Alumni News & Class Notes
Rachna Sullivan ’96 Appointed 4th District Judge
Governor Tim Walz appointed Rachna Sullivan ’96 a district court judge in Minnesota’s 4th Judicial District.
At the time of her appointment, Sullivan was a shareholder at Fredrikson & Byron in Minneapolis, where she served as the lead lawyer in commercial litigation cases. Previously, she was a partner at Rider Bennett; law clerk to James M. Rosenbaum, former chief judge of the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota; and an assistant district attorney at the King’s County District Attorney’s Office in Brooklyn, New York.
Sullivan is a director of the Minnesota Chapter Infinity Project, a director of Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid, and the co-chair and co-founder of the Leadership Summit on Gender Equity in the Law. She also volunteers at various organizations, including providing food packages at the Nellie Stone Johnson Elementary School and serving meals at the Church of St. Stephens in Minneapolis.
Six Alumni Honored as Up-and-Coming Attorneys
Six Minnesota Law alumni were recently named “Up & Coming Attorneys” by Minnesota Lawyer.
Up & Coming Attorneys are recognized for their professional accomplishments, leadership and service to their community and profession, and achievements in their first 10 years of being admitted to the bar.
The alumni selected for the award are Alison J. Bure ’11, Faegre Baker Daniels; Rachel Kitze Collins ’14, Lockridge Grindal Nauen; Aleida Ortega Conners ’13, Fredrikson & Byron; Calvin Hoffman ’09, Stinson; Paige S. Stradley ’12, Merchant & Gould; and Mahesha Subbaraman ’11, Subbaraman PLLC.
Federal Courthouse in Minneapolis Renamed After Late Judge Diana Murphy ’74
The federal courthouse in Minneapolis has been renamed in honor of pathbreaking Judge Diana Murphy ’74, the first woman appointed to the federal bench in Minnesota and the first to sit on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit. Murphy died last year at the age of 84.
Murphy joined the 8th Circuit bench in 1994, having been nominated by President Bill Clinton. For 19 years, she was the court’s sole woman member. She had previously served 14 years as a judge in the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota, including two years as chief judge. Her prior experience included serving as a judge on the Hennepin County Municipal Court and working as a lawyer in private practice in Minneapolis.
Murphy also chaired the U.S. Sentencing Commission from 1999 to 2004.
Class Notes
News about your classmates and colleagues
51
Willard L. “Sandy” Boyd has written a memoir about his life and career entitledA Life on the Middle West’s Never-Ending Frontier. The book, which chronicles his more than six decades of leadership and service, including as president of the University of Iowa, was published by University of Iowa Press.
69
Joseph Dixon Jr. of Henson Efron in Minneapolis was named a 2020 Minnesota Super Lawyer in litigation.
71
William Forsyth of Henson Efron in Minneapolis was named a 2020 Minnesota Super Lawyer in family law.
73
Alan Eidsness of Henson Efron in Minneapolis was named a 2020 Minnesota Super Lawyer in family law. He was also named a Top 10 Super Lawyer for the 10th time.
76
Stuart Gibson was named deputy editorial director of international tax law at Bloomberg Tax & Accounting in Arlington, Virginia.
Janie S. Mayeron was elected to the University of Minnesota Board of Regents. Mayeron is a retired U.S. magistrate judge and lawyer. She has held numerous leadership positions in a variety of nonprofit and legal organizations, including as president of the University of Minnesota Alumni Association.
78
LaJune T. Lange was recognized by Minnesota Lawyer with a 2019 Diversity and Inclusion Award. Lange is a retired judge of Minnesota’s 4th Judicial District Court in Minneapolis.
80
Charlie Nauen received the 2019 Hubert H. Humphrey Award for Dedication and Leadership to the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party. The award was presented at the DFL’s annual Humphrey-Mondale dinner before an audience of 1,500, including keynote speaker Nancy Pelosi. Nauen is a partner at the Minneapolis law firm of Lockridge Grindal Nauen.
82
Rebecca Bender co-wrote a family biography/memoir entitled Still with her late father, Kenneth Bender. The book, published by North Dakota State University Press, includes stories about Law School Dean Everett Fraser and Bender’s practice of law in Minnesota.
83
Chris Middlebrook authored a book entitled The Bandy Chronicles: My Pursuit of a Forgotten Sport, which will be published December 1, 2019.
Arne M. Sorenson was chosen as Chief Executive magazine’s 2019 CEO of the Year and honored by Barron’s magazine as one of the 30 World’s Best CEOs of 2019. Sorenson is the president and chief executive officer of Marriott International.
84
Kathryn Graves, a shareholder at Henson Efron, was named a 2020 Minnesota Super Lawyer in family law.
