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Commission members

Members of the Minnesota Commission on Judicial Selection are listed below.

Chair Lee Sheehy

Mr. Sheehy is currently the Director of the Region and Communities Program at the McKnight Foundation, a Minnesota-based family foundation. Throughout his distinguished career, Mr. Sheehy has served as Chief Deputy to Minnesota Attorney General Humphrey, Regional Administrator of the Metropolitan Council, Director of the City of Minneapolis Department of Community Planning and Economic Development, and Chief of Staff to Senator Amy Klobuchar.

Education:
B.A. Harvard University, Cambridge, MA
J.D. University of Minnesota Law School, Minneapolis, MN

Jerry Blackwell, At-Large Member

Mr. Blackwell is the founding partner, CEO, and Chairman of Blackwell Burke PA, where he serves as national and trial counsel for several major corporations. He is a founder of the Minnesota Association of Black Lawyers, and has been named a Minnesota Litigation Star, a BTI Client Service MVP, and a BTI Client Service All-Star. Mr. Blackwell was the 2014 recipient of the National Bar Association's Cora T. Walker Award for leadership, and his firm was named the 2014 "Business of the Year" by the Minnesota Black Chamber of Commerce.

Education:
B.S. University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC
J.D. University of North Carolina School of Law, Chapel Hill, NC

Jesse Bethke Gomez, At-Large Member

Jesse Bethke Gomez is Executive Director for Metropolitan Center for Independent Living, a metro-based non-profit organization founded in 1981 and dedicated to the full promotion of the Independent Living (IL) philosophy by supporting individuals with disabilities in their personal efforts to pursue self-directed lives. He previously served as Vice President of University Planning and Advancement for Metropolitan State University and 16 years as President of CLUES. He holds a Master's of Management and Administration degree and a Bachelor of Arts degree. He is a graduate of the Minnesota Executive Program for Advanced Strategic Leadership from the Carlson School of Management of the University of Minnesota and a National Kellogg Fellow from the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill. In 2008, he was named to Minnesota Physician Publishing's 100 Influential Health Care Leaders in Minnesota and is Minnesota's first recipient of the Reconocimiento Ohtli recognition by the Institute of the Exterior of the Country of Mexico.

Randy Kehr, At-Large Member

Mr. Kehr is the Executive Director of the Albert Lea-Freeborn County Chamber of Commerce. He also serves as the Vice Chair of the Board of Directors for KSMQ Public Television and the Co-Chair of the National Vitality Center Board of Directors. In addition, he is a board member of the Greater Minnesota Partnership. Mr. Kehr is a former member of the City of Albert Lea's Charter Commission, and is an Ex-Officio member of the Albert Lea Economic Development Agency Board and the Albert Lea Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Linda Krug, At-Large Member

Ms. Krug is the CEO of Krug Consulting and Mediation. Previously, she served as the Co-Director of the Masters in Advocacy and Political Leadership Program at the University of Minnesota, Duluth. She has held a number of prestigious roles through the University, serving as the Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and President of the Faculty Union. She is also an at-large member of the Duluth City Council, a Director of Park State Bank, and a board member of the St. Luke's Hospital Foundation.

Education:
B.A. Miami University, Oxford, OH
M.A. Miami University, Oxford, OH
PhD. University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE

Tim O'Brien, At-Large Member

Mr. O'Brien currently serves as an arbitrator of commercial disputes, after retiring last year as a partner at Faegre Baker Daniels. His most involved community commitment is serving as a member of the Board of Directors of ARC Greater Twin Cities. Mr. O'Brien also donates his time as a Trustee of the Hennepin County Law Library and a member of the Edina Heritage Preservation Board.

Education:
B.A. University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN
J.D. University of Minnesota Law School, Minneapolis, MN

William Sieben, At-Large Member

Mr. Sieben is a partner at Schwebel Goetz and Sieben. He has served the state through many prominent cases, such as the record-setting class action lawsuit Braun v. Walmart. Mr. Sieben's many legal accomplishments have led him to be elected President of the Minnesota Association for Justice, as well as President of the Minnesota Chapter of the American Board of Trial Advocates. Mr. Sieben's presence within the community includes serving on the Regina Hospital Foundation and participating as a debate judge and youth hockey coach.

