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ANN M. GROTTVEIT is a partner in KSC. She joined the firm in November 2007 as a litigation attorney and is admitted to the California State Bar, as well as all Federal District Courts of California, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, and the United States Supreme Court. In addition, she is a member of the state bars of Nebraska, Illinois and Wisconsin, and admitted to the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals and Federal District Courts in Illinois and Wisconsin.
Ann received her Juris Doctor from the University of Wisconsin, School of Law and has over 30 years of litigation experience. Prior to joining KSC, Ann was a partner in a commercial law firm in Nebraska where she developed her expertise on real estate title litigation and bankruptcy litigation. Since joining KSC, Ann has focused her practice on administrative and corporate law, acting as General Counsel for the firm’s numerous Commission and trade association clients as well as corporate clients. This includes guidance on corporate governance, bylaws, human resources, contract review and negotiation and regulatory guidance as needed.
In addition, she addresses clients’ environmental litigation and regulatory concerns including Proposition 65, Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act (PACA), the Clean Air Act and California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) claims. She has expertise representing clients in matters before the California Department of Food and Agriculture, Department of Pesticide Regulation, the Air Resources Board, the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, the Department of Motor Vehicles, the Employment Development Department, the California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle), the California Energy Commission and the California Department of Health Care Services.
In addition to her law practice, Ann has volunteered with local nonprofit groups including Albie Aware, Inc., National Charities League of South Placer, the West Point Society of Northern California, Special Olympics, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, as well as being a member of the Sacramento Bar Association.
Joy Alafia joined the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists as Executive Director in June 2022. She brings over 17 years of association experience, specializing in transformational leadership, organizational management, governance, marketing, and partnership development. In her first 6 months, CAMFT developed a two-year strategic plan and deployed the organization’s first Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) statement. Recent efforts include building the public’s awareness of MFTs as Medicare providers, sharing the role of MFTs via media outlets including NPR. Her employment history includes serving as the CEO of the Western Propane Gas Association (WPGA), where she led the organization to a new chapter focused on renewable propane as part of California’s clean energy economy. Joy previously served as an advisory member for the California Energy Commission’s Clean Transportation Program which supports the accelerated development and deployment of advanced transportation fuels and technologies. Prior to that, Joy served as a business director for the California Association of REALTORS®, an organization with over 185,000 members where she focused on developing innovative and enterprising business partnerships.
Joy presently serves on the Board for the United Way Bay Area and previously held a Board position for the non-profit Building Diversity in Science. Joy has a BS in Physics from Spelman College and an MBA from Pepperdine University. She is a Certified Association Executive.
Michele Champion, CAE, joined CAMFT in July 2019 and currently serves as the Chapter Relations Manager. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Music - Performing Arts, a teaching credential, and the Certified Association Executive (CAE) credential, which marks her as a committed association professional.
Before joining CAMFT, Michele worked with national and local associations, including the American College of Trial Lawyers, USFN—America's Mortgage Banking Attorneys, and the San Diego County Apartment Association. She has experience in various roles, including education, events, marketing/advertising, volunteer recruitment, and sponsorship/fundraising.
Michele served as a Board member of the California Society of Association Executives (CalSAE) and as Chair of the San Diego Regional Council of CalSAE.
She received the CalSAE Geri Hayes McDonald Staff Achievement Award, presented to an association staff member who has achieved success in overall contributions to CalSAE, service to professional, civic, or charitable organizations, and achievements for their employing organization. She contributed to a White Paper on the Volunteer Learning Journey and was a presenter on Chapter Communication Best Practices.
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