Our Board

Brett Kelley is partner with the Minneapolis law firm Kelley Wolter. He served as an Army infantry officer for nearly a decade and is a combat veteran of Afghanistan. While he was stationed at Ft. Carson, Colorado, Brett became a passionate advocate for wounded, injured, and ill service members and their families. He also served as a mentor with the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS). His law practice focuses on white-collar criminal defense, commercial litigation, whistleblower actions, and administrative law. He is a graduate of St. Thomas Military Academy and New Mexico Military Institute. He received his undergraduate degree from Colgate University in 2007 and his law degree from the University of St. Thomas School of Law in 2015. When he’s not working, you’ll likely find Brett pheasant hunting with his father and their yellow labs Waylon and Ranger, respectively.

Jonathan Calhoun is a Senior Vice President at Bank of America, working in its Aerospace & Defense Group.  In his role, he works with middle-market Aerospace & Defense companies to help achieve their overall strategic objectives by advising and executing on various capital raising approaches, merger and acquisition initiatives, and risk management strategies.

Jonathan joined Bank of America after serving as a Surface Warfare Officer in the U.S. Navy.  While on active duty, he completed multiple overseas deployments and was an instructor at the U.S. Naval Academy.  Jonathan has remained active in the U.S. Navy Reserves and is currently attached to a NATO Allied Command Transformation unit where he has the opportunity to partner with Allies on national security technology development projects.

Jonathan earned a BA degree from The Citadel, an MBA from the University of Maryland, and is actively pursuing a MA degree from the US Naval War College.

W. Anders Folk is a partner with the global law firm Jones Day, working in its Investigations & White Collar Defense Practice. He is a Marine Corps veteran who began his legal career as a Judge Advocate. Anders has served in various positions with the US Department of Justice, including Senior Counsel to the Deputy Attorney General, Acting US Attorney and First Assistant for the District of Minnesota, and as an Assistant US Attorney there. While serving with the DOJ, he oversaw and led complex and high-profile matters for the District of Minnesota and advised senior leadership at the DOJ on priority litigation, operations, and policy matters. Anders was deeply involved in guiding the DOJ's response to crises and worked in this capacity with federal and state agencies in the District of Minnesota and across the United States. In private practice, he has extensive experience guiding clients through internal investigations, multifaceted litigation, and government enforcement actions throughout the United States and abroad.

Ben Dahl is an associate attorney at Dorsey & Whitney LLP focusing on estate planning, estate and trust administration, business succession planning, and tax planning. He advises individuals and families on estate planning matters and assists fiduciaries with the administration of estates and trusts.

Before beginning his legal career, Ben served as a Sergeant in the United States Marine Corps and completed overseas deployments to Afghanistan and Iraq. During his military service, he worked in communications and intelligence operations supporting mission planning and force protection efforts.

Ben earned his law degree from the University of Minnesota Law School and his undergraduate degree from the University of Minnesota.

John Choi was sworn in as the first Korean-American chief prosecutor in the country in 2011. Since taking office, John has become a state and national leader in progressive justice reform, working with public officials and impacted communities to reimagine justice and the role of prosecutors. John’s innovative approach to holding abusers accountable, while working collaboratively with advocacy agencies to help victims, has transformed the way government intervenes in domestic violence and sex trafficking in Minnesota.

John received the 2015 Minnesota County Attorneys Association Award of Excellence for his innovative leadership in better prosecuting sex traffickers and helping trafficked children. Previously, John served as Saint Paul City Attorney (2006-2010) and spent a decade in private practice. John holds a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Marquette University, a J.D. from Hamline University School of Law, and was a Humphrey Fellow at the University of Minnesota.