Education:
B.A. Saint Cloud State University, Saint Cloud, MN
J.D. William Mitchell College of Law, Saint Paul, MN

Mary Knoblauch, At-Large Member

Mary is a shareholder at Anthony Ostlund Baer & Louwagie P.A., a business litigation law firm where she has been practicing law since 1987.  Previously, she was an associate attorney at the former firm Maun & Simon, PLC and a judicial law clerk to the Honorable Daniel M. Kammeyer, Minnesota Tenth Judicial District, to the Honorable D. D. Wozniak (1922-2005), and to the Honorable Doris Ohlsen Huspeni, Minnesota Court of Appeals. She is a board member and former chair of The Fund for the Legal Aid Society, a member and former chapter president of the Minnesota Chapter of the Federal Bar Association, and a member and former Vice President for the Eighth Circuit Federal Bar Association.

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

Keiko Sugisaka, At-Large Member

Ms. Sugisaka is a Litigation Partner and Chair of Tort & Product Liability Practice Group at Maslon LLP. Previously, she was an Assistant Attorney General at the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office, an Intellectual Property Litigation Associate at Robins Kaplan LLP, and a judicial law clerk to the Honorable Alan C. Page. She serves as the Vice Chair of the Fourth District Ethics Committee and is a member of the Minnesota Asian Pacific American Bar Association, Minnesota Women Lawyers, and the Federal Bar Association Diversity Committee. Ms. Sugisaka is also a volunteer attorney for the Pro Se Project, The Advocates for Human Rights, the Volunteer Lawyers Network, and the Minnesota Federal Court Open Doors Program.

Education:
B.A. Macalester College 
J.D. University of Minnesota Law School 

Nancy Platto, First District Attorney Member

Ms. Platto is a public defender for the First Judicial District. Previously, she worked as a prosecutor for Scott County and practiced family law. Ms. Platto has served as President of the Eighth District Bar Association and as a member of the Carver County Justice Advisory Committee.

Mary Stapleton, First District Non-Attorney Member

Ms. Stapleton has served as a Guardian ad Litem in the First Judicial District for the past 21 years and is a long-serving member of the Children's Justice Initiative. She is involved with the Chaska Parks, Recreation, and Natural Resources Commission and was previously on the Chaska Planning Commission. Ms. Stapleton is also a member and past President of the Eastern Carver County League of Women Votes.

Charles Webber, First District Attorney Member

Mr. Webber is a trial lawyer and appellate specialist at Faegre Baker Daniels LLP. He is co-leader of the firm's Conciliation Court Clinic Project and is involved in the firm's Conciliation Court Appeals Clinic. Mr. Webber serves on the Supreme Court Advisory Committee on the Rules of Civil Appellate Procedure, the Federal Practice Committee, and is the past Chair of the Appellate Section of the Minnesota State Bar Association. He is also a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers.

Education:
B.A. University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN
J.D. University of Chicago Law School, Chicago, IL 
 

Christy Jo Fogarty, First District Non-Attorney Member

Ms. Fogarty has been a licensed dental hygienist for 15 years and was the first advanced dental therapist in the country. She currently works for Children's Dental Services in Minneapolis, a non-profit dental clinic that has served children under the age of 21 and pregnant women for nearly 100 years. She is the immediate past President of the Minnesota Dental Therapy Association and President of the American Academy of Dental Therapy. Ms. Fogarty has served three terms as a member of the Farmington City Council from 2002-2014, and is a Governor's appointee on the Board of Water and Soil Resources.

Education: 
B.S. Metropolitan State University, St. Paul, MN 
M.S. Metropolitan State University, St. Paul, MN


Michael Dougherty, Second District Non-Attorney Member

Mr. Dougherty serves as Vice-Chancellor with the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system. Previously, he was Vice President of Communications for The Valspar Corporation with responsibility for the company's internal and external communications and public affairs. He served as President of The Valspar Foundation and is a Vice President and Board member of the Minnesota Safety Council.

Education:
B.A. University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN
M.A. University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN
MBA University of St. Thomas, St. Paul, MN


Patrick Kelly, Second District Attorney Member

Mr. Kelly is Senior Partner and founder of Kelly and Lemmons, PA. He is nationally recognized for his litigation knowledge and advice in governmental law, employment and labor law, and real estate law. In 2007, he was named Attorney of the Year. Previously, Mr. Kelly has served as President of the Minnesota State Bar Association, Ramsey County Bar Association and was Chair of the Second Judicial District Ethics Committee. He currently serves on the Boards of Directors for the Minnesota Supreme Court Historical Society and is the city attorney to a number of cities in the state of Minnesota.

