Our Teams

Managing Directors

• Wanjiro Gethaiga, Managing Director of Social Work/ Manhattan, Queens, Bronx-Family Defense Practice
• Christine Waer, Managing Director of Litigation/Manhattan, Queens Bronx- Family Defense Practice

Manhattan

Director

• Alexandra (Sandy) Rosin, Litigation Supervisor/Director of Manhattan Family Defense Practice
• Ginelle Stephenson, Social Work Director of Manhattan Family Defense Practice

Supervisors

• Anna Ishii, Social Work Supervisor
• Robin Lyde, Parent Advocate Supervisor
• Susannah Marsh, Litigation Supervisor
• Rachel Turetsky, Litigation Supervisor
• Emily Wall, Litigation and Appeals Supervisor

Senior Staff

• Patrick Crisp, Senior Staff Attorney
• Madelene Feingold, Senior Staff Social Worker
• Serena Zhou, Senior Family Advocate

Attorneys

• Yusra Hoyt, Staff Attorney
• Catherine Jones, Staff Attorney
• Paul Jones, Staff Attorney
• Taylor Jones, Staff Attorney
• Kathryn Mitchell, Staff Attorney
• Maria Orellana, Staff Attorney
• Jessica Phillips, Staff Attorney
• Caitlin Vasington, Law Graduate
• Xinxin Zhou, Staff Attorney

Social Work Staff

• Kyiesha Anderson, Family Advocate
• Yesenia Aristizabal, Family Advocate
• Candice Bryant, Staff Social Worker
• Emma Mandel, Family Advocate
• Hana Meaza, Staff Social Worker
• Abigail Mesfin, Staff Social Worker

Parent Advocates

• Barbara Derrick, Parent Advocate, Community Engagement

Paralegals

• Alexandra Collins, Paralegal
• Sofia Mannocci-Gonzalez, Paralegal
• Kyreen Reyes, Paralegal

Investigator

• Shantel James, Investigator
• Ernst Tenemille, Investigator

Queens

Directors

• Ari Chiarella, Social Work Supervisor/Director of Queens Family Defense Practice
• Teyora Graves, Parent Advocate Director
• Katherine Wojewoda, Director of Queens Family Defense Practice

In-Charge

• Kenneth Sokol, Attorney-in-Charge of Legal Support

Deputy Directors

• Maggie Nieves, Deputy Director of Social Work

Supervisors

• Charlotte Baughman, Social Work Supervisor
• Amanda Franzen, Litigation Supervisor
• Melissa Kuldip, Social Work Supervisor
• Suzanne Leinwand, Litigation Supervisor
• Sara Lewis, Litigation Supervisor
• Vasilios Stotis, Litigation Supervisor
• Pamela Weintraub, Litigation Supervisor

Senior Staff

• Catherine Alin, Senior Staff Attorney
• Felicia Ann Alleyne-Davis, Senior Parent Advocate
• Christina Cheng, Senior Staff Attorney
• Rosalynn Diaz, Senior Family Advocate
• Elizabeth French, Senior Staff Attorney
• Shayne Larkin, Senior Social Worker
• Ed Parker, Senior Family Advocate
• Cecile Schwartzman, Senior Social Worker
• Adriana Simmons, Senior Staff Attorney

Attorneys

• Alejandra Collado, Staff Attorney
• Rebeca Gonche, Law Graduate
• Kelsey Gooden, Staff Attorney
• Tylan Green, Staff Attorney
• Katarina Herring-Trott, Law Graduate
• Nicole Horn, Staff Attorney
• Michele Jackson, Staff Attorney
• Meghan Johnke, Staff Attorney
• Sumbal Khan, Staff Attorney
• Aubrey Mayo, Staff Attorney
• Katie Moe, Staff Attorney
• Patrick Murphy, Staff Attorney
• Jami Nicholson, Law Graduate
• Carrie Plover, Law Graduate
• Henna Rustami, Staff Attorney
• Renee Schenkman, Staff Attorney
• Tara Severyn, Law Graduate
• Audie Soucy, Staff Attorney
• Syeda Tasnim, Staff Attorney
• Kimberly Tolman, Staff Attorney
• Farzana Urme, Staff Attorney
• Julia Wang, Staff Attorney
• Kyle Williams, Staff Attorney

Social Work Staff

• Leysis Aracena, Family Advocate
• Ming Battle, Family Advocate
• Chynna Clark, Family Advocate
• Julia Graves, Family Advocate
• DJ, Jiang, Staff Social Worker
• Alexandra Keysselitz, Staff Social Worker
• Breeanne Marajah, Staff Social Worker
• Clelia Melo, Staff Social Worker
• Gloria Moran, Family Advocate
• Karimi Nyamu, Staff Social Worker
• Megan Rait, Staff Social Worker
• Brittany Ramroop, Family Advocate
• Fundi Reed, Family Advocate
• Toye Spencer, Family Advocate

Parent Advocates

• Dinah Clemmons-Graham, Parent Advocate
• Venus Williams, Parent Advocate

Paralegals

• Leslye Aragundi, Paralegal
• Tanya Espejo, Paralegal
• Jhoneidy Javier, Paralegal
• Maia Johnson, Paralegal
• Miki Rierson, Paralegal

Investigator

• Shantel James, Investigator
• Ernst Tenemille, Investigator

Bronx

Directors

• Anastasia Rivera-Bonilla, Litigation Director
• Malena Arnaud, Social Work Director

Supervisors

• Christina Carroll, Litigation Supervisor
• Karena Lim-Peralta, Social Worker Supervisor, Policy and Government Affairs

