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Total Credits: 3.0 including 3 MASBO Credit(s)
The MASBO Legislative Conference provides an overview of outcomes from the legislative session, giving members a true “head’s up” on what to expect in the coming year. The Conference will also be recorded and available to members following the event.
1:00-1:15 Welcome, Session Overview
Tina Burkholder, Director of Business Services, ISD 882 Monticello; Valerie Dosland, MASBO Lobbyist
1:15-2:00 The Session in Review
Adosh Unni, Director of Government Relations, Minnesota Department of Education
2:00-2:10 Break
2:10-4:00pm Education Finance Update
Cathy Erickson, Director of School Finance, Minnesota Department of Education
| 2023 Legislative Session Update (1.48 MB) | Available after Purchase | ||
As Director of Government Relations, Adosh Unni, J.D., serves as the primary liaison between the state legislature and the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE). He is responsible for monitoring all state and federal legislative activity relating to early childhood and K-12 education in Minnesota. This work includes assisting the commissioner in developing the department's legislative agenda and advocating that agenda at the state legislature. In addition, he is responsible for analyzing pending education legislation, collaborating with education partner groups, and tracking legislative activity. Adosh also serves as the department's legal counsel, identifying and analyzing legal issues as they arise and providing advice to the commissioner and executive team.
Prior to joining the department, Adosh served as a research consultant in the education area for the Minnesota House of Representatives. He also served in the Director of Government Relations role at MDE from 2014 to 2018. In between his two periods at the department, he was a staff attorney at Education Minnesota. Adosh holds a J.D. from the University of Minnesota Law School and a bachelor’s degree in international relations from Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota.
As the Director of School Finance for the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE), Cathy oversees teams responsible for general education and categorical funding, levy process and certification, financial audits, aid payments, budget forecasting, and more. Her work also includes managing data related to students, transportation, and MDE-ORG sites, as well as overseeing special education funding and facilities maintenance. She frequently speaks at Minnesota Association of School Business Officials (MASBO) conferences and co-presents at the Minnesota School Boards Association (MSBA) Phase II Finance training. Before joining MDE in July 2022, Cathy spent 23 years in school finance, serving in leadership roles at Duluth Public Schools, Arrowhead Regional Computing Consortium (ARCC), and Lake Superior School District. She also taught school finance as an adjunct instructor at St. Mary’s University. Cathy holds a bachelor's degree in management from the College of St. Scholastica.
Valerie Dosland is the Director of Government Affairs at Ewald Consulting, where she provides strategic government relations and lobbying services to clients focused on early childhood and K–12 education. She partners with organizations on policy development, legislative strategy, grassroots engagement, and ongoing monitoring of state legislative activity. Prior to joining Ewald Consulting in 2005, Valerie spent nine years at the Minnesota House of Representatives as a research consultant, specializing in early childhood and K–12 education policy. She brings institutional knowledge and long-standing relationships within the legislative process to her work. Valerie holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Minnesota, is an alumnus of the University’s Humphrey Policy Fellows Program, and a former board member of the YMCA Youth in Government Program.
