Law, Politics, and Policy

College of Arts & Science

Joanna B.H. Mauck (CAS ’14) has joined the Institute for Defense Analyses (IDA) as a branding and communications specialist in the Human Resources Directorate located at IDA’s Alexandria, VA headquarters. (Winter 2023)

Shomik Ghosh (CAS ’13) has been hired by New Jersey law firm Spiro Harrison as a new partner to drive its next stage of expansion. As a New York litigator, Shomik has become the new head of its established NYC office. (Spring 2022)

Quemuel Arroyo (CAS ’12, WAG ’20) was presented with the National Youth Award by the Dominican president for representing Dominicans in the diaspora. (Spring 2023)

Heather Fossity (CAS ʼ11) recently joined the Portland, OR office of Ogletree Deakins as an associate. Her practice focuses on employment litigation, advice and counsel, and workplace investigations. She frequently works with clients to develop legally compliant best practices for hiring and firing, addressing leave and reasonable accommodations, and navigating high-risk terminations. Heather has extensive experience drafting workplace policies, employee handbooks, and employment and separation agreements. Heather earned her JD from Lewis & Clark Law School and her BA from New York University. (Spring 2024)

Waleska Suero Garcia (CAS ’11) has joined Yankwitt LLP as counsel. Yankwitt LLP is Westchester County's go-to law firm for high-stakes bet-the-company litigation. (Winter 2024)

Diana DiLeonardo (CAS ’10) has joined Cona Elder Law PLLC in Melville, New York as an associate focused on litigation. (Winter 2023)

Andrea L. Gomes (CAS ’09) is proud to announce she has been elevated to partner at Hinckley Allen. Her practice is dedicated to land use, environmental, and municipal law, representing clients before local and state agencies. Her expertise extends to municipal approvals, administrative appeals, and litigation, reflecting her commitment to serving the community. (Winter 2024)

Jennifer Karnes (CAS ’09) was promoted to Member of the boutique New York City law firm Anderson Ochs LLP. Jennifer’s practice focuses on commercial litigation, real estate litigation, including cooperative and condominium law, and employment litigation. (Winter 2023)

Sara K. Harris (CAS ‘09) was recently elected to Jackson Walker LLP firm’s partnership in the Dallas, TX office. (Winter 2023)

Jared Markowitz (CAS ’08) is one of three attorneys promoted to partner at Mound Cotton. (Winter 2022)

Jori Loren (CAS ’07) was promoted to partner at global law firm Faegre Drinker, where she is a member of the firm's Product Liability & Mass Torts practice group. (Fall 2023)

Dina Weinstein (CAS ’06) has been elevated to counsel at law firm Pryor Cashman. (Spring 2022)

James Fitzmaurice (CAS ’04) was elected partner at Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP. (Winter 2023)

Meagan Galligan (CAS ’03) is now an elected NY State Supreme Court Justice for the Third Judicial District after previously being Sullivan County’s first-ever female District Attorney. (Spring 2023)

Lisa Featherson (CAS ’02) has been promoted to Chief People and Development Officer at global law firm Norton Rose Fulbright. (Summer 2022)

Michael LeVine (CAS ’02) serves as Diplomatic Security Service Liaison at the FIFA World Cup in Qatar. (Fall 2022)

Zachary H. Thomas (CAS ’01) was recently recognized as a 2024 Georgia Super Lawyer, a prestigious role where only 5 percent of attorneys throughout the state are selected from more than seventy practice areas. (Winter 2024)

Zachary H. Thomas (CAS ’01) was recently recognized as a 2023 Georgia Super Lawyer. Attorneys are selected for Super Lawyer based on peer review, independent research, and professional achievements. (Winter 2023)

Deanna Reitman (CAS ’99) has joined Faegre Drinker as a partner in the finance and restructuring practice in Dallas, TX. (Winter 2024)

Dina Hamerman (CAS ’99) has been named to the 2023 Best Lawyers in America in Commercial Litigation for her work as partner and executive director at White Plains, NY-based law firm Yankwitt LLP. (Summer 2022)

