Leadership

The Minnesota Disability Bar Association held its latest elections in September 2023. 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

Ann Motl | President

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Ann Motl (ann.motl@bowmanandbrooke.com) is a litigation attorney at Bowman and Brooke representing medical device manufacturers in product liability lawsuits and claims.  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.

Brianna (Chamberlin) Patterson | Vice President

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Brianna (Chamberlin) Patterson (bchamberlin@cooley.com) is a founding member and the Vice President of MDisBA.  Brianna is an Associate Attorney at Cooley LLP, specializing in life sciences patent litigation.

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Gordon Knoblach | Secretary

Gordon Knoblach (gordon.knoblach@hennepin.us) is an Assistant Hennepin County Attorney in the Adult Prosecution Division, prosecuting adult felony crimes. Gordon is diagnosed with Crohn's Disease, a chronic autoimmune disorder affecting the gastrointestinal tract.

Eleanor Frisch | Treasurer

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Eleanor Frisch (eleanor.frisch@mitchellhamline.edu) is 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.

Lauren Clements | Officer-at-Large

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Lauren Clements (lclements@lt.life) is a founding member and Member-at-Large of MDisBA. Lauren is Senior Corporate counsel at Life Time Inc.  

Committee Chairs

Prateek Viswanathan | Chair of Judicial Selection Committee

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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

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Sierra Grandy (Sierra@QuestifyYourLife.com) 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.