As Deputy Director at Gender Justice, Tana provides critical leadership management, shapes organizational culture, and guides work management processes.

From high-profile museums to start-up cooperatives, Tana has extensive experience in non-profit leadership, strategic planning, and project development. She has co-created a wide range of projects for creative and learning communities in New York, Boston, and Providence. After years working on the East Coast, Tana is back in her hometown of Minneapolis, creating art and action through public art-based policy engagement, and through the development of a network of artist-led worker cooperatives.

Tana is a collaborator in multiple Black-led and BIPOC-led movements. She is a member of the Black Liberation and Abolition Cohort, a group called together in the immediate aftermath of the murder of George Floyd by the Minneapolis Police Department. Tana is a member of the Subversive Sirens, a Minnesota-based synchronized swimming team committed to Black liberation, equity in swimming and the aquatic arts, radical body acceptance in athleticism, and queer visibility. She is a cohort member of Don’t You Feel It Too?, a public art action and form of movement meditation that transforms the self while taking action in the world.

Erin Maye Quade is the Special Projects Advisor at Gender Justice, where she works to advance gender justice through public education, legislative outreach, strategic partnerships and coalition-building.

Erin Maye Quade is a former Minnesota State Representative who was first elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives in 2016. There, she quickly established herself as a candid and fierce advocate for Minnesotans championing paid family leave; expanding access to affordable child care; ending childhood hunger; eliminating gun violence; and investing in treatment for mental health and substance abuse issues. In 2018, Rep. Maye Quade founded the Childhood Hunger Caucus, a coalition of businesses, nonprofits and policymakers dedicated to ending childhood hunger in Minnesota.

After legislation to prevent gun violence was stopped by Republican lawmakers, Rep. Maye Quade held a 24-hour sit-in on the House floor to protest Republican inaction on the issue and shared stories of victims and survivors of gun violence. In June 2018, Rep. Erin Maye Quade became the first LGBTQ person—and among the youngest—to be endorsed as the DFL candidate for Lt. Governor.

Monica Meyer has been leading organizing, activism, fundraising and policy advocacy on behalf of issues of equity and justice since 1992. Monica’s most recent job was working for LGBTQ liberation as the Executive Director of OutFront Minnesota. During Monica’s twenty years at OutFront Minnesota, she loved getting to work with thousands of justice-loving people fighting to make Minnesota more loving and equitable.

During this time, OutFront was involved in securing some key victories advancing LGBTQ equity including helping to form and lead Minnesotans United for All Families, the campaign to defeat a constitutional amendment banning same-sex couples from the right to marry and secure marriage equality through the Minnesota legislature. They also worked to pass one of the country’s strongest anti-bullying laws, a policy to secure trans inclusion in sports, and elect pro-equality candidates up and down the ballot.

Some of Monica’s recognition includes the Humphrey Institute’s Public Leadership Award, the Lynx’s Inspiring Women Award, HRC’s Brian Coyle Award, the Charlotte Striebel Award from MN NOW and the MN School Social Work Association’s Friend of Social Work Award.

Monica received her master’s degree in public policy from the Humphrey Institute at the University of Minnesota, and her undergraduate degree from Hamline University. She lives in NE Minneapolis with her family and loves being close to so much great art and food.

Jess Braverman is the Legal Director at Gender Justice, where she ensures that our litigation strategy not only promotes the dignity of our clients, but also advances our mission of removing barriers to gender equity.

Jess came to Gender Justice from the Hennepin County Public Defender’s office. After representing hundreds of clients in felony matters in the Fourth District, she spearheaded the office’s Special Litigation Unit, where she focused on racial profiling in policing. Jess developed litigation that challenged racially discriminatory undercover marijuana sting operations, which ultimately led to the end of the sting operations and the dismissal of dozens of wrongful charges.

Jess attended NYU Law School, where she was an Arthur Garfield Hays Civil Liberties Fellow with a focus on LGBTQ rights. She has worked with organizations dedicated to LGBTQ and gender civil rights advocacy, access to health care, immigration advocacy and workers rights. After graduating, Jess worked at the Legal Aid Society’s Juvenile Rights Project, representing young people in delinquency and child protection cases in Brooklyn, New York.