Attorneys

• Maria E. Betancourt, Staff Attorney
• Lisa Howell, Staff Attorney
• Jubaida Jesmin, Staff Attorney
• Ashley Johnson, Staff Attorney

Senior Staff

• Catherine Supliski, Senior Staff Attorney

Social Work Staff

• Charlene Edmonds, Family Advocate
• Treina Ellington, Family Advocate
• Abby Kamen, Social Worker
• Hayes McManemin, Social Worker
• Melissa Rodriguez, Family Advocate
• Thalya Velasco, Family Advocate

Parent Advocate

• Elliot Williams III, Parent Advocate

Paralegal

• Kayla Bridges, Paralegal
• Arisleyxy Contreras, Paralegal

Staten Island

Directors

• Kelsey Boston, SW Director
• Christine Bruno, Litigation Director

Senior Staff

• Monique Stanley, Senior Parent Advocate

Attorneys

• Laura Mendez, Staff Attorney

Social Work Staff

• Adele Lehman, Social Worker

Paralegal

• Lindsay Trepel, Paralegal

Supervisors

• Ari Chiarella, Social Work Supervisor/Director of Queens Family Defense Practice
• Wendell Cruz, Director of Holistic Practice; Litigation Supervisor, Criminal Defense Practice
• Sandeep Kandhari, Director, Youth Defense Practice
• Nikki Woods, Litigation Supervisor, Youth Defense Practice

Senior Staff

• Katherine de Zengotita, Senior Staff Attorney
• Ed Parker, Senior Family Advocate

Attorney

• Sarah Bergin, Law Graduate
• Miriam Schachter, Staff Attorney

Social Work Staff

• Shaked Bein, Client Coordinator
• Pedro Galarza, Family Advocate

Investigator

• Shantel James, Investigator
• Ernst Tenemille, Investigator

Supervisors

• Ysmerlyn Baez, Social Work Supervisor
• Malena Arnaud, Social Work Director of Bronx Family Defense Practice

Senior Staff 

• Shayne Larkin, Senior Social Worker
• Melissa Lombreglia, SCR Litigation Supervisor

Staff 

• Ivette Cortez, Staff Social Worker
• Xue Feng, Staff Social Worker
• Gloria Moran, Family Advocate

Coordinators

• Jessica Vega-Rivera, Client Coordinator

Supervisors

• Ari Chiarella, Social Work Supervisor/ Co-Director of Queens Family Defense Practice
• Wendell Cruz, Director of Holistic Practice; Litigation Supervisor, Criminal Defense Practice
• Carol Siegel, Litigation Supervisor

Senior Staff

• Sam Sloane, Senior Staff Attorney

Attorneys

• Anna Andel, Staff Attorney
• Morgan Shaffer, Staff Attorney

Social Work Staff

• Pedro Galarza, Family Advocate

Coordinator

• Liv Venegas, Client Coordinator

Investigator

• Shantel James, Investigator
• Ernst Tenemille, Investigator

Supervisors

• Wendell Cruz, Director of Holistic Practice; Litigation Supervisor, Criminal Defense Practice
• Jeffrey Compton, Litigation Supervisor

Attorney

• Jeremy Montano, Staff Attorney

Specialist

• Annette Gonzalez, Housing Specialist

Coordinator

• Liv Venegas, Client Coordinator

Supervisors

• Wendell Cruz, Director of Holistic Practice; Litigation Supervisor, Criminal Defense Practice
• Zoe Schonfeld, Litigation Supervisor, Immigration

Senior Staff

• Teresa Garcia, Senior Immigration Specialist
• Medha Venugopal, Senior Staff Attorney

Attorney

• Paola Rivera, Staff Attorney

Coordinator

• Melanie Rodriguez, Client Coordinator

Supervisor

• Emily Wall, Litigation  and Appeals Supervisor

Senior Staff

• Charles Rosenberg, Senior Staff Attorney, Appeals

Attorney

• Nardia Morgan, Staff Attorney
• Mahum Shabir, Staff Attorney

Supervisor

• Karena Lim-Peralta, Social Work Supervisor, Policy and Government Affairs
• Mark Papish, Supervisor, Policy and Government Affairs

Senior Staff

• Hannah Mercuris, Senior Staff Attorney, Policy and Government Affairs

Parent Advocates

• Davene Roseborough, Parent Advocate, Policy and Government Affairs

Supervisor

• Meghan Downes, SW Training Supervisor

Managers

• Ben Chan, Manager of Efficiency, Equity & Belonging
• Patricia Ramirez, Office Manager
• Christina Secharan, Operations Manager

Senior Staff

• Afriyie Duberry, Recruiter

Directors

• Diana Denza, Director of Communications
• Evan Mastronardi, Interim Development Director

Associate

• Isis Gamble, Communications Associate

Executives

• Tehra Coles, Executive Director
• Alicia Williams, Chief Operating Officer
• Samantha Miele, Chief Financial Officer

Supervisor

• Alicia Williams, Chief Operating Officer

Manager

• Ebony Hopkins, Human Resources Manager

Associate

• Rebecca St. Jules, Human Resources Associate

Assistant

• Tanika Gonzalez, EA/Operations & HR Assistant

Supervisor

• Gordon Hamm, Director of Information Technology

Senior Staff

• Haris Faheem, Information Technology Manager-Queens/Bronx
• George Pan, Information Technology Manager-Manhattan

Supervisors

• Samantha Elliott, Chief Financial Officer

Senior Staff

• Ashley Cookson, Manager of Accounting & Financial Reporting

Staff

• Andy Morla, Staff Accountant
• Jasmine Aziz, Payroll Administrator