Appointed/Elected:

Appointed Feb. 26, 2016, by Governor Mark Dayton. Elected 2018 and 2024. Current term expires January 2031.
 

Education:

• Juris Doctorate, William Mitchell College of Law, Cum Laude
• Bachelor of Arts, College of St. Catherine, Magna Cum Laude, Phi Beta Kappa, Sigma Delta Pi 

Past Employment:

Partner, Lindquist & Vennum LLP, 2011-2016
Conciliation Court Referee, Dakota County
Attorney, Moss & Barnett, 2008-2011
Attorney, Henson & Efron, 2003-2008
 

Current Judicial Service and Committees: 

• Chair of the 1^st Judicial District Equal Justice Committee
• Statewide Early Case Management Committee

Prior Judicial Service and Committees:

• Former Presiding Dakota County Civil and Family Court Judge
• Statewide Committee for Equality and Justice
• Statewide oneCourtMN Hearings Initiative District Advisory Representative
• 1^st Judicial District Early Neutral and Moderated Settlement Committee
• Chair of the Dakota County Family Court Work Group
• Chair of the Dakota County Early Case Management Committee
• Chair of the Dakota County Moderated Settlement Program Committee and Evaluative Mediation Program

Teaching, Presentations, Publications, and Appearances:

• Mentor, Facilitator, Minnesota Judicial Branch and Department of Corrections, Mentorship for Sustainable Release (December 17, 2024)
• Dakota County New Judge Training (December 2024 and January 2025))
• Speaker, Tri-Bar Event, Minnesota State Bar Association, Hennepin County Bar Association, and Ramsey County Bar Association, Make Your Settlement Conference With The Judge A Success (October 8, 2024)
• Faculty, Spousal Maintenance – Initial Determination and Modification, Minnesota Judicial Education (September 19, 2024)
• Faculty, Dissolution Basics, Minnesota Judicial Education (September 19, 2024)
• Mentor, Facilitator, Minnesota Judicial Branch and Department of Corrections, Mentorship for Sustainable Release (September 17, 2024)
• Minnesota Judicial Branch State Fair Booth (August 27, 2024)
• Dakota County New Judge Training (August, 2024)
• Mentor, Facilitator, Minnesota Judicial Branch and Department of Corrections, Mentorship for Sustainable Release (June 24, 2024)
• Dakota County Conciliation Court Referee Training (June 13, 2024)
• Speaker, Minnesota CLE Family Law Institute, How to Use Contempt Actions to Enforce Family Court Orders (March 25, 2024). 
• Mentor, Facilitator, Minnesota Judicial Branch and Department of Corrections, Mentorship for Sustainable Release (March 19, 2024)
• Speaker, Minnesota CLE, Civil Practice in Minnesota State Court, Judges Panel – 5 Biggest Mistakes Lawyers Make in the Courtroom (February 20, 2024)
• Mentor, Facilitator, Minnesota Judicial Branch and Department of Corrections, Mentorship for Sustainable Release (January 16, 2024)
• Speaker, Minnesota State Bar Association Civil Litigation Section, OneCourtMN Hearing Initiative (November 29, 2023) 
• Faculty, Minnesota District Judges Foundation Annual Conference of Judges, Juror Problems and Problem Jurors (September 28, 2023)
• Mentor, Facilitator, Minnesota Judicial Branch and Department of Corrections, Mentorship for Sustainable Release (September 21, 2023)
• Speaker, Minnesota 10^th Judicial District Equal Justice Committee Meeting, Committee For Equality and Justice Study on Probation Revocation Study and Recommendations (September 7, 2023)
• Adjunct Professor, Mitchell Hamline College of Law, Effectively Communicating Science, Expert Witness Training and Expert Witness Advocacy (July 2023)
• Mentor, Facilitator, Minnesota Judicial Branch and Department of Corrections, Mentorship for Sustainable Release (May 16, 2023)
• Speaker, From Practice to Promise:  The Role of Courts in Ensuring Equal Justice Under Law (April 11, 2023)
• Faculty, New Judge Orientation Program – Trial Skills Training (April 2023)
• Dakota County New Judge Training (April 2023)
• Faculty, New Judge Orientation Program – Trial Skills Training (March 2023)
• Speaker, 1^st Judicial District Equal Justice Committee Community Outreach Discussion on Race Data and Juries CLE (December 1, 2022)
• Panelist, University of St. Thomas Law School Family Law – View from the Bench (November 1, 2022)
• Speaker, Minnesota 1^st Judicial District Bench Meeting, Committee for Equality and Justice Study on Jury Race Data (October 28, 2022)
• Panelist, Minnesota State Bar Association Civil Litigation OneCourtMN Hearing Initiative CLE (October 27, 2022)
• Author, With Equal Right, To Mentor and Support:  An Interview with Justice Esther Tomljanovich (MWL Summer 2022 Volume LXXIII, Issue I, August 2022)
• Dakota County New Judge Training (October, November 2022)
• Faculty, New Judge Orientation Program – Trial Skills Training (August, 2022)