Minnesota Lawyer honored both Jess Braverman and Christy Hall as 2021 Attorneys of the Year, alongside our co-counsel ACLU of Minnesota and Stinson LLC, for our transformative victory in N.H. v. Anoka-Hennepin School District. In August of 2022, Jess was celebrated by the Minnesota Lynx for her work to both ensure trans women can participate in sports and litigation for abortion access. During their Women’s Health Night, they presented Jess with a signed basketball in recognition of her accomplishments. Jess has also earned the 2020 Equality & Justice Award from the Minnesota Lavender Bar Association.

Christy Hall is Senior Staff Attorney at Gender Justice, where she represents clients challenging gender discrimination. She practices in both state and federal court and has argued before the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals and the Minnesota Court of Appeals. Christy litigates cases involving discrimination in employment, housing, health care and education. She is proud of her ground-breaking work on transgender rights in the Affordable Care Act and the Minnesota Human Rights Act. She has a particular interest in representing clients who have experienced trauma. Minnesota Lawyer honored both Jess Braverman and Christy Hall as 2021 Attorneys of the Year, alongside our co-counsel ACLU of Minnesota and Stinson LLC, for their transformative victory in N.H. v. Anoka-Hennepin School District. Christy has also been named a Power 30 employment lawyer by Minnesota Lawyer Magazine in 2021 and 2022—the only non-profit lawyer to do so. Christy graduated magna cum laude from the University of Minnesota Law School and joined Gender Justice in 2011 as a Robina Public Interest Scholars Fellow. Prior to becoming an attorney, Christy worked as a computer programmer.

Brittany Stewart is a Senior Staff Attorney at Gender Justice. She earned her JD at UC Law San Francisco, before returning home to Oklahoma City to begin her legal career. In 2010, she was the first out transgender Oklahoman to run for political office. While she did not win that race, she helped normalize the participation of trans and non-binary people in Oklahoma politics and was named to Oklahoma magazine’s 40 Under 40 list.

Brittany helped advance equality for LGBT+ Oklahomans in legal cases ranging from free speech to employment discrimination. She was a key member of the legal team in Tudor v. Southeastern Oklahoma State University, the first sex discrimination case with a transgender plaintiff to be tried to a jury in federal court. Her work helped secure a unanimous jury verdict in favor of her client, with the jury awarding over $1 million for the discrimination. The verdict was later upheld by the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals.

Outside of law and politics, Brittany is a car and road trip enthusiast. She lives in Minnesota with her husband and their cat. In the last 10 years, she has been on road trips through all 48 contiguous states in the U.S. She is also a big sports fan, mostly of basketball, football, and IndyCar racing. Her favorite teams are the Oklahoma City Thunder, as well as the Vikings, Wolves, Lynx, and Wild.

Grace Moore is a Saeks Public Interest Legal Fellow at Gender Justice, where she assists the legal team in representing clients challenging gender discrimination. She is in her last year at the University of Minnesota Law School, and after graduation she will continue working at Gender Justice as an attorney through her fellowship. 

Before Gender Justice, Grace worked at a legal services organization serving survivors of intimate-partner violence and at a non-profit dedicated to ending gender-based violence through legal and policy advocacy. She also worked at Health and Human Services – Office of the General Counsel, where she worked on health equity initiatives, including ensuring access to reproductive health care.  

Paola was born and raised in Mexico City until the age of ten when she and her family moved to Grand Rapids, MN.  Following graduation, Paola moved to Los Angeles and specialized in Treasury Management, working for some of Hollywood’s biggest stars. Nearly a decade later and back in Minnesota, Paola found her passion for advocacy work, and gained years of experience in Family and Criminal law.

Prior to working at Gender Justice, Paola served as the Vice Chair for the Grand Rapids Human Rights Commission and is well-known for her community engagement regarding social issues. Paola has collaborated with countless organizations including Global Rights for Women, Planned Parenthood, VEMA (Voices for Ethnic & Multicultural Awareness), and other organizations focused on combatting discrimination. In 2019, she was featured in the documentary “Colored Lines” where she shared her personal experience regarding racism and lack of diversity in northern Minnesota.

