Board of Directors

 

 

• Jennie Laird, President: Jennie is an attorney at Law Offices of Michael Bugni & Associates, PLLC. She is also an adjunct professor at Seattle University. Her practice focuses on representing survivors of domestic violence and on the rights of nontraditional families. In 2003 she received the WSBA Neville Pro Bono award and was the 2005-06 Chair of the King County Bar Family Law Section. Jennie volunteers for the Legal Voice and has presented at regional and national training seminars on family law, domestic violence and trial litigation. She serves as a pro tem Family Law Commissioner for King County Superior Court.
  
• David J. Ward, President-Elect: David is Legal and Legislative Counsel at Legal Voice.  When David isn't devoting his energy to social justice work, he and his partner John Bailey enjoy the arts and travelling. 
• Sher Kung, Vice President:  Sher is an associate in the Commercial Litigation group at Perkins Coie, with a focus on Patent Litigation. Prior to joining Perkins, she worked at the American Civil Liberties Union of Washington and litigated the landmark Witt v. Dep't of Air Force case challenging the Don't Ask Don't Tell policy. Sher also serves on the QLaw Association board as current co-Social & Services Chair.
• Dave Iseminger, Treasurer: Dave is an Assistant Attorney General based in the Attorney General's Office's Department of Social & Health Services Division (Olympia, WA). Dave primary clients include the Health Care Authority, Washington's Health Benefit Exchange, DSHS' Office of Financial Recovery, the TANF program, and the Background Check Central Unit.  His work includes client advice, litigation, administrative appeals, and public records act litigation.  Prior to joining the AGO, Dave clerked for Judge Christine Quinn-Brintnall and Judge Jill Johanson at the Washington State Court of Appeals, Division II.  Dave has a passion for LGBT issues and an incredible memory, providing him with an uncanny ability to tell you the status of LGBT issues on state and federal levels off the top of his head.  He and his partner Shawn spend as much of their free time as they can traveling along the Washington and Oregon coasts.
• Gabe Verdugo, Secretary: Law Clerk for Justice Gonzalez at the Washington State Supreme Court.  Gabe attended the University of Washington School of Law where he was the Co-President of Outlaws, the GLBT Law Student Association. Gabe has also been an active member the QLaw Foundation GLBT Legal Clinic. He lives with his husband Adam Forcier.  
• Jill Mullins, Past-President: Jill is an attorney at McKinley Irvin, with a focus on Family Law, particular family law issues for the GLBTQ community. Jill is passionate about empowering our community about available solutions to legal issues that impact us. During her time on the QLaw Foundation Board, Jill founded the QLaw Foundation GLBT Legal Clinic. In the past year, she has also been involved with Project OUTReach to provide legal advice and information to people throughout Washington. In her spare time, Jill co-facilitates the Seattle Lesbian Literature Book Club and enjoys the company of good friends at the theatre, Storm games, and a variety of other activities. 
• Denise Diskin:  Denise is an attorney with Teller & Associates, PLLC, where she works on behalf of individuals facing discrimination in the workplace, as well as families experiencing divorce and negotiating child custody.  Her practice focuses on furthering the rights of GLBT individuals in the workplace and representing transgender clients and survivors of sex or gender-based harassment.  In addition to her service on the QLaw Foundation Board, she also volunteers with the Pacific Coast Labor and Employment Law Conference and the Washington State Association for Justice. 
  
• Jason Malone:  Jason is currently the Clinical Compliance Officer for the Institute of Translational Health Sciences at the University of Washington, working in the area of bioethics and regulatory compliance.  Prior to working at the UW, Jason was a strategic leader for a major independent Institutional Review Board, serving as both Director of Business Development & Public Relations and Director of IRB Administration during his tenure there. He holds a Masters in Public Administration from UW.  He also serves on the Board of Les Faeries Vertes, a Seattle-based non-profit he helped found in 2008 that raises funds for other local charities.   He is also actively involved in the Northwest Association for Biomedical Research, serving as a student mentor and science expo judge for the past 6 years. In his leisure time Jason enjoys travel, playing piano, cooking, gardening, and raising chickens with his partner Stuart.  
  
• Laurie Carlsson: Laurie provides a non-lawyer voice to the Board, with a passion for social justice and experience in community organizing, nonprofit fundraising, and utilizing technology in outreach efforts.   She brings the skills she developed while building community and encouraging collaboration in the music world to her passion for LGBTQ rights.  She is a co-producer of the Angel Band Project – a musical endeavor that gives voice to survivors of sexual assault – and a member of the Sintonia Collective. She currently works at Legal Voice.  
• Professor Lisa Kelly: Lisa is a professor at the University of Washington School of Law. She directs the Children and Youth Advocacy Clinic and teaches Family Law and Child Advocacy. She is the co-author of Adoption Law: Theory, Policy and Practice (2006). She works closely with the Court Improvement Training Academy. Professor Kelly chairs the Statewide Children's Representation Workgroup established by the Washington Supreme Court Commission on Children in Foster Care. She is the Bobbe and Jon Bridge Endowed Professor of Child Advocacy and served as Associate Dean at the UW Law School from 2007-2009.
• Michael O'Rourke: Michael practices at the small firm of O'Rourke Law Group, P.C., working in the areas of Social Security disability, commercial bankruptcy, and immigration law. In addition, he is also of Counsel at Wong Fleming, P.C., where he maintains a caseload of corporate and commercial litigation matters. Michael is a master of languages as he is fluent in English, German, and French as well as conversant in Dutch, Brazilian Portuguese and Spanish. 
• Nicholas Oakley: Nicholas works as a Research & Development Analyst for the Center for Children & Youth Justice , where he focuses on issues related to the commercial sexual exploitation of children, truancy, and LGBTQ youth in state care. An attorney and graduate of the UW School of Law, Nicholas has also served as a Peace Corps volunteer in the Republic of Georgia, teacher, and curriculum developer.
•  Zana Bugaighis: Zana is an attorney in Davis Wright Tremaine LLP's Seattle Office where she focuses on complex civil litigation.  Zana is also the current president of the QLaw Association.  Prior to joining Davis Wright Tremaine, Zana clerked with the Honorable David Alan Ezra, United States District Court Judge in Hawaii and practiced with Jones Day in San Francisco.  She is admitted in both Washington and California.

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