Our Board & Staff

Howard is an MSBA certified specialist in employment law with over 35 years of experience. He has represented numerous cancer patients and survivors seeking disability benefits, and has had personal experience with cancer survivors in his immediate and extended family. Howard has served on two other nonprofit boards. Howard brings the desire to help those with serious legal problems who may not be in a place to help themselves. He joined Cancel Legal Care’s board in 2019. 

When LaShaune Johnson was an uninsured high school senior in Oklahoma, she was diagnosed with Hodgkins lymphoma.  After having to navigate the Medicare system as an 18 year old (with the support of her parents), she became determined to find a way to share the stories of underserved community members to facilitate change in healthcare.  She has a doctoral degree in Sociology and is trained as a Certified Listener Poet.  Using sociology and art, she has spent much of her career teaching in the health professions, where she is able to teach future providers how to listen and learn from conversations with patients and their support persons.  Since her first cancer diagnosis, she has been diagnosed twice with breast cancer and has lost many family members to cancer.  LaShaune joined the board in 2024 and is excited and honored to be a part of the work with the CLC.

Kari joined the CLC Board in 2023.  Kari works at the University of Minnesota Medical School as a Division Administrator for the Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition Division, and has previously served in the same role in the Division of Hematology, Oncology and Transplantation, with a brief role serving as the COO of The Prostate Cancer Foundation.  Her previous professional experience was as a Senior Project Manager for Mayo Clinic and Dean of Academic Affairs - Healthcare and Workforce Development at Riverland Community College in southern Minnesota.  Outside of professional work, Kari enjoys time with her family, their four children and grandchildren.  Rural life, enjoying the outdoors, and spending time with friends fills her extra time.  Like many others, cancer has deeply touched Kari's life through the loss of loved ones.  From those experiences and her work related to healthcare and education, a desire to support CLC has proven to be a great fit.

Adam Kintopf writes and does public relations work for the Linnihan Foy ad agency in Minneapolis. Before that, he spent 16 years doing communications work to help people quit smoking. As a thought leader at ClearWay Minnesota, a major health nonprofit, he oversaw strategic planning and reputation management as well as written, digital and social media communications. He has authored several articles and other publications, and the highlight of his career was helping produce an Emmy-winning documentary on traditional tobacco use in Minnesota’s American Indian communities.

Jennifer Kuyava completed her medical degree at the University of Minnesota–Twin Cities. She completed residency in Family Medicine and fellowship in Hospice & Palliative Medicine, both at Mayo Clinic in Rochester. Her interest in medicine comes from a desire to decrease suffering and improve quality of life. She finds improving complex symptoms in people dealing with serious illness to be extremely rewarding. She is so grateful Cancer Legal Care exists and is honored to be on the board. CLC is a much needed and appreciated service in our complicated medical system.

Tim joined the board of Cancer Legal Care in 2023 and believes that CLC provides a vital service to the cancer community by offering legal advice and advocacy to those who need it most. Tim is a finance professional with a passion for transforming data into actionable information to help organizations achieve their goals. 

Catherine London JD MPH  is a health care attorney and public health advocate. She has spent over a decade helping health care organizations and medical professionals support patients and their well-being. As a Cancer Legal Care volunteer attorney, Catherine learned first hand the profound impact CLC has on its clients' lives. As chair of the board’s Advocacy Committee, she is committed to advocating for policies that benefit CLC’s clients and their families. Catherine is honored to be part of the incredible work of this organization. 

Paula is Chief Administrative Officer and General Counsel at Gillette Children's Specialty Healthcare in St. Paul, Minnesota. Prior to joining Gillette, Paula’s legal practice focused on employment law and professional negligence defense work.  She has significant experience providing pro bono legal services and is active in many healthcare and legal organizations. Having lost her father to cancer when she was 17, and knowing how challenging navigating the legal landscape can be, Paula was drawn to the work of Cancer Legal Care and joined the board in 2019.