Education:
B.A. Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI
J.D. Creighton University School of Law, Omaha, NE


Tiffany Orth, Second District Non-Attorney Member

Ms. Orth is a Coordinator for Make It. MSP, GREATER MSP’s new regional talent retention and attraction initiative. Her responsibilities include assisting with the implementation of the Make It. MSP initiative, as well as providing support to the regional economic development strategy team. Prior to joining GREATER MSP, Tiffany worked as a Project Coordinator for the MN Sports Facilities Authority; the public entity charged with planning and designing the new U.S. Bank Stadium. Ms. Orth serves as a member of the Second Judicial District Ethics Committee and as Treasurer for the Kids Voting Minneapolis Board.

Molly Thornton, Second District Attorney Member

Ms. Thornton is a senior attorney at Cargill, Incorporated. She also serves on the Board of Directors for the Minnesota Chapter of the Federal Bar Association. Prior to joining Cargill in 2011, Ms. Thornton was a shareholder at Briggs and Morgan, PA, and a law clerk to U.S. District Court Judge Paul Magnuson.

Education:
B.A. Business Management and Spanish, College of Saint Benedict, Saint Joseph, MN
J.D. William Mitchell College of Law, Saint Paul, MN


Jane Belau, Third District Non-Attorney Member

Ms. Belau currently serves on the Rochester City Charter Commission, as Poet Laureate for the City of Rochester, and is a former charter member and President of the University of Minnesota Regent Candidate Advisory Council. Previously, she was Vice President at Control Data and was a consultant for the Ceridian Corporation. Additionally, Ms. Belau is the host of a 41 year old public affairs program on cable and broadcast television.

William Hoversten, Third District Attorney Member

Mr. Hoversten is a founding shareholder of Patton, Hoversten and Berg, PA, a general practice law firm with offices in Owatonna, Waseca, Faribault, and Janesville, MN. His current practice focuses on estate and business planning, estate and trust administration, and civil litigation. Over the past 40 years, he has served two terms as chairman of the District Ethics Committee, a member of the MSBA Board of Governors, President of the local and district bar associations, as well as local service clubs and community organizations. He has served for more than 20 years as the attorney for Waseca Public Schools and the Minnesota Agricultural Interpretive Center and also serves as the Waseca County Examiner of Titles.

Education:
B.S. Morningside College, Sioux City, IA
J.D. Washington University School of Law, St. Louis, MO


Dr. Adenuga (Nuga) Atewologun, Third District Non-Attorney Member

Dr. Nuga is the President of Riverland Community College, in Minnesota, with campuses at Albert Lea, Austin, and Owatonna.  Previously, he was Vice President of Academic Affairs and Dean of Faculty at Prairie State College in Illinois. He also spent nearly ten years teaching physics and engineering at the College of DuPage in Illinois, and later took administrative appointments as Associate Dean of Natural Sciences and as Dean of the division of Natural and Applied Sciences. He is a pioneer of early college partnerships with high schools and is involved with several organizations including the National Council of Instructional Administrators, the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers, the American Society for Engineering Educators, and the Association for Institutional Research. 

Education:
B.S. University of Ife in Nigeria 
M.S. University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.
PhD. University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.

 

Mark Walbran, Third District Attorney Member

Mr. Walbran is a partner at Walbran and Furness in Owatonna. His practice areas include civil litigation, workers' compensation, and municipal law. He also serves as Owatonna City Attorney and is the past President of the Minnesota City Attorneys Association. He has also been a member of the Federal Magistrate Selection Committee.

Education:
B.A. University of Notre Dame, South Bend, IN
J.D. Creighton University School of Law, Omaha, NE


Martin Costello, Fourth District Attorney Member

Mr. Costello is a trial and appellate lawyer in solo private practice, specializing in labor, employment and criminal law. He is a member of the Supreme Court Advisory Committee on the Rules of Criminal Procedures, was an NIJ Fellow at the University of Minnesota Law School, and served as Chair of the Supreme Court Criminal Justice Study Commission. He is a MSBA Certified Labor and Employment Law and Criminal Law Specialist. He is the author of Minnesota Misdemeanors and is an adjunct professor at the University of Minnesota and William Mitchell Law Schools.

