DESERT ESTATE PLANNING COUNCIL, INC.

To All DEPC Members,

Your Board of Directors is pleased to Announce the following Candidates
for the position of Director-at-Large for the 2026-2027 Term!

Please Vote for one of the following candidates!

1. Matt Walding

Matt Walding has over 20 years of legal experience spanning trusts and estates, tax, business, and non-profit law. Matt graduated from law school at UC Berkeley School of Law in 2003. After this, he worked in the tax department of two New York City law firms, Paul Hastings LLP and Proskauer Rose LLP, and he also worked as Senior Director of Tax at Tishman Speyer Properties. Matt returned to California in 2019 to form Santos Walding LLP, where he is dedicated to empowering individuals, businesses, and non-profit organizations to achieve their goals. He specializes in helping individuals of all income levels achieve their estate planning goals, with a particular focus on generational wealth transfer, tax planning, and charitable giving objectives. He works closely with owners of small and mid-sized businesses providing counsel on succession planning and optimal tax and business outcomes. For non-profit organizations, Matt offers guidance on their operations, investments, and transactions.

2. Kathie Browne

Kathie Browne has been an attorney since 1985 and has her own practice in Rancho Mirage, California. She graduated at the top of her class with a J.D. degree from Southwestern University and earned an LL.M. in Corporate Law from New York University. Kathie has a broad legal background with expertise in estate planning and business and corporate law. She has lived in the desert since 2003 and is a past president of the Desert Estate Planning Council. Kathie lives in Rancho Mirage with her standard poodle, Major. In her free time, she likes to travel, hike, cook and make pottery.

3. Alison Soltysiak

Alison Soltysiak, Esq. is an attorney at Slovak, Baron, Empey, Murphy & Pinkney LLP (“SBEMP”) in Indian Wells, where she focuses her practice on trust and estate litigation, real property disputes, and civil defense litigation across multiple California jurisdictions, including Riverside, Los Angeles, and San Diego County Superior Courts.  She regularly represents public entities, trustees, and beneficiaries in contested probate proceedings, petitions for instructions, property title disputes, and related fiduciary matters governed by the California Probate Code. 

Alison earned her Juris Doctor from Chapman University School of Law and her Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice from California State University, Fullerton.  Through her litigation practice, she has seen firsthand the disputes that arise when estate planning is inadequate or absent, reinforcing her commitment to accessible, quality estate planning education in the Coachella Valley.  She is a member of the Leo A. Deegan Inn of Court and Palm Springs Life 40 under 40 honoree. Alison looks forward to contributing to the Council’s mission of building membership and strengthening the local estate planning community.  

"RSVP Now/Register Now" to place your Vote!

Vote by Tuesday March 31, 2026

The new Director-at-Large will be announced at our April 21st meeting!