Our Board & Staff

Catherine London, JD, MPH,  is a health care attorney and public health advocate.  She received her law degree from the University of Minnesota Law School and a master of public health degree from the University of Minnesota School of Public Health.  As a Cancer Legal Care volunteer attorney, Catherine learned first hand the profound impact Cancer Legal Care can have on its clients' lives. She is honored to be part of the incredible work of this organization.

Howard is an MSBA certified specialist in employment law with over 30 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. 

Greg is a Vice President of business banking for Bremer Bank in St. Paul, Minnesota. Prior to joining Bremer, Greg served as the Chief Financial Officer of a Twin Cities based manufacturing firm, and has volunteered for numerous civic organizations over the years. As a cancer survivor, Greg brings first-hand knowledge of the challenges facing cancer patients and their families. Greg joined the Cancer Legal Care board in 2016.

Pete has always been drawn to opportunities to volunteer and give back to the community. As a former United States Air Force officer, Pete was awarded the Military Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal for his ongoing involvement with the Big Brothers / Big Sisters program. Following his time in the military, Pete has held various Information Technology roles with Fortune 500 companies in the medical device and healthcare industry. These positions have given him the opportunity to lead software development and innovation teams and pursue his passion of utilizing technology to improve the lives of others.

A cancer survivor himself, Pete has experienced first hand the impact the disease can have on patients as well as their family and friends. He is grateful to all those who helped him and his family members through their cancer journeys and has made it his mission to give back to those in need. He is honored to be a member of the Cancer Legal Care team.

Pete received a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, a Master’s degree in Aeronautical Science from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and an MBA from Northwestern University. Pete Eichhorst joined the Cancer Legal Care board of directors in 2018.

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.

I'm beyond honored to be a part of CLC’s Board. I work with people facing serious illness everyday and the last thing I want them to have to worry about is financial or legal concerns. I am so very grateful that CLC exists. It is a much needed and appreciated service in our extremely complicated medical system.

Melissa Lundquist is an assistant professor at the University of St. Catherine/University of St. Thomas School of Social Work. Melissa began working with families facing cancer in the early 1990’s while in graduate school at Fordham University in New York City. After returning to Minnesota, she worked at the Angel Foundation co-directing the Facing Cancer Together program until joining the School of Social Work faculty in 2015. Melissa is familiar with the profound physical, emotional, financial, and legal challenges families must navigate when living with cancer and is honored to be part of team at Cancer Legal Care.

Paula is General Counsel and Vice President of Legal Affairs 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 joining the Board of Directors at Cancer Legal Care and become 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.

I first learned about the vital work of Cancer Legal Care in 2013 from my best friend, Chris Heffelbower. She became involved as a volunteer attorney and later became the Senior Staff Attorney and Partnership Ambassador for Cancer Legal Care. Chris was a colon-cancer survivor, and as such she was very passionate about working on the consequential legal issues faced by cancer patients and their families.

Chris was unable to continue the work that meant so much to her. Despite being a true warrior, her cancer returned and as is the case for too many people dealing with cancer, her beautiful life was cut short. I became a board member of this remarkable organization to help support the important work Chris cared about so deeply.

Jada is a graduate of Hamline University with a degree in psychology. She has a background in human resources and currently works as a stay at home parent.

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.

As a member of our Frauenshuh Cancer Center I care for outpatients as well as hospitalized patients. My goal is to provide the absolute best and most up-to-date care possible for any cancer or blood-related problem. I believe that taking care of the emotional and spiritual parts of a person are as important as taking care of the medical part, and that patients' choices should be honored. I see patients with any sort of cancer or blood or clotting problems. I do spend a lot of my educational time with breast cancer and blood disorders and I also practice Hospice and Palliative care (managing the symptoms of illness).

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