Nan Eileen Mead (CAS ’95) completed six years of service representing the 1st Judicial District on the NYS Board of Regents. She is now the Director of Outreach and Communications at The Center for Educational Equity at Teachers College. (Fall 2022)

Angie Garasia (CAS ’94) is celebrating her 10 year milestone rating as a Super Lawyer in New Jersey. Attorneys are selected as Super Lawyer based on peer review, independent research and professional achievements. (Spring 2023)

Debra Brookes (WSUC ’93, STEINHARDT ’95, SPS ’91) is Deputy Virtual Currency Chief at the NYS Department of Financial Services. (Winter 2022)

Marie Pollio (WSUC ’92, LAW ’04) returns to Shipman & Goodwin's Management Committee for another term. Shipman is one of Connecticut’s oldest and largest law firms with more than 140 attorneys. (Winter 2024)

Stephanie Thomas (WSUC ’92) is the first Black Secretary of the State in Connecticut. (Fall 2022)

Andrea Glenn Loigman (CAS ’91) recently joined the NYC Mayor's Office of Criminal Justice as Executive Agency Counsel and Supervisory Attorney for the Assigned Counsel Plan in the Bronx and Manhattan. (Spring 2023)

Adam E.B. Brecht (WSC ’89) will be inducted into A.M. New York's Manhattan Power List in a ceremony and dinner on April 18 at Bryant Park Grill. Mayor Adams, State Attorney General Letitia James and Bloomberg Philanthropies CEO Patti Harris are among those who'll also be inducted that evening. (Spring 2023)

Bill Packer (WSUC ’89) recently joined Longbridge Financial as their Chief Operating Officer for his work as counsel at Moritt Hock & Hamroff LLP. (Summer 2022)

Kala Shah (WSUC ’88) just finished serving in October as Senior Advisor at the National Science Foundation to help launch its iCHIPS & Science Act research security program. (Fall 2023)

Gary Stein (WSC ’83, LAW ’86) is publishing Justice for Sale: Graft, Greed, and a Crooked Federal Judge in 1930s Gotham, which examines Judge Martin T. Manton’s misconduct in the context of the culture of corruption and organized crime that permeated New York City in the first part of the twentieth century. (Spring 2023)

Karl Zielaznicki (WSUC ’82) is now a Partner at Troutman Pepper Sanders Hamilton LLP in New York specializing in Intellectual Property (Trademarks). (Winter 2023)

David Pecoraro (WSUC ’81) was elected to represent the 5th Congressional District of NY as a Democratic National Convention Delegate pledged to Joseph R. Biden, Jr. after 30 years of teaching high school math. In 2022, Mr. Pecoraro was elected to the Queens County Democratic Committee representing the 31st Assembly District and was appointed by the Queens Boro President to serve on Community Board 13 in Queens. (Fall 2022)

Virginia (Ginny) McCarthy (WSUC ’79) has retired after an almost forty year career as an attorney. Her last position was General Counsel of the Workers’ Compensation Rating and Inspection Bureau of Massachusetts. (Spring 2023)

Dr. George Hruza (CAS ’78, GSM ’82) was elected to the International League of Dermatology Societies (ILDS) Board of Directors at the World Congress of Dermatology in Singapore in July 2023 to represent North America. The ILDS represents dermatology societies from one hundred countries. He is also a declared candidate for the Missouri State House of Representatives in 2024. (Fall 2023)

Steve Rolandi (WSC ’76, WAG ’80) is an adjunct Professor of Public Administration at John Jay College of Criminal Justice (CUNY) and Pace University. He serves on numerous association boards in Washington, DC and New York State. (Spring 2023)

Regina Snow Mandl (ARTS ’71) has joined the law firm Fields and Dennis LLP as special counsel in Wellesley, MA. (Summer 2024)

Mark Kernes, (WSUC ’71), has published his first book, "Preachers Vs. Porn: Exposing Christianity's War on Sexxx," which explores the attacks ultrareligious people have made on adult entertainment businesses. (Winter 2023)