I am so excited to be on the Board of Directors at Cancer Legal Care and  part of an organization that provides peace of mind to people during a time when their lives have been turned upside down with a cancer diagnosis. The highly knowledgeable staff and volunteers at Cancer Legal Care are dedicated to providing non-medical assistance to their clients to enable them to focus on their health. Their expertise and dedication is matched with their compassion, and I know as a cancer survivor myself that compassion is so welcome as one starts a cancer journey.  Cancer Legal Care is a wonderful organization and I am honored to have the opportunity to serve on the Board.

In January of 2019, my wife entered hospice care after battling breast cancer for over 22 years. A team of health care professionals was mobilized and provided her with exceptional care for the remaining 71 days of her life. A short time after her passing, I became aware that her oncologist and hospice team were considered out-of-network, an in-network doctor practicing at an out-of-network facility. Because my policy had a clause buried somewhere in the 85-page Summary of Benefits and Coverage booklet that stated there was no maximum out-of-pocket cap on out-of-network hospice care, it didn't take long to generate a hospital bill of over six figures. I happened to remember a seemingly random comment by a social worker at the cancer center we visited every three weeks for treatment telling us about Cancer Legal Care. I recall thinking at the time, "Why would I ever need help from them?" Fortunately, I remembered the conversation and called CLC for help. And help they did. Within a few weeks, we were able to contest the surprise out-of-network charges and have them reversed. Every penny. A life-changing moment for me! 

And that is why I am thrilled to now be a part of Cancer Legal Care. To help and hopefully make a difference.

I am a life-long resident of Minnesota, an United States Army veteran, and a ten-year prostate cancer survivor.

Stacey has been with U.S. Bank for 11 years and works in project management. Stacey has had a personal journey through cancer and knew there was a way to help others in the cancer community and whole heartedly supports the ongoing work of Cancer Legal Care. Being a proud member of the board is a great tribute to the many family members and friends that have lost their battle and those that are still going through their fight.  Stacey loves spending time with her husband, along with their 5 daughters and a new son-in-law, at the lake...Doing lake things.  

Pam Ross, JD, MHA has worked in the healthcare sector for over 20 years in various roles including compliance, community benefit, grantmaking, and community health initiatives. She strongly believes in the intersection of legal services and health care to improve the well-being of patients and their families. Having accompanied family members through cancer diagnoses and treatment, Pam witnessed the value of having an advocate to help navigate the journey. Pam joined the board in 2022 and feels privileged to support the work of Cancer Legal Care.

Lindy Yokanovich, Esq. is the founder and executive director of Cancer Legal Care, a non-profit organization providing free legal care to Minnesotans affected by cancer who also face any number of legal issues surrounding employment, insurance coverage, disability, housing, and estate planning as a result of their diagnosis and treatment. Compelled to bring Cancer Legal Care to life after witnessing first-hand the many legal questions and difficulties her own loved ones faced after being diagnosed with cancer, Lindy counts her work with Cancer Legal Care as the most profound and gratifying of her legal career.

Lindy was awarded the 2017 Women’s Health Leadership TRUST Forum Collaboration & Partnerships Small Company Award, was a 2016 Women’s Health Leadership TRUST Health & Innovation Award Finalist, was named a 2015 Unsung Legal Hero by Minnesota Lawyer magazine, and is a past recipient of the Advocacy Award from Angel Foundation and the Pro Bono Attorney of the Year award by the judges of Minnesota’s 10th Judicial District. Lindy frequently authors articles on cancer related legal topics and has presented over 100 seminars on the intersection of cancer and law to health care providers, attorneys, and cancer survivors.

A member of the adjunct faculty at the University of Minnesota School of Law, Lindy also serves on the board of directors of GiveMN, on the Steering Committee of the Health Care Legal Partnership Learning Collaborative, as a member of the National Cancer Legal Service Network, and is a recent past two-term member of the Minnesota Cancer Alliance's Steering Committee.

Lindy received her B.A. from the University of California, Irvine and her J.D. from the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law.

Lindy can be reached at 651-917-9000 or Lindy@CancerLegalCare.org