Members of the Commission on Judicial Selection

Janine Kimble, Attorney Member
Janine Kimble is an assistant attorney general at the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office, where she manages a team of attorneys who defend state agencies and employees in employment and tort cases. Her division also defends the State of Minnesota in cases challenging the constitutionality of statutes. Kimble previously worked at Greene Espel, where she practiced civil litigation, and she was a judicial law clerk for the Honorable Alan C. Page of the Minnesota Supreme Court Justice. Prior to law school, she taught middle school math in Mississippi as a Teach For America corps member.

B.A. St. Olaf College, Northfield, MN
J.D. Stanford Law School, Stanford, CA

Dan McElroy, Non-Attorney Member
Dan McElroy retired in July 2018 after seven and a half years as president and CEO of Hospitality Minnesota, a coalition that includes the Minnesota Restaurant, Lodging, and Resort & Campground Associations. He was previously Minnesota’s Commissioner of Employment and Economic Development, Commissioner of Finance, and chief of staff to Governor Tim Pawlenty. McElroy is a former member of the Minnesota House of Representatives, mayor of Burnsville, and Burnsville City Council member. He spent 23 years running travel agencies and consulting companies. His community involvement includes serving as a member of the Burnsville Breakfast Rotary Club, the Board of Experience Burnsville, the Burnsville Chamber of Commerce, and the Citizens League of the Twin Cities.

B.A. University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN

David Metzen, Non-Attorney Member
David (Dave) Metzen is a motivational speaker and former director of the Minnesota Office of Higher Education. He also served as the superintendent of South St. Paul Public Schools, regent and chair of the University of Minnesota Board of Regents, and executive director of the Dodge Nature Center. Metzen was a captain of the University of Minnesota’s hockey team, and he is a member of the University of Minnesota Athletic Hall of Fame as well as a recipient of the University of Minnesota’s Lifetime Achievement Award.

B.A. University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, Minneapolis, MN
M.A. University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, Minneapolis, MN
Ed.D. University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, Minneapolis, MN

Second Judicial District Members
Ramsey County

Kenya Bodden, Attorney Member
Kenya Bodden is a partner at Thompson Coe LLP, a 70-plus-year-old national complex litigation law firm with more than 200 attorneys, where he focuses his litigation practice in the areas of casualty, transportation, insurance defense, and products liability. His community involvement includes serving as the 2022-2023 president of the Ramsey County Bar Association and secretary of the Minnesota State Bar Association Civil Litigation Section. He also serves on the board of the Children’s Hospital Association, a dedicated group of volunteers who raise funds to invest in innovative and integral health care programs at Children’s Minnesota.

B.A. University of Saint Thomas, Saint Paul, Minnesota
J.D. Mitchell Hamline School of Law, Saint Paul, Minnesota

Angela Brandt, Attorney Member
Angela Brandt is a partner and trial lawyer at Larson King in St. Paul, where she represents large companies in high exposure products liability, employment, and commercial cases. Her community involvement includes serving on the American Board of Trial Advocates and the board of the Federation of Defense and Corporate Counsel. She has also served as president of the National Association of Women Lawyers and the Ramsey County Bar Association. She has been recognized yearly as a Minnesota SuperLawyer and was named a 2017 Minnesota Attorney of the Year.

B.L.S. University of South Dakota, Vermillion, SD
J.D. Mitchell Hamline School of Law, St. Paul, MN

Deana Smith, Non-Attorney Member
Deana Smith is the director of the Domestic Abuse Service Center (DASC) for the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office, where she oversees a team of prosecutors, culturally specific advocates, and civil legal service attorneys who provide pro bono legal consultation and representation. She was previously a legal services specialist for homicide and domestic violence cases at the DASC. Smith is a member of the Constance Currie Scholarship Committee at the Paul and Sheila Wellstone Center, where she assists people in the community to further their post-secondary education. She previously served as a member of the Hennepin County Fatality Review Team and the Family Violence Coordinating Council. She is also a certified national trainer for Blueprint for Safety. Her community involvement has included coaching youth softball and volleyball at the West Side Boys and Girls Club.

B.A. Hamline University, St. Paul, MN

Julio Zelaya, Non-Attorney Member
Julio Zelaya is the director of advocacy at the American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota, where he focuses on civil liberties education, specifically as it relates to immigration enforcement and local policing. He is a recent graduate of the Policy Fellows program at the Humphrey School of Public Policy.