Dr. Bertram Spector (ARTS ’69, GSAS ’72, ’76) has authored a new book, International Negotiation And Good Governance: A Researcher-Practitioner's Perspective, that will be released in October 2023 by Routledge. (Summer 2023)

Gallatin School of Individualized Study

Lucy Loveless-Wingfield (GAL ’10, TSOA ’18) has joined the Council on Criminal Justice as Development Manager. The council is a nonpartisan organization that works to advance understanding of the criminal justice policy choices facing the nation and build consensus for solutions that enhance safety and justice for all. (Fall 2023)

Daan Erikson (GAL ’09) was elected partner at the law firm Husch Blackwell LLP, where he practices copyright and trademark law. (Winter 2023)

Kiran Nasir Gore (GAL ’06) has been awarded the American Society of International Law's 2024 Certificate of Merit for "high technical craftsmanship and utility to lawyers and scholars" for her edited book The Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties in Investor-State Disputes: History, Evolution and Future (Wolters Kluwer, 2022) with Dr Esme Shirlow. (Winter 2024)

Kelly Borukhovich (GAL ’04) has been assigned to the Joint Staff as a Middle East Political Military Planner in the Strategy, Plans, and Policy Directorate within the Pentagon. (Winter 2023)

Graduate School of Arts & Science

Mark L. Maiello. PhD, (GSAS ’86) was appointed to the New York City Nuclear Disarmament & Nuclear Weapons-Free Zone Committee by Mayor Eric Adams on February 6, 2023. (Winter 2023)

School of Law

Eric Sorkin (LAW ʼ18) recently joined Archer & Greiner as an Associate. Eric is a member of the firm’s estates & trusts group, where he represents clients in all aspects of estate, trust, and related tax matters, including planning for both simple and complex estates, and probate litigation. (Summer 2023)

Sam Lacy (LAW ’17) has joined Maslon LLP in Minneapolis as a litigation associate. (Spring 2023)

Justin Sommerkamp (LAW ’15) was elected partner at Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP.  (Winter 2023)

Christopher Nairn-Kim (LAW ’14) has been elected by Davis Polk as a partner of the firm, effective July 1, 2022. (Summer 2022)

Vanessa Richardson (LAW ’13) was elected partner at Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP, with her practice focusing on complex commercial litigation. (Winter 2023)

Karin Dryhurst (LAW ’13) has been made partner at WilmerHale. Her practice focuses on government and internal investigations, enforcement actions, and government-facing and qui tam litigation. (Winter 2022)

David Schiff (LAW ’13) has been elected by Davis Polk as a partner of the firm, effective July 1, 2022. (Summer 2022)

David Siegel (LAW ’12) has been elected a partner at Latham & Watkins LLP in New York, effective January 1, 2023. A member of the Structured Finance Practice and Finance Department, he represents banks and other financial institutions, issuers, borrowers, and sponsors in a variety of securitizations and other structured asset-based financing transactions. (Fall 2022)

Jason M. Frosch (LAW ’11) joined the New York, NY law office of Windels Marx Lane & Mittendorf, LLP as Partner, where he focuses on real estate litigation with a concentration in matters involving the Loft Law. (Winter 2023)

Gabriel Bedoya (LAW ’11) was elected by Honigman LLP to serve a four-year term on the firm's board of directors. He is a partner in the firm’s Litigation Department, serves as Co-Leader of the Emerging Companies Group, and is the firm’s Assistant Hiring Partner for Associates and Summer Associates. (Winter 2022)

Michael Mix (LAW ’11) was promoted to Partner at Morrison Cohen, LLC. He is also a partner in the Business Litigation department and a member of the White Collar and Regulatory Enforcement practice group. (Winter 2022)

Dominique L. Windberg (LAW ’10) of nationwide employment law firm Jackson Lewis P.C. has been elevated to principal. Dominique is an attorney in the firm’s San Francisco office and represents public and private employers in labor and employment law matters. (Winter 2023)

