Carolyn helps employers and executives navigate a wide range of employee benefits matters, including advising on plan design, compliance, and interpretations of evolving employee benefits laws. She has extensive experience counseling clients on retirement plans, executive compensation, and health and welfare plans. Additionally, Carolyn is well versed in ERISA fiduciary responsibilities, including disclosure standards, participant-related issues, and the termination of retirement plans.
Additionally, Carolyn advises clients in connection with mergers and acquisitions, including analyzing risks, negotiating employee benefits provisions, and handling complex calculations and disclosures. She also assists clients with deferred compensation plans and agreements, supplement executive retirement plans, employment and separation agreements, and equity incentive plans and agreements, including profits interests, stock options, restricted stock, restricted stock units (RSUs), change in control bonuses, phantom stock, stock appreciation rights (SARs), management incentive plans, and long-term incentive plans (LTIPs).
Before attending law school, Carolyn was an electrical engineer and worked as a staff accountant in financial institutions.
Beyond her professional endeavors, Carolyn finds joy in planning vacations, especially those to Disney World, and tending to her cut flower garden.
- Cornell University (B.S.E.E., 1997)
- University of Wisconsin Law School (J.D., magna cum laude, 2004)
- Wisconsin
- Illinois
- State Bar of Wisconsin
- Wisconsin Retirement Plan Professionals, Ltd. (President, 2014-2015; Board Member, 2011-2015)
- Vineyard Community Church (Board Chair, 2019-2023; Board Member, 2011-2014)
- U.S. Peace Corps (provided training in business planning to nationals of Kyrgyzstan, 1998)
- Named to The Best Lawyers in America®, Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law (2025; 2026)