B.A. Gustavus Adolphus College, St. Peter, MN

Third Judicial District Members
Dodge, Fillmore, Freeborn, Houston, Mower, Olmsted, Rice, Steele, Wabasha, Waseca, and Winona Counties

Steve Baumgart, Non-Attorney member
Steve Baumgart is the mayor of Goodview, Minnesota and a retired sheriff’s deputy with the Winona County Sheriff’s Department. Baumgart was previously a death investigator with the Medical Examiner’s Office through the Mayo Clinic. He also served in the Air Force and worked at the Chicago Fire Department for more than ten years.

B.A. Winona State University, Winona, MN
M.A. St. Cloud State University, St. Cloud, MN

John Beatty, Attorney Member
John Beatty is a managing partner with Dunlap & Seeger, P.A., a general practice firm in Rochester, where his practice focuses on a range of business, real estate, intellectual property, and land use matters. His community involvement includes serving as a director of Rochester Area Economic Development, Inc. and the National Eagle Center. He also has served as an officer and board member for more than a dozen Southern Minnesota-based nonprofits, foundations, and community organizations.

B.A. Northwestern University, Evanston, IL
J.D. University of St. Thomas School of Law, Minneapolis, MN

Dr. Jeffery Boyd, Non-Attorney Member
Dr. Jeffery Boyd is the president of Rochester Community and Technical College, a member of Minnesota State, where he is responsible for leading the college in developing and implementing strategies to fulfill its mission. Dr. Boyd is a first-generation community college graduate, born and raised in a suburb of Chicago, Illinois. He began his public service career as a police officer before transitioning into education. He is a strong advocate of community and technical colleges, and has previously served as a minority student retention coordinator, student services administrator, academic dean, and campus provost for several community colleges. Dr. Boyd’s community involvement includes serving on the Appointing Committee for the City of Rochester Ethical Practices Board, the Police Civil Service Commission, and the Federal Medical Center Community Relations Board.

A.A. San Joaquin Delta College, Stockton, CA
B.A. Judson University, Elgin, IL
M.A. University of Phoenix, Phoenix, AZ
Ed.D. National Louis University, Chicago, IL

Robert Gilbertson, Attorney Member
Robert (Bob) Gilbertson is a trial lawyer and managing partner at Forsgren Fisher McCalmont DeMarea Tysver LLP, where he handles litigation and arbitration across the United States in cases involving intellectual property, commercial disputes, insurance, industrial catastrophes, and products liability. He has also represented refugees seeking asylum in the United States. Gilbertson has been recognized for many years in Best Lawyers in America, Minnesota Super Lawyers, and Chambers USA. Gilbertson’s community involvement includes serving as the president of the Board of Trustees of the Laura Baker Services Association, a Northfield non-profit that serves people with developmental disabilities. He has also twice served on teams that have won the Volunteer Award from the Advocates for Human Rights.

B.A. Carleton College, Northfield, MN
J.D. University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI

Fourth Judicial District Members
Hennepin County

Justin Perl, Attorney Member
Justin Perl is a litigation director at Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid, where he mentors attorneys in developing litigation skills, develops litigation training programs, assists in identification of issues in need of systemic change through litigation, and participates in individual and class action cases covering a broad range of issues, including housing, disability, wage theft, immigration, discrimination, family law, and consumer law. He previously worked at Maslon LLP for over 30 years, where he practiced complex business litigation. Perl has been designated a “Super Lawyer” by Minnesota Law and Politics in the Litigation, Legal Aid, and Pro Bono categories, has held an A-V Martindale-Hubbell rating since 1999, and was designated as a leading individual attorney in Minnesota by Chambers USA. He also received “Attorney of the Year” honors from Minnesota Lawyer in 2008, 2021, and 2022 for his role in a successful wage abuse class action case against Walmart, a housing discrimination case against a Minnesota landlord, and a disability rights class action case against the Minnesota Department of Human Services, respectively.

