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About Us

The Commission was created by an order of the Wisconsin Supreme Court in response to a petition filed by the State Bar of Wisconsin. We are a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) Wisconsin corporation governed by an 18-member volunteer board. Board members serve three year terms. Our stakeholders make the following number of appointments to our board: Wisconsin Supreme Court (5), Governor (3), State Bar of Wisconsin (4), Wisconsin Senate (1), Wisconsin Assembly (1), Marquette University Law School (1), University of Wisconsin Law School (1), the Wisconsin Trust Account Foundation (1), and the Wisconsin Tribal Judges Association (1).

Our Board

Dan Hoff is an attorney in private practice with Hoff, Bushaw & Matuszak, LLC in Appleton and serves as President of the Commission. He was appointed to the Commission by Sen. Roger Roth. Hoff’s firm won the State Bar of Wisconsin’s award for Pro Bono Law Firm of the Year in 1999 in recognition of their service to the community. He has been appointed by the Outagamie County Circuit judges to act as interim court commissioner during vacancies and family leave. Hoff served as president of the Outagamie County Bar Association from 2002-2003, and was the vice president in 2002. He was also an Assistant Corporation Counsel for Outagamie County. Hoff has played significant roles supporting St. Pius X Church and St. Thomas More.
Sarah Diedrick-Kasdorf is the Director of Outreach & Member Engagement for the Wisconsin Counties Association and serves as Vice-President of the Commission. She was appointed to the Commission by the Wisconsin Supreme Court. In over 20 years working with the Counties Association, Sarah has worked on issues related to taxation and finance, personnel and labor relations, and judicial and public safety. Her current focus is on issues relating to health and human services. She received her undergraduate degree in political science and history from St. Norbert College in De Pere, Wisconsin.
Howard Bichler is a retired attorney and the former manager of the Indian Law Office Manager at Wisconsin Judicare in Wausau. Bichler was appointed to the Commission by the State Bar of Wisconsin and serves as our Treasurer. He is a former Chair of the Board of Governors for the State Bar of Wisconsin and currently serves on the board of the Wisconsin Law Foundation. For over 20 years, he practiced in the area of Indian Law on behalf of various tribes in Wisconsin. Bichler has also served on the board of Wisconsin Judicare and on the Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission. He is a past Chair of the Indian Law Section of the State Bar of Wisconsin and a former a member of the Legislative Council Committee on State Tribal Relations. He is a 1976 graduate of Marquette University Law School.
Angela Schultz is the Assistant Dean for Public Service at Marquette University Law School. She was appointed to the Commission by the law school. In her law school role, Schultz’s charge is to advance pro bono in the legal profession, particularly within the student body. She serves as a liaison between law students and pro bono projects such as the Marquette Volunteer Legal Clinic, and the Milwaukee Justice Center. Prior joining the law school, Schultz practiced elder and disability law and was the assistant director of a domestic violence intervention program in Portland, Oregon. She earned her J.D. at Lewis & Clark Law School and her B.A. at Knox College.
Diane Diel is an attorney in private practice in Milwaukee who was appointed to the Commission by the State Bar of Wisconsin. Diel has dedicated her entire practice to helping families in Milwaukee and the surrounding areas find positive solutions to a wide variety of family law concerns. Clients turn to her for skilled mediation and collaborative law representation. Diel is a past President of the State Bar of Wisconsin. She also served on the State Bar’s Board of Governors and the Committee on Professional Ethics. Diel is a former board member and President of the International Academy of Collaborative Professionals. She has also held leadership roles with the Collaborative Family Law Council, the Association of Women Lawyers. Currently, Diel also serves as a Port of Milwaukee Harbor Commissioner. She is a 1976 graduate of the University of Wisconsin Law School in Madison.
