top of page
FBA San Diego - Board of Directors (2026)
Kelly A. Reis
President of Board
Kelly A. Reis is an Assistant United States Attorney in the Civil Division of the U.S. Attorney's Office and serves as the office's civil rights coordinator. Prior to joining the U.S. Attorney’s Office through the Attorney General's Honors Program, Kelly was a Judicial Law Clerk to the Honorable Janis L. Sammartino. Kelly earned her B.A., magna cum laude, in art history from the University of Nevada, Reno and received her J.D., summa cum laude, from the University of San Diego School of Law. While in law school, Kelly served as the editor-in-chief of the San Diego Law Review and on the associate board of the school’s appellate moot court program.
Dakota Hickingbottom
President-Elect
Dakota Hickingbottom is an associate at Seltzer Caplan McMahon Vitek, where she practices general civil litigation. Prior to joining Seltzer Caplan McMahon Vitek, Dakota served as a Judicial Law Clerk to the Honorable Ruth Bermudez Montenegro, United States District Judge for the Southern District of California. Dakota earned her B.A. from University of California, Los Angeles, where she majored in Sociology and minored in Film, Television, and Digital Media. She earned her J.D. from California Western School of Law, graduating magna cum laude. While in law school, Dakota was the Executive Lead Article Editor of the International Law Journal and a member of the California Western Law Review.
Taylor Wemmer
Treasurer
Taylor Wemmer is Of Counsel at DLA Piper in the firm’s employment group. She specializes in employment litigation and provides advice and counsel to employers on compliance with California and federal regulations. Her experience includes defense of wage and hour class actions and individual discrimination claims, preparing workplace policies and conducting classification and pay equity audits. Taylor also serves as a member of DLA’s San Diego office pro bono committee and runs a bi-monthly veteran’s pro bono legal clinic.
Taylor earned her B.A., magna cum laude, in history and classical studies from the University of Pennsylvania and received her J.D., cum laude, from the University of San Diego School of Law. While in law school, Taylor was an articles editor of the San Diego Law Review and externed for the Honorable Anthony J. Battaglia and the Honorable Margaret M. Mann.
Lillian Glenister
Secretary
Lillian (“Lilly”) Glenister is an associate at Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP in the firm’s Business Trial Practice Group. Prior to joining Sheppard Mullin, Lilly served as a judicial law clerk to several judges at the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California, including U.S. District Judge Michael M. Anello and U.S. Magistrate Judges William V. Gallo (Ret.) and Jill L. Burkhardt.
Lilly earned her B.A., summa cum laude, in journalism and political science from San Diego State University and received her J.D., magna cum laude, from California Western School of Law. Lilly is active in the San Diego legal community. She currently serves on the executive committee as Vice Chair for the San Diego County Bar Association’s New Lawyer Division and is an associate in the Hon. William B. Enright American Inn of Court.
Betsey Boutelle
Vice President of Strategic Engagement
Betsey Boutelle is an Assistant United States Attorney in the Civil Division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, where she represents the United States in a wide array of federal civil cases at the trial and appellate levels. Prior to joining the government, Betsey was an employment litigator at DLA Piper LLP and Paul Hastings LLP. Betsey has been a member of the J. Clifford Wallace Inn of Court and the Lawyers Club of San Diego. She has also served for several years as a member of the San Diego Federal Daycare Board of Directors, which works to ensure the continuous operations of the Barry Ted Moskowitz Childcare Center and to maintain federal families’ access to quality childcare and preschool. In 2023, Betsey was recognized with the National FBA’s Younger Federal Lawyer Award. She earned her B.A. in history and international studies from Yale University and received her J.D. from Harvard Law School.
Rachel Eaton
Vice President of Professional Advancement
Rachel Eaton is a trial attorney at Federal Defenders of San Diego, Inc. As a federal public defender, she represents clients charged with committing federal criminal and immigration offenses before the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California. Prior to joining Federal Defenders, Ms. Eaton served as a Judicial Law Clerk for the Honorable John B. Owens, U.S. Circuit Judge for the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. She earned a B.A. in political science from the University of Texas at Dallas and her J.D. from the University of Chicago Law School.
Eric Alden
Vice President of Court Engagement
Eric Alden serves as Deputy City Attorney for the City of Chula Vista, where he represents the City in civil litigation matters in both California state and federal courts. His practice focuses on complex litigation involving torts, civil rights, and professional liability, drawing on prior experience in private practice handling a wide range of tort and professional liability claims, including wrongful death, premises liability, fraud, and fiduciary matters. Eric earned both his undergraduate degree and Juris Doctor from the University of San Diego and has been a member of the State Bar of California since 2013.
Outside of his professional commitments, Eric enjoys exploring new restaurants with his wife, coaching his son’s little league team, being his daughter’s #1 nail salon customer, and spending quality time with his miniature schnauzer, Walter.
Evangeline Dech
Vice President of Public Relations
Evangeline (Eva) Dech is a Colorado native who is a proud HBCU graduate, magna cum laude, from Xavier University of Louisiana. She moved to San Diego in 2015 for the beach and to attend law school at California Western School of Law, where was editor of notes and comments for Law Review and graduated summa cum laude in 2018.
