Nikia L. Gray has been appointed as the next executive director of the National Association for Law Placement (NALP), succeeding James Leipold, who is set to retire next month after serving in that role for 18 years.

“Jim leaves NALP in a strong position on every front,” Traci Mundy Jenkins, immediate past president of NALP’s Board of Directors, said in a statement announcing Leipold’s retirement. “During his tenure, NALP’s importance and influence in the legal industry have grown.”