Hon. Richard Sankovitz served as a Circuit Court Judge in Milwaukee County from 1996-2018. He is now a mediator with Resolute Systems. He was appointed to the Commission by the State Bar of Wisconsin. As chair of the State Bar’s Access to Justice Study Committee he was a co-author of its 2007 report “Bridging the Justice Gap: Wisconsin’s Unmet Legal Needs.” Pro bono service has always been a significant part of Sankovitz’ career. Following his clerkship with then U.S. District Judge Terence Evans in the Eastern District of Wisconsin, Sankovitz made pro bono a part of his practice at Jenner & Block in Chicago and at Whyte Hirschboeck Dudek S.C. in Milwaukee. He currently serves as chair of the Wisconsin Court System’s Criminal Benchbook Committee. Sankovitz is a graduate of Marquette University and Harvard Law School.
Mitch is an Assistant Clinical Professor as well as Director of the Economic Justice Institute and the Neighborhood Law Clinic at the University of Wisconsin Law School. After graduating from UW Law School, Mitch co-founded Community Justice Inc., a non-profit charitable law firm in Madison that provides direct legal services to low-income individuals on a sliding fee scale. His practice focused primarily in the areas of housing law, employment law, government benefits, and guardian ad litem work. Mitch is a member and former Chair of the State Bar Wisconsin’s Public Interest Law Section.
Hon. Thomas Hruz is a judge on the Wisconsin Court of Appeals for District 3 which is based in Wausau. He was appointed to the Commission by the Wisconsin Trust Account Foundation where he also serves on the board of directors. Prior to joining the bench, Judge Hruz was a partner at Meissner Tierney Fisher & Nichols, S.C.. He served as a law clerk to Judge John Coffey on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit and to Justice David T. Prosser on the Wisconsin Supreme Court. Judge Hruz is a 2002 graduate of Marquette University Law School.
Nora Platt is Assistant General Counsel at Northwestern Mutual and was appointed by the Wisconsin Supreme Court. She was previously a litigation partner with Quarles & Brady LLP in Milwaukee. She has been actively involved in pro bono and diversity and inclusion efforts throughout her career.
Dennis Meyers serves as a Trustee for the Village of Germantown. He was appointed to the Commission by the the Wisconsin Supreme Court.
Molly Collins was appointed to the Commission by Gov. Tony Evers. She is the Advocacy Director for Wisconsin and South Dakota at the American Lung Association. She has worked in the nonprofit sector in Milwaukee for over twenty years, including as advocacy director at the ACLU of Wisconsin. She received her Master’s Degree in Nonprofit Management and Leadership from UW-Milwaukee and her Bachelor’s Degree in Women’s Studies from UW-Madison. Molly volunteers with several area organizations including the Milwaukee Turners, Felmers Chaney Advocacy Board, and the League of Women Voters.
Melissa Pingel was appointed to the Commission by the State Bar of Wisconsin. Pingel is the County Administrator for Waushara County. She previously served as the elected Clerk of Circuit Court for Winnebago County and as a member of the State Bar’s Legal Assistance Committee. She is a 2009 graduate of Marquette University Law School.
Sue Sorenson was appointed by the Wisconsin Supreme Court. She is a member of the Board of Education for the Green Lake School District and a former member of the board for the Wisconsin Trust Account Foundation.
Hon. Michael Zell is a judge on the Portage County Circuit Court and was appointed by the Wisconsin Supreme Court. Judge Zell joined the bench after twenty-four years of practice. He has been a solo-practitioner, a prosecutor, and a public defender. Much of his time in private practice was focused on representing low-income individuals.
Duana Bremer is the Social Service Director for the Salvation Army in St. Croix, Polk and Burnett Counties. She was appointed by Gov. Evers. Bremer brings deep experience with preventing and responding to food and housing insecurity.
Hon. Jo Deen Lowe is the Chief Judge of the Trial Court for the Ho-Chunk Nation. She was appointed to the Commission by the Wisconsin Tribal Judges Association. Judge Lowe is a 1985 graduate of UW Law School. Prior to that, she was in-house counsel for a number of tribes and worked at the Great Lakes Intertribal Council. She served as the district attorney for Jackson County, Wisconsin, and was the first attorney general for the Ho-Chunk Nation.
Kurt Rusch is the County Veterans Service Officer for Washington County and was appointed by the Governor. He served in the U.S. Marines for over 8 years as a Staff Sergeant. After his military service, he has primarily focused on public service with the City of Wauwatosa and the Boy Scouts of America.