B.A. University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
J.D. University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan

Shawn Judge, Non-Attorney Member
Shawn Judge is the founder and president of the Speaker’s Edge, providing public speaking, voice and diction, accent reduction, and diversity-inclusion training. She started the Speaker’s Edge in 1999 to give business professionals communication training that went beyond preparing them for an isolated presentation or media interview. Judge is a certified qualified administrator of the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI), an assessment tool used to build intercultural competency for individuals and groups within organizations. She is also the founder of artists2artists, a mentorship program designed to support the next generation of Twin Cities-based actors. Judge’s community involvement includes serving on the board of the St. Paul Conservatory for Performing Artists. She has also served on the Lawyers Professional Responsibility Board, the board of the National Association of Women Business Owners-Minnesota chapter, and the Guthrie Theater’s Community Advisory Committee.

B.F.A. Purchase College, State University of New York, Purchase, NY

Melissa Stull, Attorney Member
Melissa Stull is a founding partner of Soule & Stull, where she focuses on commercial litigation and products liability defense, with significant experience representing manufacturers of agricultural, industrial, and environmental equipment. She has a national civil litigation practice and has tried cases in six states. Her community involvement includes serving on the Minnesota Federal Practice Committee and as the chair of the Minnesota State Bar Association Civil Litigation Section. She was named a 2019 Minnesota Lawyer Attorney of the Year.

B.A. Luther College, Decorah, IA
J.D. University of Iowa College of Law, Iowa City, IA

Noya Woodrich , Non-Attorney Member
Noya Woodrich is the Child and Family Health Division Director at the Minnesota Department of Health. She previously worked for the City of Minneapolis Health Department, the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe, and the Division of Indian Work. Woodrich is an Alaskan Native, a member of the Athabascan tribe located in central Alaska. She is passionate about maternal and child health and the reduction of health and social disparities, specifically in the American Indian community.

B.A. Augsburg College, Minneapolis, MN
M.A. Augsburg College, Minneapolis, MN

Fifth Judicial District Members
Blue Earth, Brown, Cottonwood, Faribault, Jackson, Lincoln, Lyon, Martin, Murray, Nicollet, Nobles, Pipestone, Redwood, Rock, and Watonwan Counties

Matthew Berger, Attorney Member
Matthew Berger is a partner with Gislason & Hunter LLP in New Ulm, where he practices administrative law, agricultural law, banking, civil litigation, business, and commercial law. He previously served as a judicial law clerk for the Honorable Paul Anderson, the Honorable G. Barry Anderson, and the Honorable Lorie Skjerven Gildea of the Minnesota Supreme Court.

B.A. University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN
J.D. University of St. Thomas School of Law, Minneapolis, MN

Dawn Campbell, Non-Attorney Member
Dawn Campbell is a paralegal at Blethen Berens, where she provides support in areas of real estate and family law. She was previously a licensed nursing home administrator in southwestern and south central Minnesota for almost two decades. Campbell’s community involvement includes serving as a board member on the VINE and Harry Meyering Center in Mankato. She is also active in her local neighborhood association and the Optimist Club of Minnesota Valley.

B.A. Concordia College, Moorhead, MN

Nevin Doran Hunter, Non-Attorney Member
Nevin Hunter is an emeritus professor of political science at Minnesota State University-Mankato. He previously served as an associate director of government affairs training in the U.S. Civil Service Commission, a project director at the Minnesota Justice System Improvement Study, an executive director of executive development and leadership training in the U.S. Veterans Administration, and a co-chair of the Minnesota Commission on the Bicentennial of the U.S. Constitution. Hunter has received many grants including a Senior Fulbright Specialist Program grant and was hosted as a visiting professor by the International Islamic University of Malaysia.

B.S. Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah
Ph.D. University of Washington, Seattle, Washington

Lynn Johnson, Attorney Member
Lynn Johnson is the owner and attorney at the Lynn Johnson Law Office, where she practices in business law, probate and estate planning, and real estate. She previously served as an assistant public defender for the Fifth Judicial District Public Defender’s Office. Johnson is a past president and vice president of the 13th District Bar Association and a former member of the Murray County Medical Center Board. She has also served as the president of the Chamber of Commerce and a board member for the Murray County Developmental Achievement Center and the Lake Shetek Regional Clinic.

B.S. Southwest State University, Marshall, MN
J.D. William Mitchell College of Law, St. Paul, MN

Sixth Judicial District Members
Carlton, Cook, Lake, and St. Louis Counties

Eric Beyer, Attorney Member
Eric Beyer is a partner at the law firm of SiebenCarey and manages the firm’s Duluth office, where his practice focuses on personal injury litigation. He was previously an attorney at Falsani Balmer. Beyer’s community involvement includes serving as a member and investigator for the 11th District Bar Association Ethics Committee, a member of the Legal Aid Service of Northeastern Minnesota, and a volunteer with several other community-based organizations.