Education:
B.A. College of St. Thomas, Saint Paul, MN
M.A. University of Wisconsin - Madison, Madison, WI
PhD. University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN
J.D. University of Minnesota Law School, Minneapolis, MN
 
Lola Velazquez-Aguili, Fourth District Attorney Member
 
Ms. Velazquez-Aguili is an Assistant United States Attorney in the white-collar and public corruption section of the criminal division. She has been an Assistant United States Attorney for nearly six years and in that time has prosecuted large-scale financial crimes including bank fraud conspiracies, mortgage fraud, investment fraud, and tax fraud.  Before joining the U.S. Attorney's Office, Ms. Velazquez-Aguili was an associate at Dorsey and Whitney, where she represented civil litigants and criminal defendants charged with white-collar crimes. She also clerked for Retired Minnesota Supreme Court Justice Alan C. Page and U.S. District Court Judge Ann D. Montgomery.  Ms. Velazquez-Aguili is a member of the Minnesota Hispanic Bar Association Board of Directors, the incoming president of the Infinity Project, and an active member of the Minnesota Chapter of the Federal Bar Association.   
 
Education: 
B.A. University of Wisconsin-Madison
J.D. University of Wisconsin Law School
 

Lawrence Redmond, Fourth District Non-Attorney Member

Mr. Redmond is the founder and President of Redmond Associates, Inc., a governmental affairs consulting affairs firm begun in 1977. Prior to the formation of his company, Mr. Redmond worked in a variety of governmental and political capacities, including as a political aide to the late Senator and Vice President of the United States Hubert H. Humphrey. Mr. Redmond is a former member and Chair of the Minnesota Board of Judicial Standards and in 1993 was an appointee of the Chief Justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court to the Advisory Committee to Review the American Bar Association Model of Judicial Conduct. In the area of public health he was one of the original court-appointed trustees of ClearWay Minnesota. In 2002 he was awarded the "Sally Ordway Irvine Award For Artistic Commitment in recognition of his lifetime achievement and leadership in the arts and culture".

Education:
University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN


Sondra Samuels, Fourth District Non-Attorney Member

Ms. Samuels is the CEO of the Northside Achievement Zone. The mission of NAZ is to create a culture of achievement in a geographic zone of North Minneapolis where all children graduate high school college-ready. As CEO, Ms. Samuels provides leadership, vision, oversight and direction for the overall organization and collaborative strategies. Ms. Samuels serves on the boards of Catalyst Community Partners and MinnCAN (Minnesota's Campaign for Achievement Now), the first statewide Education Policy advocacy group in MN. She is also a member of the African American Leadership Forum's Education Committee and the Northside Policy Action Coalition.

Education
B.S. Morgan State University, Baltimore, MD
M.B.A Clark-Atlanta University, Atlanta, GA


James Hepworth, Fifth District Non-Attorney Member

N. Doran Hunter, Fifth District Non-Attorney Member

Mr. Hunter is a Professor of Political Science, Emeritus, at Minnesota State University, Mankato and is currently a Visiting Professor of Political Science at Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, Minnesota. His government service has included positions with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Government Affairs Institute, Executive Personnel and Management Development, U.S. Office of Personnel Management, the Justice System Improvement Study, and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Mr. Hunter has also served on a number of commissions and is currently a board member and research fellow with the Caux Round Table, and international network of business and government leaders promoting ethical leadership.

Education:
B.S. Brigham Young University, Provo, UT
M.S. Brigham Young University, Provo, UT
PhD. University of Washington, Seattle, WA


Lynn Johnson, Fifth District Attorney Member

Ms. Johnson is the owner and attorney at the Lynn A. Johnson Law Office, where she practices in family law, business law, probate and estate planning, and real estate. She has also served as an Assistant Public Defender in the Fifth Judicial District. She is a past President and Vice President of the 13th District Bar Association and is a former member of the Murray County Medical Center Board. Additionally, Ms. Johnson has served as the President of the Chamber of Commerce and as a board member for the Murray County DAC and the Lake Shetek Regional Clinic.

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


Steven Sunde, Fifth District Attorney Member

Mr. Sunde is a partner at the Sunde, Olson, Kircher and Zender firm where he primarily practices in civil litigation and municipal law. He is also certified as a Civil Trial Specialist by the Minnesota State Bar Association. Mr. Sunde serves as chair of the Sixth District Ethics Committee and as City Attorney for several small communities in southwestern Minnesota.

Education:
B.A. St. Olaf College, Northfield, MN
J.D. Washington University, St. Louis, MO


Fred Friedman, Sixth District Attorney Member

Mr. Friedman serves a District Court Referee, hearing conciliation court cases. He has been a Public Defender for over 45 years and served as Chief Sixth District Public Defender from 1986 to 2014.  In addition to his work as an attorney, he is an associate professor at the University of Minnesota, Duluth, holding a joint appointment in the Department of Sociology and the School of Medicine. Mr. Friedman was the 2013 recipient of the Minnesota Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (MACDL) Lifetime Achievement Award and the 2014 recipient of the Chief Justice Douglass Amdahl Public Attorney Career Achievement Award and the Duluth Bethel Lifetime Achievement award for Community Service.
 