David J. Larsson of Larsson & Scheuritzel in Philadelphia was named to the 2020 Best Lawyers in America list for real estate law.
85
Elizabeth K. Bransdorfer was named chair of the family law section of the State Bar of Michigan. Bransdorfer specializes in divorce and family law at Mika Meyers in Grand Rapids.
R. Hugh Magill was elected to the International Academy of Estate and Trust Law. Magill is vice chairman for wealth management at Northern Trust in Chicago.
86
James M. Lockhart joined RJM Construction, a Minnesota-based general contractor, as general counsel and vice president of risk management. For the past 20 years, Lockhart has represented RJM as its construction attorney, most recently as a partner in the law firm Ballard Spahr.
87
John P. Boyle was elected to a three-year term as a member of the board of directors at Moss & Barnett in Minneapolis.
Mike Glover is serving his second year on the board of directors of Lommen Abdo in Minneapolis.
Kevin Sheys joined the global transportation regulatory practice at Hogan Lovells in its Washington, D.C., office.
William Invie Shroyer was named to the 2020 Best Lawyers in America list. Shroyer is a shareholder of Reinhart Boerner Van Deuren, working in its Milwaukee and Phoenix offices.
88
Steven Baron cofounded the law firm Baron Harris Healey in Chicago.
Dan Goldfine joined Husch Blackwell’s Phoenix office as a partner. He handles class action and other complex litigation, including matters involving antitrust, insurance coverage, RICO, consumer fraud, and consumer protection laws.
89
Jim Chosy '89 Honored by National Association of Women Lawyers
Chosy, executive vice president and general counsel at U.S. Bank, was recognized with the association’s Lead By Example Award for his ongoing advocacy and commitment to advancing women attorneys. The annual award honors the exemplary leadership of a male attorney who promotes and supports the advancement of women within their company and the broader profession.
Among the cited accomplishments, Chosy was recognized for fostering a legal department at U.S. Bank with high female representation in senior leadership positions—including nearly 80 percent of his direct reports—and an equally strong presence in the leadership pipeline.
James L. Chosy was recognized by the National Association of Women Lawyers with the Lead by Example Award. Chosy is executive vice president and general counsel at U.S. Bank.
Barbara Duffy was elected president of Lane Powell in Seattle. Duffy has chaired the firm’s litigation department for more than a decade. She represents clients in complex commercial litigation, class actions, and health care regulatory matters.
Marc Johannsen is serving his second year as president of Lommen Abdo in Minneapolis. He was recently recognized by the Northern Star Council of the Boy Scouts of America for his volunteer work.
91
Chad Baruch received the State Bar of Texas Jim Bowmer Professionalism Award. Baruch, a shareholder at the Dallas business litigation and appellate law firm of Johnston Tobey Baruch, focuses his practice on constitutional and appellate law matters, with a heavy emphasis on civil, criminal, and family law appeals.
Kathy Bray was named vice president and general counsel of SFM Mutual Insurance Co. in Bloomington, Minnesota.
Toni Cooley was appointed to the board of directors of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta’s New Orleans branch.
92
Jeanette M. Bazis was recognized by Minnesota Lawyer as a 2019 Diversity and Inclusion honoree. Bazis is a litigator at Greene Espel in Minneapolis whose practice has focused largely on federal courts.
Kimberly Hewitt was appointed vice president for institutional equity and chief diversity officer at Duke University.
James K. Lee joined Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer as a litigation partner and serves as the managing partner of its Seoul office.
Elizabeth Rader started her own practice, Calliope Legal, which specializes in appellate advocacy. The practice is based in Washington, D.C.
Christine L. Tuft was named a lead marketing partner at Arthur, Chapman, Kettering, Smetak & Pikala in Minneapolis.
93
Jenneane Jansen joined Lommen Abdo in its Minneapolis office.
Scott Larison was elected to the board of directors of Gray Plant Mooty in Minneapolis.
Scott Neilson, a shareholder of Henson Efron in Minneapolis, was named a 2020 Minnesota Super Lawyer in litigation.
94
Kao Ly Ilean Her was elected to the University of Minnesota Board of Regents. Her is the chief executive officer of the Hmong Elders Center, an adult day center in St. Paul that serves Hmong seniors. She previously worked in a variety of organizations in government, nonprofit, and philanthropic sectors, including serving as executive director of the Minnesota Council on Asian Pacific Minnesotans.
Daniel Lugo was elected the 21st president of Queens University of Charlotte.
95
Steffen N. Johnson joined Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati as a litigation partner in its Washington, D.C., office. He chairs the firm’s nationwide Supreme Court and appellate practice.
