1970s
Thomas K. Zander ’77 is the 2022 recipient of the Wisconsin Equal Justice Fund’s Howard B. Eisenberg Lifetime Achievement Award. Zander was the executive director of the Legal Aid Society of Milwaukee Inc. from 1981-1994. In addition to representing thousands of low-income Milwaukeeans in a variety of civil cases, he litigated two class action law reform cases that resulted in landmark rulings for persons alleged to be mentally ill. He is an adjunct professor of law at Marquette Law School. He is also a psychologist—licensed in Wisconsin and Florida—providing pro bono forensic psychological evaluations in cases involving indigent litigants.
1980s
Beverly Wickstrom ’83 was sworn in as the new Eau Claire County Circuit Court Branch 6 Judge in August 2022.
Laura Schumacher ’88, vice chairman, external affairs and chief legal officer at AbbVie, was selected by the American Bar Association (ABA) Commission on Women in the Profession as a winner of the 2022 Margaret Brent Award. Schumacher was one of five women who were presented the prestigious award at the ABA annual meeting on Aug. 7, 2022.
Mary Triggiano ’88 was named director of Marquette Law School’s Andrew Center for Restorative Justice. Triggiano is chief judge for the Milwaukee County Circuit Court and has served as a circuit court judge in Milwaukee County since 2004.
1990s
Bill Heinzen ’94 has served as Special Counsel in the administration of New York City Mayor Eric Adams since Jan. 1, 2022.

Solomon H. Ashby Jr. ’95 was named president for the 2022-24 term of the Old Dominion Bar Association, an 82-year-old association of African American attorneys in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Ashby is a partner at McIntyre Stein & Ashby PLLC in Norfolk.
Marti Wronski ’97 was promoted to chief operating officer (COO) of the Milwaukee Brewers, making her the franchise’s highest-ranking woman executive since Wendy Selig-Prieb was the president and chair of the board in the early 2000s. Brewers officials said in December 2022 that Wronski is the only woman to currently hold the COO title for a major league franchise.
Stephen J. Brown ’98 joined Plunkett Cooney, one of the Midwest’s oldest and largest full-service law firms, as a member of its Business Law Department in November 2022. Brown, who works in the firm’s Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, office, is a member of the firm’s Commercial Litigation and Banking, Bankruptcy and Creditors’ Rights practice groups. He focuses his practice on loan workouts and restructurings, secured lending, bankruptcy and insolvency, and Uniform Commercial Code issues in Michigan and Illinois.
Chad E. Walker ’99 was named Duravant’s senior vice president and general counsel in August 2022. Walker will drive Duravant’s global legal strategy, deploy processes to ensure legal compliance, and work with the organization’s leadership teams to propose and drive initiatives to propel the company forward.
2000s
Rhonda K. Frank-Loron ’00 became the first director of the Dane County Pretrial Services Department in December 2022.
Monica Berry ’01 was featured in a recent issue of Vanguard Law Magazine. Berry is the general counsel of Innovations in Nutrition and Wellness, a contract manufacturer in the nutrition and wellness industry.
Jill S. Schloff ’03 was named a partner at Jaffe Raitt Heuer & Weiss’ Real Estate practice group. Schloff was recognized as a Super Lawyers® Rising Star each year from 2008-12 and currently serves as a LEO intermittent lecturer at the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, teaching real estate business law. She is currently an MBA candidate at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.
Latrice Knighton ’06 was elected to the State Bar of Wisconsin Board of Governors for District 6 for the 2022-23 term in September 2022. Knighton has won several awards and recognitions, including being named a Leading Lawyer by M Magazine in 2012 and being given the 40 Under 40 Award by the Milwaukee Business Journal in 2013. In 2016, she received a Trailblazer in Business award from Gov. Scott Walker. In her new position on the Wisconsin Board of Governors for District 6, Knighton will manage and direct the activities at the State Bar of Wisconsin along with other board members. She will, during this time, also serve as a board member of the Family Law Section of the State Bar of Wisconsin.
Mary Roth Burns ’07 was appointed by Gov. Tony Evers to the Oneida County Circuit Court in August 2022, filling the vacancy created by Judge Patrick O’Melia’s retirement. Burns is the first female judge in Oneida County’s history and will complete a term ending July 31, 2023. Shannon Braun ’09 received the Association for Women Lawyers Founders Award on Sept. 7, 2022.
Scott Colom ’09 was nominated to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi by President Joe Biden. Colom has served as the district attorney for the 16th Judicial District of Mississippi since 2016.

Kathryn Jackson ’11: From Entrepreneur to Consultant
Kathryn Jackson ’11 is perfectly suited to help entrepreneurs. Because she’s literally been in their shoes.
Jackson started Protect Your Pumps upon graduation from University of Wisconsin Law School and earned national attention for her innovative high-heel product. After eight years, she was ready for a change, closed the business and pivoted to small business consulting.
Today, she is a consultant for the Wisconsin Small Business Development Center (SBDC) in Rock County, providing free, confidential assistance to business owners, especially those hurt by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I enjoy working directly with entrepreneurs and being their champion,” said Jackson. “I also enjoy planning educational programming to support business owners in their professional development.”
Jackson—the daughter of alumni parents Donald Jackson ’77 and Celia Jackson ’80—said she is thankful for her UW Law education because it taught her important skills and gave her confidence.
“I’ve never practiced law a day in my life. I used to beat myself up about that,” she said. “However, I’ve grown to appreciate my time at Law School. I acquired important skills that have supported my journey as an entrepreneur and business consultant.”
Read the full interview in “Kathryn Jackson ’11: From Entrepreneur to Consultant.”
2010s
Richard T. Orton ’12, trial lawyer and managing partner at Gass Turek LLC in Milwaukee, was elected chairman of the board of directors of Wisconsin Lawyers Mutual Insurance Company (WILMIC), based in Madison. WILMIC was created by Wisconsin lawyers in 1986 to help protect the financial security of solo, small and mid-sized law firms throughout the state.
Jair Alvarez ’14 was named among Wisconsin’s most influential Latino leaders by Madison365 in October 2022. Alvarez is a litigation attorney providing corporate and criminal law counsel and representation in Madison, operating his own practice since graduating from the Law School.
Zachary Leigh ’15 was appointed Iowa County district attorney by Gov. Tony Evers in July 2022. Leigh filled the vacancy created by district attorney Matthew Allen’s election to the Iowa County Circuit Court. Leigh will hold the position for the remainder of the term ending January 2025.

Alisha Esselstein ’18 joined The Manely Firm, P.C. in Georgia. Esselstein will be based out of the firm’s Savannah office. Esselstein has lived on every continent in the world (except Antarctica) and gained immense experience and knowledge from her immersion in these cultures.
2020s
Brendan Ashe ’22 joined McCarter & English as an associate in the firm’s Business Litigation practice in Newark, New Jersey.
Jordan Small ’22 joined Maddin, Hauser, Roth & Heller, P.C. in Michigan as an associate. Small will work in several practice groups, handling a range of litigation and transactional matters.

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