Zachary Goldman (LAW '09) has been made partner at WilmerHale. His practice focuses on financial crime, financial technology and national security issues, with a particular focus on financial sanctions, anti–money laundering (AML), cryptocurrency and distributed ledger technology, and other novel payment technologies. (Winter 2022)

Michael Lavine (LAW ’09) was promoted to Of Counsel in Jones Day's IP Litigation practice. (Winter 2022)

Michael J. S. Moran (LAW ’08), an attorney at Shearman & Sterling LLP, has been named to the 2023 Irish Legal 100 list honoring accomplished Irish-Americans in the American legal profession. (Fall 2023)

Chaim Theil (LAW ’07) has been elected partner at the international law firm of Sidley Austin LLP. His practice focuses on private equity, mergers and acquisitions and restructuring transactions. (Spring 2022)

David Mehretu (LAW ’06, CAS ’97, SPS ’95) has been elevated to principal at Meyers Nave. Mehretu sits in the firm’s Oakland office. (Winter 2022)

Charbel Barakat (LAW ’05) was recently appointed by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis as Vice Chair of the Board of Supervisors for the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District, and also appointed to the Florida Supreme Court Judicial Nominating Commission. Charbel currently serves as Vice President and Chief Regional Counsel for a national homebuilder. (Summer 2023)

David E. Blabey (LAW ’04) was elected to partner at Kramer Levin. He is a member of the firm’s Bankruptcy and Restructuring practice in New York. (Winter 2022)

J. Javier Gutierrez (Law ’04) has been selected as a 2022 Texas Super Lawyer. This is Javier's sixth consecutive year being selected by Super Lawyers. (Fall 2022)

Tracy Udell Zemba (LAW ’04) became the Chief Equal Employment Opportunity Officer at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York in February 2022. The Bank's EEO Office investigates concerns related to discrimination and harassment. Before taking over this role, Tracy was employment counsel with the Bank for approximately 10 years. (Fall 2022)

Allen J. Falke (LAW ʼ01) was recently selected by his peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America® (2024 Edition) in the field of Tax Law. (Summer 2023)

Iris E. Bennett (LAW ’99) joined Steptoe & Johnson LLP as a partner in the firm's White-Collar Defense Group. Based in Washington, DC, Iris represents Fortune 100 clients in internal investigations, corporate compliance, antitrust, fraud, and federal mandatory and voluntary disclosures. (Winter 2022)

Josh Mogin (LAW ’97) has joined Thompson Coburn as a partner in their Los Angeles office. Josh was previously a partner at Raines Feldman LLP in Los Angeles. (Winter 2022)

Zev Gewurz (LAW ’96) has been named to the 2021 top “Lawyers in Real Estate” list by Connect CRE for his exemplary work in the real estate industry and contributions to the community. He is the co-chair of the Real Estate Group and International Investors Group at Goulston & Storrs. (Winter 2022)

Steven Sladkus (LAW ʼ95), co-founding partner of Schwartz Sladkus Reich Greenberg Atlas LLP (SSRGA), has accepted an invitation to become a fellow of the prestigious American College of Real Estate Lawyers (ACREL). ACREL is the preeminent national association of commercial real estate lawyers who are focused on service to clients, colleagues, and the profession. (Spring 2024)

Mario Verdolini (LAW ’90) received the Cornerstone Awards from the Lawyers Alliance for New York. The awards are given to outstanding business and transactional lawyers who have provided superior pro bono legal services to nonprofits that are improving quality of life for low-income New Yorkers. (Fall 2022)

Fred Green (LAW ’88) received the Cornerstone Awards from the Lawyers Alliance for New York. The awards are given to outstanding business and transactional lawyers who have provided superior pro bono legal services to nonprofits that are improving quality of life for low-income New Yorkers. (Fall 2022)

Ira Cohen (LAW ’85) was Appointed Chair of the Intellectual Property Law Section of the Federal Bar Association (2021-2022). (Winter 2022)

Mark Eagan (LAW ’85) joined Goulston & Storrs as a director in the firm's Real Estate Group in New York. (Spring 2020)

