CO-CHAIRS
Hon. Anne-Marie JollyAdministrative Judge, NYC Family Court
Hon. Richard RiveraStatewide Coordinating Judge for Family Court Matters
Dawne Mitchell, Esq.Chief Attorney, Legal Aid Society Juvenile Rights Practice
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Louise Feld, Esq.Executive Director, Permanent Commission on Justice for Families
JUDICIAL MEMBERSHIP
Magistrate Maritza C. Buitrago (quasi-judicial)Support Magistrate, Family Court, Monroe County
Hon. Andrew CreccaDistrict Administrative Judge, Suffolk County
Hon. Karen M.C. CortesJudge, Family Court, Bronx County
Hon. Janette Cortes-GomezJudge, Family Court, Bronx County
Hon. Kathie E. DavidsonDean, NYS Judicial Institute
Hon. Tandra DawsonJustice, Supreme Court, NY County, Integrated Domestic Violence Part
Hon. Jacqueline DeaneJudge, Family Court, Kings County
Hon. Paul DeepJudge, Family Court, Oneida County
Hon. Alicea Elloras-AllySupervising Judge, Family Court, New York County
Hon. Carrie GarrowAppellate Judge, Penobscot Nation Tribal Court
Hon. Deborah HaendigesJustice, Supreme Court, Erie County, Integrated Domestic Violence Part
Hon. Dean KusakabeJudge, Family Court, Queens County
Hon. Caren LoguercioSupervising Judge, Family Court, Suffolk County
Hon. Nisha MenonJudge, Family Court, Kings County
Magistrate Susan Nasci (ret.) (quasi-judicial)Support Magistrate, Family Court, Onondaga County
Hon. Peter PassidomoChief Magistrate, NYC Family Court
Hon. Fatimat O. ReidJudge, Family Court, Monroe County
Hon. Edwina G. Richardson (ex officio member)Deputy Chief Administrative Judge, Office for Justice Initiatives
Hon. Gayle P. RobertsJustice, Supreme Court, Criminal Term, Bronx County, Youth Part
Hon. Audrey StoneJustice, Supreme Court, Criminal Term, Bronx County
NON-JUDICIAL MEMBERSHIP
Hon. Liberty Aldrich (ret.)Executive Director, The Children’s Law Center (Brooklyn, NY)
Piyali Basak, Esq.Managing Director, Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem (New York, NY)
Dr. Steven Blatt, M.D.Professor of Pediatrics, Director of General Pediatric Division, Medical Director of Foster Care Services:ENHANCE, Director of Upstate Pediatric and Adolescent Center, Upstate University Hospital (Syracuse, NY)
Jackie Boissonnault, L.M.S.W.Executive Director, NYS CASA Association, Inc. (Albany, NY)
Sen. Jabari BrisportNYS Senator, 25th Senate District; Chair, Sen. Committee on Children and Families (Brooklyn, NY)
Kenny CarterFounder and Executive Director, F.A.I.T.H. (Fathers Alive in the Hood) (Queens, NY)
Eileen Choi, Esq.Senior Supervising Attorney, Brooklyn Defender Services, Family Defense Practice (Brooklyn, NY)
Wendy Claffee, Esq.Director of the Office of the Attorneys for Children and Administrator of the Family Assigned Counsel Plan for the First Judicial Department (Bronx, NY)
Tehra Coles, Esq.Executive Director, Center for Family Representation (New York, NY)
Dr. Karen CortDirector, NYC Family Court MH Clinic (New York, NY)
Cathy Cramer, Esq.Former Chief Executive Officer (ret.), Family Legal Care (New York, NY)
Arique Dross III, Esq.Founder, Managing Attorney, The Dross Law Firm; Member of Manhattan Family Court 18B panel; Person with lived experience (New York, NY)
Judy Gerber, Esq.Director, Family Court Practice Institute, Center for Justice Innovation (Buffalo, NY)
Jennifer Gilroy Ruiz, Esq.Chief, Family Court Division, NYC Law Department (New York, NY)
Prof. Martin GuggenheimProfessor of Clinical Law Emeritus, NYU Law School (New York, NY)
Dr. Emily Haney-CaronAssistant Professor of Psychology, John Jay College of Criminal Justice (New York, NY)
Dr. DaMia Harris-Madden, Ph.D.,M.B.A.Commissioner, NYS Office of Children and Family Services (Albany, NY)
A.M. Andrew HevesiAssembly Member, NYS Assembly District 28; Chair, Assembly Committee on Children and Families (Queens, NY)
Deonna Jones, Esq.Foster care alumnus and attorney (Buffalo, NY)
Linda Kostin, Esq.Director, Office of Attorneys for Children, Appellate Division, Fourth Judicial Department
John Kraigenow, Esq.Director, Office of Attorneys for Children, Appellate Division, Third Judicial Department (Albany, New York)
Heather A. LaForme-MaldonadoDirector, Bureau of Native American Services, Office of Children and Family Services (Buffalo, NY)
Terry Lawson, Esq.Co-Executive Director, Co-Counsel NYC (New York, NY)
Dorchen Leidholdt, Esq.Senior Director, Legal Center, Sanctuary for Families (New York, NY)
Prof. Theo LiebmannClinical Professor of Law and Executive Director of the Monroe H. Freedman Institute for the Study of Legal Ethics, Hofstra Law School (Hempstead, NY)
Lucy McCarthy, Esq.Director of Quality Enhancement, Parent Representation
NYS Office of Indigent Legal Services (Albany, NY)
Glenn Metsch-Ampel, Esq.Executive Director, Lawyers For Children (New York, NY)
Kelli OwensExecutive Director, New York State Office for the Prevention of Domestic Violence (Albany, NY)
Joanne Sirotkin, Esq.Attorney-in-Charge, White Plains Office, Legal Services of the Hudson Valley (White Plains, NY)
Nicole Sonera (née Velazquez), Esq. Deputy Director, The Bronx Defenders, Family Defense Practice (Bronx, NY)
Alan Sputz, Esq.Deputy Commissioner, Family Court Legal Services, NYC Administration for Children’s Services (New York, NY)
Eileen StackDeputy Commissioner, Child Support Services, NYS Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance (Albany, NY)
Judy Swierczewski, Esq.Supervising Attorney, NYS Department of Education (Albany, NY)
Sarah Tirgary, Esq.Deputy Director, Office of Attorneys for Children, Appellate Division, Second Judicial Department (Brooklyn, NY)
Jeanette Vega BrownCo-Executive Director, RISE; Person with lived experience (New York, NY)
Dr. Ingrid Walker-Descartes, M.D., M.P.H., M.B.A.Vice Chair of Education - Pediatrics, Maimonides Medical Center (Brooklyn, NY)
Shomari Ward, Esq.Litigation Director, Youth Represent (New York, NY)
Stephen Weisbeck, Esq.Director, Juvenile Justice Division, The Legal Aid Society of Rochester, New York (Rochester, NY)
Katherine Wurmfeld, Esq.Senior Director of Family Court Programs, Center for Justice Innovation (New York, NY)
COUNSEL
Janet Fink, Esq.Counsel to the Commission
Pro Bono Advisors
Dara L. Sheinfeld, Esq.Counsel, Pro Bono, Davis Polk & Wardwell, LLP
William Silverman, Esq.Pro Bono Partner, Proskauer Rose, LLP
Laura Israel Sinrod, Esq.Special Counsel and Pro Bono Counsel, Fried Frank

