Portfolio

Joel is a staff attorney and provides the program with over 15 years of experience. His primary cases include defense services in child protection and civil commitment cases through a contract with the White Earth Tribal Court as well as a variety of other civil legal matters.  Joel’s previous experience with a private law practice, and before that working in finance, provides a unique expertise among ALS staff.  He has also volunteered his time to serve on the ethics committee for the district association as well as other local non-profits, for many years.  In his spare time, Joel likes to spend time with family and seek new adventures.

Chari has been employed with ALS since October 2006 and has been licensed as a Red Lake Nation Court Advocate since April 2008. She is an enrolled member of the Red Lake Band of Chippewa Indians. Chari is currently a volunteer parent-board member for the Voyageurs Expeditionary School which is a local charter school. Born and raised in Minnesota, Chari and her family make their home in Bemidji. Her hobbies include traveling, rock/gem collecting, spending time with her family and hanging out with friends.

Jaime is a lifelong resident of Northern Minnesota and joined the organization in 2021 with prior experience in the nonprofit finance management field. In addition to finance duties, she also assists the program with policy development.  When she is not working, you will most likely find her camping or at her cabin with her husband, dogs, family and friends. If she’s not there, she’s at the barn or on the trails with her horse, Bear.

Valerie passed the Minnesota Bar exam in 2004. She grew up in northern Minnesota and is a graduate of Bemidji State University, and graduated from the University of Cincinnati School of Law in 2003. Valerie has worked for legal service organizations in Minnesota for over 10 years. Prior to attending law school, Valerie was employed by programs that help survivors of domestic violence both as an advocate and later Program Director.  Currently, Valerie volunteers as a board member for the Evergreen Youth Program in Bemidji.  She enjoys spending her free time with her cats and visiting family or friends, camping, and volunteering with projects that interest her.

Cody was hired in December 2006 as a program staff attorney. He graduated magna cum laude from the University of St. Thomas School of Law in 2006. Cody is a licensed attorney in Minnesota as well as the tribal courts of Red Lake, White Earth, Mille Lacs, and Leech Lake. He advanced to supervising attorney, and then to Co-Executive Director before settling in as the program’s fulltime Executive Director in 2017. He has provided legal services to individuals within the Leech Lake Tribal Court Wellness program in addition to his management duties. Cody works with multiple agencies including the Native American Indian Legal Services Nationwide Coalition.  In his spare time, Cody enjoys spending time with his wife and cat, watching movies, sports, and playing pool.