The MLBA Board of Directors is comprised of an all-volunteer Board. Each Board member is elected by the MLBA membership to serve a two-year term. The Board is dedicated to promoting the MLBA’s mission and vision to the Minnesota legal community. Board Members are responsible for actively participating in committee work, fundraising for the organization, and building collegial and collaborative relationships with LGBTQ+ and allied organizations to promote LGBTQ+ equality within Minnesota’s legal profession.
The Board is governed by the Executive Committee: the Chair (or Co-Chairs), the Secretary, and the Treasurer.
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
Ryan Petty, Chair
Ryan is an associate at Fish & Richardson, where he represents clients in complex patent litigation. He also served as a law clerk to Justice Natalie E. Hudson and Justice Margaret H. Chutich on the Minnesota Supreme Court. Ryan received his JD from Harvard Law School in 2019. Outside of work, he enjoys playing board games and exploring Minnesota with his dog Loki.
Daniel Wassim, Treasurer
Daniel Wassim is a Trial Associate with Dorsey & Whitney LLP. He graduated in 2022 from Georgetown Law, where he served as Vice President of Georgetown’s OutLaw chapter. After graduating from law school, Daniel served as a judicial law clerk to Justice Natalie Hudson on the Minnesota Supreme Court. Daniel is also a member of the Minnesota State Bar Association’s Access to Justice Committee and Civil Litigation Section Council. In his free time, Daniel enjoys exploring the Twin Cities food scene, playing with his Boston Terrier puppy, and singing with One Voice Mixed Chorus.
Mara Sybesma, Secretary
Mara is an Assistant Attorney General at the Office of the Minnesota Attorney General, and represents the State in cases concerning the Minnesota Department of Human Services. She previously served as the judicial law clerk for the Honorable Jacob Kraus in Minnesota’s Second Judicial District. Mara received her J.D. from the University of Minnesota in 2022, and volunteers with VLN’s LGBTQ+ Community Legal Clinic, helping trans clients pursue name changes and correct documents.
BOARD MEMBERS
Lisa Beane
Lisa Beane is senior associate general counsel in the University of Minnesota Office of the General Counsel. She represents the University in civil litigation matters in state and federal courts and manages internal investigations. Lisa previously was an associate at Jones Day and at Robins Kaplan LLP, and she worked as a judicial law clerk for the Honorable Wilhelmina M. Wright of the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota and for the Minnesota Supreme Court. Lisa also serves on the board of the Minnesota Women Lawyers Foundation and is a First Judicial District attorney member of the Commission on Judicial Selection.
Sadie Betting
Sadie (she/her/hers) is a judicial clerk for the Honorable Susan N. Burke in Minnesota’s Fourth Judicial District. She graduated from the University of Minnesota Law School in 2023, where she was elected Communications Director of Minnesota Law’s OutLaw chapter. In addition, she served as an Articles Editor on the Minnesota Law Review and competing member of the mock trial and National Health Law Moot Court teams.In her free time, Sadie enjoys paddleboarding and theater.
Michael Dittberner
Michael Dittberner has practiced family law since 1984, and is a shareholder in the firm Linder, Dittberner & McSweeney, Ltd., in Edina, Minnesota. Mr. Dittberner received his bachelor’s degree, cum laude, from Gustavus Adolphus College in 1981, and received his JD decree, cum laude, from William Mitchell College of Law in 1984. He was admitted to the Minnesota bar in 1984.
Mr. Dittberner is a Fellow of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (AAML) and has served AAML’s Minnesota Chapter (AAML-MN) as the Chair of its Legislative Committee since 2002. He has served on AAML-MN’s Board of Managers and currently serves on their Board of Examiners. He is also a member and past board member of the Minnesota Chapter of the Association of Family and Conciliation Court (AFCC) and he has been a member of the Board of Directors of the Minnesota Lavender Bar Association since 2018. He has been a member of the Minnesota State Bar Association’s Family Law Section since 1987 and served as Chair of the Family Law Section in 1995 and 1996. In addition, he has served the Minnesota State Bar Association’s Family Law Section as a member and co-chair of its Amicus Committee. He is a regular lecturer and author of continuing legal education programs. He supervises and helps present the Case Law Update at Minnesota CLE’s Annual Family Law Institute. For many years, Mr. Dittberner has been recognized in the Super Lawyers list, and has been recognized as one of the top 100 lawyers in Minnesota. He is also listed in The Best Lawyers in America. Mr. Dittberner has been certified as a family law trial advocate by the National Board of Trial Advocacy. In 2012 Mr. Dittberner was designated as a distinguished member of the Family Law Section of the Minnesota State Bar Association. In 2016, Mr. Dittberner was the recipient of the Professionalism Award from the Family Law Section of the Hennepin County Bar Association.
Janis Douglass
Janis Douglass is a compensation attorney principal at the Minnesota Workers’ Compensation Court of Appeals, where for more than 30 years she has assisted the court in the resolution of workers’ compensation appeals. She also serves as deputy court administrator, managing day-to-day court operations. She is a graduate of the University of Minnesota Law School. Ms. Douglass currently volunteers as a Queerspace youth mentor and in efforts that support the rights of gender nonconforming youth and seek to increase diversity in the legal profession and in state employment. Her past community involvement has included service on the boards of several non-profit community organizations in St. Paul’s Frogtown neighborhood.
