Board Members


Justine Ashokar is a licensed psychologist. She has a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology, with an emphasis in Neuropsychology. She is a Certified Brain Injury Specialist. She has experience serving veterans, people with developmental disabilities, and people with brain injuries. She is the president of the Brain Injury Alliance of South Dakota. She is a member of the Mayo Clinic TBI Regional Advisory Council and Past President of the South Dakota Psychological Association.

Karen Brokenleg lost her father as a result of a severe brain injury he sustained in a motor vehicle crash in 1965. Karen began working with individuals who sustained brain injuries in 1987 while working at Sioux Valley Hospital (now Sanford Hospital) in Sioux Falls. She and a neurology nurse began the Sioux Falls Area Brain Injury Support Group. Karen was on the Board for the Rocky Mountain Regional Brain Injury Center from 1989 to 1991. Karen is the current Treasurer of the BIASD.

Mary Tommeraasen is an Employment Skills Supervisor at SD Vocational Resources, SD Rehabilitation Center for the Blind. Mary is a Certified Brain Injury Specialist and a co-facilitator of the Sioux Falls Area Brain Injury Support Group. Mary is also a member of the Center for Disabilities’ Large Work Group for Brain Injury. Mary is a Board member of the BIASD.

Jenny Hallan is a Program Director at Independent Living Choices. She has been with ILC for five years. Jenny holds a B.S. in Human Development and Family Studies and a Graduate Certificate in Nonprofit Management. She has experience working with individuals across the lifespan and with all abilities. She is an active member in her community and enjoys collaborating with individuals and agencies to help meet the needs of others. Jenny is a Board member of the BIASD.


Brian Poelstra has a master’s degree in physical therapy and is a licensed Physical Therapist. Brian has worked as a certified Athletic Trainer, he has been an EMT, and he taught Physiology labs at the collegiate level.
Brian became a part of the DRSD team in 2017 as an Intake Specialist/Advocacy Services Representative and is now the program lead for the Traumatic Brain Injury program. He says that he enjoys helping people and working to provide resolution to a problem that a person is dealing with. Brian is a Board member of BIASD.


Brenna Christiansen Director of Therapy at LifeScape in Sioux falls, SD. I have a masters degree in Occupational Therapy.  My focus has been in Pediatrics with experience working with patients with neurological disorders including brain injuries, stroke and spinal cord injuries. In my current position as a Director, my role is to ensure clinical quality of our inpatient and outpatient brain injury programs and therapy services provided at LifeScape, as well as help identify and oversee new therapy programs and services needed in the community. As a board member of the BIASD,  I hope to help improve education, community awareness, and opportunities for individuals living with a brain injury and help connect people and families impacted by brain injuries to resources and services in our state.