Treasurer: Nia Ballard, Esq.

Nia Imon Ballard is an Appellate Attorney for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Office of General Counsel (VA OGC). Within this role, Nia is the lead counsel for the Secretary of VA on approximately seventy cases before the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims. She is responsible for all aspects of litigation before the Court including: records disputes, court mediated settlement conferences with court staff attorneys and appellant’s counsels, briefing, negotiating and drafting joint motions, with appellants’ counsel, to remand final VA decisions back to the Agency for correction, compiling and filing records of proceedings, negotiating the reasonableness of Equal Access to Justice Act Applications for Attorney’s Fees, and collaborating with Agency stakeholders to ensure the consistent analysis and application of Agency policies and objectives. When ordered by the Court, she is also required to present oral argument.

In additional to public service, Nia is an active member of her community. She regularly takes on pro bono cases in the District, was selected to be on the VA OGC Pro Bono Committee, and serves through her sorority, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated. She is an active member of the Federal City Alumnae Chapter.

Prior to assuming her role as Treasurer for the 2021-22 bar year, Nia served as YLD’s Secretary during the 2020-21 bar year. Because of her commitment to the bar, she was awarded The Ronald C. Jessamy Professionalism Award for the 2020-21 bar year.

Nia holds a Bachelor of Arts in English with a minor in Political Science from Prairie View A&M University (Prairie View, TX) and a Juris Doctor from Indiana University Maurer School of Law. She is admitted to practice in Texas, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims. She is originally from a small town in northeastern Oklahoma.