Minnesota / Public Defense Board

Agency file

Public Defense Board

Source file: Minnesota — State Employee Payroll / ingested Jun 18, 2026

The Public Defense Board is a government agency that delivers public services and programs within its jurisdiction.

In 2025, this agency had 1,087 employees with median total compensation of $99,952; the highest distinct record was $322,368.

Year: 2025
Total payroll: $110.1M
Employees: 1,087
Median total: $99,952
Highest record: $322,368

What the records show

Compensation analytics

These summaries compare pay within the agency before listing individual records.

Salary distribution

$110$187,632+

Hover a bar for its range; click to filter the list below.

How 2025 total compensation is spread across the 1,087 employees. Each bar is a pay range; taller bars mean more people earn in that range. The amber line marks the median ($99,952) — half earn less, half more. The far-right bar collects the highest earners.

Average pay composition

Base — $100,213 (99%)
Overtime — $12 (0%)
Other — $1,040 (1%)
Benefits — $0 (0%)

What an average paycheck here is made of — base salary versus overtime, other pay (bonuses, allowances), and benefits. A large overtime or other-pay share means take-home often exceeds base salary.

Pay percentiles

10th

25th

Median

75th

90th

$28,353

$77,459

$99,952

$129,210

$161,688

The pay ladder for this department. Someone at the 90th percentile earns $161,688 — more than 90% of the department; the 10th percentile earns $28,353. The shaded band is the middle half of employees (25th–75th percentile).

Largest job titles

Public Defense Assistant Attorney

597 · $110,528

Legal Office Assistant

104 · $72,426

Public Defense Law Clerk

97 · $4,405

Public Defense Managing Attrny

69 · $173,033

Public Defense Investigator

63 · $92,976

The most common job titles in this department by headcount, with the median total compensation for each. Click a title to see everyone who holds it.

Trend

Year over year

How this department's total payroll, headcount, and median pay changed across the 2 published years.

Year	Total payroll	Employees	Median pay
2024	$97.2M —	1,069 —	$89,412 —
2025	$110.1M ▲ 13.3%	1,087 ▲ 1.7%	$99,952 ▲ 11.8%

Record list

Employees

Page 2

Melody Vang-Jilka

Legal Office Assistant/Public Defense Board

2025 total comp

$64,126

Sub-department: Fourth Judicial District FT
Base pay: $64,126
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $64,126
Hire date: 2021-03-03
Employment type: Full-Time
Pay grade: 5
Union / bargaining unit: Public Defense-Support Staff
Pay basis: Hourly
Full-time equivalent (FTE): 1
Work county: Hennepin

Source-specific fields

Active on June 30, 2025: Yes
Agency Number: J52
Bargaining Unit Number: 301
Branch: Judicial
Branch Code: Judicial
Classified Code: Unclassified
Classified Status: Unclassified
Compensation Frequency Code: Hourly

At Public Defense Board, Melody Vang-Jilka serves as a Legal Office Assistant within Fourth Judicial District Ft. Their tenure dates to 2021, about 4 years, working full-time. Their 2025 pay totaled $64,126. They are represented by Public Defense-Support Staff.

Kathleen Bennig

Legal Office Assistant/Public Defense Board

2025 total comp

$64,126

Sub-department: Appellate Office 4
Base pay: $64,126
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $64,126
Hire date: 2023-07-19
Employment type: Full-Time
Pay grade: 5
Union / bargaining unit: Public Defense-Support Staff
Pay basis: Hourly
Full-time equivalent (FTE): 1
Work county: Ramsey

Source-specific fields

Active on June 30, 2025: Yes
Agency Number: J52
Bargaining Unit Number: 301
Branch: Judicial
Branch Code: Judicial
Classified Code: Unclassified
Classified Status: Unclassified
Compensation Frequency Code: Hourly

Kathleen Bennig is a Legal Office Assistant at Public Defense Board within Appellate Office 4. Hired in 2023, they have about 2 years of service, working full-time. 2025 total compensation came to $64,126. Their bargaining unit is Public Defense-Support Staff.

Tara Solem

Legal Office Assistant/Public Defense Board

2025 total comp

$64,126

Sub-department: Seventh Judicial Dist
Base pay: $64,126
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $64,126
Hire date: 2022-08-17
Employment type: Full-Time
Pay grade: 5
Union / bargaining unit: Public Defense-Support Staff
Pay basis: Hourly
Full-time equivalent (FTE): 1
Work county: Stearns

Source-specific fields

Active on June 30, 2025: Yes
Agency Number: J52
Bargaining Unit Number: 301
Branch: Judicial
Branch Code: Judicial
Classified Code: Unclassified
Classified Status: Unclassified
Compensation Frequency Code: Hourly

Tara Solem holds the role of Legal Office Assistant at Public Defense Board within Seventh Judicial District. Hired in 2022, they have about 3 years of service as a full-time employee. In 2025, their total compensation was $64,126. Union affiliation: Public Defense-Support Staff.

