Wonder Woman in Business, Joy Lyu Monahan, Esq.

Susan Freeman

November 10, 2020

Diversity & Inclusion, Lawyer, Legal, Wellness, Women Leaders

Joy Monahan.jpg — Joy Lyu Monahan, Esq.

AbbVie

Joy Lyu Monahan joined AbbVie in June 2020 as Associate Director, Legal Diversity and Outside Counsel Programs.

With her professional background in government, law firms, and nonprofits, Joy provides a unique combination of experience in philanthropy, private business, nonprofits, government, finance, law and other fields to this newly-created position.

Joy has been a frequent volunteer speaker on diversity and inclusion on organized industry panels and in informal settings and published author of several articles regarding this subject since she entered the legal profession in 1997.

In April 2019, Louisiana State University appointed Joy to serve on its National Diversity Advisory Board with 24 national industry leaders to advise the President’s office and to advocate and foster diversity and inclusion throughout the LSU system.

Joy recently served as General Counsel and Director of Special Project for World Business Chicago, the public-private economic development arm for the city of Chicago for almost six years. Initially recruited to lead the formation of its Metro Chicago Exports initiative in July 2014, Joy remained at WBC in multiple roles to fundraise, raise awareness, and develop strategic initiatives and external partnerships to drive inclusive economic growth and job creation under WBC’s chairman, the Mayor of the City of Chicago.

Prior to joining WBC, Joy spent eight years in Chicago practicing law with Edwards Wildman Palmer and Kirkland and Ellis LLP. Joy and her family moved to Chicago in 2006, after Hurricane Katrina struck their home in New Orleans, Louisiana, where she first started her legal career as a judicial law clerk.

As an attorney, Joy has over two decades of experience counseling national and international clients in a wide variety of litigation, corporate restructuring and insolvency matters, and global and cross-border corporate transactions. Prior to her legal career, Joy served in various roles in the U.S. Department of Justice, the U.S. Senate and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Joy earned her J.D. from the Paul M. Hebert Law Center at Louisiana State University, her Master’s in Public Policy from Georgetown University, and her B.A. from Georgetown University. Joy also attended the London School of Economics and earned a General Course Certificate in International Politics and Economics.