Leadership

The Minnesota Disability Bar Association held its latest elections in September 2025. The elected officers and their titles are listed below. For more information on how MDisBA elects officers, please see MDisBA’s bylaws.

The Board of Directors

Eleanor Frisch | President

Eleanor Frisch is President of the Minnesota Disability Bar Association and an Assistant Professor of Law at Mitchell Hamline School of Law. She previously litigated federal class actions and appeals on behalf of employees, students, and consumers. She has an immunological disorder and has participated in a number of panels about disabilities in the legal profession.

Deborah Autrey | Vice President

Deborah Autrey is Vice President of the Minnesota Disability Bar Association and an Associate at Dorsey & Whitney, LLP. Deborah litigates in the area of employment discrimination, and provides strategic guidance on employment matters such as DEI initiatives. She has spoken on a number of panels related to disabilities and legal developments related to DEI initiatives.

Brianna Boone | Secretary

Brianna Boone is the Assistant Director of Litigation and Advocacy at Southern Minnesota Regional Legal Services, and an Adjunct Professor at the University of Minnesota Law School, teaching Poverty Law. Brianna has Type 1, insulin-dependent diabetes. 

Paul Floyd | Treasurer

Paul Floyd is an attorney practicing business and corporate law in the Minneapolis law firm of Wallen-Friedman & Floyd, PA. Paul has been practicing law in Minnesota for more than 30 years, having graduated from William Mitchell College of Law in 1983. He advises professionals and small to mid-size businesses on legal and business related matters. In addition, Paul currently is an adjunct faculty member at St. Thomas School of Law where he has taught Business Associations, Health Law and Sales.

Abby Fang | Officer-at-Large

Abby Fang is a finance partner at Dorsey & Whitney LLP. Inspired by her own family’s experience with disability, she is dedicated to building awareness of invisible disabilities in the legal profession and fostering a more inclusive community through her work with MDisBA.   

Ann Motl | Past President

Ann Motl is a litigation attorney at Bowman and Brooke representing medical device manufacturers in product liability lawsuits and claims. She helped to found and served as the first president of the Minnesota Disability Bar Association. She has a form of muscular dystrophy and uses a wheelchair and voice recognition software. She has published numerous articles on including disability in diversity efforts and looks forward to continuing to build and support Minnesota legal professionals in the disability community.

Committee Chairs

Prateek Viswanathan | Chair of Judicial Selection Committee

Prateek Viswanathan (pviswanathan@robinskaplan.com) is an intellectual property litigation associate at Robins Kaplan and a former federal judicial law clerk. He has severe hearing loss and has worn hearing aids since childhood.

Sierra Grandy | Chair of Education Committee

Sierra Grandy is a public speaker and educator on disability and neurodiversity. Sierra lives with multiple disabilities, including chronic pain conditions, autism, and ADHD. Sierra is also on the Minnesota State Advisory Council on Mental Health and is the Second Vice Chair of the National Alliance on Mental Illness's (NAMI) Peer Leadership Council.