Kendra Piercy

Kendra Piercy serves as a Senior Government Relations Director with Point of Difference Strategies. With a decade of legal and legislative experience, Kendra brings strategic insight and deep policy expertise to these roles. Most recently, Kendra served as Chief Counsel to the Speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives, as well as the House Parliamentarian and the Ethics Officer for the House Democratic Caucus. As Chief Counsel, Kendra was the key drafter and negotiator for the House Democratic Caucus on many major pieces of legislation including the Illinois’ Paid Leave for All Workers Act, the Student-Athlete Endorsement Rights Act, the Economic Access, Equity and Opportunity pillar of the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus, reproductive and gender-affirming health care legislation, cannabis legislation, and election law legislation. Kendra also served as the lead counsel in the House on labor and employment law initiatives, including legislation to eliminate pandemic-induced unemployment insurance Trust Fund debt and workers’ compensation legislation.

In addition to her legislative duties, Kendra also negotiated, drafted, and reviewed contracts on behalf of the Office of the Speaker, managed compliance and responses to Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests, and developed and implemented personnel policies and procedures. Further, in collaboration with outside counsel, Kendra managed and advised on litigation filed against the Speaker. As Ethics Officer, Kendra ensured compliance with all Illinois ethics laws for House Democratic members and staff. In her role as House Parliamentarian, Kendra crafted and enforced the House rules of procedure.

Prior to joining the Office of the Speaker, Kendra began her career as a tax attorney at Ernst & Young (EY) LLP. At EY, Kendra served in multiple roles: as a policy advisor in EY’s government affairs practice in Washington, D.C., and as an international tax attorney for multinational financial services clients in Chicago. During her time in D.C., Kendra represented clients on tax policy before Congress. She managed tax research projects and delivered presentations to clients and practice groups with a focus on the implications of tax reforms in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017. Kendra holds a Juris Doctor with a Tax Certificate from Loyola University Chicago, as well as a B.A. in Political Science and B.A. in Psychology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.