MRS. ARIZONA  2021

K ROYAL

As a former RN, K went to law school in her 30s and quickly moved into healthcare law and technology. She is now an award-winning attorney who works with companies around the world in the area of privacy and data protection. Originally from Mississippi and the first in her family to get a bachelor’s degree, K moved to Arizona just before law school in 2000 with her two daughters as a single mom. She met and married her husband Tim in Arizona and they now have four grandchildren. 

K is an Ambassador for the Lupus Foundation of America, because she and both her children have Lupus along with other chronic diseases. She’s had Lupus since she was at least 9 years old, so overcoming barriers is an everyday challenge for K - poverty, abuse, discrimination (as a woman and part Choctaw in the South), domestic violence, disabilities, and depression. She has now adopted the Lupus motto “Live out Loud” and applied it to all areas of life. Live out Loud means to be uniquely and unapologetically yourself. Discover who you are and be proud. Find a dream and go for it. With this, she is a popular speaker and mentor for youth, women, and first-generation professionals. As USOA Mrs. Arizona, K plans to use her time to advance her platform to #LiveOutLoud, encouraging others to be confident in themselves and to strive for success. 

As a female attorney in the tech industry, K initiated a program for women in house attorneys that is now a Global Women in Law and Leadership annual summit by the Association of Corporate Counsel’s Foundation held at the United Nations in New York.  She has received numerous honors for her leadership in both technology and diversity/inclusivity, including being named a Forty-under-40, Outstanding Woman in Business, and Member of the Year for the Association of Corporate Counsel (out of 43k members globally). In addition to her law degree, K is in the dissertation phase of her PhD and annually volunteers about 1500 hours a year serving on the boards of several non-profits, providing pro bono services, and working with various local efforts.