Fellows News

Welcome New Fellows

The following Fellows have been elected by The Foundation Board of Directors for 2020 and have accepted this distinguished honor:

First Judicial District

  • Hon. Ariel Belen, New York City (JAMS) ~ Joined as a Maryann Saccomando Freedman Circle Fellow
  • Vivian Berger, New York City (Vivian Berger, Esq.)
  • Mark J. Bunim, New York City (Case Closure)
  • Sheryl P. Giugliano, New York City (Diamond McCarthy LLP)
  • Abigail J. Pessen, New York City (Dispute Resolution Services)
  • Jill Pilgrim, New York City (Pilgrim & Associates)
  • Dani Schwartz, New York City (Wachtel Missry LLP)
  • Kathleen A. Scott, New York City (Norton Rose Fulbright US LLP) ~ Joined as a Life Fellow

Second Judicial District

  • Andrea E. Bonina, Brooklyn (Bonina & Bonina, P.C.)
  • Armena D. Gayle, Brooklyn 

Ninth Judicial District

  • Jeffrey Battistoni, Poughkeepsie (Van DeWater & Van DeWater LLP)
  • Timothy G. McNamara, Hawthorne (Traub Lieberman Straus & Shrewberry LLP)



Fellows Moves to Circles

Thank you to the following Fellows that moved to a higher Circle of Giving in 2020

First Judicial District

Michael W. Galligan ~ moved into the Charles Evans Hughes Circle of Giving


The New York Bar Foundation fondly remembers The Fellows who passed in 2020

James F. Dwyer, Wyckoff, New Jersey

Steven M. Edwards, New York, NY 

Edward J. Grogan, III, Mechanicville, NY




The following Fellows have been elected by The Foundation Board of Directors for 2019 and have accepted this distinguished honor:

First Judicial District

  • Mitchell F. Borger, New York City (Macy's Inc.) ~ Joined as a Fellow in the Maryann Saccomando Freedman Circle of Giving
  • Brian P. Corrigan, New York Cit (Farrell Fritz PC) 
  • Hon. Melissa A. Crane, New York City (New York State Supreme Court) ~ Joined as a Life Fellow
  • Steven M. Edwards, New York City (Quinn Emanuel, Urquhart & Sullivan, LLP ~ Joined as a Fellow in the Charles Evans Hughes Circle of Giving
  • Michelle Entin Maroney, New York City (Office of Michelle C. Entin, Esq.)
  • Hon. Hilary Gingold, Brooklyn (New York County Civil Court) ~ Joined as a Fellow in the Maryann Saccomando Freedman Circle of Giving
  • Gerald T. Hathaway, New York City (Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP)
  • Drew Jaglom, New York City (Tannenbaum Helpern Syracuse & Hirschtritt LLP)
  • Adrienne Beth Koch, New York City (Katsky Korins LLP) ~ Joined as a Fellow in the Maryann Saccomando Freedman Circle of Giving
  • Stephen C. Lessard, New York City (Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP)
  • Hon. Frank Maas, New  York City (JAMS) ~ Joined as a Life Fellow
  • Ian MacClean, New York City (The MacLean Law Firm, P.C.)
  • Andrew Mandell, New York City (NYC Human Resources Administration)
  • Ronald Minkoff, New York City (Frankfurt Kurnit Klein & Selz PC) ~ Joined as a Fellow in the Charles Evans Hughes Circle of Giving
  • Benjamin R. Nagin, New York City (Sidley Austin LLP)
  • Robert C. Newman, New York (The Legal Aid Society)
  • Stuart B. Newman, New York City (Offit Kurman, Attorneys at Law) ~ Joined as a Life Fellow
  • Barry J. Peek, New York City
  • Michael C. Rakower, New York City (Rakower Law PLLC)
  • Michael E. Salzman, New York City (Hughes Hubbard & Reed LLP)
  • Elizabeth J. Shampnoi, New York City (Shampnoi Dispute Resolution & Management Services, Inc.)
  • Paul T. Shoemaker, New York City (Greenfield Stein & Senior LLP)
  • John S. Siffert, New York City (Lankler Siffert & Wohl LLP) ~ Joined as a Life Fellow
  • Asha Saran Smith, New York City (New York State Unified Court System)
  • Jeffrey Udell, New York City (Walden Macht & Haran LLP)
  • Kaylin L. Whittingham, New York City (Whittingham Law) ~ Joined as a Fellow in the Maryann Saccomando Freedman Circle of Giving
  • Daniel Wiig, New York City (Municipal Credit Union)