B.A. University of Minnesota-Duluth, Duluth, MN
J.D. William Mitchell College of Law, St. Paul, MN

James Boyd, Non-Attorney Member
James Boyd is a retired executive director of the Cook County Chamber of Commerce, Grand Marais. He previously was a deputy editorial page editor for the Star Tribune and is a veteran of the U.S Army.

B.S. Oregon College of Education, Monmouth, OR
M.J. University of Missouri, Columbia, MO
Nieman Fellow in Journalism, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA

Daryl Fuchihara, Attorney Member
Daryl Fuchihara is a partner at Johnson, Killen & Seiler in Duluth, where he represents clients in civil litigation matters. He previously practiced at an insurance defense firm in Duluth and at a general practice firm in Thunder Bay, Ontario. Fuchihara’s community involvement includes serving as a member and past president of the 11th District Bar Association, as a representative on the Minnesota State Bar Association Assembly, and as a volunteer attorney through Justice North Civil Legal Aid.

B.A. The College of St. Scholastica, Duluth, MN
J.D. William Mitchell College of Law, St. Paul, MN

Dr. Timothy Myles, Non-Attorney Member
Dr. Timothy Myles is a master’s level social worker with child protective services and a crisis negotiator with the St. Louis County Emergency Response Team (ERT), where he counsels juveniles and adults in correctional facilities. He is also a psychotherapist at Insight Counseling in Duluth. His community involvement includes serving as a coach of the Lakes Collaborative Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) and a co-chair of the St. Louis County BIPOC Leadership Team. Previously, Dr. Myles was a school board member of Independent School District No. 698 and member of the Sixth Judicial District Mental Health Court Team. He is passionate about traumatology and treating people exposed to highly stressful and traumatic events, such as terrorist bombings, war disasters, fires, accidents, criminal and familial abuse, hostage-taking, hospitalization, major illness, abandonment, and disaster victims and their families.

B.A. Ashford University, Clinton, IA
M.A. Ashford University, Clinton, IA
Ph.D. Liberty University, Lynchburg, VA

Seventh Judicial District Members
Becker, Benton, Clay, Douglas, Mille Lacs, Morrison, Otter Tail, Stearns, Todd, and Wadena Counties

Ann Cofell, Attorney Member
Ann Cofell is a deputy director of Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid and has held that position for more than 30 years. She supervises two offices that cover primarily rural service areas across Central Minnesota, from the borders of South Dakota to Wisconsin. These offices, based in St. Cloud and Willmar, provide civil legal help to low-income people on issues related to basic needs. Her community involvement has included serving on non-profit boards, including the Central Minnesota Mental Health Center, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, and Anna Marie's Alliance.

B.A. College of St. Benedict, St. Joseph, MN
J.D. Cleveland Marshall College of Law, Cleveland, OH

Sucharita Mukherjee, Non-Attorney Member
Sucharita Mukherjee is a professor of economics at the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University, where she teaches in the departments of Economics, Gender Studies, and Asian Studies. Her research in the areas of gender and economic development related to labor markets in Asia and the United States has been published in peer reviewed journals and book chapters. Her academic work and professional engagement focus on issues of gender justice and equity.

B.S. Saint Xavier’s College, Kolkata, India
M.S. University of Calcutta, Kolkata, India.
Ph.D. University of California, Riverside, CA.

Kendra Olson, Attorney Member
Kendra Olson is a partner at Pemberton Law, where she practices in the areas of personal injury, construction defect, employment claims, and general litigation. She was previously a classroom teacher for middle and high school students. Her community involvement includes serving on the board of the Fergus Falls Center for the Arts and two terms as board president at the Fergus Falls YMCA.

B.A. St. Olaf College, Northfield, MN
J.D. University of North Dakota School of Law, Grand Forks, ND

Melvin Whitney Jr., Non-Attorney Member
Melvin Whitney Jr. is the director of advancement and development at M State Community and Technical College, where he oversees fundraising for the three campuses of Detroit Lakes, Moorhead, and Wadena. He previously served as the head football coach at Oak Grove Lutheran High School and the president of the Fargo-West Rotary.

