Maren Hulden, supervising attorney with the Minnesota Disability Law Center (MDLC) was recognized this month with the PACER Center’s inaugural Paula F. Goldberg Champion for Children with Disabilities Award. The Center’s new annual award was established in honor of Paula Goldberg, co-founder and extraordinary leader of the PACER Center from 1977 - 2022. The award encourages and recognizes an individual or group who has demonstrated exceptional advocacy and leadership in support of the rights of children with disabilities by being a visionary leader, a tenacious advocate, and a true role model.

In her current role with MDLC and previously with the Legal Services Advocacy Project (LSAP), Hulden helps legislators and community members understand problems from both a systemic and human level. She has been instrumental in helping pass legislation, including recovery education, inclusive childcare, and more.

On the nomination of Hulden, Julia Page of The Arc Minnesota said, “She is one of the most effective advocates I have ever had the pleasure to work with. Maren is astute in her advocacy both in content knowledge and relationship building. Maren possesses a perfect combination of warmth, empathy, story-telling, and deep knowledge of data and policy. I truly think that she could work with anyone and get any goal accomplished. In addition to her vast knowledge as an attorney, her experience as an educator and mother of a young child with a disability give her a deep understanding of the barriers to inclusion that children with disabilities and their families face. Maren is constantly working to promote and protect the human rights of people who have disabilities, and she is deeply deserving of this award.”