Michelle has extensive experience in non-profit leadership, fundraising, political organizing, and social change advocacy. She has run record-setting fundraising campaigns and raised millions of dollars for LGBTQ+ equity, social justice, and environmental protection. She has previously worked for OutFront Minnesota, Save the Boundary Waters, Environment Minnesota, and a 2020 Congressional campaign.

Michelle first joined the movement for reproductive justice as a student at Carleton College. She currently serves on the Sierra Club Council of Club Leaders and the Sierra Club North Star Chapter Executive Committee and Political Committee.

Cameron Kruger has a long history in the nonprofit sector, most recently serving as President/CEO of the Duluth Children’s Museum where he navigated the museum through an extensive capital campaign and established the museum’s first permanent location in its 90-year history. He previously served as Chief Information Officer for the Duluth Area Family YMCA and was Board Chair of the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits. Cameron holds a Master’s degree in Organizational Leadership from Springfield College and teaches as an Adjunct Professor of Organizational Leadership for Southern New Hampshire University.

Living on the shores of Lake Superior in Duluth, Cameron enjoys running, hiking, kayaking, and spending time with his two children and one cat.

Reika brings years of experience in nonprofit database management, grassroots fundraising, and event planning. In her previous roles, she contributed her skills to advance housing equity, racial justice, and grassroots movements at Beacon Interfaith Housing Collaborative and Headwaters Foundation for Justice.

As a first-generation immigrant, she calls both Minnesota and Saitama, Japan her home. She lives in the South Metro Twin Cities area with her husband, and two cats named Mr. Meeseeks and Marbles.

Erin Hart joins Gender Justice to lead our communications team, develop strategic messaging, and lift up our work to new audiences at a critical moment for gender equity. Erin previously worked as Communications Director for the Iraqi and American Reconciliation Project and the Germanic-American Institute, where she helped grow the nonprofits’ reach to national and international audiences. Prior to her nonprofit roles, Erin was a Foreign Service Officer (U.S. diplomat) with the U.S. Department of State. Her experience includes coordinating communications on Afghanistan and Pakistan at the department headquarters and public affairs roles at the U.S. embassies in Afghanistan, Oman, and Iraq.

Erin has a Master’s in Law and Diplomacy from the Fletcher School at Tufts University and a bachelor’s degree in History and German from Grinnell College. Before Erin’s career took her around the world, she spent formative summers at NARAL Pro-Choice America and as a student activist. Originally from Duluth, Erin enjoys snowy walks, classical music, and exploring new playgrounds with her kids.

Stacey Burns comes to Gender Justice from a communications and public health background, and has been active in Minnesota’s reproductive health, rights, and justice movements for many years. Prior to joining us as Information Specialist in 2023, she has played several roles with the organization since 2019, previously as digital organizer and communications manager on the UnRestrict Minnesota campaign and later contracting on special projects with the Gender Justice communications team.

In addition to her work with UnRestrict Minnesota, Stacey has created, directed, and implemented social media campaigns with the National Network of Abortion Funds, Rewire News Group, and the University of Minnesota’s School of Public Health. She also oversaw Minnesota’s Abortion Provider Expansion Project with Pro-Choice Minnesota and Pro-Choice Resources (now Our Justice), helped launch Nurses for Sexual & Reproductive Health, and organized collections at the public health library of the Minnesota Department of Health.

Abena Abraham comes to UnRestrict Minnesota with years of experience in advocacy, campaigning and the coordination of people around a unified movement. Her move to the US at a young age impacted how she views the importance of community building and has greatly influenced her passion and leadership. Abena has served in a range of organizing positions throughout her career, from presidential campaigns to organizing with Saint Paul Federation of Educators (SPFE). She also co-founded the Black Immigrant Collective, a collective that works at the intersection of Blackness and Immigration. As Campaign Director, Abena brings expertise in advocacy and interpersonal relationship building that will drive the work of UnRestrict Minnesota forward.

While studying Political Science at Macalester College, Grace joined Gender Justice as an intern. She is now a Project Manager for the UnRestrict MN Campaign where she is excited to be a part of expanding abortion access in the state.