Bryan Cunningham is a leading international expert on cybersecurity law and policy, emerging technology and surveillance issues. He served as Deputy Legal Adviser to then-National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice at the White House. He also served six years in the Clinton Administration as a senior CIA officer and federal prosecutor. He drafted significant portions of the Homeland Security Act and related legislation, was a principal contributor to the first National Strategy to Secure Cyberspace, worked closely with the 9/11 Commission and provided legal advice to the President, National Security Advisor, the National Security Council, and other senior government officials on intelligence, terrorism, cyber security and other related matters. When Bryan is not advising companies and governments about cybersecurity, you can find him visiting his two daughters or cruising the Puget Sound on his 30 foot boat “What’s Next?”.  

Ed is the President & CEO of Republic Capital Access, LLC, a leading commercial finance company exclusively for U.S. Government contractors.  Prior to founding Republic in 2009, Ed had a distinguished career in government, business and public affairs spanning over forty years.  He began his career serving in the Reagan Administration at the U.S. Customs Service, Treasury Department and White House. After leaving government, he advised clients on public affairs strategies related to economic policy.  Ed holds a degree in Business Administration from the University of Kansas and has served on numerous boards including Noble, the Mid-Atlantic Operation Hope Board, the Lewinsville Presbyterian Church Foundation Board and the National Presbyterian Church Fund for Charitable Giving. In addition to being a member of the Kua Ventures Investment Advisory Committee and the ACG National Capital Board, Ed is a founding member of the RAM Board of Directors, which launched Charities for Vets.

Carie Lemack has more than two decades of experience in entrepreneurial endeavors, organizational management, product development, advocacy, and security policy.  She brings her skills to the aerospace and deep-tech industries as a mentor and advisor to, and investor in startups, focusing on early stage aerospace, defense tech and other tech companies. She co-founded the  Zed Factor Fellowship program, building a more diverse and innovative aerospace industry, as well as DreamUp, sending student research to space to inspire the next generation of innovators and explorers. She co-founded Global Survivors Network, an organization for victims of terror to speak out against terrorism and radicalization, and produced an Academy Award-nominated documentary film, Killing in the Name. In 2001, she co-founded and led Families of September 11.

Carie has extensive messaging, media, and public relations experience. Lemack received a Masters in Public Administration from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government after receiving an MBA from Stanford University Graduate School of Business. She graduated from Stanford University with a Bachelor of Science degree in symbolic systems. She is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, serves on the Homeland Security Advisory Council, and remains a lifelong member of Red Sox nation.

William (Bill) Tenney is Navy veteran and recognized professional in the fields of corporate security, intelligence, and business resilience. He has built and led high-performing teams in financial services, technology, media and retail sectors in the US and overseas.

In the private sector, Bill has built and led corporate security teams at MetLife, Bloomberg LP and Target. Bill began his career in the Navy, serving in the U.S., Japan, and London, and deployed aboard the USS Midway and USS Independence. He also served in the Foreign Service in Washington, DC, the U.S. Embassy in Ankara, Turkey, and the U.S. Mission to the United Nations in New York.

He earned a Master’s degree in National Security Studies from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service, and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from St. Olaf College. 

Jeanne Bishop is an attorney, author and advocate for mercy and redemption in the criminal legal system. She is the great-niece of uncles who served in the U.S. Army in WWII, the daughter of a Marine and the mother of an officer in the U.S. Navy.

A graduate of Northwestern University’s journalism and law schools, Jeanne was also a Visiting Student at Yale Law School. She is a felony attorney in the Office of the Cook County Public Defender  in Chicago and an adjunct law professor in Trial Advocacy at Northwestern, where she received the school’s alumni award for public service. 

Jeanne has written widely in newspapers and magazines, online sites such as HuffingtonPost and CNN.com, law journals and academic books. She is the author of a memoir, Change of Heart: Justice, Mercy and Making Peace with My Sister’s Killer (Westminster John Knox Press 2015) and Grace From the Rubble: Two Fathers’ Road to Reconciliation After the Oklahoma City Bombing (Zondervan 2020), named by Publishers Weekly as one of its Top Five Religion Books for 2020 and recipient of the Christopher Award. Jeanne has appeared in several documentary films, two TEDx talks and the CBS 48 Hours segment “Road to Redemption.”