Action Group Advisors

Article 10/Foster Care

  • Hon. Alison Hamanjian
  • Dr. Najah Mabins, PhD 

 

Child Support

  • Magistrate Brittany Bisnott
  • Rachel Braunstein, Esq.
  • Molly Burke, Esq.
  • Hon. Jacqueline Cabrera
  • Magistrate Jacinta Ciccone
  • Brian Dworkin, Esq.
  • Lakisha Garcia
  • Nathalie Gonzalez, Esq.
  • Magistrate Hillary Reinharz
  • Laura Russell, Esq.
  • Andree Tenemas Chavez
  • Magistrate Meredith Vigilante
  • Magistrate Kristen Zarcone
  • Magistrate Sandra Zayas

 

Intimate Partner Violence

  • Jennifer C. Freidman, Esq. 
  • Michael Scherz, Esq.
  • Sheila Schwanekamp, Esq. 
  • Lisa Smith, Esq. 
  • Lisa Stanton, Esq.
  • Jara Traina, Esq.

Immigration

  • Myra Elgabry, Esq.
  • Hon. Alison Hamanjian
  • Nicole Harris, Esq.
  • Beth Krause, Esq.
  • Andrea Madrid, Esq.
  • Keighly Newcomer, Esq.
  • Sara Rogerson, Esq.
  • Cristina Romero, Esq.
  • Maureen Schad, Esq.
  • Zoe Schonfeld, Esq.

 

Custody/Visitation

  • Ref. Jennifer Reddin Cassar, Esq.
  • Luba Reife, Esq. 
  • Jara Traina, Esq.

 

Juvenile Delinquency/Youth Justice

  • Rashida Cartwright-Thigpen, Esq.
  • Lynne Echenberg, Esq
  • Daniela Gallo, Esq.
  • Alex Griffith
  • Cmsr. Kristen Jackson
  • Rosemary Martinez-Borges, Esq. 
  • Sheneka McKenzie-Sage
  • Natalie Peeples, Esq.
  • Kate Rubin
  • Kellsie Sayers, Esq.
  • Michelle Smith, Esq. 
  • Cmsr. Rocco Pozzi
  • Major Erica Prosper