Second Judicial District

  • Hon. Sylvia Ometa Hinds-Radix, Brooklyn (Supreme Court, Appellate Division, Second Judicial Department)
  • Hon. Alan D. Scheinkman, Brooklyn (Supreme Court, Appellate Division, Second Judicial Department

Third Judicial District

  • Matthew J. Griesemer, Hudson (FreemanHoward, PC)
  • Justin Teff, Kingston (Kirk & Teff, LLP) ~ Joined as a Life Fellow
  • Hon. Christina L. Ryba, Albany (New York State Supreme Court)

Fourth Judicial District

  • Alice M. Breding, Clifton Park (Law Office of Alice M. Breding, Esq.) ~ Joined as a Fellow in the Charles Evans Hughes Circle of Giving
  • Lauren E. Sharkey, Schenectady (Cioffi Slezak Wildgrube PC)

Fifth Judicial District

  • Jonathan B. Fellows, Syracuse (Bond, Schoeneck & King, PLLC)
  • Paula Mallory Engel, Syracuse (Onondaga County Departmnet of Law) ~ Joined as a Fellow in the Maryann Saccomando Freedman Circle of Giving 
  • Hon. James P. Murphy, Skaneateles (Onondaga County Courthouse) ~ Joined as a Fellow in the Maryann Saccomando Freedman Circle of Giving

Sixth Judicial District

  • Kristin E. Gutenberger Grossman, Ithaca (Cornell University Real Estate Department)
  • Robert M. Shafer, Tully (Scolaro Fetter Grizanti & McGough PC) ~ Joined as a Life Fellow

Seventh Judicial District

  • Tina Monshipour Foster, Rochester (Volunteer Legal Services Project of Monroe County, Inc.)

Eighth Judicial District

  • David J. Saleh, Clarence (Inlighten, Inc.) ~ Joined as a Fellow in the Maryann Saccomando Freedman Circle of Giving
  • Nancy M. Thevenin, Jamaica (Thevenin Arbitration & ADR, LLC)

Ninth Judicial District

  • Richard J. Bowler, White Plains (Law Offices of Richard J. Bowler) ~ Joined as a Life Fellow
  • Sylvia Goldschmidt, White Plains (Goldschmidt & Genovese)
  • James Hyer, Mahopac (Westchester Human Rights Commission)
  • Christopher Palermo, White Plains (Harris Beach PLLC)
  • Jessica D. Parker, Cortlandt Manor (Credit Suisse) ~ Joined as a Fellow in the Maryann Saccomando Freedman Circle of Giving
  • Emile Sayegh, Yonkers (Sayegh & Sayegh, P.C.) ~ Joined as a Fellow in the Maryann Saccomando Freedman Circle of Giving
  • Rona G. Shamoon, Scarsdale (Rona Shamoon ADR)