96
David Black '96 Sworn in as Deputy Commissioner of Social Security
His term runs through Jan. 19, 2025. He will also serve as the secretary to the Social Security Board of Trustees.
A lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve, Black served in the Army for nearly 30 years, as both an enlisted soldier and an officer, and deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan, where he was awarded the Bronze Star. Prior to his nomination, he served as the White House senior adviser for Social Security.
Black was previously general counsel for Social Security. He also worked with the U.S. Department of Education as the deputy assistant secretary in the Office for Civil Rights.
The Social Security Administration has a national workforce of about 63,000 employees and 1,500 facilities across the country and around the world.
David Black was appointed deputy commissioner of Social Security to a term that expires on Jan. 19, 2025. He will also serve as the secretary to the Social Security Board of Trustees.
Rachna Sullivan was appointed a judge in Minnesota’s 4th Judicial District by Governor Tim Walz. Sullivan spent the previous 13 years at the Minneapolis law firm of Fredrikson & Byron, where she practiced commercial litigation.
97
Neil Fulton was appointed dean of the University of South Dakota Law School.
Daniel Schally was appointed a judge on the Juneau Superior Court in Alaska.
Tina Smith was named senior vice president and chief human resources officer at Thrivent in Minneapolis. She has been with the company since 2007.
98
Elizabeth J. Fowler joined the Commonwealth Fund as executive vice president for programs. Before joining the fund, Fowler served as vice president for global health policy at Johnson & Johnson. In addition to her law degree, she has a Ph.D. from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Christopher W. Fowlkes, a partner at Barnes & Thornburg in Minneapolis, was recognized by Minnesota Lawyer as a 2019 Diversity and Inclusion Award honoree.
Susan Franck published a new book entitled Arbitration Costs, which integrates psychology insights into debates about international investment law and dispute settlement through arbitration. Franck is a professor of law at American University Washington College of Law.
Robert Joseph Heinrich, a shareholder in the banking and finance practice at Reinhart Boerner Van Deuren’s Milwaukee office, was named to the 2020 Best Lawyers in America list.
Linda D. Kennedy joined Panagos Kennedy in Troy, Michigan, as a named partner.
Liwanag Ojala was recognized as one of 2019’s Most Admired CEOs by the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal for her work at CaringBridge.
Amy Seidel, a partner at Faegre Baker Daniels in Minneapolis, received a 2019 Women in Business Award from Chambers USA.
99
Joey Chbeir joined Baker Donelson as of counsel at the firm’s Birmingham, Alabama, office.
Jenny Starr '99 Appointed Chief Administrative Law Judge at Minnesota's Office of Administrative Hearings
Starr previously served as assistant commissioner at the Minnesota Department of Revenue. At the DOR, she was responsible for its Corporate Franchise Tax, Sales and Use, Special Taxes, Criminal Investigations, and Collection Divisions. She joined the DOR in 2007, serving as an attorney in its legal services division prior to her appointment as assistant commissioner.
Prior to joining the DOR, Starr provided free legal services to low-income families at Legal Assistance of Dakota County and clerked at the Minnesota Court of Appeals. She has also taught as an adjunct professor at Mitchell Hamline School of Law, and clerked at Bet Tzedek Legal Services and the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland.
J.B. Simko was promoted to vice president of external affairs at Philip Morris International’s Washington, D.C., office.
Jenny Starr was appointed chief administrative law judge at Minnesota’s Office of Administrative Hearings.
Heather Esau Zerger joined Stinson as a partner in its Wichita, Kansas, office.
00
Beth A. Gliedman was elected a shareholder at Moss & Barnett in Minneapolis.
James Park joined Greenberg Traurig’s Minneapolis office as a shareholder in its restructuring and bankruptcy practice.
Roshan N. Rajkumar was recognized by Minnesota Lawyer as a 2019 Diversity and Inclusion Award honoree. He is co-managing partner of Bowman & Brooke in Minneapolis.
Ryan Vandewiele was promoted to vice president, general counsel at Hubbard Broadcasting in St. Paul.
01
Amy Jerdee was named president of St. Francis Regional Medical Center in Shakopee, Minnesota.
Christopher Polking was appointed a district court judge for Iowa’s Judicial District 2B.
02
Jérémy Duret, LL.M., was promoted to partner at CMS Francis Lefebvre Avocats in Lyon, France.
Marshall Lichty co-authored The Small Firm Roadmap, a book about the rules of solo- and small-firm lawyering, with Aaron Street ’04, Sam Glover ’03, and Stephen A. Everett.
Ramón E. Martínez, LL.M., was appointed minister of commerce and industries for Panama.