Leonard Noisette (LAW ’84) will be Equal Justice USA's next board chair, effective immediately. After graduating from New York University Law School in 1984, Noisette began a long career in public defense, with nearly two decades at the Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem. Noisette brought that experience to the Open Society Foundation, where he led the U.S. criminal justice program. (Summer 2024)

Chief Judge Alan S. Trust (LAW ʼ84), of the US Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of New York, has been selected by the Judicial Conference of the United States to serve as the Bankruptcy Judge Observer to the Judicial Conference through October 1, 2025. The Judicial Conference of the United States is the national policy-making body for the federal courts. (Winter 2024)

Eric Solomon (LAW ’84) have most recently served as a Partner and then Senior Counsel at Steptoe & Johnson. (Spring 2023)

Michael A. Lampert (LAW ’84) received the 2020-2021 Gerald T. Hart Outstanding Tax Attorney of the Year Award from the Florida Bar Tax Section. (Winter 2022)

Linda Ujifusa (LAW ’83), Rhode Island State Senator for Dist. 11, became one of the first two Asian Americans ever to be elected to the Rhode Island General Assembly. (Winter 2023)

Bruce P. Ely (LAW ’81) has been appointed as a Senior Fellow and a special consultant to Bloomberg Tax & Accounting. He is the first Senior Fellow appointed by Bloomberg Tax & Accounting to consult on its state tax publications. (Fall 2023)

Bill Backstrom (LAW ’80), Jones Walker partner and Tax Practice Group leader, recently received the prestigious 2023 Council On State Taxation (COST) Paul Frankel Excellence in State Taxation Award. (Fall 2023)

William Nix (LAW ’79), is the co-founder of the Social Impact Entertainment Society, a global alliance whose mission is to educate, connect and empower professionals in entertainment, non-profit and business for greater social good and measurable impact. Since the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, the SIE Society has grown to over 950 members and is a member of the United Nation's Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Media Compact. Their inaugural Impact + Profit Conference featured 100 industry speakers and 22 panels, and had 220 people in attendance in December 2023. (Winter 2024)

Hon. Betty E. Staton (LAW ’79) was awarded the New York State Bar Association, Civil Rights Committee, Haywood Burns Memorial Award in a ceremony on May 25, 2023 at CUNY Law School. (Spring 2023)

Ben Geizhals (LAW ’74) has been recognized by Best Lawyers in America for its 2023 edition. (Summer 2022)

Gary Matsko (LAW ’73) was recognized by the 2022 Massachusetts Super Lawyers for attaining a high degree of peer recognition and professional achievement. (Fall 2022)

School of Professional Studies

Kirsten Simmons (SPS ’14) was recently promoted to manager of internal, external and executive communications for the Michigan Department of Health & Human Services (MDHHS)—one of the state of Michigan’s largest state agencies. (Fall 2023)

Kiran Nasir Gore (SPS ’04, GAL ’06) has a legal practice on international dispute resolution and public international law and has co-edited/co-authored a new book International Investment Law and Investor-State Disputes in Central Asia: Emerging Issues (Kluwer Law International, 2023). (Fall 2022)

Steinhardt School of Culture, Education and Human Development

Ross Iosefson (STEINHARDT ’11) was appointed Program Specialist with the Library of Congress' Integrated Support Services Directorate in Washington, D.C. (Summer 2022)

Shefali Razdan Duggal (STEINHARDT ’96) has been named US Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Shefali is a political activist who has served many roles on boards of multiple non-profits and NGOs over the years. (Fall 2022)

Stern School of Business

Prof. Stanislav E. Shmelev (STERN ’21) has been named as one of the top four most promising young economists in the world by the Institute for New Economic Thinking in New York and the Handelsblatt Newspaper. He created the Environment Europe Foundation with an aim to promote sustainability worldwide and facilitate sustainability transition in governments, cities, regions, and businesses. (Summer 2022)

Rumi Tran (STERN ‘15, LAW ‘20), an attorney in the Corporate Group at Goulston & Storrs in New York, has been selected for the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity 2024 Pathfinder program, which identifies, connects, and trains high-performing, early-career attorneys from diverse backgrounds. (Winter 2024)