Lindsay Dohmen

Legal Office Assistant/Public Defense Board

2025 total comp

$64,126

Sub-department: First Judicial District
Base pay: $64,126
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $64,126
Hire date: 2022-05-25
Employment type: Full-Time
Pay grade: 5
Union / bargaining unit: Public Defense-Support Staff
Pay basis: Hourly
Full-time equivalent (FTE): 1
Work county: Dakota

Source-specific fields

Active on June 30, 2025: Yes
Agency Number: J52
Bargaining Unit Number: 301
Branch: Judicial
Branch Code: Judicial
Classified Code: Unclassified
Classified Status: Unclassified
Compensation Frequency Code: Hourly

Lindsay Dohmen holds the role of Legal Office Assistant at Public Defense Board within First Judicial District. They have served since 2022 (about 3 years) as a full-time employee. In 2025, their total compensation was $64,126. They are represented by Public Defense-Support Staff.

Mariah Willman

Legal Office Assistant/Public Defense Board

2025 total comp

$64,126

Sub-department: Fourth Judicial District FT
Base pay: $64,126
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $64,126
Hire date: 2021-07-21
Employment type: Full-Time
Pay grade: 5
Union / bargaining unit: Public Defense-Support Staff
Pay basis: Hourly
Full-time equivalent (FTE): 1
Work county: Hennepin

Source-specific fields

Active on June 30, 2025: No
Agency Number: J52
Bargaining Unit Number: 301
Branch: Judicial
Branch Code: Judicial
Classified Code: Unclassified
Classified Status: Unclassified
Compensation Frequency Code: Hourly

At Public Defense Board, Mariah Willman serves as a Legal Office Assistant within Fourth Judicial District Ft. Hired in 2021, they have about 4 years of service, working full-time. Their 2025 pay totaled $64,126. They are represented by Public Defense-Support Staff.

Gracie Willaert

Legal Office Assistant/Public Defense Board

2024 total comp

$63,698

Sub-department: Fifth Judicial District
Base pay: $63,698
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $63,698
Hire date: 2022-04-27
Employment type: Full-Time
Pay grade: 5
Union / bargaining unit: Public Defense-Support Staff
Pay basis: Hourly
Full-time equivalent (FTE): 1
Work county: Blue Earth

Source-specific fields

Active on June 30, 2024: Yes
Agency Number: J52
Bargaining Unit Number: 301
Branch: Judicial
Branch Code: Judicial
Classified Code: Unclassified
Classified Status: Unclassified
Compensation Frequency Code: Hourly

Gracie Willaert works as a Legal Office Assistant for Public Defense Board within Fifth Judicial District. Hired in 2022, they have about 2 years of service as a full-time employee. Gracie earned $63,698 in 2024. Union affiliation: Public Defense-Support Staff.

Eric Larson

Legal Office Assistant/Public Defense Board

2025 total comp

$63,337

Sub-department: Appellate Office 4
Base pay: $63,337
Overtime: $1
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $63,337
Hire date: 2018-02-21
Employment type: Full-Time
Pay grade: 5
Union / bargaining unit: Public Defense-Support Staff
Pay basis: Hourly
Full-time equivalent (FTE): 1
Work county: Ramsey

Source-specific fields

Active on June 30, 2025: Yes
Agency Number: J52
Bargaining Unit Number: 301
Branch: Judicial
Branch Code: Judicial
Classified Code: Unclassified
Classified Status: Unclassified
Compensation Frequency Code: Hourly

Eric Larson is a Legal Office Assistant at Public Defense Board within Appellate Office 4. Hired in 2018, they have about 7 years of service, working full-time. 2025 total compensation came to $63,337. Their bargaining unit is Public Defense-Support Staff.

Richard Penny

Public Defense Paralegal/Public Defense Board

2024 total comp

$62,775

Sub-department: Sixth Judicial District
Base pay: $62,083
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $692
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $62,775
Hire date: 2022-05-25
Employment type: Full-Time
Pay grade: 4
Union / bargaining unit: Public Defense-Support Staff
Pay basis: Hourly
Full-time equivalent (FTE): 1
Work county: St Louis

Source-specific fields

Active on June 30, 2024: No
Agency Number: J52
Bargaining Unit Number: 301
Branch: Judicial
Branch Code: Judicial
Classified Code: Unclassified
Classified Status: Unclassified
Compensation Frequency Code: Hourly

Richard Penny holds the role of Public Defense Paralegal at Public Defense Board within Sixth Judicial District. Their tenure dates to 2022, about 2 years as a full-time employee. In 2024, their total compensation was $62,775. Union affiliation: Public Defense-Support Staff.

Gabriela Mccormack

Public Defense Paralegal/Public Defense Board

2024 total comp

$62,705

Sub-department: Fourth District-Gross M.M.
Base pay: $60,014
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $2,691
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $62,705
Hire date: 2023-08-16
Employment type: Full-Time
Pay grade: 4
Union / bargaining unit: Public Defense-Support Staff
Pay basis: Hourly
Full-time equivalent (FTE): 1
Work county: Hennepin

Source-specific fields

Active on June 30, 2024: No
Agency Number: J52
Bargaining Unit Number: 301
Branch: Judicial
Branch Code: Judicial
Classified Code: Unclassified
Classified Status: Unclassified
Compensation Frequency Code: Hourly

At Public Defense Board, Gabriela Mccormack serves as a Public Defense Paralegal within Fourth District-Gross M.M.. Their tenure dates to 2023, about a year, working full-time. Their 2024 pay totaled $62,705. They are represented by Public Defense-Support Staff.