Jessica Servais joined Lockridge Grindal Nauen in Minneapolis as an associate in its complex litigation practice.
03
Court Anderson, a litigation associate at Henson Efron in Minneapolis, was named a 2020 Minnesota Rising Star.
Samuel Glover co-authored The Small Firm Roadmap with Marshall Lichty ’02, Aaron Street ’04, and Stephen A. Everett.
Stacy Lashinski was promoted to chief operating officer at RE/MAX Results in Eden Prairie, Minnesota.
Kathryn R. Weber was promoted to senior attorney at Scott D. Pollock & Associates in Chicago.
04
Anne Behrendtwas named chief executive officer for Doran Companies in Bloomington, Minnesota.
Jaime Driggs, a shareholder at Henson Efron in Minneapolis, was named a 2020 Minnesota Super Lawyer.
Aaron C. Street co-authored The Small Firm Roadmap with Marshall Lichty ’02, Sam Glover ’03, and Stephen A. Everett.
06
Nicole Blissenbach was appointed assistant commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry for enforcement and compliance strategies and partnerships.
Kristy Peters was named one of the 50 Most Influential Women in Arizona by AzBusiness magazine.
Jessica Hutson Polakowski, a shareholder of Reinhart Boerner Van Deuren in Madison, Wisconsin, was named one of Madison’s “40 Under 40” by In Business magazine.
Oscar Suarez was promoted to partner at Halloran Sage in Hartford, Connecticut.
08
Elizabeth “Betsy” Flanagan, a principal in the Twin Cities office of Fish & Richardson, was named to the 2019 Top 250 Women in Litigation list by Benchmark Litigation.
09
Lisa von Biela published her 10th title, Scorched Earth, a climate change thriller. The book takes place in the year 2032, after a record-breaking drought grips the nation.
10
Michael Howard opened his own practice, Pruvent, in Minneapolis.
Karl Johnson joined Briggs and Morgan in Minneapolis as an associate in the firm’s commercial finance section.
12
Melissa R. Muro LaMere was recognized by Minnesota Lawyer as a 2019 Diversity and Inclusion Award honoree.
Lariss Maldonado, an associate at Stinson in Minneapolis, was appointed co-chair of the Minnesota Hispanic Bar Association’s Judicial Endorsements Committee.
Emily McGann was elected chair of the Minnesota Retailers Association. McGann is managing director of public policy at Anthem.
Emily A. Unger was elected a shareholder at Fredrikson & Byron in Minneapolis.
13
Aleida Ortega Conners rejoined Fredrikson & Byron in Minneapolis as a senior associate in the mergers and acquisitions, cross-border mergers and acquisitions, and startup and rapid growth enterprises groups.
Eric Friske, an associate at Henson Efron in Minneapolis, was named a 2020 Minnesota Rising Star in litigation.
Aalok Sharma, a partner at White & Case in Los Angeles, was recognized by the American Bar Association Forum on the Entertainment and Sports Industries as a leading sports lawyer of the next generation.
14
Blair Harrington joined Briggs and Morgan in Minneapolis as an associate in the employment, benefits, and labor section.
Heidi M. Torvik was named an associate at Chestnut Cambronne in Minneapolis.
16
Blake Vettel joined Briggs and Morgan in Minneapolis as an associate in the business law section.
17
Shannon Jankowski '17 Named First E.W. Scripps Fellow for Press Freedom
The two-year fellowship, awarded by the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, was established through the support of the E.W. Scripps Company.
The fellowship focuses on supporting local enterprise and investigative journalism, including bolstering access to public records and encouraging greater government transparency.
Before joining the Reporters Committee, Jankowski was an associate attorney at Faegre Baker Daniels in Minneapolis, where her practice included representing clients in defamation, right of publicity, copyright, and trademark litigation, as well as assisting journalists and news organizations in obtaining access to government and judicial records.
Rudolph P. Dambeck became an officer in the U.S. Army JAG Corps.
Karina Uribe, LL.M., joined the Chilean International Affairs Department of Financial Analysis as an analyst.
18
Cayla D. Ebert joined Hogan Lovells as an associate in its Washington, D.C., office.
Bernadette Foh was appointed executive director of Bridges of Hope in Brainerd, Minnesota.
Mary Georgevich was awarded an Equal Justice Works Fellowship to work at the Immigrant Law Center protecting and expanding the rights of Somali Minnesotans.
Tyler Hartney joined Meagher & Geer in its Minneapolis office as an associate in the mass tort/toxic tort and products liability practice groups.
Anna M. Koch joined Trepanier MacGillis Battina in Minneapolis as an associate in the business, employment, and real estate litigation practices.
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