Courtney Rizzo (STERN ’15) is serving as a political appointee in the Biden-Harris Administration and was recently promoted to Senior Advisor for Operations at the U.S. Office of Personnel Management. (Summer 2022)

Douglas L. Tang (STERN ’05) has been named partner at New York-based law firm Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler LLP. Douglas is in Patterson Belknap’s Employee Benefit and Executive Compensation practice group. (Winter 2022)

Vincent Barragan (STERN ’00) was recently elected to the Montgomery Township Committee in New Jersey and is serving as the first Latinx committeeperson in the Township's history. (Winter 2023)

Derek Dizhi Huang (STERN ’94) is currently the Deputy Secretary General for UN IGO and the Deputy Secretary General of the ISCAHR Court, as well as Colonel General and Deputy Secretary General for ICTO and a permanent member of the Council of Europe. (Spring 2023)

Seth Flaum (STERN ’91) has joined Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati as a partner in the firm's New York office. Seth will be part of the firm's technology transactions group where he will focus on representing life sciences clients. (Summer 2022)

Maria Hermida (STERN ’87) has been named the General Counsel at global nonprofit Accion, overseeing all legal areas of their work. (Spring 2022)

Geri Eisenman Pell (STERN ’81) is a Private Wealth Advisor and CEO of Pell Wealth Partners, a private wealth advisory practice of Ameriprise Financial Services, LLC. She is a 12x Barron’s Top 100 Women Financial Advisor and a Barron’s Top 100 Independent Financial Advisor among many other accolades. She has appeared on CNBC, Fox Business News and most recently Yahoo! Finance. (Winter 2022)

Charles Selcer (STERN ’77) has been elected chair of the Minnesota State Board of Accountancy. Selcer is a founding shareholder of Schechter Dokken Kanter Andrews & Selcer Ltd. in Minneapolis. (Winter 2022)

Tisch School of the Arts

Alexa Whiteside (TSOA ’12) was selected for Variety's Legal Impact Report 2022: Up Next recognizing entertainment attorneys who've had an impact on the entertainment industry in 2022. The report was published in the 20th of April 2022 edition of Variety magazine. (Spring 2022)

Sarah Izzo (TSOA ’03) founded Invisible Labor Co., LLC to leverage her knowledge of stage management and storytelling to support progressive political candidates and social justice organizers at the local and state level. (Winter 2024)

Robert F. Wagner School of Public Service

Bojan Francuz (WAG ���22) was selected as a member of the inaugural class of Carnegie Ethics Fellows by the Carnegie Council on Ethics in International Affairs. The two-year fellowship aims to develop the next generation of ethical leaders from business, government, academia, and non-governmental organizations. (Winter 2023)

Hassan Naveed (WAG ’16) was appointed as the executive director of the New York City Office for the Prevention of Hate Crimes (OPHC), overseeing the office’s interagency efforts to combat hate crimes using community-based programs and provide support to victims of such crimes. (Spring 2023)

Rashawn Davis (WAG ’17) was recently hired as the new Executive Director at the Andrew Goodman Foundation. (Summer 2023)

Nahyun Brianne Yoo (WAG ’16) was selected for the 2023 Aspen Strategy Group Rising Leaders Program which cultivates the next generation of leaders in national security and foreign policy over the course of a year. (Spring 2023)

Morgan Monaco (WAG ’14) recently took over as President of the Prospect Park Alliance and was appointed Prospect Park Administrator by NYC Parks. (Spring 2023)

Alexandros Hatzakis (WAG ’14) has been promoted to Associate Executive Director at FPWA, an anti-poverty policy and advocacy organization committed to economic opportunity and upward mobility, which is celebrating its 100th year anniversary. (Winter 2022)

Victoria Hernandez (WAG ’00) has joined the Urban Resource Institute (URI) as Chief Development Officer. She will expand URI’s philanthropy, fundraise for events, and draft grant proposals for government programs at the local and national levels. (Summer 2022)