Education: 
B.A. University of Minnesota, Duluth
J.D. University of Minnesota Law Schoo

Daniel Lew, Sixth District Attorney Member

Mr. Lew is the Chief Public Defender for the Sixth Judicial District, where he oversees a team of 30 lawyers and 10 professional staff who provide public defense in the judicial district. Previously, he was the managing attorney for the Sixth Judicial District Public Defender's Office, and prior to that, was an Assistant Public Defender in Duluth and St. Paul. He is a past President of the Minnesota Asian Pacific American Bar Association and a former at-large member of the Commission on Judicial Selection.

Education:
B.S. City University of New York at Queens College, Queens, NY
J.D. Hamline University School of Law, St. Paul, MN


Nevada Littlewolf, Sixth District Non-Attorney Member

A member of the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe, Ms. Littlewolf has over 20 years of experience working across sectors of government, community, non-profit, and business. Recently re-elected to her third term, she is an experienced Iron Range leader of the Virginia, MN City Council. She is the founder and Director of RAIL, a non-profit leadership organization for rural and American Indigenous women. She serves on the Northland Foundation's Board of Trustees and has worked with Wellstone Action, The White House Project, and the Guardian ad Litem Program. She studied Studio Art and Education at the Mesabi Range College and the University of Minnesota, Duluth.

Inez Wildwood, Sixth District Non-Attorney Member

Ms. Wildwood is currently the Executive Vice President with Comprehensive Management Associates. Prior to joining CMA, she led Talen Acquisition, Learning and Organizational Development for ALLETE, Inc. Ms. Wildwood has previously served as Chair of the Minnesota Governor's Workforce Development Council, Vice-Chair of the Minnesota Job Skills Partnership Board, and member of the Board Chairs' Executive Committee for the National Governors' Association.

Education:
B.S. University of Wisconsin, Superior, WI
M.Ed. University of Wisconsin, Superior, WI 
 
Robert Feigh, Seventh District Attorney Member

Mr. Feigh is currently a principal at Gray, Plant and Mooty. He has over 30 years of experience in jury trials. Previously, he served as an officer in the United States Navy. In 2009, Feigh received the Seventh Judicial District Pro Bono Award. He has a deep commitment to serving the community though both professional and community activities.

Education:
B.A. University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN
M.A. State University of New York, New York, NY
J.D. University of Minnesota Law School, Minneapolis, MN


Sheila Korby, Seventh District Non-Attorney Member

Ms. Korby currently is the Executive Director for Someplace Safe, a crime victims service provider for 9 counties in West Central Minnesota. She previously served as Director of Program Services for Someplace Safe and as the Criminal Justice Intervention Advocate in Otter Tail County. She currently serves on the Board of Directors of Legal Services of Northwest Minnesota, and has provided training for professional groups and community members about crime and violence related topics.

Education:
B.A. Minnesota State University - Moorhead, Moorhead, MN


Jane Olsen, Seventh District Non-Attorney Member

Ms. Olsen is the founding Director of the St. Cloud State University Women's Center and an adjunct faculty member at St. Cloud State University. She is the recipient of the 2015 Founders Award from the Women’s Center Committee of the National Women’s Studies Association. Her 33 year career working in women’s programs includes positions in higher education and the non-profit sector, as well as political and community organizing.

Education:
B.S. University of Illinois - Springfield, Springfield, IL
M.S. University of Illinois - Springfield, Springfield, IL


Stephen Rufer, Seventh District Attorney Member

Mr. Rufer is a partner with Pemberton, Sorlie, Rufer and Kershner, where he practices primarily in civil litigation. He is a past Chair of the Civil Litigation Section of the Minnesota State Bar Association and has served on the Minnesota Trial Lawyers Association Board of Governors.

Education:
B.A. Macalester College, St. Paul, MN
J.D. University of Minnesota Law School, Minneapolis, MN


Michael Boyle, Eighth District Non-Attorney Member

Mr. Boyle resides in Litchfield, MN and currently serves as the Executive Director of the Meeker Memorial Hospital Foundation. He has 40 years of experience in the non-profit health care world - thirty years dedicated to senior services and the last ten to the hospital. He also serves on the senior management team at Meeker Memorial Hospital, and is a Lifetime Honorary member of Leading Age-Minnesota, which serves the non-profit senior services industry. Mr. Boyle has been active in his community and currently serves on the Litchfield City Council, the Meeker Yellow Ribbon Committee, as Chairman of the Board of Directors of Vaccker Place, and Cokato/Dassel Rotary.