Dawn Dudley
Dawn Dudley (she/her) is a 2L at the University of Minnesota Law School, and graduated from University College London in 2023 with a B.A. in History. In law school, Dawn serves as the president of OutLaw, and has been involved with the Asylum Law Project, Street Law, and Transgender Law Center. Outside of work, Dawn enjoys baseball, theatre, and the many green spaces the state has to offer.
Catlin Hedeman
Catlin is a 3L at the University of Minnesota Law School, and she graduated from Occidental College in 2021. Thus far in law school, she has volunteered for the Advocates for Human Rights, participated in UMN’s Housing Law Clinic, and worked as a law clerk at Chestnut Cambronne PA in Minneapolis.
Judge Melissa Houghtaling
Melissa Houghtaling is a District Court Judge in the 4th Judicial District currently assigned to the Family Court Division. Prior to her appointment, Judge Houghtaling served as District Court Referee presiding over housing, harassment, and petty court trial matters. She worked as a Human Services Judge at the Minnesota Department of Human Services and clerked for judges Bradford Delapena, Joanne Turner, and Thomas Haluska at the Minnesota State Tax Court. Before embarking on her public service journey, Judge Houghtaling was a shareholder and attorney at Heltzer & Houghtaling, P.A. and associate attorney at Heltzer & Burg, P.A. (one of the first LGTBQ law firms in the Twin Cities). She was an adjunct professor at Mitchell Hamline School of Law, Hamline University, and Inver Hills Community College. Judge Houghtaling is the former chair of the St. Paul Human Rights and Equal Economic Opportunity Commission, former co-chair of the Minnesota Lavender Bar Association, volunteers as a mock trial judge for the MSBA High School Mock Trial Program and is an active member of the 4th Judicial District Education Committee and the Minnesota Judicial Branch Judicial Officer Technical Advisory Team. In her free time, Judge Houghtaling enjoys running, cooking, spoon carving, and spending time with her wife, son, and Bernie-doodle.
Tara Kalar
Tara Kalar is a Senior Human Services Judge at the Minnesota Department of Human Services, an adjunct professor at Mitchell Hamline School of Law, and a Senior Associate at the Washington law firm Thompson Guildner and Associates. She has experience in the legal offices of the Minnesota Department of Revenue, the Minnesota Department of Transportation, and the Minnesota Department of Human Services. She is a recipient of the Alice Musabende Award awarded by World Without Genocide for years of commitment to human rights and the 2016 State Government Innovation Award and the Governor’s Award for Continuous Improvement in State Government. She volunteers for the FBI Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section, the ACLU, and World Without Genocide. In cooperation with World Without Genocide, she pioneered a human rights course that focuses on transgender human rights at Mitchell Hamline School of Law. She is dedicated to advancing human rights globally and locally.
Olivia Levinson
Olivia Levinson (she/her) is an Assistant County Attorney at the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office with a practice in Criminal Prosecution. Prior to joining the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office, Olivia was a law clerk for the Honorable Paul Scoggin in Minnesota’s Fourth Judicial District. Olivia graduated from the University of Minnesota Law School, cum laude, in 2021. In law school, Olivia served as a student director of the Consumer Protection Clinic, legal writing student instructor, Senior Articles Editor of the Minnesota Law Review, and member of the Thurgood Marshall competition moot court team. Olivia helped draft new bylaws to UMN’s OutLaw group while serving as an OutLaw board member. As the Communications Director for UMN’s Law Council, Olivia led a campaign to establish additional gender-neutral restrooms at the law school. Prior to law school, Olivia attended New College of Florida and served on the Board of Directors of the Sarasota, Florida chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union.
Lee Novelli
Lee is the owner of Novelli Law Office and practices exclusively in family law. Through her years of practice, she has focused her practice on helping her clients resolve complex issues including complicated marital estates, division of businesses, non-marital tracings, executive compensation valuation, spousal maintenance, and custody and parenting time. Lee also has extensive experience with family law appeals and has expanded her practice to include acting as a Parenting Consultant. For many years Lee has been recognized in the Super Lawyers list, and has been recognized as one of the top women attorneys in Minnesota.
Trevor Warzecha
Bio coming soon!
Nicholas Williams
Nicholas (he/him/his) is an associate at Fox Rothschild, where he assists clients with a wide range of real estate matters. Prior to joining Fox, Nicholas was assistant vice president and associate corporate counsel at U.S. Bank. While earning his law degree from the University of Minnesota School of Law, Nicholas worked as a law clerk for a regional construction law firm, held legal externships at Target Corporation and Regis Corporation, represented clients as a Certified Student Attorney in Housing Law and Business Law Clinics, and was a research assistant to Professor Judith T. Younger. Additionally, he served on the board for the UMN chapter of OutLaw, and as a class representative on the school’s Law Council. Before law school Nicholas earned his B.A. from the University of Tennessee where he graduated summa cum laude. More information about Nicholas is available at: https://www.foxrothschild.com/nicholas-williams.