A.A. Northland Community and Technical College, Thief River Falls, MN
B.A. North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND.

Eighth Judicial District Members
Big Stone, Chippewa, Grant, Kandiyohi, Lac qui Parle, Meeker, Pope, Renville, Stevens, Swift, Traverse, Wilkin, and Yellow Medicine Counties

Brianna Zuber Beckwith, Attorney Member
Brianna Zuber Beckwith is an attorney at Zuber Law, where she provides legal representation in many areas of law including estate planning/probate, real estate, business, immigration, and family. She previously volunteered full-time at the Kovler Center for Survivors of Torture in Chicago, working with refugees and asylees. Her community involvement includes providing pro bono representation through the Volunteer Lawyers Network and Legal Services of Northwest Minnesota. Beckwith is a member and foundation chair for the Glenwood Rotary Club.

B.A. College of St. Benedict, St. Joseph, MN
J.D. University of St. Thomas School of Law, Minneapolis, MN

Sarah Klaassen, Attorney Member
Sarah Klaassen is a member of the Anderson Larson firm in Willmar, where she practices family, civil, personal Injury, and workers’ compensation law. She previously was a judicial law clerk for the Honorable Michael J. Thompson of the Eighth Judicial District. Klaassen is a member of the 12th District Bar Association, the Minnesota State Bar Association, and the Willmar Area Community Foundation. She is also the 2010 recipient of Central Minnesota Legal Service’s Volunteer Attorney Award.

B.A. Hamline University, St. Paul, MN
J.D. William Mitchell College of Law, St. Paul, MN

Timothy Lindberg, Non-Attorney Member
Timothy Lindberg is an assistant professor at the University of Minnesota, Morris. His community involvement includes serving as the president of the Friends of Morris Public Library and as a member of the 16th District Bar Association Ethics Committee. Lindberg is also a member of the Midwest Political Science Association and the Southern Political Science Association.

B.A. University of Minnesota – Morris, Morris, MN
M.A. University at Albany, The State University of New York, Albany, NY
Ph.D. University at Albany, The State University of New York, Albany, NY

Timothy Ostby, Non-Attorney Member
Timothy Ostby is a retired court administrator for the Minnesota Judicial Branch, where he served in various positions in the Fifth, Seventh, and Eighth Judicial Districts. His community involvement has included serving as a member of the Minnesota Judicial Council and chairing and serving on several statewide and judicial district committees and workgroups. He is involved in church activities and several local and regional performing arts organizations.

B.S. Moorhead State University, Moorhead MN

Ninth Judicial District Members
Aitkin, Beltrami, Cass, Clearwater, Crow Wing, Hubbard, Itasca, Kittson, Koochiching, Lake of the Woods, Mahnomen, Marshall, Norman, Pennington, Polk, Red Lake, and Roseau Counties

Caleb Dogeagle, Attorney Member
Caleb Dogeagle is the solicitor general for the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe, which is headquartered near Onamia, and a special assistant United States attorney. He is an enrolled member with the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe. Dogeagle previously served as legal counsel to the Three Affiliated Tribes of Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara. His community involvement includes serving on the boards of the Rural Renewable Energy Alliance and the Native Governance Center.

B.A. Montana State University, Bozeman, MT
L.L.M University of Arizona College of Law, Tucson, AZ
J.D. University of Arizona College of Law, Tucson, AZ

Jeffrey Hane, Attorney Member
Jeff Hane is a partner at Brink Lawyers PA in Hallock, Minnesota and a part time assistant county attorney for the Kittison County Attorney’s Office, where he has worked since 1993. In these positions, he handles a wide variety of civil and criminal matters, including litigation, probate, and estate planning. His community involvement has included serving on the Minnesota Board on Aging, the board of Legal Services of Northwest Minnesota, the board of the Kittson County Salvation Army, and the Hallock Community Development Fund.

