Elliott I. Portnoy ’86

Elliott I. Portnoy ’86 is global chief executive officer of Dentons, a law firm with 2,500 lawyers worldwide that serves clients in 52 countries. Dentons was created following the combination in 2013 of three premier law firms: Salans (a leading European law firm), Fraser Milner Casgrain (a leading Canadian law firm) and SNR Denton (an international law firm established in 2010 through the combination of Denton Wilde Sapte and Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal).

Portnoy graduated summa cum laude in 1986 from Syracuse University’s College of Arts and Sciences and was selected as SU’s first Rhodes Scholar. He received a Ph.D. degree in politics from Oxford University, and later a J.D. cum laude from Harvard Law School.

He has been active in supporting the College of Arts and Sciences, serving as a member of its board of visitors. He is also a member of Syracuse’s Washington Regional Council, and a recipient of a Chancellor’s Citation for Exceptional Academic Achievement and an Outstanding Young Alumni Award.

Portnoy is the founder of Kids Enjoy Exercise Now (KEEN), a nonprofit that provides sports opportunities to children with severe and profound disabilities in the U.S. and the U.K. With programs in Chicago, London, Los Angeles, New York, Oxford, Phoenix, San Francisco, St. Louis, and Washington, DC, KEEN has trained more than 30,000 volunteers to serve young people with disabilities.

For Syracuse University, Portnoy serves on the Board of Trustees Academic Affairs Committee. Portnoy lives outside Washington, DC, with his wife, Estee, and their three children.