2026 Disaster Law Day Pre-Conference

Frank X. Neuner, Jr. was nominated to serve on the Board of Directors of the Legal Services Corporation by President Donald Trump, and the U.S. Senate confirmed his nomination on August 1, 2019. His theory behind providing legal service to those in need is that if you don’t provide legal protection and access to the law within their world, they will never believe in the justice system.

Neuner is a founder and partner of NeunerPate, a local corporate defense firm. He has shown an unwavering commitment to leadership and service to his community and profession. Through Neuner’s example and encouragement, the firm has developed a culture of dedication to community service and providing pro bono legal services. NeunerPate was awarded the Louisiana State Bar Association’s Pro Bono Publico Award in 2017. Neuner’s leadership roles and volunteerism extend beyond Acadiana to the state, national, and international stage. Neuner served as president of the Louisiana State Bar Association in 2005 and 2006 during the tumultuous Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

In 2013, Neuner was invited to speak at The World Justice Forum in the Hague, Netherlands and share his experience in restoring the legal system after a natural disaster. During his six-year tenure as Chair of the Louisiana Public Defender Board, he spearheaded the drive to provide legal protection and access to justice for indigent defendants. Neuner received a Juris Doctor in 1976 from Louisiana State University.

In 2008 he was honored as the LSU Law Distinguished Alumnus. In 2013 the Louisiana Bar Foundation honored him as its Distinguished Attorney. In 2018 Neuner was awarded the ABA Solo and Small Firm Lifetime Achievement Award. He is also a Fellow of the International Society of Barristers and the International Academy of Trial Lawyers, served as the ABA State Delegate for Louisiana from 2012-2021, has been on the Board of IPNO since 2014 and currently the Emeritus Board Chair, is a past Chair of the ABA Client Protection Committee, Chair-Elect of The Fellows of the American Bar Foundation, serves on the American Bar Foundation Board, Chair of the Lafayette Economic Development Authority and member of the ABA Board of Governors.

He has been married to Tracy Owens Neuner for fifty-one years, and they have four children and six grandchildren.

Laura Tuggle has been the Executive Director of Southeast Louisiana Legal Services (SLLS) since May 2014 after beginning her career at SLLS in 1993. Under Laura’s leadership, SLLS has grown from a staff of 85 to 165 with the agency’s budget increasing from $6.5 to $17 million with an expansion in innovative programs such as its Right to Counsel Eviction Defense Program, heir property and estate planning collaboratives, four medical-legal partnerships, three onsite domestic violence collaboratives, and an embedded Homeless One Stop Legal Clinic. Prior to becoming SLLS’ Director, she previously managed SLLS’ Housing Law Unit during the years immediately following Hurricane Katrina from 2005-2010. Over her public interest career, she has excelled in many areas including direct services, systemic work, and policy advocacy resulting in increased access to housing for special populations including the homeless, people living disabilities, and disaster survivors.

Laura has received national, state, and local awards for her work in the interest of housing justice including a 2025 City Business Leadership in Law Award, the New Orleans Bar Association’s Mark Moreau Public Interest Award, a Louisiana State Bar Association Career Public Interest Award, and a National Legal Aid & Defender Reginal Hebert Smith Award. Laura graduated from LSU in 1984 and received her Juris Doctorate degree from Tulane Law School in 1987. She currently serves on the Board of the New Orleans Family Justice Center, the Gillis Long Foundation, the Louisiana State Bar Association Access to Justice Committee, and was Co-Chair of the Legal Services Corporation’s National Disaster Task Force Relationship-Building and Integration of Legal Services into the Nation’s Emergency Management Infrastructure Committee. She is an Advisory Committee member for the Bureau of Government Research and numerous other task forces to help improve access to civil legal services and opportunity for vulnerable people.

Shrushti Kothari serves as Disaster Grants Program Counsel in the Office of Program Performance at the Legal Services Corporation, where she works at the intersection of disaster response, technology, and the effective delivery of civil legal aid nationwide.

Her career in disaster legal services began on the ground in Houston in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey. There, she served as a Staff Attorney in the Disaster Relief Unit at Lone Star Legal Aid and later as Project Manager for National Disaster Content and Resources, supporting both survivors and legal aid providers responding to large-scale disasters.

Building on that experience, Ms. Kothari has played a central role in strengthening the national disaster legal services infrastructure. She served as a subject-matter expert and content manager for LSC’s multi-partner Legal Aid Disaster Resource Center— a resource designed to ensure timely, accurate, and accessible legal information before, during, and after disasters.

In addition to her work at LSC, Ms. Kothari is actively engaged in national disaster leadership. She is a member of the American Bar Association’s Standing Committee on Disaster Response and Preparedness and has served on the ABA Young Lawyers Division’s Disaster Legal Services Program since 2020. She is currently the Director of the ABA YLD DLS Program.