Before Gender Justice, Grace did on-campus voter engagement work and worked as a Research Assistant in Macalester’s Assessment Office. Her research focused on programming for first-generation students and student attitudes about the liberal arts.

Heidi Nybroten joined Gender Justice in December 2022 and, as Senior Manager of Finance and Administration, works to support the infrastructure of the organization. They bring operations, finance, and many years of legal assistant experience from non-profits as well as public defense firms. Heidi studied Law, Diversity, and Justice as well as Spanish at Western Washington University.

Heidi grew up in the Columbia River Gorge in Washington State and currently lives in Saint Paul, Minnesota with their partner, puppy, three cats, and four chickens. They like to spend time outside hiking, camping, and paddling as well as training industrial climbing skills for direct action.

Jay Belsito has been a community organizer for over a decade. They are a proud Northsider, youth mentor, educator, and graduate student pursuing a Master of Clinical Social Work. Parent of two cute kids, one pup, and backyard chickens. Jay is excited to bring their passion for gender equity to the team at Gender Justice to expand abortion access this legislative session.

Board Chair

When she’s not walking on frozen lakes, cooking spicy food and spoiling her niece, Summra serves as the Executive Director and President of Twin Cities Diversity in Practice. Since taking on the position in 2018, Summra has built on the organization’s past successes, by re-energizing and revamping programming at all levels to ensure alignment with TCDIP’s ability to attract, recruit, advance, and retain attorneys of color in the Twin Cities. For example, she restructured the Emerging Leaders Group, to better reflect its mission to create a stronger community of early-career diverse lawyers.

Prior to her work with TCDIP, Summra was a Diversity and Inclusion and Pro Bono Coordinator for a national law firm. She has a history of working with underrepresented groups, including with communities of color. Beyond her work with TCDIP, Summra continues to be active in the legal community by serving on the board of Gender Justice and also on the Minnesota Supreme Court’s Legal Services Advisory Committee. Summra also serves as a Vice-Chair for NALP’s Diversity and Inclusion Section. She is a former long-term member of the Minnesota Justice Foundation’s Board and Executive Committee and a former board member for the Housing Justice Center. She also formerly held a leadership role with the Minnesota Asian Pacific American Bar Association.

Amanda Bartschenfeld is a senior manager of Global Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity communications at Medtronic. She partners with business leaders and employees to tell inspiring stories and create a powerfully inclusive and equitable workplace for everyone, knowing that diverse backgrounds and perspectives lead to better ideas and decisions.

She previously served on the advocacy and community impact committee of the American Heart Association in Minnesota and the board of directors for Everybody Works!, a consortium in Western Wisconsin providing employment support to individuals with disabilities.

She earned an MBA from St. Catherine University in St. Paul, Minnesota, and a bachelor’s degree in journalism and mass communication from the University of Minnesota.

Thomas Fiebiger has grown a legal career that centers advocacy for those without a voice.  Through litigation, holding public office, and leading grassroots campaigns, he has spent the past 25 years defending and promoting the civil rights of working people in North Dakota and Minnesota.

He has sued the University of North Dakota, its President and Provost, the United States, the state of North Dakota (multiple times), the Catholic Church, landlords, and many employers, large and small, on a variety of discrimination theories.

Thomas’ legislative and advocacy efforts includes his sponsoring a bill to amend the North Dakota Human Rights Act to include sexual orientation, a successful effort to block an attempt to amend the ND Constitution to make religion an excuse to discriminate. In this effort, Thomas helped convince the six major newspapers to all come out against the Measure.

Thomas has spent the past five years in private practice at Fiebiger Law, focusing on labor and employment/civil rights law with his son—and law partner—Rolf. He is an ACLU member, and the father of a gay man who is an artist/entrepreneur and living in New York. Thomas’ wife of 44 years, Siri, is an OB/GYN, active in reproductive rights work, a  former Planned Parent Board member, and active in lobbying issues with ACOG and the Minnesota Medical Association. He has two granddaughters who inspire him and keep him in the moment.

Board Treasurer

Amanda Furst is Assistant Dean and Chief of Staff at the University of Minnesota Law School, having previously served as Director of Public Interest Programs. A 2008 graduate of the University of Iowa College of Law, Amanda started her career as an Equal Justice Works AmeriCorps Legal Fellow in New Orleans, Louisiana, where she developed a Medical-Legal Partnership with Southeast Louisiana Legal Services, a legal services organization.