Education:
B.A. Concordia College, Moorhead, MN


Sarah Klaassen, Eighth District Attorney Member

Ms. Klaassen joined Anderson Larson Hanson and Saunders in 2007 and became a partner at the firm in 2012. Her practice areas are primarily family law and workers' compensation, although she handles a wide variety of cases for clients. She is a member of the Minnesota State Bar Association and the 12th District Bar Association. Ms. Klaassen currently serves on the boards of the United Way of West Central Minnesota and the Willmar Area Community Foundation.

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


John Lindstrom, Eighth District Attorney Member

Judge Lindstrom served as a District Court Judge for 29 years. He was in private law practice for 10 years and served as a State Representative from 1973-1976. Judge Lindstrom currently works as a mediator/arbitrator with Gilbert Mediation Service.

Education:
B.A. St. John's University, Collegeville, MN
J.D. University of Minnesota Law School, Minneapolis, MN
Colleen Thompson Michels, Eighth District Non-Attorney Member

Janine LePage, Ninth District Attorney Member

Ms. LePage is an Assistant Crow Wing County Attorney, where she prosecutes adult criminal matters involving felony domestic assault, criminal sexual conduct and predatory offender cases.  Prior to this assignment, Ms. LePage worked for almost 20 years representing her local community services agency in child protection matters. Prior to 1996, she worked for a short period of time practicing in the areas of family law and personal injury.  Ms. LePage has worked as a  trainer for the Minnesota Department of Human Services Child Welfare Training System on the issue of Concurrent Permanency Planning and was the recipient of the MCAA Professional Achievement Award in 2012.

Education
B.S. University of Minnesota
J.D. Hamline University School of Law

Lenny Fineday, Ninth District Attorney Member

Robert Sjoberg, Ninth District Non-Attorney Member

Mr. Sjoberg is the President and CEO of Sjoberg's Inc., a telecommunications company that has served the northwestern portion of Minnesota since 1962. He currently is on the National Cable and Telecommunications Association's Board of Directors, the Lake of the Woods Water Sustainability Foundation (US Representative and VP), and the Hartz Foundation (President). He is also the Chairman of the Thief River Falls, MN Planning Commission, is a Rotarian, and was recently named as a Cable Television Pioneer.

Education:
B.A. Macalester College, St. Paul, MN
M.B.A. Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL


Judy Duffy, Tenth District Non-Attorney Member

Ms. Duffy recently retired as a director of the League of Women Voters of the US Board, where she also served as the first Vice President and Director of Advocacy for the board. Additionally, Ms. Duffy served as President of the League of Women Voters of Minnesota and was a deputy mayor and city council member for the City of Birchwood Village. She has served as a member of the Ad Hoc Advisory Committee to review the code of Judicial Conduct and Rules of the Board on Judicial Standards.

Viet-Hanh Winchell , Tenth District Attorney Member                

Ms. Winchell is a litigation attorney at Lawson, Marshall, McDonald, & Galowitz, where she practices in criminal law, personal injury, civil litigation, family law, and municipal law. Previously, she was a litigation attorney at Woods & Thompson, an associate attorney at the Gallagher Law Firm, and a judicial law clerk for Judge P. Hunter Anderson in Isanti County in the 10th Judicial District. Additionally, Ms. Winchell is the Vice President of the Washington County Bar Association.

Education: 

B.A. University of Minnesota-Twin Cities 

J.D. Hamline University School of Law

 

The Honorable Ken Jorgenson, Tenth District Attorney Member

Judge Ken Jorgensen is the Ethics Partner at Dorsey & Whitney LLP. As Ethics Partner, he focuses on legal ethics and loss prevention, advising lawyers in Dorsey’s offices in the U.S., Canada, Europe and Asia-Pacific. Before joining Dorsey, he was a state court trial judge presiding over all types of cases including civil and criminal matters. Judge Jorgenson is a frequent CLE lecturer and has written numerous articles concerning Professional Responsibility and Legal Ethics. He has served as an adjunct faculty member at the University of Minnesota Law School, Hamline Law School and William Mitchell College of Law and received the Minnesota State Bar Association’s Professional Excellence Award in 2006.

 B.S. Minnesota State University, Mankato

J.D. William Mitchell College of Law

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