2027 Minnesota City Attorneys Annual Conference Presenter Bios

Jason J. Kuboushek

Jason Kuboushek is a Partner/Owner at Iverson Reuvers and has been with the firm since its inception twenty-six years ago. His practice involves helping clients throughout Minnesota. This includes cities, counties, townships, individuals and businesses. He has handled numerous trials and appeals involving municipal clients, individual owners, contractors, subcontractors and design professionals. 

Kuboushek is also a frequent lecturer on land use, drainage law and environmental law topics (including the intricacies of environmental review) and is involved in many related organizations. He has been designated as a “Super Lawyer” and continues to assist clients in a responsive and cost-conscience manner.

At the end of the day, he enjoys relaxing with his wife, four children and black lab.

Andrew Biggerstaff

Andrew Biggerstaff is an attorney with Kennedy & Graven, Chartered. Biggerstaff’s practice focuses on project development, financing, real estate, construction, and utility matters. In addition to his experience advising and representing units of local government as both a city attorney and special counsel, he also previously worked as in-house counsel for a large investor-owned utility based in Minnesota. In that role, he advised the company on all phases of utility-scale renewable development projects, sourcing and procurement, real estate, commercial partnerships, project financing, and data privacy and cybersecurity.

Sam Ketchum

Sam Ketchum is an attorney with Kennedy & Graven, Chartered. Ketchum’s practice focused on municipal law, environmental law, land use and development, public utilities, and civil litigation. He primarily represents local government entities like cities, counties, watershed management organizations, joint powers authorities, and school districts. He serves as the city attorney or general counsel for several local government entities in Minnesota.

Joe Sathe

Joe Sathe is an attorney with Kennedy & Graven, Chartered. Sathe focuses his practice on general municipal law and addresses matters in the areas of zoning, land use, data practices, city code, and other general municipal law issues. Sathe has worked exclusively in the municipal department at Kennedy & Graven and, in addition to his city clients, represents the Suburban Rate Authority, a joint powers entity that engages with the Public Utilities Commission on issues impacting suburban cities. 

Frederic W. (“Fritz”) Knaak

Frederic W. (“Fritz”) Knaak has practiced municipal and development law in Minnesota for more than 45 years. He has represented numerous cities, public entities, developers, businesses, and individuals in matters involving local government law, land use and development, public finance, government data practices, litigation, and regulatory compliance. He currently serves as City Attorney for a Minnesota municipality and advises public and private clients in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Colorado.

While maintaining a private law practice, Knaak served ten years in the Minnesota senate, where he became minority floor leader and co-authored significant legislation involving government data practices and environmental protection. He earned a summa cum laude B.A. from Saint John’s University and is a graduate of the University of Minnesota Law School. Knaak speaks and writes on municipal law, development law, legal ethics, government data practices, and emerging technologies. He has written on the use of development agreements to advance environmental objectives and on the ethical and practical implications of artificial intelligence in the practice of law, including a Bench & Bar of Minnesota article describing his own experience with the risks of careless AI use. He is the father of five adult children. Members of the League may also recognize him as a frequent political commentator on TPT’s Almanac public affairs program.

Christina Benson

Christina Benson is an attorney with Eckberg Lammers in their Municipal Law and Labor & Employment groups. She focuses her practice on enriching our municipalities throughout Minnesota by providing guidance on the Minnesota Government Data Practices Act, land use and zoning matters, contracts, employment law, and ordinance drafting.

Detective Colleen Fricke

Colleen Fricke has been a police officer since 2008, beginning her career with the Brooklyn Center police department and joining the Brooklyn Park police department in 2021. She has been assigned to the investigations division since 2022 and was recently assigned as a detective in the department’s community health unit.

Megan Griffin

Megan Griffin is a senior assistant attorney for the City of Minneapolis, specializing in restorative justice opportunities, treatment court programs, and competency related concerns. She serves as the prosecutor for non-felony participants in the Hennepin County Treatment Courts and Minneapolis Restorative Court. Prior to joining the Minneapolis City Attorney’s Office, she served as an assistant Rice County attorney and assistant public defender in the 9^th Judicial District. Griffin received her law degree from William Mitchell College of Law.

Amanda Grossmann

Amanda Grossmann worked at Colich & Associates since 2013. While there, she was made lead prosecutor for the City of Brooklyn Park before accepting the City Prosecutor position for Brooklyn Park in 2027. Grossmann worked closely with the Brooklyn Park police department to create restorative court in 2019. She has been the sole prosecutor for this court.

Jennifer Cross (moderator)

Jennifer Cross joined the City of Bloomington as a prosecuting attorney in 2012 and was promoted to deputy city attorney for the criminal division in 2023.  She worked with the city’s racial equity action team to help establish Bloomington’s restorative court, which launched in 2022.

