V. Mary Abraham is Academic Director of the Master of Science in Information and Knowledge Strategy (IKNS) program at Columbia University’s School of Professional Studies. She teaches collaboration, facilitation, information and knowledge in the 21st-century economy, networks and social capital, innovation, and knowledge sharing.

A knowledge management practitioner and thought leader, she has also built an international consulting practice facilitating collaboration, strategic conversations, and interactive educational sessions for a variety of for-profit and nonprofit organizations.

Active in the legal industry since 1991, she practiced corporate law at Debevoise & Plimpton LLP and helped lead its knowledge management efforts. In 2013, she co-founded Broadli Inc., a digital startup that created Broadli, the generosity app.

Her report, Optimizing Law Firm Support Functions (Ark Group, June 2014), provides guidance to law firm executives on how to transform administrative staff from cost centers to strategic partners of the firm. She also contributed a chapter to Smarter Innovation: Using Interactive Processes to Drive Better Business Results (Ark Group, June 2014) and a chapter to The Talent Management Toolkit for Law Firms (Ark Group, August 2016).

Ms. Abraham is a frequent speaker and writer on knowledge management, innovation, collaboration, and technology issues. Her blog, AboveandBeyondKM.com, continues to win commendations and readers in the legal community and other industries. She also contributes to Thomson Reuters’ Practice Innovations column.