Kailey Blazek Naranjo named to the Business Record 2026 Forty under 40 List

Dentons Immigration lawyer Kailey Blazek Naranjo was recently named as a Des Moines Business Record Forty under 40 honoree. The 40 business leaders are under the age of 40 and demonstrate impressive career achievements and unparalleled community involvement.

Career

Kailey is a shareholder at Dentons Davis Brown, where she collaborates with and leads a multidisciplinary team delivering immigration solutions for Fortune 500 companies, high-growth start-ups, colleges and universities, and research institutions and hospitals.

Working with business owners, executive teams, and HR professionals, Kailey helps translate complex immigration laws into clear, actionable pathways for hiring, relocating, and retaining high-impact employees across borders. In doing so, she manages legal risk, protects operational continuity, and helps organizations compete for scarce talent in critical sectors.

She serves as a strategic counselor in workforce planning, aligning immigration strategy with business timelines, headcount targets, and market expansion goals:

• Advising on workforce-ready immigration solutions
• Providing advice on international travel and policies affecting freedom of movement
• Securing visas and permanent residence for key hires
• Optimizing compliance across federal agencies
• Building scalable processes that reduce cycle times and costs

Dentons Davis Brown President and Immigration lawyer Lori Chesser said, "Having worked with numerous attorneys over my career, Kailey stands out for her intelligence, attitude, maturity, and judgment. She is already excelling as an immigration attorney and a contributing community member."

Community

Since 2021, Kailey has been involved in CultureALL, a nonprofit organization working to build more inclusive communities through education. During her executive tenure, CultureALL tripled the communities it worked with across Iowa and increased annual participation by more than 80%, including working with 75% more clients.

CultureALL founder, Sherry Gupta, said of Kailey, "This busy professional balances occupational excellence with a compassion that is rooted in reality. I marvel that she has the stamina to also guide our evolving business with forward-thinking strategic focus - with steady reliability."

For the last two years, Kailey has provided pro bono representation to a woman from Palestine, underscoring her commitment to humanitarian advocacy for individuals facing serious security threats and limited immigration options. Kailey sought to secure the pro bono client's short-term lawful entry to the US for humanitarian reasons, enabling the woman to reunite with her family and stabilize her situation amidst escalating regional risks. Ultimately, the application was successful.

Kailey is also involved in The Greater Des Moines Partnership's Attraction and Retention Council, an Iowa Association of Business and Industry Leadership Iowa alumna, Firm representative for Metro Women Connect, and last year was named a Technology Association of Iowa 2025 Catalyst Honoree, presenting "From Cornfields to Code: How Immigrants are Key to Fueling Iowa's Growing Tech Industry."

Kailey will be recognized on April 2, 2026, during the Des Moines Business Record's 2026 Forty under 40 event at the Prairie Meadows Conference Center in Altoona, Iowa. To see the complete 2026 Forty under 40 class or register to attend the event, visit the Des Moines Business Record website. 

About Dentons Davis Brown PC

Dentons Davis Brown is a full-service Iowa law firm providing uniquely global and deeply local legal solutions to help clients. Founded in 1929, the firm operates three offices in Iowa and is part of Dentons, the world's largest law firm with a presence in over 80 countries. Learn more at https://www.dentons.com/Iowa.