Ann Tobin is a retired executive, business attorney and compliance officer with deep expertise in the healthcare industry. She has substantial experience with boards of directors, including governance, committee leadership, and development. Ann was on the boards of OutFront Minnesota and Headwaters Foundation for Justice. She served as a chairperson in both organizations and as chair of their development committees. Both organizations are focused on advancing equity and justice in Minnesota. Throughout Ann’s career, she has mentored women in formal and informal settings, including through Menttium, Medtronic, UnitedHealth Group, and Prime Therapeutics.

In Ann’s profession, she was most recently Chief Compliance Officer at Prime Therapeutics, a pharmacy benefit manager owned by 18 Blue Cross Blue Shield plans and serving 28 million members nationwide. In this role, she reported to the Board of Directors through Prime’s Compliance and Audit Committee and brought strategy and direction for not only regulatory compliance but also privacy, ethics and corporate compliance, external audit management, governance and reporting, and compliance/ethics investigations.

Ann is passionate about creating an equitable society that works for everyone and enhancing people’s lives through fighting discrimination based on sex, gender, sexual orientation or gender identity.

CB Baga is a Trial Attorney Associate at Zinda Law Group PLLC with expertise in trans law, complex litigation, and risk management. In 2015, CB founded the LGBT Legal Clinic at the Volunteer Lawyers Network to provide a gateway to legal resources to the LGBTQ+ community. They have substantial experience helping community members navigate and access legal resources. CB has served as a volunteer and community partner for numerous community organizations including running the Legal Clinic in partnership with the Minnesota Trans Health Coalition and Family Tree Clinic. CB also has presented and trained legal community members on trans cultural competence, ranging from Judges to private law firms to public attorneys and law students. Throughout CB’s legal career, they have centered lifting the trans community in law and access to justice.

Hetal Dalal is an assistant professor at Mitchell Hamline and has wide-ranging expertise in non-profit, tax, labor and employment, campaign finance, corporate governance, public interest law, as well as associated litigation and transactional skills. She has a longstanding interest in the link between rhetorical skills and the preservation of democratic values and a well-informed citizenry.

Hetal has served as in-house counsel for The Center for Popular Democracy (CPD) and its predecessor organization, which she co-founded, from 2010-2020. This organization—which has 100 staff members, a $30 million budget, and affiliated community organizations with 600,000 members in 35 states—is one of the country’s leading organizations advocating for racial equality and economic justice. During her time at CPD, Hetal worked with founding organizers to help launch at least two dozen new community organizing endeavors.

Prior to 2010, Hetal worked in-house at ACORN, developed an independent immigration practice representing businesses and employees, and served as an Associate Attorney at Norton Rose Fulbright. Hetal graduated magna cum laude from the University of Minnesota Law School, where she was a board member of the Minnesota Justice Foundation and participated in the Immigration Law Clinic and the Criminal Defense Clinic, as well as the student-run Asylum Law Project. She clerked for the Honorable Kathleen A. Blatz, then Chief Justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court. Before law school Hetal worked as a community organizer with the National Organizers Alliance and a union organizer (short-term) with UNITE-HERE.

David Schlesinger is an experienced attorney who has been recognized for the quality of his work for employees. He is an MSBA Certified Employment Law Specialist who has been selected as a Super Lawyer for the last seven years. David has successfully litigated a wide variety of employment claims, including several significant cases involving gender discrimination, cases under the Americans with Disabilities Act, and many other claims. His practice also includes an emphasis on the intersection of employment and business disputes, including litigation of breach of fiduciary duty and minority shareholder claims. He has effectively defended employees from non-compete and trade secret claims brought by their former employers. David taught Law in Practice at the University of Minnesota Law School for several years and is the former president of the Minnesota Chapter of the National Employment Lawyers Association.

Board Secretary

Melissa Harl recently retired from the University of Minnesota after a 38-year teaching career, as Professor Emerita of Classical and Near Eastern Studies. While at the ‘U’ she served in leadership roles for the Transgender Commission and on many other committees, most recently as a member of the Social Concerns committee of the University Senate.