Tenth Judicial District

  • Rosalia Baiamonte, Garden City (Gassman Baiamonte Gruner, P.C.)
  • Sharon Berlin, Melville (Lamb & Barnowsky, LLP) ~ Joined as a Life Fellow
  • Kathryn C. Cole, Uniondale (FarrellFritz, PC)
  • Nathaniel L. Corwin, Garden City (Meyer, Suozzi, English & Klein, P.C.)
  • Hon. Marilyn Genoa, Glen Head (Genoa & Associates, PC)
  • Avi Z. Kesenbaum, Mineola (Meltzer, Lippe, Goldstein and Breistone, LLP)
  • Laurel Kretzing, Mineola (Office of the Nassau County Attorney) ~ Joined as a Fellow in the Maryann Saccomando Freedman Circle of Giving
  • Diane Moffet, Melville (Lamb & Barnosky, LLP)
  • Joseph Ortego, Jericho (Nixon Peabody, LLP) ~ Joined as a Life Fellow
  • Lynn Poster-Zimmerman, Huntington (Lynn Poster-Zimmerman Esq.)
  • Ira S.Slavit, New York (Levine & Slavit)

Eleventh Judicial District

  • Joseph F. DeFelice, Kew Gardens (Office of Joseph F. DeFelice, Esq.)
  • Leah R. Nowotarski, Warsaw (Wyoming County Public Defender)

Twelfth Judicial District

  • Michael A. Marinaccio, White Plains (Law Office of Michael A. Marinaccio)

Thirteenth Judicial District

  • Toni Ann Barone, Staten Island (Law Firm of Barone & Barone, LLP) ~ Joined as a Fellow in the Maryann Saccomando Freedman Circle of Giving
  • Irene V. Villacci, Rockville Centre (Irene V. Villacci, Esq. P.C.)



Fellows Moves to Circles

Thank you to the following Fellows that moved to a higher Circle of Giving in 2019

First Judicial District

David M. Brodsky ~ moved into the Charles Evans Hughes Circle of Giving

Edward Cox ~ moved into the Benjamin N. Cardozo Circle of Giving

Raymond J. Dowd~moved into the Charles Evans Hughes Circle of Giving

Hon. Helen E. Freedman ~ moved into the Charles Evans  Hughes Circle of Giving

Hon. Jacqueline Silbermann ~ moved into the Maryann Saccomando Freedman Circle of Giving

Fifth Judicial District

David M. Pellow ~ moved into the Charles Evans Hughes Circle of Giving

Seventh Judicial District

C. Bruce Lawrence ~ moved into the Charles Evans Hughes Circle of Giving



The New York Bar Foundation fondly remembers The Fellows who passed in 2019

  • Sigmund R. Balka, Bronx, NY
  • Peter D. FitzGerald, Glens Falls, NY
  • Abraham Paul Goldblum, Westbrook, CT
  • Norman Goodman, New York, NY
  • T. Richard Kennedy, Naples, FL
  • Charles I. Kingson, New York, NY
  • Edward S. Lomanto, Gloversville, NY
  • Elizabeth J. McDonald, Rochester, NY
  • Michael S. Oberman, New York, NY
  • Hon. Richard Lee Price, New York, NY
  • Whitney North Seymour, Jr., Torrington, CT
  • Michael J. Weinberger, New York, NY
  • G. Robert Witmer, Jr., Rochester, NY

Welcome New Fellows

The following Fellows have been elected by The Foundation Board of Directors for 2018 and have accepted this distinguished honor:



First Judicial District

  • Paul H. Aloe of New York (Kudman Travhten Aloe LLP)
  • Elizabeth Donoghue of New York (Himmelstein McConnell Gribben Donoghue & Joseph)
  • Taa Grays of New York (MetLife Inc.)
  • Drew Jaglom of of New York (Tannenbaum Helpern Syracuse & Hirschtritt LLP)
  • Justice Edwina G. Mendelson of New York (New York State Supreme Court)  ~ Joined as a Fellow in the Maryann Saccomando Freedman Circle of Giving
  • Norman J. Resnicow of New York (Fox Horan & Camerini LLP) ~ Joined as a Fellow in the Maryann Saccomando Freedman Circle of Giving
  • Kaylin L. Whittingham of New York (Whittingham Law) ~ Joined as a Fellow in the Maryann Saccomando Freedman Circle of Giving

