In this role I provide leadership on legal and policy issues to agency senior staff in the area of complex benefits administration, including the Medicaid, TANF and SNAP programs. I review and analyze the impact of state and federal statutory changes and proposed legislation on populations the agency serves, and make recommendations on state-level policy. I advise caseworkers on specific legal issues involving benefit cases with an emphasis on the due process issues involved in serving disabled, at-risk and low-income populations. I also assist in developing proactive training material and information to increase caseworker understanding and analytical competency while building trust between field staff and the legal division.I advise adult protective services on exploitation, abuse and neglect cases, and assist with guardianship of adults needing protective action. I review a high volume of various types of trusts to analyze compliance with state and federal policy, and assist families and outside counsel on special needs planning, supplemental needs trust design, and asset availability for benefit eligibility determinations.I advise the agency director on administrative appeals and constitutional rights concerns at the individual case level and relating to agency policies and procedures. This includes researching and drafting administrative appeal opinions. I also advise leadership and represent the agency in state and federal court litigation over benefit eligibility determinations and challenges to policy

Private law practice focused on elder law and special needs planning. In this role I advised client families on complex estate, special needs, financial, tax and public benefit planning. My practice focused on estate and tax planning, including drafting wills, revocable and irrevocable trusts, supplemental needs trusts, powers of attorney and related planning considerations, including gifting and transfers to minimize tax, as well as estate and trust administration. I worked with families to create holistic intergenerational planning, frequently holding meetings with two and three generations of client families and leading discussion around planning goals and objections.I supervised legal assistants and trained them to pre-qualify specialized legal services in response to inquiries by prospective clients and referring professionals. I successfully represented clients in administrative proceedings against the State of Oklahoma and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, including more than thirty cases reversed on administrative review and through federal court Section 1983 civil rights actions.I successfully mediated family disputes related to estate and trust administration and distribution, leading to family settlement agreements. I also litigated breach of fiduciary duty including in trust administration, power of attorney, guardianship, and estate administration. Successes include removal of trustees, replacement of fiduciary and recovery of misappropriated assets.

In this role I planned and oversaw the acquisition of nine commercial and multi-family residential properties in three states worth over $22 mil., including deal sourcing, negotiations, contract formation, due diligence, financing, closing, ground-up development, and ongoing asset management. I was directly involved in business development, purchase and sale contract and lease negotiations, including drafting and review, and post-lease implementation, tenant improvements and construction, overseeing contractors and property managers, and asset management. I developed trusted relationships with investors and tenant business owners.I led all stages of commercial financing/refinancing for company-owned properties.I represented company interests in administrative and city council proceedings involving annexation and zoning changes and variances.I conducted purchase and sale negotiations and performed contract drafting and review, as well as planning and implementing 1031 exchanges. I planned and supervised all aspects of ground-up development and construction of an 11,000 sf ASC in Overland Park, Kansas, including lease negotiation and ultimate disposition of the finished asset to the tenant doctor group.

Legal practice focused on estate planning, estate administration, commercial transactions, commercial litigation, and commercial real estate investment and development. Extensive experience drafting commercial contracts and leases, entity formation and corporate structure/governance, and sale and acquisitions of small and medium size businesses and real estate including contract negotiation and drafting, due diligence, and document drafting through closing.

In this role, I sold institutional 401k plans to small and medium sized businesses, generally interfacing with the the company CEO or CFO. This was a quota-driven position.As district manager, I coached and mentored approximately 20 outside payroll sales representatives on all aspects of 401k plan features and implementation, since the 401k products were designed to integrate with payroll and were usually sold to new or existing payroll clients. This necessitated building deep trust with payroll reps who viewed 401k as a non-essential and complicated part of the sale. I also served as outside wholesaler of ADP administered 401k products sold through Merrill Lynch, Morgan Stanley and Edward Jones financial advisors, who looked to me for leadership and subject matter expertise when presenting solutions to their clients.

In this role I worked as an internal retirement plan specialist supporting Edward Jones financial advisors in the retirement plan sale process, and as a new financial advisor. Series 7 and 63 licensed.