Petra Asani

Petra Asani is an attorney with Campbell Knutson practicing in general municipal law and civil litigation.  Asani currently serves as the City Attorney for Loretto and counsel for the West Suburban Fire District, and the Black Dog Watershed Management Organization.  She also serves as litigation defense counsel for Minnesota cities.  

Jared Shepherd

Jared Shepherd is a past president of Minnesota association of city attorneys and a frequent speaker on municipal law topics. He is a Shareholder at Campbell Knutson, P.A, and serves as the city attorney for Burnsville, Elk River, Elk River Municipal Utilities, and Shorewood. Shepherd is co-chair of Campbell Knutson’s litigation practice and serves as defense counsel through League of Minnesota Cities Insurance Trust for Minnesota cities throughout the State.

Christina Benson

Christina Benson is an attorney with Eckberg Lammers in their Municipal Law and Labor & Employment groups. She focuses her practice on enriching our municipalities throughout Minnesota by providing guidance on the Minnesota Government Data Practices Act, land use and zoning matters, contracts, employment law, and ordinance drafting.

Josie Rosene

Josie Rosene is a staff attorney with the League of Minnesota Cities Research Department. Rosene has worked as a staff attorney for the League since January of 2024 and is passionate about providing member cities with the information and resources they need to excel. Rosene received bachelor’s degrees in Spanish and Latin American, Caribbean, and Iberian Studies from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a law degree from the University of St. Thomas School of Law.

Brent Carlsen

Brent Carlsen is the deputy city attorney for the City of Rochester. Carlsen graduated from William Mitchell College of Law in St. Paul. Following law school, he served as a judicial law clerk for the Honorable Terrence M. Walters in Wabasha, worked as an Assistant Polk County Attorney in Crookston, and has been at the Rochester City Attorney’s Office for the past nine years, the last three as Deputy City Attorney. In this role, he supervises the civil division and focuses his legal practice on land use, contract review, data practices, and airport-related matters. He serves as the primary legal advisor to the City’s Airport Commission, Heritage Preservation Commission, Park Board, and Planning and Zoning Commission. Carlsen represents the Rochester Police Department in all matters related to Extreme Risk Protection Orders (ERPOs). Carlsen lives in Rochester with his wife, enjoys traveling, and holds a commercial pilot’s certificate.

Sarah Clayton, J.D.

Sarah Clayton is the administrative services manager and ERPO coordinator with the Rochester Police Department. She works alongside a team of professionals dedicated to public safety through the ERPO process. She has more than 25 years of experience in police administration and previously served as an assistant city attorney and criminal division supervisor for Rochester. Prior to moving to Rochester, she served two years as an assistant public defender in southwestern Minnesota. Her background includes law enforcement, litigation, public sector law, criminal law, employment law, policy development, strategic planning, risk management, and government grant assistance. She earned her J.D. from Hamline Law School and her B.A. from the University of Minnesota. Go Gophers!

Samantha Hoyt

Samantha Hoyt brings nearly two decades of frontline crisis response and violence‑prevention experience to her role as Minnesota’s statewide ERPO implementation coordinator. After 18 years with the Brooklyn Park police department, where she served in the community health unit and on the crisis negotiation team, Hoyt developed deep expertise in behavioral health response, threat assessment, and ERPO petitioning. Today, she leads Minnesota’s statewide efforts to implement the ERPO law, building best practices, training systems, and cross‑agency partnerships that support safer outcomes for individuals and communities. She holds a master’s degree in forensic behavioral health and is dedicated to practical, collaborative strategies that reduce harm and strengthen community well‑being.

Peter Zuniga

Peter Zuniga is the deputy city attorney with the Bloomington City Attorney’s Office where he leads the civil division. Zuniga provides legal guidance on a broad range of municipal matters, including representing the Bloomington police department in extreme risk protection order proceedings. He has more than 20 years of experience in municipal and state government, including serving as general counsel for the Minnesota Department of Human Rights and deputy chief counsel for the Minnesota Department of Transportation. Zuniga is a past president of the Minnesota Association of City Attorneys and was a 2023 Minnesota Lawyer In-House Counsel Award honoree.

Kori Land

Kori Land is a shareholder at LeVander, Gillen & Miller, where she has been practicing law for over 30 years. She is the city attorney for the cities of Stillwater, Cottage Grove, South St. Paul, Lilydale and Sunfish Lake, a past president of the Minnesota association of city attorneys and a frequent speaker on open meeting law, Council roles and responsibilities, planning, zoning, and nuisance properties.