• Dakota County Conciliation Court Referee Training (August 5, 2022)
• Speaker, Minnesota 7^th Judicial District Equal Justice Committee Meeting, Committee For Equality and Justice Study on Jury Race Data and Recommendations and Probation Revocation Study and Recommendations (August 4, 2022)
• Contributing Author, Minnesota District Judges Foundation Judge Handbook (July, 2022)
• Panelist, State Bar, View From the Bench (July 21, 2022)
• Speaker, Minnesota 2^nd Judicial District Bench Meeting, Committee For Equality and Justice Study on Jury Race Data and Recommendations and Probation Revocation Study and Recommendations (July 13, 2022)
• Speaker, Minnesota 8^th Judicial District Bench Meeting, Committee For Equality and Justice Study on Jury Race Data and Recommendations and Probation Revocation Study and Recommendations (June 24, 2022)
• Speaker, Minnesota 10^th Judicial District Equal Justice Committee Meeting, Committee For Equality and Justice Study on Jury Race Data and Recommendations and Probation Revocation Study and Recommendations (June 9, 2022)
• Speaker, Minnesota 6^th Judicial District Equal Justice Committee Meeting, Committee For Equality and Justice Study on Jury Race Data and Recommendations and Probation Revocation Study and Recommendations (June 9, 2022)
• Speaker, Minnesota 3^rd Judicial District Equal Justice Committee Meeting, Committee For Equality and Justice Study on Jury Race Data and Recommendations and Probation Revocation Study and Recommendations (May 27, 2022)
• Speaker, Minnesota 4^th Judicial District Equal Justice Committee Meeting, Committee For Equality and Justice Study on Jury Race Data and Recommendations and Probation Revocation Study and Recommendations (May 26, 2022)
• Speaker, Minnesota 9^th Judicial District Equal Justice Committee Meeting, Committee For Equality and Justice Study on Jury Race Data and Recommendations and Probation Revocation Study and Recommendations (May 19, 2022)
• Panelist, Hennepin County Bar Association, Committee for Equality and Justice Study on Jury Race Data and Recommendations:  Looking Back and Looking Forward (May 18, 2022)
• Speaker, Minnesota 1^st Judicial District Equal Justice Committee Meeting, Committee For Equality and Justice Study on Jury Race Data and Recommendations and Probation Revocation Study and Recommendations (May 13, 2022)
• Speaker, Minnesota 5^th Judicial District Equal Justice Committee Meeting, Committee For Equality and Justice Study on Jury Race Data and Recommendations and Probation Revocation Study and Recommendations (April 29, 2022)
• Dakota County Administrative Training, Ex Parte Communications (March 22, 2022)
• Speaker, Minnesota CLE Family Law Institute, Judicial Track, Setting Party Expectations and Managing Family Cases Through The Rules (March 21-22, 2022)
• Panelist, Minnesota Judicial Selection Committee, Why YOU Should Apply to be a Judge in the First Judicial District (February 23, 2022)
• Speaker, Minnesota Paralegal Association Annual Meeting, From Promise to Practice:  The Role of Courts in Ensuring Equal Justice Under Law (October, 2021)
• Author, 2020-2021 Committee For Equality and Justice Study on Jury Race Data and Recommendations (August, 2021)
• Author, 2020-2021 Committee for Equality and Justice Study on Probation Revocations and Recommendations (August, 2021)
• Contributing Author, Minnesota District Judges Foundation Judge Handbook (July, 2021)
• Dakota County Housing Court COVID-19 Pandemic Listening Session (July, 2021)
• Dakota County Family Court COVID-19 Pandemic Workgroup (May, 2021)
• Panelist, Impact of the Pandemic on the Courts & Litigation, Minnesota Family Law Institute (March, 2021)
• Speaker, Remote Interpreting in Minnesota, Minnesota 2020 Annual Conference of Judges (December, 2020)
• Panelist, COVID and the Courts Discussion, Minnesota State Bar Association One Profession Event (October, 2020)
• Panelist, Dakota County Contested Hearings During COVID-19 (September, 2020)
• Author, 2020 Progress Report on the 1989 Gender Fairness Task Force Report (July, 2020)
• Speaker, AFCC Community Chat – How to Participate in a Remote Trial (July 24, 2020)
• Speaker, Dakota County Housing Court Community Listening Sessions (June 4, 2020)
• Contributing Author, Minnesota District Judges Foundation Judge Handbook (June, 2020)
• Contributor, Statewide COVID-19 Pandemic Family Partner Meeting (April 29, 2020)
• Panelist, Demystifying the Judicial Selection Process (March, 2020)
• Faculty, New Judge Orientation Program – Trial Skills Training (February, 2020)
• Speaker, Speaking with the Courts (February, 2020)
