Katheryn Thorson
Member, BrownWinick Law Firm
Age: 35
Husband: Adam Thorson
Children: Caroline (6), Rosemary (3) and Meredith (1).
Reasons she is a Forty: As an estate planning attorney, Katheryn enjoys how her private wealth practice allows her to blend her passion for family and finances, but her favorite thing about her practice is the personal relationships she creates with her clients and colleagues. She is involved in her hometown of Norwalk, where her husband and she raise their three young daughters. Katheryn is involved with the Norwalk Board of Adjustment and the Norwalk Student Education Foundation. She has served on the board of Prevent Child Abuse Iowa for seven years, including serving as the board president for about three years.
What are your goals in your role at your company? To expand on BrownWinick’s tradition of providing practical legal advice that is tailored to our clients. Getting to customize one’s estate plan and assisting one with a post-death administration is a very personal and oftentimes emotional experience. My goal is to make the experience as enjoyable as possible.
What are your goals for your community involvement? As a mother of three young girls, I have a passion for creating safe and happy childhoods for all Iowans. Through my involvement with Prevent Child Abuse Iowa, I’m working to positively change the lives of children in the community so that all children can reach their highest potential.
What's your biggest passion, and why? Planning and being organized. Professionally, I enjoy implementing a personalized estate plan for a client’s future that they understand. Personally, nothing brings me more satisfaction than an organized pantry and junk drawer. Planning and being organized brings a sense of calmness to our busy lives.
What is it that drives you? My faith, family and friends. Growing up, my parents instilled a strong work ethic in me, and I always wanted to make them proud. Most recently, my incredible husband and my little girls motivate me to be the best I can be.
What are your future aspirations? To continue BrownWinick’s legacy of providing practical legal advice to our clients and building the best estate planning practice in the state. To empower my girls to grow into independent, kind and well-rounded ladies. I also have a “wild” aspiration of owning my own organizational business someday.
Three hobbies: Traveling and laughing with my family. Cleaning and organizing. Watching and playing sports.
Fun fact: Katheryn represented the United States at the ABA Client Counseling Competition during law school in Scotland. She and her partner won the regional and national competitions due to their down-to-earth approach.
One word to describe you: Traditional.
What is your wish for the Central Iowa business community? We need to retain the current pillars of the business community while also attracting new innovative talent to further long-term growth. Des Moines is an incredible place to live and do business, and we need to ensure it continues to provide opportunities for all.
What's one piece of advice that you would give to a young professional? Focus on the moment. Separating our professional and personal lives has become even harder the past few years with more remote work and our phones constantly in our hands. Presence isn’t enough – your intentional focus on a moment makes it much more enjoyable for all.
What is one issue you would like to see Central Iowa leaders address? Dropping my children off at day care is one of my hardest moments of the day. While I am fortunate to have a great day care center, I know finding quality, affordable child care for many is not easy. In order to retain and attract working parents to the workforce, we need to build and expand child care capacity across our state. Our children and working parents deserve it.