Following graduation, Eva practiced consumer protection law at Kazerouni Law Group until she clerked for the Honorable Magistrate Judge Daniel E. Butcher from 2020 to 2022. She currently is in the criminal division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Apart from legal work, she serves on the board of directors as the chair of the nominating committee for Just in Time for Foster Youth (an organization near and dear to her heart).
Michelle Camacho
Vice President of Legal Education (Criminal)
Michelle Camacho is a criminal defense attorney in San Diego. Her practice focuses on all criminal matters in both federal and state courts. Michelle serves on the CJA Criminal Defense Panel of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District. She also serves as Chair of the Criminal Law Section of the San Diego County Bar Association and President of the American Constitution Society San Diego Lawyer Chapter. Michelle earned her B.A. in Political Science from the University of California, San Diego, and her J.D. from California Western School of Law.
Hannah Ohara
Vice President of Legal Education (Civil)
Hannah Ohara is a business and tort litigation attorney at Jones Day in San Diego. Hannah represents clients in complex civil litigation in a range of practice areas, including trade secret misappropriation, commercial disputes, antitrust, unfair competition, intellectual property, and consumer fraud. Hannah also maintains an active pro bono practice, representing refugees seeking asylum and assisting individuals facing domestic violence with applications for temporary restraining orders. Prior to joining Jones Day, Hannah served as a Judicial Law Clerk to the Honorable Cathy Ann Bencivengo. Hannah earned her B.A., magna cum laude, in Communication Studies and Spanish from the University of California, Los Angeles, and her J.D. from the University of California, Berkeley School of Law. Hannah is also an active member of the J. Clifford Wallace Inn of Court.
Arshi Baig
Vice President of Professional Engagement
Arshi Baig is a trial attorney with Federal Defenders of San Diego, Inc. She represents indigent clients charged with federal offenses. Ms. Baig graduated from Cornell Law School in 2023 with a focus in Public Interest. During law school, she interned with the Queen’s District Attorney’s Office in Queens, New York, and the American Civil Liberties Union in Detroit, Michigan. Before attending law school, she worked at the Michigan Supreme Court and the State Appellate Defender Office in Lansing, Michigan.
Jessie Agatstein
Vice President of Membership
Jessie Agatstein is an appellate attorney at Federal Defenders of San Diego, Inc. As a federal public defender, she represents clients at all stages of appeal and, as applicable, in post-conviction proceedings. She also chairs her office’s law student internship program. Before joining Federal Defenders, she was a fellowship attorney at Disability Rights Advocates; before that, she was a law clerk for Judge Marsha S. Berzon on the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals and Justice Goodwin Liu on the California Supreme Court. She attended Yale Law School and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where she received a Master in City Planning. She lives in Golden Hill, alongside her husband, dog, and urban chickens.
Dacely Garcia
Vice President of Community Outreach
Dacely Garcia is a criminal defense attorney and founder of The Law Offices of Dacely D. Garcia, APLC, representing clients in both state and federal criminal matters throughout Southern California. She currently serves on the Criminal Justice Act (CJA) Criminal Defense Advisory Committee and is an active CJA panel member. Ms. Garcia is a member of San Diego La Raza Lawyers Association and Latinas in Law, and is deeply committed to mentorship. She mentors new CJA panel attorneys, law students through Latinas in Law, and high school students at Crawford High School.
She earned her B.A., cum laude, in Mass Communication and Spanish Literature from CSU, Dominguez Hills, and her J.D. from California Western School of Law, where she was involved with the Public Interest Law Foundation, La Raza Law Students Association, and the California Innocence Project.
Kristin Lahaszow
Vice President of Fundraising
Kristin Lahaszow is an associate with Jones Day, where her practice focuses on business and tort litigation. Prior to joining Jones Day, Kristin served as a Judicial Law Clerk to Chief Judge Dana M. Sabraw in the Southern District of California. Kristin is a graduate of San Diego State University and University of California Law San Francisco (formerly UC Hastings College of the Law). Prior to attending law school, Kristin worked as a criminal defense investigator for the County of San Diego Office of the Alternate Public Defender in both the adult and juvenile divisions. In addition to her role with the FBA, Kristin is a member of the Enright Inn of Court and serves as a Court Appointed Special Advocate for Voices for Children.
Kim Gregg
Immediate Past President
Kim Gregg serves as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Civil Division of the U.S. Attorney's Office. She previously served as Career Judicial Law Clerk to the Honorable Anthony J. Battaglia, U.S. District Judge for the Southern District of California. Prior to clerking for Judge Battaglia, Kim joined the U.S. Department of Justice through the Attorney General’s Honors Program as an Attorney Advisor for the Executive Office for Immigration Review, Miami Immigration Court. She was born in the Philippines and raised in Harlingen, Texas, but has called San Diego home since her family’s move there in 2011. Kim earned her law degree and graduated valedictorian from Thomas Jefferson School of Law in 2017.
Kim served as the San Diego FBA’s VP of Legal Education for two years, coordinating over thirty panel presentations for the Chapter. In 2023, she was a recipient of the FBA National’s Younger Federal Lawyer Award. In 2025, she served as President of the San Diego FBA and is currently the Immediate Past President. In addition to her role with the FBA, she is a lifetime member of the Filipino American Lawyers of San Diego.
bottom of page