Staff & Board

Staff

Adam Martin *
Staff Attorney, Immigration Program
(315) 640-4891

Amelia Kohli, Esq.
Debt Program Director
debt@vlpcny.org
(315) 640-4890

Anna Porter
Pro Bono Coordinator, Immigration Program

Bethanie Hemingway
Director of Community Engagement
volunteers@vlpcny.org
(315) 579-3991

Cheri Blair
Pro Bono Coordinator, Talk-to-a-Lawyer Program 
communityclinics@vlpcny.org
(315) 949-2118

Cindy Mills
Director of Finance & Administration
finance@vlpcny.org
(315) 640-4895

Fahimeh Zaheri, Esq. *
Immigration Staff Attorney, ONA Legal Counsel of CNY
(315) 907-6606

Georgina Seabrook
Office Manager/Grants Assistant
(315) 640-4895

Grace Zaiman, Esq.
Pro Bono Supervising Attorney, Immigration Program

Jennifer Gavilondo, Esq. *
Immigration Staff Attorney, Afghan Legal Services

Jennifer Powell, Esq.
Immigration Staff Attorney - Afghan Legal Services

Kristin Greeley, Esq.
Senior Staff Attorney, Eviction Defense Program
housing@vlpcny.org
(315) 907-4310

Lizeth Ortega
Immigration Program Manager

Luz Marina Zender
Pro Bono Coordinator, Eviction Defense Program
housing@vlpcny.org
(315) 579-2577

Mallory Livingston, Esq.
Director of LGBTQ Program
lgbt@vlpcny.org
(315) 849-9234

Mary C. John, Esq.
Co-Deputy Executive Director & Director of Family Law Program
family@vlpcny.org 
(315) 579-2574

Naomi Godbey, Esq. *
Director of North Country Immigration Program, ONA Legal Counsel North Country
immigration@vlpcny.org 
(315) 956-3033

Pauline Smith
Pro Bono Coordinator/Paralegal of Small Business & Nonprofit Program

Sally Fisher Curran, Esq.
Executive Director
executivedirector@vlpcny.org
(315) 579-2576

Samantha Aguam, Esq.
Co-Deputy Executive Director & Director of Elder Law Program
elder@vlpcny.org
(315) 579-2579

Sara McDowell, Esq. *
Deputy Executive Director for Immigration Programs
immigration@vlpcny.org
(315) 579-0178

Shayla Kisacky
Program Assistant, Eviction Defense Program

Silvana Vergara
Senior Legal Fellow/Department of Justice Accredited Representative
immigration@vlpcny.org
(315) 949-3817

Tamana Tajik
Immigration Program Assistant, Afghan Legal Services

Tamara Scanes
Intake Manager 
info@vlpcny.org
(315) 471-3409

Tara Nelson
Finance Assistant

Xiomara Salam
Program and Social Work Associate

*Admitted in the highest court of one of the other US states, practice in New York is limited to federal law

Board of Directors

2023 Officers

• President
  Clifford Tsan, Tsan Mediation
• Vice President
  Mary Miner, Hancock Estabrook, LLP
• ​Secretary
  Ellen Weinstein, Retired, NY State Courts
• Treasurer
  Amy Wiles, NBT Bank

2023 Board Members

• Jan-Juba Arway, Center for Court Innovation & RISE
• Lori Beirman, Dannible & McKee, LLP
• Benjamin Burdick, Blitman & King, LLP
• John Boyd, New York State Courts
• John Callahan, Bond, Schoeneck & King, PLLC
• Andrew Croom, Legal Services of Central New York
• Sophie Dagenais, Syracuse University College of Law
• Donald Doerr, Fifth Judicial District, New York State Courts
• Zach Forward, Barclay Damon, LLP
• Mary Gasparini, Attorney Grievance Committee, 4th Judicial Department
• Brittany Hannah, Sugarman Law Firm, LLP
• Palmer Harvey, Syracuse Tenants Union 
• Emilee Lawson Hatch, Bousquet Holstein, PLLC
• ​Hon. George Lowe, Bond Schoeneck & King, PLLC
• Simphiwe Maqubela, Special Olympics New York
• Ranette Releford, Citizen Review Board for City of Syracuse
• Kathy Royal, Upstate Medical University
• Jeffrey Unaitis, Onondaga County Bar Association
• Kara Williams, Allyn Family Foundation