• Moderator, Minnesota Supreme Court Historical Society – 150th Anniversary of the 14th Amendment—Minnesota’s Current State of Race and Education and  Brown v. Board of Education (November, 2019)
• Contributing Author, Minnesota District Judges Foundation Judge Handbook (2019)
• Author, 2019 Progress Report on the 1993 Race Bias Task Force (July 2020)
• Speaker, Dakota County 1^st Judicial District Community Listening Session – Prairie Island Indian Community Center (July, 2019).  
• Dakota County 1^st Judicial District Tribal Flag Installation (July, 2019).  
• Presidential Pardons and Minnesota Board of Pardons, Warren E. Burger Inn of Court (January 2019)
• Speaker, Issues Surrounding Firearm Surrender Dakota County Domestic Violence Coordinated Community Response, Dakota County Bench (December 2018)
• Dakota County 1^st Judicial District Domestic Abuse Advocate Community Listening Session – Dakota County Event (November, 2018)
• Speaker, Race Data Collection in the 1^st Judicial District, 1^st Judicial District Bench (October 2018) 
• Speaker, Building Resilience – Impact of Trauma Informed Courts and Decision Making, American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers Conference (September, 2018)
• Faculty, New Judge Orientation Program – Trial Skills Training (August, 2018)
• Contributing Author, Minnesota District Judges Foundation Judge Handbook (2018)
• Speaker, Implicit Bias and The Courts – Dakota County Bar Association (June, 2018)
• 1^st Judicial District Community Listening Session – Scott County Event (May, 2018)
• Author, Recommendation for Minnesota Judicial Branch Strategic Performance Measure on Race Data Collection (May, 2018)
• Speaker, Me Too and the Minnesota Judicial Branch, Mitchell Hamline College of Law (April 2018)
• Faculty, New Judge Orientation Program – Trial Skills Training (January, 2018)
• Hispanic-Latino Innovation Lab Community Outreach Event  (November, December 2017)
• Panelist, Building a Representative Judiciary – Infinity Project (November 2017)
• Moderator, 1^st Judicial District Community Listening Session – Dakota County Event (October, 2017)
• Faculty, New Judge Orientation Program – Trial Skills Training (August, 2017)
• Contributing Author, Minnesota District Judges Foundation Judge Handbook (2017)
• Speaker, Perspectives from the Bench, Dakota County Bar Association (August 2017)
• Moderator, 1^st Judicial District Community Listening Session – Dakota County Event (April 2017)
• Panelist, “Building your Judicial Resume,” Judicial Bootcamp sponsored by Minnesota Asian Pacific American Bar Association and the Infinity Project (October 2016)
• Faculty, New Judge Orientation Program – “New Judge Round Table Discussion”  (2016)
• Speaker and Chair, Access to Leadership Conference, sponsored by Lindquist & Vennum, Medtronic, Best Buy, and Minnesota Women Lawyers
• Author and Speaker, “Clarity and Brevity – How To Avoid Common Drafting Mistakes in Divorce Documents,” 2015 Minnesota Family Law Institute
• Author and Speaker, “Family Law Basics,” 2015 Pro Bono Legal Aide and Lindquist & Vennum Seminar Series
• Panelist, “Race and the Judiciary” – 2014 Dakota County Bar Association Seminar
• Speaker, “Togstad in the Digital Age,” 2014 Warren E. Burger Inns of Court
• Author and Speaker, "Fundamentals of Property Division," 2013 Minnesota Family Law Institute
• Author, “Limitations on Grandparent Visitation?” Minnesota State Bar Association (MSBA) Family Law Forum, 2012 Winter Edition
• Author and Speaker, “Basics of Property Division,” 2012 Minnesota Family Law Institute
• Author, “Business Valuations in Tough Economic Times: Tips for Practitioners,” MSBA Family Law Forum, 2011 Winter Edition
• Author, “Child Custody Crosses the Border,” Application of the Hague Convention and International Child Custody Disputes, Fall 2010
• Speaker, “International Child Abduction and the Hague Convention,” WCCO Minnesota Law, Nov. 2010
• Speaker, “Divorce for Business Owners,” WCCO Minnesota Law, July 2010
• Speaker, “Changes in Child Support Laws,” WCCO Minnesota Law, August 2008
• Speaker, “Coaching to Win,” Minnesota State High School League, 1995-2001

Recognition:

• 2020 Minnesota Lawyer Diversity and Inclusion Honoree
• Minnesota Rising Stars, 2008-2010, 2012-2015
• North Star Lawyer recognition for pro bono service, 2013-2015

Professional Membership and Community Involvement:

• Minnesota District Judges Foundation
• Minnesota District Judges Association
• Minnesota Asian Pacific Bar Association
• Minnesota Women Lawyers
• Dakota County Bar Association
• Previous Dakota County Conciliation Court Referee
• ​Mentor, University of St. Thomas School of Law & Mitchell Hamline College of Law
• Mentor, Minnesota Judicial Branch and Department of Corrections, Mentorship for Sustainable Release