Skip Koenig is the Director of Pro Bono at Neighborhood Legal Services of Los Angeles County. Skip also supervises NLSLA’s Consumer and Bankruptcy Team and its Disaster Assistance Program and leads the Southern California Disaster Legal Assistance Collaborative. Skip is a Board Member of ENLA, the Emergency Network of Los Angeles, a Board Member of the San Fernando Valley Bar Association, the Co-Chair of the California Access to Justice Commission’s Pro Bono Coordinating Committee and an adjunct professor at UCLA Law School. Skip has been with NLSLA since 2018. Prior to joining NLSLA Skip was in private practice as a bankruptcy attorney for over 38 years.

Neesa Sethi is the Managing Attorney for LAFLA’s disaster response team. She quickly dove into disaster response work after the January 2025 Los Angeles wildfire disaster. Prior to this role, she served as LAFLA’s Stay Housed LA Pro Bono Project Manager, where she led project operations and collaborated with partner organizations to engage pro bono volunteers to help more tenants avoid eviction and homelessness. Before joining LAFLA, Neesa was a Senior Project Attorney at Legal Aid DC, where she managed a joint citywide initiative known as the Housing Right to Counsel Project. Neesa also has traditional law firm experience and clerked on the Supreme Court of Texas. She is a graduate of Stanford Law School, where she was a public interest fellow.

Ana Laurel (she/her/ella) is a Staff Attorney at Texas Riogrande Legal Aid, where she works on real property, environmental justice, estate planning, disaster, and foreclosure issues. Ana began at TRLA as an Equal Justice Works disaster fellow during law school and returned to TRLA as an Equal Justice Works fellow after graduation. Ana holds a J.D. from the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at Arizona State University (2019), where she earned her Indian Legal Certificate and worked with state- and federally-recognized tribes. She recently served as a Chair and co-founder for the State Bar of Texas’ Community Redevelopment and Environmental Justice Taskforce as well as the Chair of TRLA’s labor union.

Madison Sloan is Director of the Disaster Recovery and Fair Housing Project at Texas Appleseed. Her work focuses on ensuring equity for historically excluded families and communities in federal disaster recovery programs, as well as broader disaster recovery and mitigation, fair housing, and civil rights issues. She joined Texas Appleseed in 2007 as an Equal Justice Works Katrina Legal Fellow, following six years representing elderly and low-income clients in housing, public benefits, and family law cases at the Michigan Advocacy Program.

Madison received her law degree from the University of Michigan Law School and a Master of Public Affairs from the LBJ School at the University of Texas.

Peter Dennis is the Regional Managing Attorney for Florida Rural Legal Services’ Fort Myers office, serving Southwest Florida. He also leads the organization’s disaster legal services program, a role that evolved as the region found itself in the direct path of three major hurricanes in as many years. Peter has spent most of his career working with vulnerable and underserved communities, both domestically and internationally, with a focus on public interest law. His legal work has taken him across West Africa, Europe, and the United States, most recently in New York and Florida, where he has built and led multidisciplinary teams responding to complex community needs. He earned his B.A. in Political Science from the University of Florida (Go Gators!) and his J.D. from New York University School of Law (Go Violets!). Peter is admitted to practice in New York and Florida and is active in numerous voluntary bar associations and civic organizations throughout Southwest Florida. When he’s not at his desk, Peter can usually be found on the sidelines of a lacrosse field cheering on his goalie son, a high school junior, or visiting his daughter at Florida State University.

Paul R. Ferreira, JD, CPA, CFE is Managing Attorney of the Disaster Legal Services Unit at Community Legal Services of Mid-Florida, providing no-cost legal assistance to disaster survivors across Central Florida. A retired Army Colonel and former forensic investigator, he brings deep legal, financial, and crisis-response experience.

Josh Gaul has worked at Iowa Legal Aid since August 10, 2009. He has served in the role of Managing Attorney since March of 2020. He currently manages Iowa Legal Aid’s Disaster, AmeriCorps, Victims of Crime Act, and CCC Projects. Josh graduated from Drake University Law School with High Honors in May of 2009.

Jason Susalla is the Managing Attorney of Bay Area Legal Services’ Disaster Relief Team, which provides education, outreach, and legal assistance to disaster survivors across Florida. He joined Bay Area Legal in 2009 and began leading the Disaster Relief Project in 2018, focusing on recruiting and developing a statewide panel of volunteer attorneys dedicated to disaster response. The project became a formal team in 2023, and Jason now oversees initiatives that integrate legal aid into Florida’s disaster relief network, expand community partnerships, support long-term recovery efforts, and operate the Florida Disaster Legal Aid Helpline — a year-round hotline for survivors seeking assistance.