Second Judicial District

  • Aimee L. Richter of New York (Lee Anav Chung White Kim Ruger & Richter LLP
  • Hon. Alan D. Scheinkman of Brooklyn (Supreme Court, Appellate Division, Second Judicial Department)
  • Patricia Anne Taylor of Brooklyn (NYS Office of Court Administration) ~ Joined as a Life Fellow

Third Judicial District

  • Robert T. Schofield of Albany (Whiteman Osterman & Hanna LLP) ~ Joined as a Fellow in the Maryann Saccomando Freedman Circle of Giving

Seventh Judicial District

  • Vincent M. Ferrero of Rochester (Davidson Fink LLP)
  • Gregory A. Franklin of Rochester (Ashcraft Franklin & Young, LLP) 

Eighth Judicial District

  • Hon. Acea M. Mosey of Buffalo (Erie County Surrogate Court) ~ Joined as a Life Fellow
  • Sharon L. Wick of Buffalo (Phillips Lytle LLP)

Ninth Judicial District

  • Tamara A. Mitchel of White Plains (Bodnar & Milone LLP) 
  • Rona G. Shamoon of Scarsdale (Rona Shamoon ADR)

Tenth Judicial District

  • John R. Calcagni of Islandia (Haley Weinblatt & Calcagni, LLP) ~ Joined as a Life Fellow
  • Brette A. Haefeli of Riverhead (Suffolk County Surrogate's Court)
  • Martin F. Scheinman of Port Washington (Scheinman Arbitration and Mediation Services) ~ Joined as a Fellow in the Benjamin N. Cardozo Circle of Giving
  • Kathleen Wright of Garden City (Franchina Law Group, LLC)

Thirteenth Judicial District

  • Allyn J. Crawford of Staten Island (Crawford Bringslid Vander Neut, LLP) ~ Joined as a Fellow in the Maryann Saccomando Freedman Circle of Giving



Fellows Moves to Circles

Thank you to the following Fellows that moved to a higher Circle of Giving in 2018.

First Judicial District

  • Mark H. Alcott ~ moved into the Benjamin N. Cardozo Circle of Giving
  • Gregory K.Arenson ~ moved into the Charles Evans Hughes Circle of Giving
  • Hon. Cheryl E. Chambers ~ moved into the Charles Evans Hughes Circle of Giving
  • Hon. Betty Ellerin ~ moved into the Charles Evans Hughes Circle of Giving
  • Dean John D. Feerick ~ moved into the Charles Evans Hughes Circle of Giving
  • Alexander D. Forger ~ moved into the Benjamin N. Cardozo Circle of Giving
  • James B. Kobak, Jr. ~ moved into the Benjamin N. Cardozo Circle of Giving
  • Glenn Lau-Kee ~ moved into the Benjamin N. Cardozo Circle of Giving
  • John M. Nonna ~ moved into the Charles Evans Hughes Circle of Giving
  • Lesley Rosenthal ~ moved into the Charles Evans Hughes Circle of Giving
  • Lauren J. Wachtler ~ moved into the Charles Evans Hughes Circle of Giving

Second Judicial District

  • Judith D. Grimaldi ~ moved into the Maryann Saccomando Freedman Circle of Giving

Third Judicial District

  • James R. Barnes ~ moved into the Charles Evans Hughes Circle of Giving
  • Hermes Fernandez ~ moved into the Charles Evans Hughes Circle of Giving
  • Henry M. Greenberg ~ moved into the Maryann Saccomando Freedman Circle of Giving
  • David P. Miranda ~ moved into the Benjamin N. Cardozo Circle of Giving

