Zenna Faraj Elhasan is Vice President and General Counsel at The Kresge Foundation, and serves as Secretary for the Foundation’s Board of Trustees. She leads the foundation’s legal affairs, advises on governance and enterprise risk matters, supports the development and implementation of organizational policies and practices, and manages relationships with outside counsel. Since joining Kresge in 2018, she has been a trusted advisor to Foundation Leadership and the Board, helping advance the Organization’s mission through strategic legal counsel and sound governance.  

Prior to joining Kresge, Zenna served as corporation counsel for Wayne County, Michigan, where she oversaw the county’s legal affairs and led work involving complex commercial litigation, federal civil rights compliance, labor and employment law and real estate and tax matters. She also played a key leadership role in several transformative county initiatives, including the Wayne County jail project, implementation of the county’s Consent Agreement with the State of Michigan and transfers of the county sewer system assets. 

Earlier in her career, Zenna served as a judicial magistrate and director of probation for the 20th District Court in Dearborn Heights, Michigan, and was a partner at Allen Brothers, Attorneys and Counselors, PLLC, where she also served as assistant city attorney for the city of Hamtramck. She began her legal career with the Michigan Department of Attorney General and served as a judicial intern to Michigan Supreme Chief Justice Robert Young. 

Zenna earned a bachelor’s degree in biology from University of Michigan-Dearborn, and a Juris Doctor from the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law. She also completed the Young American Leaders Program at Harvard Business School. 

Her professional achievements have been recognized by Crain’s Detroit Business, which named her a Notable Women Lawyer and later recognized her among its Notable Corporate Counsel.  DBusiness magazine also honored her as Top Corporate Counsel, and in 2026, she received the Geraldine Bledsoe Ford Award from The Women Lawyers Association of Michigan. In 2020, Governor Gretchen Whitmer appointed Zenna to the Michigan Civil Rights Commission, where she continues to serve. She is also active in numerous professional and civic organizations, including the State Bar of Michigan, the Detroit Bar Association Foundation, and the Michigan Muslim Bar Association.