Keta Cowan is an attorney, human rights advocate, and is in her fifteenth year as chief executive officer of Synod Community Services, a nonprofit agency that assists marginalized communities in overcoming barriers to full community participation and inclusion. Cowan organized and chairs the Washtenaw ID Task Force that successfully campaigned to institute the Washtenaw County photo ID card – an ID that enables all county residents, including members of the undocumented community, to access necessary goods and services.

Cowan has dedicated her career to the pursuit of social justice, beginning while an undergraduate at Harvard where she studied theories of justice with Philosopher John Rawls. A graduate of the University of Michigan Law School, Cowan focused her practice on issues of discrimination, harassment, and fair labor practices. She currently serves as vice-chair of the Ann Arbor Human Rights Commission.