Staff
Amy Dawson
Amy Dawson is the Executive Director of the Autism Advocacy & Law Center, LLC. She began practicing law in 1992 at the firm of Faegre & Benson, L.L.P. in Minneapolis after graduating from The Indiana University School of Law (Bloomington, IN). Amy’s law practice focuses on issues related to autism, disabilities, insurance, supplemental needs trusts, guardianship and estate planning for families who have children with disabilities.
Amy served on the Minnesota Senate Autism Task Force, and participated in efforts by the U.S. Maternal and Child Health Bureau to develop guidelines on the care of children who have autism within the medical home. Amy is the parent of twins, one of whom has autism and special health care needs. Amy previously served as the Director if the Health Advocacy and Information Center at the PACER Center and is a recent member of the Board of the Arc Greater Twin Cities.
Carolyn Westra is a 2010 graduate of the University of Minnesota Law School and the Humphrey School of Public Affairs. Carolyn specializes in special education law. Her legal practice includes special education law, guardianship, and estate planning for families who have children with disabilities.
A Minnesota native, Carolyn grew up in White Bear Lake, MN and attended high school in St. Paul. She attended Bowdoin College in Brunswick, ME, where she majored in Environmental Studies and Sociology, played women’s rugby and studied the social dynamics of local lobstering communities. After college, Carolyn served as an AmeriCorps volunteer in a St. Paul elementary school and neighborhood community center. Her role included volunteer coordination and program design, including the development of tutoring programs, service learning curriculum and a youth gardening program.
In 2010, Carolyn graduated from the University of Minnesota Law School and the Humphrey School of Public Affairs with a dual degree in Law and Education Policy. Carolyn’s coursework and employment during graduate school focused on charter schools, special education, and legal representation of individuals with disabilities, through clerkships at the Minnesota Association of Charter Schools, School Law Center, and Minnesota AIDS Project.
Carolyn is on the Board of Directors at Laura Jeffrey Academy, a girl-focused public charter middle school with a curriculum based on Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math. She also serves as a member of the Outfront Minnesota Political Action Committee. Her interests include gardening, camping, and cooking.
Katie Wind (soon to be Olson!) is a graduate of Loyola University Chicago School of Law. Katie was drawn to Loyola for its renowned Child and Family Law Curriculum. Katie specializes in family law and criminal defense, child protection issues and juvenile delinquency. Katie’s externships throughout law school included the Loyola Child and Family Law Clinic, The Legal Rights Center, Inc., and The Scottish Child Law Centre.
Katie grew up in St. Paul and attended the University of Minnesota, where she earned her B.S. in Family Social Science and Family Violence Prevention, and was a member of the Women’s Swimming Team. After obtaining her undergraduate degree, Katie worked as the Youth Program Coordinator at a domestic violence shelter in Saint Paul, and crime victim liaison in Hennepin County. Katie advocated for women and children facing abuse, divorce, homelessness, unemployment, poverty and chemical dependency.
Additionally, Katie was a personal care attendant for her cousin who has autism for more than 6 years.
In addition to her work at the Autism Advocacy and Law Center, Katie also coaches swimmers ages 6-10 on the STAR swim team located in Saint Paul.
Amy Dawson is the parent of twins, one of whom has autism and special health care needs. She began practicing law in 1992 at the firm of Faegre & Benson, L.L.P. in Minneapolis. She also worked at the PACER Center and is a member of the Board of the Arc Greater Twin Cities. Amy’s law practice focuses on issues related to autism, disabilities, insurance and estate planning.
Bob Gunderson inspired me to devote my practice to individuals who have disabilities, their families, and the organizations that serve them. Bob Gunderson was my mentor, friend and colleague and I miss him very much. Bob Gunderson served the disability community as an attorney, as a brother, and as a dedicated volunteer who spent many hours in service to organizations such as Opportunity Partners, Fraser, PACER, and the Arc of Minnesota and Arc Greater Twin Cities.