Ruth Lowenkron ’86, Director of the Disability Rights Unit of New York Lawyers for the Public Interest, is featured prominently in a New York Times article, The Failed Promise of Police Body Cameras. Ruth was also among five alumni honored at our Reunion on May 16, 2024 for her commitment to law in the service of human needs.
Roberto Campos-Marquetti ’87 was appointed Assistant Vice President for Staff and Labor Relations at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, in December. Roberto had been serving as the Director of Employee/Labor Relations and Workforce Compliance at Jackson Health System based in Miami, Florida. He grew up in Brooklyn, New York, and earned a bachelor’s degree in public policy from Cornell University.
Deputy Chief Administrative Judge Edwina Richardson-Mendelson ’88 was honored with the prestigious Ruth G. Schapiro Award during a ceremony that took place at the New York State Bar Association’s Annual Meeting on January 19, 2024.
Bryanne Hamill ’90 has been honored for her significant and impactful contributions to advancing the civil rights of New Yorkers as the former Chair of the New York Advisory Committee by the United States Commission on Civil Rights.
Gilma Camargo ’91 received an award from The Cuban Embassy in Panama and sends her regards. She wrote, “CUNY Alumni and friends. It was way back in the 20th century when, with the support of Victor Goode, I began my work in solidarity with Cuba renewing the CUNY exchange program with the University of Havana. My solidarity with Cuba continues until now across countries. I received this recognition in Panama recently, and I needed to let you know that CUNY Law is part of this story.”
Gilma Camargo receiving award.
Arthur Aidala ’92 was named one of Forbes Best DUI Attorneys in NYC for 2023.
Lisa Sbrana ’93 has been named Partner and Senior Advisor to the Healthcare industry group at Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP, a multidisciplinary, integrated professional services firm. Recently serving as Director of the Division of Eligibility and Marketplace Integration (DEMI) within the New York State Department of Health’s Office of Health Insurance Programs and as the Director of the Office of Marketplace Counsel, Lisa brings robust knowledge of subsidized coverage programs and affordability with an emphasis on Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), and the Affordable Care Act (ACA) Marketplaces and Basic Health Program to the firm’s nationally renowned healthcare team.
Vickie Neilson ’94 was among five alumni honored at our Reunion on May 16, 2024 for her commitment to law in the service of human needs.
Karen Simmons ’94 has been nominated to the Board of Directors of the New York City Bar Association.
Leslie Thrope ’94, Executive Director of the Housing Conservation Coordinators, is leading the organization which is celebrating 50 years in the fight for tenants’ rights. Leslie recalls, “I knew I loved the law, but I also knew I didn’t want to go back to practicing. I was really interested in going back to my public interest roots and working in a mission-driven organization that was based in a community that formed relationships with their clients.” “HCC was looking for an executive director, and it seemed like a good step. I really wanted to feel like I was coming to a place where we were all working together, a small place. So, I joined and am still here after six years!” In a retrospective article, HCC is noted for never being afraid to take on challenges.
Rosemarie Mealy ’96 was recognized with a Proclamation at a large exuberant celebration called “Black Girl Magic” at City Hall. Nominated by co-host Speaker Adrienne Adams, Rosemarie was one of six Black women honored for their accomplishments, which include having been a member of the Black Panther Party, an author, a City College professor, a lawyer, a partisan of the Cuban Revolution, and leader of last year’s four-year effort to get a City Council resolution opposing the U.S. blockade of Cuba passed.
Rosemarie Mealy, center, receiving award.
Katherine Gallagher ’00 argued on January 26, 2024 in U.S. District Court in San Francisco in support of obtaining a federal court injunction to require U.S. government officials to fulfill the United States’ treaty obligations under the Genocide Convention to take protective measures to stop harm to civilians in Gaza. See www.ccrjustice.org for the video. Tarek Ismail shared that the second half of CCR’s argument was presented by Pamela Spees ’98. The lead plaintiff in the case is Defense for Children International-Palestine. Brad Parker ’10 is DCI-P’s Senior Advisor on Policy and Advocacy. Tarek commented, “We believe this is the first case in U.S. history where Palestinians have an opportunity to directly address Israeli and U.S. war crimes/genocide in proactive litigation in a U.S. Court. As we speak, CCR Attorney Diala Shamas, former attorney at CUNY CLEAR, is presenting the testimony of Dr. Omar Al-Najjar, who is testifying directly from a hospital in Rafah.”
