Board of Directors
Kat Trago
President
After practicing as a litigator in Wisconsin, I joined LexisNexis in 2008 and soon transitioned from case and code to specializing on litigation tools, predominantly focused on eDiscovery. I have never looked back, and have now spent almost 15 years working with litigation teams and eDiscovery software throughout the Midwest. In 2017 I joined Special Counsel which expanded my ability to serve customers beyond software to include expert services and evolve my role from a vendor to a partner. I am delighted to continue these efforts with Trustpoint.one as we continue to offer excellent services and hosting options for my customers. Partnering with clients fuels my motivation to continue to learn, grow and network in the ever-evolving eDiscovery landscape. As the founder and President of the Wisconsin ACEDS chapter, I aim to create a strong network of talented people working in eDiscovery across the state who can help one another and challenge the status quo of eDiscovery practice in our state.
Alayne Russom
Vice President
Alayne Russom received her Bachelor of Science and paralegal certification from the University of Wisconsin – Superior and held several legal roles in both Minnesota and Wisconsin -- from legal assistant, to office manager, to senior paralegal. Her journey brought her to Thrivent in 2005 where she landed a job as a senior paralegal. In 2013, she took on a new role managing the Code of Conduct Program. Alayne’s passion for reducing spend, increasing predictability and achieving better outcomes allowed her job roles to change over time. In 2019, she became the Director of General Counsel’s Office Operations at Thrivent. In this role, Alayne oversees administrative support, the employee and field sales members dispute resolution programs, outside counsel management, continuous improvement initiatives, and electronic discovery.
Melissa Johnson
Secretary
Melissa Johnson is a Discovery Specialist at Michael Best & Friedrich in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Melissa graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater with a Bachelor of Business Administration. She became CEDs certified in 2017 and in 2019 became a Relativity Certified Administrator (RCA). At Michael Best, Melissa works with the internal litigation teams and Relativity vendors on the discovery process. She has assisted at trials presenting exhibits electronically.
Erik Van Buren
Treasurer
Erik Van Buren is an Operations Technical Analyst in the General Counsel's Office at Thrivent, responsible for e-Discovery, investigations and digital forensics. Erik is CEDS certified and lives in Northeast Wisconsin.
Adam Cares
Public Relations & Marketing
Adam Cares is a Litigation Technology Specialist at Godfrey & Kahn in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and has been with the firm since 2002. He is responsible for and co-manages Godfrey & Kahn’s firmwide Litigation Support Department and eDiscovery work from case inception through trial including ESI protocols, custodial interviews, data collections, data processing, search protocols, analytics, document reviews, third party vendor management, document productions and hot seat work at trial. He is also a member of the firms Innovation & Technology committee and Professional Development committee.
Kristian “Lars” Larsen
Membership Director
Kristian “Lars” Larsen serves as Communications Director for Data Narro, a Milwaukee-based Digital Forensics and eDiscovery firm with offices located downtown. Lars brings 20 years of experience in application development, management, and marketing and has honed a complementary skill set that includes project management, business analysis, and agile/lean methodology. He holds degrees in Philosophy and Art History from the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee and a certificate of Business Analysis from UC-Berkeley.
Lars is currently building Data Narro’s eDiscovery services and is a certified Review Manager for DISCO and Project Manager for iCONECT review platforms.
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mke-larsen/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/DataNarroLars
Lynn Gompper
Director at Large
Lynn Gompper is a Senior Paralegal and eDiscovery Specialist at Amundsen Davis in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Lynn graduated from Winona State University with a Bachelor of Science in Paralegal Studies. She earned her Registered Paralegal Certification from the National Federation of Paralegal Associations in 2008 and became CEDS certified in 2017. Lynn’s 20+ years of experience includes: e-discovery, strategy, legal research, court filings at all levels, legal research, and management of large discovery matters with computerized document management systems. Her skills allow her to provide assistance from initial fact investigation, coordinating and analyzing large scale document productions, and trial preparation and participation. Dedicated to using technology to create efficient and cost effective solutions Lynn is essential to all technical aspects of E-Discovery including preservation, collection, review, production and presentation of electronically stored information.