Jason plays an active role in Florida’s disaster recovery community, serving on the boards of FLVOAD and Pinellas VOAD, as Vice Chair of Hillsborough COAD, and as Chair of Recover Pinellas, the long-term recovery group leading efforts after Hurricanes Helene and Milton. He also represents Pinellas VOAD at the county’s Emergency Operations Center during disaster activations.

A frequent presenter on disaster legal services, Jason has spoken at state and national conferences, including the National VOAD Conference, the Governor’s Hurricane Conference, and the Equal Justice Conference.

Kristy Vick-Stratton is the Lead Disaster Response Attorney at Kentucky Legal Aid and Managing Attorney of the agency’s Bowling Green office. She earned her Juris Doctor from the Louis D. Brandeis School of Law at the University of Louisville in 2003, where she served on the Moot Court and Professional Skills Board and was an editor for the Journal of Law and Education. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Western Kentucky University.

Admitted to practice in Kentucky in 2003, Kristy has served as an Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney and as an Assistant Public Advocate with the Department of Public Advocacy. She joined Kentucky Legal Aid in 2017, representing clients in family law matters, assisting survivors of domestic and dating violence, and providing criminal record expungement services and community education. In 2022, she was named Lead Disaster Response Attorney, developing the agency’s disaster legal program following the December 2021 tornadoes.

Kristy is an AOC-trained mediator, a member of the Kentucky and Warren County Bar Associations, serves on the Advisory Board of the Barren River Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program, and is Secretary of the National VOAD Disaster Legal Services Committee.

Stephanie Duke is the Supervising attorney of the Disaster Resilience team at Disability Rights Texas (DRTx). DRTx is the Protection & Advocacy agency for Texas and operates to ensure Texans with disabilities rights are upheld by affording equitable opportunities across all societal domains. Ms. Duke focuses on mitigating barriers that disaster survivors with disabilities face by affording access to justice and remedying discriminatory practices. Ms. Duke works to build resiliency for the disability community by advocating for inclusive planning processes with local, state and federal entities and educates the community about individual preparedness, resources and knowing your rights to promote independence and autonomy during and after every event. Ms. Duke addresses systemic barriers in federal and state disaster and emergency programs to ensure meaningful access to all disaster survivors via legal advocacy and policy reform. Ms. Duke is an Equal Justice Works Disaster Fellow alumni; committee member of the American Bar Association Standing Committee on Disaster Preparedness and Response, Chair of the Board of Directors for Texas Volunteer Organization Active in Disasters (VOAD); Chair of the State Bar of Texas, Disaster Law Task Force and is an appointed member to the Governor’s Task force on Disaster Issues Effecting Older Persons and Persons with Disabilities.

Stephanie Duke is the Supervising attorney of the Disaster Resilience team at Disability Rights Texas (DRTx). DRTx is the Protection & Advocacy agency for Texas and operates to ensure Texans with disabilities rights are upheld by affording equitable opportunities across all societal domains. Ms. Duke focuses on mitigating barriers that disaster survivors with disabilities face by affording access to justice and remedying discriminatory practices. Ms. Duke works to build resiliency for the disability community by advocating for inclusive planning processes with local, state and federal entities and educates the community about individual preparedness, resources and knowing your rights to promote independence and autonomy during and after every event. Ms. Duke addresses systemic barriers in federal and state disaster and emergency programs to ensure meaningful access to all disaster survivors via legal advocacy and policy reform. Ms. Duke is an Equal Justice Works Disaster Fellow alumni; committee member of the American Bar Association Standing Committee on Disaster Preparedness and Response, Chair of the Board of Directors for Texas Volunteer Organization Active in Disasters (VOAD); Chair of the State Bar of Texas, Disaster Law Task Force and is an appointed member to the Governor’s Task force on Disaster Issues Effecting Older Persons and Persons with Disabilities.

Meghan has a degree in anthropology from Colby College in Waterville, ME and moved to Washington, D.C. after graduation to work for Senator Susan Collins as a legislative correspondent. After sailing tall ships on both the east and west coasts, Meghan accepted a teaching position at a charter school in post-Katrina New Orleans. Very quickly she realized just how long it takes for a community to recover after such a catastrophic event. Meghan led logistics efforts during the Deepwater Horizon 252 oil spill for the Natural Resource Damage Assessment efforts, supporting up to 80 field teams Gulf-wide on a daily basis. Over the past 15 years, Meghan has gained experience in disaster management working for Catholic Charities, American Red Cross, and currently The Salvation Army. She led a team of 15 disaster case managers supporting long-term recovery efforts after severe flooding impacted Baton Rouge, LA and surrounding parishes, supported Hurricane Irma recovery, responded to Hurricanes Dorian and Ian, contributed to COVID-19 response in Palm Beach County, FL, and virtually supported tornado relief efforts in Kentucky. Meghan currently serves as the National Emergency Disaster Services Director at The Salvation Army.