Jeanne lives on Chicago’s North Shore and is the mother of two sons, one a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy currently serving on the USS Hampton and one in college at Temple University.

General Joseph L. Votel is a retired U.S. Army Four-Star officer and the former Commander of the U.S. Central Command – responsible for U.S. and coalition military operations in the Middle East, Levant and Central and South Asia. During his 39 years in the military, he commanded special operations and conventional military forces at every level. His career included combat in Panama, Afghanistan and Iraq. Notably, he led a 79-member coalition that successfully liberated Iraq and Syria from the Islamic State Caliphate. He preceded his assignment at CENTCOM with service as the Commander of U.S. Special Operations Command and the Joint Special Operations Command.

Following his retirement from military service, General Votel served as the President & CEO of Business Executives for National Security (BENS). He is member of the Board of Trustees of Noblis Corporation and a Strategic Advisor for Sierra Nevada Corporation and AGI, Inc. Votel is a Board Director with AeroVironment, Minnesota Wire, DC Capital Partners, Helix Decision Science and a member of the Government Advisory Board for Insight Partners. He a non-resident Distinguished Fellow at the Middle East Institute and the Distinguished Chair of the Combating Terrorism Center at West Point.

General Votel is a member the Executive Boards at Freedom House and the UPenn Center for Ethics and the Rule of Law (CERL). Votel is a current member of the Defense Business Board and the Council on Foreign Relations.

Votel is a 1980 graduate of the United States Military Academy and earned master’s degrees from the U.S. Army Command and Staff College and the Army War College.

General Votel resides in Lake Elmo, Minnesota with his wife Michele.

Lina Knox is a dedicated public servant with extensive experience in both military leadership and federal civilian service, currently serving in dual roles as a First Sergeant in the Minnesota Army National Guard and as an EEO Program Manager for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

Lina has served in the Minnesota Army National Guard with distinction since 2007. Her military service includes three combat tours to Iraq and Kuwait, including deployments with Operation Spartan Shield (2019-2020) and Operation Iraqi Freedom (2008-2010). As a First Sergeant, she advises commanders on personnel matters while ensuring the welfare and readiness of service members and their families. 

Previously, Lina spent a decade (2011-2021) as a Veteran Outreach Specialist with the VA, where she provided crucial mental health resources and suicide prevention services to veterans. Lina also served as EEO Program Manager at Minneapolis VA Healthcare System, overseeing equal employment programs for 5,000+ employees across 13 medical facilities serving veterans, advising the Director on EEO matters, managing discrimination complaints, chairing the Diversity Committee, and coordinating harassment prevention initiatives. 

She has recently taken on the challenge of becoming a St. Cloud VA Police Officer where she will serve her community in a new way. Known for her strong organizational and interpersonal communication skills, Lina has dedicated her career to serving military personnel, veterans, and their families while advocating for diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace. 

Kelly Sinton is an accomplished legal professional currently serving as an Assistant County Attorney in the Criminal Division of the Anoka County Attorney's Office in Minnesota. With a diverse background spanning prosecution, public defense, private practice, and public service, Kelly brings a comprehensive understanding of the criminal justice system to her work.

As a prosecutor, Kelly represents Anoka County in felony cases from initial charge review through jury trials. She also serves as a backup prosecutor for Anoka County Treatment Court teams and acts as a victim/witness facility dog custodian and handler, providing support to vulnerable individuals navigating the court system.

Prior to joining the County Attorney's Office in 2023, Kelly spent nearly a decade as an Assistant Public Defender in the Tenth Judicial District, where she zealously advocated for her clients while managing a heavy caseload. Her extensive litigation experience includes contested motions, bench trials, and jury trials. Kelly's legal excellence has been recognized with Minnesota Super Lawyers Rising Star designations for four consecutive years (2020-2023).

Kelly maintained a private practice from 2017 to 2023, focusing on criminal defense and serving as contracted defense counsel for the Anoka County Veterans Treatment Court and Drug Court. Her expertise in treatment court proceedings is bolstered by ongoing training with the National Association of Drug Court Professionals.