Melissa has a lifelong interest in social justice, particularly as it relates to race, gender, violence, and education. As a college student she opposed the war in Viet Nam as a conscientious objector, with some personal consequences. In the 1980s she headed a committee of churches in aid of refugees from CIA-funded violence in Central America. More recently she served on the board of the Twenty Percent Theatre Company, a small but fierce organization centering the lives and art of women, especially queer and trans people of color. The murder of Philando Castile in her Falcon Heights neighborhood in July 2016 drove her into deeper engagement with efforts to oppose state-sanctioned violence. Currently she is active in work supporting families seeking asylum and other relief from religiously and racially based over-enforcement of immigration law, and serves on the board of her church, First Congregational Church of Minnesota, in the Marcy-Holmes neighborhood of Minneapolis.

Sarah was previously the executive director for Domestic Abuse Project (DAP), where she helped establish an innovative and transformational birth-to-3 therapy program, re-instated adolescent male programming and engaged in projects with Hennepin County and the City of Minneapolis to end gender-based violence. In addition, Sarah served as executive director of Joyce Preschool, which was awarded the Nonprofit Excellence award in 2013.

Additionally, Sarah also serves on the board of directors for Propel Nonprofits as Vice-Chair. She also served on Mayor Hodges’ Cradle-to-K Cabinet and the Governor’s Council on Law Enforcement and Community Relations. She is a founding local advisory board member for Educators for Excellence-Minnesota.

Sarah is passionate about education, social justice, ending gender-based violence, and building cross-sector relationships to dismantle disparities in our communities. Sarah received a master’s degree in education and a bachelor of arts degree in sociology and Spanish, both from the University of Minnesota.

EJ Dean is a queer non-binary parent and spouse. EJ is the Manager of Adult Mental Health Initiative at Hennepin County and a Psychotherapist, Gender Specialist at Edges Wellness Center. EJ serves on the Minnesota Behavioral Health Planning Council and is a former commissioner of the City of Minneapolis Transgender Equity Council. EJ has formerly held senior leadership roles at Avivo, Family Tree Clinic and Rainbow Health Initiative. They have lived in Pittsburgh, Kalamazoo, New York City, Washington, DC and for the last 9 years, EJ has called Minneapolis home. EJ has spent two decades advocating for queer and trans equity in multiple capacities, from college activist, LGBTQIA2S+ ballot measures and legislative campaigns to leadership development and organizational change work. EJ has extensive experience in leadership development, grant writing, budget management as well as development and implementation od equitable workplace policy toward trauma informed, human centered, anti-racist and trans justice based framework. EJ has a Master’s degree in Marriage, Couple and Family Therapy from Adler Graduate School and a Master’s degree in Organizational Psychology from William James College where they were the recipient of the Alumni Achievement Award for their work in LGBTQ Inclusion work in Health and Human Services.

Wintana Melekin was the Campaign Political Director for Congresswoman Ilhan Omar in her primary election. During her time on the campaign, Melekin helped secure the endorsement of almost every major progressive institution in Minnesota. She also secured endorsements from over 50 elected officials across Minnesota. The campaign went on to win the election with a 25,000 vote lead.

Melekin became a community organizer after attending a protest for Trayvon Martin in 2012 that she helped organize. Melekin is a believer of a representative democracy where everyone’s voice is heard no matter their race, religion or sexual orientation. Wintana centers her life around the creation of joy and fighting for justice. She sees her skills as an organizer and entrepreneur as tools for improving the conditions of her community and others.

Binta Kanteh is a proud daughter of immigrants from Gambia and is the eldest of three children. Binta was born and raised in Minnesota, primarily in Eastside Saint Paul. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in International Studies concentrating in Immigration and Refugee studies from DePaul University. The immigration journey of Binta’s parents inspired her to pursue a life of service to assist individuals who have been historically disadvantaged and isolated. Binta currently serves as the Policy Director to Commissioner Angela Conley of Hennepin County. Her experience in public policy began at the Minnesota House of Representatives where she was a Legislative Assistant to several representatives and the Majority Leader of the House. Binta values the opportunity to develop policy ideas and initiatives that allow our governments to work better for the state’s residents. What Binta loves about this profession is that when resources are redistributed to take into account the harm that has been committed against certain communities, we can build toward an atoned tomorrow. She is also grateful for the opportunity to break down barriers that residents feel when trying to access government assistance and power. Binta is an alumna of the University of Minnesota’s Humphrey Public Policy Fellowship Program, the Center for Policy Design’s Education Policy Fellowship, Minnesota International NGO Network Fellowship (MINN), the New Leaders Council Fellowship and was most recently a Public Leaders for Inclusion Council Fellow with America Indivisible. She enjoys painting, listening to podcasts, and trying new foods and teas whenever she gets the chance.