Mercedes Cano ’99 reports she has “been away for a while doing work as a Fulbright Specialist Fellow in South America. I also wrote a book that will be my legacy to the immigrant community; it is called elsuenoamericano.org (The American Dream). It is a guide for all those people interested in coming and thriving in the U.S. I am now looking to get back to my roots as a community attorney, and I am looking for opportunities to share my 25 years of experience in the field.”
Suzanne Tomatore ’00 joined KIND in October 2023 as Senior Director, Labor Exploitation Prevention Program, leading KIND’s labor exploitation prevention and mitigation programming. With more than 20 years of experience advocating for immigrant survivors of domestic violence, human trafficking, child abuse, and violent gender-based crimes, Suzanne brings a deep expertise and connection to the work.
Amy Harfeld ’01, National Policy Director for the Children’s Advocacy Institute at the University of San Diego School of Law, was featured in an article, Foster Children Deprived of Benefits. Amy said, “It’s not the state’s money to take; it’s the child’s money. It’s their property…. The children who have lost parents are often the most vulnerable…. We know that these young people have needs, and we know that when the benefits are applied for, there’s a good use for them,” she said. “But right now, they’re being used only to benefit the state.”
Hon. Sandra (Sandy) Muñoz ’01 was elected and inducted as a Queens County Civil Court Judge, at a large and heartfelt ceremony in November 2023, which was attended by many CUNY Law alumni. Hon. Muñoz will serve as a family court judge, following a committed career as a fierce family law advocate.
Hon. Sandra Muñoz at her induction.
CUNY Law Alumni Judges at the Induction of Hon. Sandra Muñoz.
Azaleea Carlea ’02 was appointed Legal Director at the storied Legal Momentum, The Women’s Legal Defense and Education Fund. Out of law school, her first position was Staff Attorney at Queens Legal Services Corp. She then had an interesting and varied career, often focusing on women’s issues. She was Staff Attorney, Her Justice (formerly inMotion); Supervising Attorney at Safe Horizon; Assistant Director, Center for Public Service and Law; Assistant Director, Center for Public Service Law Cardozo Law School; Director of Constituent Affairs, the Office of Senator Kirsten E. Gillibrand; Director of Legal Services, NYC Alliance Against Sexual Assault; and Director of Policy and Advocacy, Guardianship Project. Azaleea was also among five alumni honored at our Reunion on May 16, 2024 for her commitment to law in the service of human needs.
Natasha Johnson’04 has been appointed as the Executive Director of Voice of Witness, a nonprofit that advances human rights by amplifying the voices of people impacted by—and fighting against—injustice through oral history, education, and advocacy. VOW harnesses storytelling to create space for deep listening and learning from communities as part of broader efforts to dismantle systems of oppression.
Erin A. O’Brien ’05 has become a partner a Cullen and Dykman LLP, which proudly announced the addition of Erin as Partner in the firm’s Corporate Department. Her arrival fortifies the firm’s Tax Certiorari practice, elevating its capabilities to deliver exceptional legal services in this specialized area.
Belkys Garcia ’06 is credited with “securing dental coverage for millions in the Civil Law Reform Unit at the Legal Aid Society, where she joined as a staff attorney in the Bronx Neighborhood Office in 2007 and later moved to the Civil Law Reform Unit, where she currently specializes in healthcare law, usually involving Medicaid recipients. One of her latest cases, Ciaramella v. McDonald, recently expanded dental coverage under Medicaid to over 5 million New Yorkers, thanks to pro bono co-counsel, Willkie Farr & Gallagher, LLP and Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer.
Susan Timmons-Marks ’06 has been recognized by The New York Junior League as a 2024 Outstanding Sustainers and Outstanding Volunteers at the 72nd Annual Winter Ball. As the organization’s highest honors, the Outstanding Sustainer and Outstanding Volunteer awards are reserved for those women who exemplify a superior standard of excellence in volunteerism. Susan transferred to the NYJL from the Junior League of Washington, D.C. in 2014 and currently serves as a Director-at-Large on the Board of Directors and as co-chair of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Work Group and chair of the Governance Work Group. She also serves on the Community Advisory Council Work Group.
Muhammad Faridi ’07 has been elected to serve as President of the New York City Bar Association. Paula Edgar ’06 was nominated to continue serving as Association Secretary.
New York Assembly Member Catalina Cruz ’09 is the first listing under “Government” on the 2024 Trailblazers in Law list. Before she was elected to the Assembly in 2018, Catalina was a housing attorney and applied her legal training to staff positions in the New York City Council and the Executive Chamber in Albany. Nowadays, she is writing the laws, including such landmark measures as the Wage Theft Accountability Act, the Rape is Rape Act, and the Clean Slate Act, which seals many criminal records after a certain time period. The Colombian-born Cruz is the only Latina lawyer serving in the State Legislature.