B.A., Bemidji State University, Bemidji, MN
M.A., Southern California College, Costa Mesa, CA
J.D., University of North Dakota School of Law, Grand Forks, ND
LLM, Stetson University College of Law, Gulfport, FL

Chairman Faron Jackson Sr., Non-Attorney Member
Chairman Jackson is the Chairman of the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe. Chairman Jackson has served the Band in numerous roles over the years, including as vice president of the Minnesota Chippewa Tribal Executive Committee, and also worked at Xcel Energy for 31 years and Honeywell for 7 years.  Chairman Jackson is focused on youth programming, Tribal enrollment, treaty rights, equal and fair justice, Anishinabe culture and language, economic development, and family-friendly policies.  Chairman Jackson’s community involvement includes serving on the Governor’s Council on an Age-Friendly Minnesota, the Northern Pines Mental Health Board, the Beltrami County Jail Steering Committee, and as secretary for the Minnesota State Boy's and Girl's Club.  He is particularly proud of his family life, having been married for over 45 years, with 5 children, 5 adopted children, 25 grandchildren, 6 great grandchildren, and having been a foster parent for over 30 years.

Laurie York, Non-Attorney Member
Laurie York is the executive director of White Earth Nation. She advocates for Native families as the co-chair of the Indian Child Welfare Advisory Council and assists with cedar healing ceremonies, feasts, and other ceremonies in the White Earth community. York previously served as the director of the White Earth Indian Child Welfare program and as a child protection social worker. She was a 2018 honorable nominee for the Child Welfare Exemplary Service Award through the University of Minnesota’s School of Social Work’s Center for Advanced Studies in Child Welfare. Her community involvement includes serving on the ICWA Subcommittee of the Criminal Justice Institute. She has served on the Minnesota Supreme Court Advisory Committee on the Rules of Juvenile Protection, Adoption, and Guardian Ad Litem Procedure.

A.A. Rainy River Community College, International Falls, MN
B.S. Bemidji State University, Bemidji, MN
B.A. Bemidji State University, Bemidji, MN

Tenth Judicial District Members
Anoka, Chisago, Isanti, Kanabec, Pine, Sherburne, Washington, and Wright Counties

Virginia Murphrey, Attorney Member
Virginia Murphrey is the chief public defender of the Tenth Judicial District Public Defender’s Office, where she oversees the operations and personnel of the four public defender offices in the district. Her community involvement includes serving on the Tenth Judicial District Equal Justice Committee and co-chairing the Mental Health and Criminal Law Committee of the American Bar Association.

B.A. University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
J.D. Cumberland School of Law, Samford University 

Sharon Van Leer, Non-Attorney Member
Sharon Van Leer is the senior director of diversity, equity, and inclusion at Mitchell Hamline School of Law, where she works in partnership with administration, faculty, staff, and students to create an environment where individuals feel comfortable and safe to express themselves, regardless of their race, ethnicity, gender, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, or cultural identity. She previously worked at William Mitchell College of Law as an administrative assistant for faculty and the moot court coordinator, and was the assistant director of multicultural affairs. Her community involvement includes service as the chair of the South Washington County School Board District 833, on the boards of the Woodbury Racial Equity Steering Committee and the Community Action Education Foundation, and on the District 833 Equity and Integration Committee.

A.A. Century College, White Bear Lake, MN
B.A. Metro State University, St. Paul, MN
M.A. Bethel University, Shoreview, MN

Beth LaCanne, Attorney Member
Beth LaCanne is a litigation attorney at Bassford Remele, where she represents clients in an array of matters with a focus on employment, professional liability, and general liability matters. She previously was a judicial law clerk for the Honorable Diane Bratvold of the Fourth Judicial District and a litigation attorney for two insurance defense firms. Prior to law school, she was a paralegal for nearly fifteen years working for the Tenth Judicial District Public Defender’s Office, a personal injury firm, and the Mayo Clinic’s Legal Department. LaCanne’s community involvement includes serving on the Hennepin County Bar Foundation board and Bassford Remele’s Diversity Equity Inclusion team. She is also a pro bono attorney for the Tubman Center’s Safety Project.

B.A. Winona State University, Winona, MN
J.D. Hamline University School of Law, St. Paul, MN

Terry Thomas Jr., Non-Attorney Member
Terry Thomas Jr. is the director of community corrections for Washington County, where he is responsible for pretrial services, community supervision of probation and parolees, and the Sentence To Service (STS) program. He was previously the project manager for Washington County’s Dosage Probation Supervision model. He has been an employee of Washington County Community Corrections for twenty-four years. Thomas’s community involvement includes serving on the board of the United Way of Washington County East, where he chairs the Community Investment Committee.

B.S. Bemidji State University, Bemidji, MN
M.S. Minnesota State University, Mankato, MN