Joni Thome has been recognized locally and nationally for her work for employees and for others adversely affected by discrimination and hostility due to their protected status. Joni has worked for employees and students for over 30 years with unwavering commitment. She is a founder of the MN Lavender Bar Association and board member emeritus. She has also served on boards or worked otherwise as a volunteer for several organizations over the years including the National Lesbian and Gay Law Association, OutFront MN, Minnesota Aids Project, Cancer Legal Care, Seward Childcare Center and the MN Chapter of the National Employment Lawyers Association. Joni has been named as SuperLawyer each year since 2005 and consistently received recognition as a Top 50 Woman Lawyer and Top 100 Lawyer in Minnesota. Joni co-taught Sexual Orientation in the Law at HUSL for several years. She is the recipient of community service awards from the MN Lavender Bar Association, MN NELA’s Karla Wahl Dedicated Advocacy Award and Cancer Legal Care’s service award. Most of all, Joni is known for her passion in the pursuit of justice for her clients and the greater good. Joni is a founding partner of Wanta Thome PLC and is a practicing MSBA Certified Employment Law Specialist.

Prairie Rose Seminole – Northern Cheyenne and Arikara Tribal nations. Seminole is an educator, culture bearer, storyteller and is currently the inaugural Indigenous Fellow for the National Parks Conservation Association. Prairie Rose consults with Vote.Org on voter outreach strategies and is a national trainer on the Native Vote, campaign strategy and political coaching. Seminole serves the Olamina Fund Advisory Board, the leadership councils for the Midwest Innocence Project, Humanities ND and Gender Justice. Prairie Rose has been a part of efforts, institutions, and organizations that have seeded, supported, and strengthened public history, cultural heritage, civic education, and community engagement on local, state, and national levels. Prairie Rose grew up in North Dakota, is an enrolled member of the Three Affiliated Tribes of the Fort Berthold Reservation. She lives with her partner, their 7 dogs and 10 horses in White Shield, ND.

Jill Gaulding began her career at MIT, obtaining undergraduate and graduate degrees in Cognitive Science. She then pursued public interest law and has focused her legal career on understanding and eliminating gender barriers. She has done international research on gender stereotypes and family leave policies, as well as taught law at the University of Iowa with a focus on global feminist strategy.

Both as a professor and as a practicing lawyer, Jill has worked to modernize the legal system to better reflect what cognitive science has taught us about implicit bias. Seven years after co-founding Gender Justice, Jill accepted a call to pursue a Masters of Divinity at Harvard. She transitioned out of her role at Gender Justice in June of 2017.

Established in 2017, the Jill Gaulding Law Student Fellowship offers a second- or third-year LGBTQ (lesbian / gay / bisexual / transgender / non-binary / queer) and/or BIPOC (black / indigenous / native / person of color) law student the invaluable opportunity to work in a social justice, public interest legal and policy advocacy nonprofit dedicated to fighting gender inequality.

As an attorney, Lisa Stratton specializes in gender discrimination cases. She began her career at the University of Minnesota Law School, where she later joined the faculty as a professor and director of the Workers’ Rights Clinic. She has won noteworthy federal cases on behalf of undocumented immigrant workers and women trailblazing in male-dominated industries, such as paper mills and processing plants.

In 2014, she was a key advocate at the Minnesota legislature. As part of her work leading Gender Justice’s policy program, she lobbied for the progressive public policy changes in Minnesota’s groundbreaking Women’s Economic Security Act.

In June 2018, Lisa transitioned out of her role at Gender Justice and is now in private practice.