Fifth Judicial District

  • Marion Hancock Fish ~ moved into the Charles Evans  Hughes Circle of Giving

Sixth Judicial District

  • Kathryn Grant Madigan ~ moved into the Charles Evans Hughes Circle of Giving

Seventh Judicial District

  • June M. Castellano ~ moved into the Charles Evans Hughes Circle of Giving
  • Warren H. Heilbronner ~ moved into the Benjamin N. Cardozo Circle of Giving
  • Charles P. Inclima ~ moved into the Maryann Saccomando Freedman Circle of Giving
  • Elizabeth J. McDonald ~ moved into the Benjamin N. Cardozo Circle of Giving
  • Carla M. Palumbo ~ moved into the Benjamin N. Cardozo Circle of Giving
  • Justin L. Vigdor ~ moved into the Benjamin N. Cardozo Circle of Giving

Eighth Judicial District

  • Mary Ann Oliver ~ moved into the Maryann Saccomando Freedman Circle of Giving

Ninth Judicial District

  • Claire P. Gutekunst ~ moved into the Charles Evans Hughes Circle of Giving

Tenth Judicial District

  • Ilene S. Cooper ~ moved into the Charles Evans Hughes Circle of Giving
  • Emily F. Franchina ~ moved into the Thurgood Marshall Circle of Giving
  • Ellen G. Makofsky ~ moved into the Charles Evans Hughes Circle of Giving




The New York Bar Foundation fondly remembers The Fellows who passed in 2018

  • Lawrence R. Bailey, Jr., Bronx, NY
  • Hon. Phylis S. Bamberger, New York, NY
  • Walter Barthold, Ridgewood, NJ
  • Christine Beshar, New York, NY
  • Meredith M. Brown, Stonington, CT
  • Anthony J. Colucci, Jr., Buffalo, NY
  • John J. Dee, Jamesville, NY
  • Hon. Thomas A. Dickerson, Yonkers, NY
  • Paul S. Edelman, Hastings On Hudson, NY
  • Michael G. Gartland, Poughkeepsie, NY
  • Marcia C. Goldstein, New York, NY
  • Rita Merino Hager, Niagara Falls, NY
  • John G. Hall, Staten Island, NY
  • Arlene Harris, New York, NY
  • Paul Michael Hassett, Bethesda, MD
  • James S. Kernan, Jr., Clinton, NY
  • Gunther Kilsch, Bronx, NY
  • Henry L. King, New York, NY
  • Hon. John P. Lane, Buffalo, NY
  • Hon. Leon D. Lazer, Huntington Station, NY
  • Sherman F. Levey, Rochester, NY
  • Hon. Milton Mollen, New York, NY
  • Kay Crawford Murray, New York, NY
  • Hon. Elizabeth Woodruff Pine, Pittsford, NY
  • Seth Rubenstein, Brooklyn, NY
  • Harold L. Schwab, Rockaway Park, NY
  • Charles W. Ufford Jr., Hanover, NH
  • Hon. Robert H. Wagner, Fairport, NY





Fellows Honors

Congratulations to the following Fellows of The New York Bar Foundation for recently receiving the following honors or recognition

Third District

~ Congratulations to Colonie Senior Town Judge and Court Administrator Peter G. Crummey who was presented the President's Award during the 117th Annual Albany County Bar Association's NYS Court of Appeals Dinner.

Fourth District

~Congratulations Cristine Cioffi on receiving the prestigious Kate Stoneman Award to be presented by Albany Law School.  The Stoneman Award goes to individuals who have demonstrated a commitment to actively seek change and expand opportunities for women in the legal profession





The following Fellows have been elected by The Foundation Board of Directors for 2017 and have accepted this distinguished honor:



First Judicial District

Jay Cohen of New York (Paul Weiss Rifkind Wharton & Garrison) ~ Joined as a Fellow in the Charles Evans Hughes Circle of Giving

Harriet Cohen of New York (Cohen Rabin Stine Schumann LLP) ~ Joined as a Life Fellow

Richard J. Davis of New York ~ Joined as a Fellows in the Charles Evans Hughes Circle of Giving

