online at Disabilities Books, Amazon and Barnes & Noble. With the Foreword by Marlee Matlin and essays from writers who were raised from birth or early childhood with their disabilities, Reflections is advice that people with disabilities want all parents to have about parenting.

Powers Pyles Sutter & Verville is a Washington, DC-based law firm that focuses on health care, education and the law of tax-exempt organizations. 

Honors & Distinctions

• Henry B. Betts Award, 2006
• New Freedom Initiative, 2003
• Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans

News & Publications

• PPSV's John D. Kemp Recognized by Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao for Contributions toward Employment of People with Disabilities
• US Business Leadership Network Taps John Kemp
• Powers Pyles Sutter & Verville – 2006 Honors
• John D. Kemp Receives Prestigious 2006 Henry Betts Award
• Refueling Assistance for Drivers with Disabilities
• Reflections From A Different Journey, McGraw-Hill, 2004