Brian Rashid ’09 completed his Love letters to San Francisco project, and has returned to New York City to work on his new project, “In a New York Minute,” and he is thrilled to partner with Meet Augie, an AI video editing tool that enables people worldwide to share their creativity through film. In April, Brian was awarded the Social Justice Film of the Year at the @allentownfilmfestival.
Therese McNulty ’10 received the Community Service Award at the CUNY School of Law Student Awards Night on May 22, 2024.
Therese McNulty receiving her Outstanding Community Service Award at CUNY School of Law.
Austin Brown ’14 shared that, in January, he began a new role with the New York Attorney General’s Investor Protection Bureau’s ESG working group. The IPB is New York’s “Blue Sky” securities regulator and enforcer, studying policies and procedures to ensure that when New Yorkers invest in a security that makes representations about its environmental, social, and governance practices, those representations are materially true.
Tatyana Segal ’16, as part of TraNa Relief Association, helping Ukrainian newcomers and others, was recognized by Senator Jessica Scarcella-Spanton as part of her observation of International Women’s Day.
Tatyana Segal at the TraNa Relief Association event.
Deema Azizi ’16 worked on a complaint with Jonathan Moore, a CUNY Law Adjunct Professor who co-teaches a course on litigation under Section 1983 and brought suit on behalf of a Columbia University student targeted by Accuracy in Media’s doxing truck. Read about the suit here.
Trent Santer ’16 has been appointed as Counsel for NBCUniversal Local, where he engages in entertainment law for local programs broadcast by NBC.
Karina Albistegui-Adler ’19, in her capacity as co-director of Health Justice at New York Lawyers for the Public Interest, has a published letter in the NY Times, in response to a guest essay in favor of donors getting paid for their kidneys.
Ann Seifullah Goldsmith ’19 launched a new firm with a former client who faced a high-profile, revenge porn attack, as reported in the New York Law Journal.
Lou Fox ’20, attorney with the Wrongful Conviction Unit at the Legal Aid Society, advocated to vacate a wrongful murder conviction, as reported in USA Today. Lou was quoted saying, “We are elated that Mr. Gardine will finally have his name cleared of this conviction that has haunted him for nearly three decades, yet he is still not a free man and faces additional and unwarranted punishment if deported.”
IN MEMORIAM
Judy Ocasio ’87 passed away on May 27, 2024 after a “brief but strong” battle with cancer. Judy started her career at the Legal Aid Society in 1979 as a paralegal in CDP, where she met her husband, Willie Rivera. Judy then obtained her Juris Doctorate degree from CUNY Law School, and thereafter began her career as an attorney in September of 1987 with the Criminal Appeals Bureau. In 1989, Judy joined Bronx JRP, where she dedicated 35 years to the children and families of the Bronx. Judy is survived by her husband, Willie Rivera and their daughter, Zoila Rivera Ocasio. Her colleagues at Legal Aid, where she had recently retired, shared “We will all miss her more than words can express.”
Samuel Cammarata ’03 passed on Sunday, January 14, 2024 peacefully at home. Born in Piscataway, NJ, he is formerly of Parsippany and graduated from Rutgers University and CUNY Law. He is survived by his beloved wife, Hang Ju; loving stepson, QuAnxu; loving father, Gerald Cammarata; and cherished sister, Julie Jackson, and her husband, Jason, and three adored nieces, Alexis, Jamie, and Shayna. He is predeceased by his mother, Sharon McQueen.
Sandy Jensen ’03 passed away on February 14, 2024 at Agrace Hospice in Fitchburg, WI, of ovarian cancer. After living in Beijing, China, and Chicago, IL, Sandy moved to New York City to attend CUNY Law. While attending CUNY, Sandy met Nadya Rosen, who became her partner. After law school, she lived in Brooklyn, NY, and she and Nadya welcomed a son, Sasha, in 2008. They were married in February 2012 after New York State legalized same-sex marriage. In 2017, the family moved to Madison, where they lived until Sandy’s death. She had a strong belief in social justice and supported universal healthcare for all and was grateful that her job at Dane County meant she did not incur debt when she became ill and needed significant medical care. The family is asking that any donations in Sandy’s name be made to RIPMedicalDebt, a non-profit organization that purchases medical debt in bulk and erases that debt for people around the country.