Donna E. Frosco of New York (Dunnington Bartholow & Miller LLP)

Philip L. Maier of New York

Evan J. Spelfogel of New York (Epstein Becker & Green, P.C.) ~ Joined as a Life Fellow

Martha Cohen Stine of New York (Cohen Rabin Stine Schumann LLP)



Second Judicial District

Carmen A. Pacheco of Brooklyn (Pacheco & Lugo, PLLC) ~ Joined as a Fellow in the Maryann Saccomando Freedman Circle of Giving

Elisa Strassler Rosenthal of Brooklyn (The Law Office of Richard A. Klass)



Third Judicial District

Hon. Michael J. Garcia of Albany (New York Court of Appeals)

Peter Gerstenzang of Albany (Gerstenzang, Sills, Davis, Cohn & Gerstenzang)



Fifth Judicial District

Sophie Dagenais of Syracuse (Syracuse University College of Law)


Seventh Judicial District

Connie O. Walker of Rochester--Joined as a Life Fellow



Eighth Judicial District

Frederick G. Attea of Buffalo (Phillips Lytle LLP)

Dennis R. McCoy of Buffalo (Barclay Damon LLP)~ Joined as a Life Fellow


Ninth Judicial District

Magdalen Gaynor of White Plains (Law Offices of Magdalen Gaynor) ~ Joined as a Life Fellow in the Charles Evans Hughes Circle of Giving



Tenth Judicial District

Dennis J. Campagna of White Plains

John P. Christopher of Glen Head (Sahn Ward Coschignano, PLLC)

Michael R. Gordon of Katonah (Gordon Law, LLP)

Richard J. Guercio of Farmingdale (Guercio & Guercio, LLP) ~ Joined as a Fellow in the Maryann Saccomando Freedman Circle of Giving

Hon. Arthur Kremer of Uniondale (Ruskin Moscou Faltischek, PC)

Joan Lensky Robert of Rockville Centre (Kassoff, Robert & Lerner, LLP)

Gary L. Steffanetta of Farmingdale (Guercio & Guercio, LLP) ~ Joined as a Fellow in the Maryann Saccomando Freedman Circle of Giving



Twelfth Judicial District

Joy Solomon of the Bronx (The Hebrew Home At Riverdale)



Thirteenth Judicial District

Daniel C. Marotta of Staten Island (Gabor & Marotta)

Claire C. Miller of Staten Island



Fellows Moves to Circles

Thank you to the following Fellows that moved to a higher Circle of Giving in 2017.

Fourth Judicial District

  • Carol Ann Hyde of Albany (Rivkin Radler, LLP)~moved into the Benjamin N. Cardozo Circle of Giving!
  • Patricia L.R. Rodriguez of Schenectady (Law Office of Patricia L. R. Rodriguez)~moved into the Charles Evans Hughes Circle of Giving!

Fifth Judicial District

  • Donald Doerr of Syracuse ~ moved into the Maryann Saccomando Freedman Circle of Giving!

Seventh Judicial District

  • David M. Schraver of Rochester (Nixon Peabody, LLP)~moved into the Charles Evans Hughes Circle of Giving!

Eleventh Judicial District

  • David Louis Cohen  of Kew Gardens (Law Office of David L. Cohen, Esq.) ~ moved into the Charles Evans Hughes Circle of Giving!

    The New York Bar Foundation fondly remembers The Fellows who passed
  • Richard G. Cohen, New York
  • G. Gordon Coughlin, Jr., Sanibel, FL
  • Willard H. DaSilva, New York
  • Blair C. Fensterstock, New  York
  • James D. Fitzpatrick, Syracuse
  • Hon. Milton Mollen, New York
  • Hon. Walter J. Relihan, Jr., Ithaca
  • Jon N. Santemma, Uniondale
  • Ivan S. Schneider, Miami Beach, FL
  • Hon. George Bundy Smith, New York