Jocelyn Bremer

Jocelyn Bremer has served as an assistant city attorney in the Minneapolis City Attorney’s Office since 2019. Her primary practice areas are contracts, procurement, grants, and sustainability. Prior to her current role, Bremer served as a judicial law clerk in Sherburne County and at the Minnesota Court of Appeals before working in private practice in Duluth for several years. Bremer received her law degree from Hamline University School of Law (now Mitchell Hamline School of Law) and her undergraduate degree from St. Catherine University.

Blair Buccicone

Blair Buccicone is a Coon Rapids Assistant City Attorney and Minnesota Lawyer Attorney of the Year. A veteran prosecutor with extensive experience in jury trials, he founded the Anoka County Veterans Court and frequently trains law enforcement and legal professionals.

Katie Nolting

Katie Nolting has been the Bemidji city attorney since 2022, handling both criminal and civil matters on behalf the City of Bemidji. Prior to being city attorney, she served as the assistant city attorney for four years for the City of Bemidji focusing on criminal prosecution. As assistant county attorney for the Beltrami County Attorney’s Office for 12 years, Nolting prosecuted both adult and juvenile crimes, and represented Beltrami County civilly in child support, guardianships, conservatorships, civil commitment, probate, truancy, child protection matters. In her career, Nolting prosecuted hundreds of domestic violence and other related charges including but not limited to assaults, domestic assaults, criminal sexual conduct, order for protection violations, criminal damage to property, harassment order violations.

Nolting is a member of the criminal and juvenile justice information and BCA advisory group where she was recently appointed co-chair of the data practices review committee, co-chair of the LMC prosecution committee and is a team member of both the Beltrami county’s domestic violence and DWI courts. 

Kevin Toskey

Kevin Toskey is an Assistant City Attorney for the City of Bloomington, working with the City’s Community Development and Parks and Recreation departments. He works mainly in the areas of land use, code enforcement, contracting, and park/natural resources issues. He joined the City of Bloomington in 2022 after working as a Research Attorney for the League of Minnesota Cities. He has helped advise Parks and Recreation staff during the preconstruction and construction phases of three ongoing capital improvement projects funded by Local Option Sales Tax.

Lexi Kinach

Lexi Kinach is a staff attorney with the League of Minnesota Cities research department. Kinach has worked for the League since 2022, and her areas of focus include employment and contract review. Kinach has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Minnesota and a Law degree from St. Thomas School of Law.

Christopher Smith

Chris Smith is assistant general counsel for League of Minnesota Cities Insurance Trust programs. Smith’s focus is on insurance trust matters and he works closely with the underwriting and loss control teams at the League. In addition, he heads up the League’s contract review services assisting League members in reviewing contracts with a focus on insurance and liability provisions. Smith has been with the League for over 24 years and between stints at the League, was in private practice serving as bond counsel for municipalities. Smith is active in the community and is a past president of the Minnesota Institute of Public Finance and currently serves on the Minneapolis Charter Commission.

Cally Kjellberg-Nelson

Cally Kjellberg-Nelson is one of the founders of Resolute Law, LLC, where she represents employers and public entities in complex employment and government liability defense litigation. Her practice is dedicated to helping clients navigate challenging employment disputes with clarity and confidence. She also conducts thorough, objective employment investigations on sensitive workplace issues, and provides training to employers on various employment issues. ​

Before launching Resolute Law, LLC, Kjellberg-Nelson built a distinguished litigation practice serving employers and government clients, developing a reputation for clear legal strategy, rigorous preparation, and responsive client service. She currently serves as the President of the Minnesota Defense Lawyers Association. 

Kate Swenson

Kate Swenson, an attorney at the Minneapolis litigation boutique Greene Espel, focuses her practice in the areas of government and constitutional litigation and appellate law. She has significant experience representing Minnesota cities. Formerly legal counsel to the Minnesota special redistricting panel, Swenson brings the problem-solving skills honed in that role to bear in her work for clients. Swenson has successfully argued before the Eighth Circuit, the Minnesota Court of Appeals, federal and state district courts, and administrative bodies. She has also tried cases and briefed appeals in federal and state courts. Swenson is the former co-chair and current secretary of the public law section council of the Minnesota State Bar Association.

Michelle Frascone

Michelle Frascone is a special agent in charge with the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension and director of the Minnesota Fusion Center. With more than 20 years of law enforcement experience, she has led complex homicide, officer-involved use-of-force, criminal sexual conduct, narcotics, and violent crime investigations. She has commanded critical incident responses, supervised multidisciplinary investigative teams, and coordinated extensively with law enforcement agencies, prosecutors, tribal partners, and community stakeholders across Minnesota.

Frascone is a graduate of the FBI National Academy and an experienced instructor and presenter on leadership, death investigations, and investigative practices. She holds a master’s degree in criminal justice leadership and has been recognized for her leadership during major multi-agency investigations and critical incidents.