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Staff and Leadership

For more than five decades, Lambda Legal has been working to change laws, policies, and minds so that LGBTQ+ Americans and everyone living with HIV can live with full equality. Meet the remarkable team of legal, policy, and advocacy experts who make progress possible.

 

Staff Members

Board Members

National Leadership Council

Students hold pride flags outside of a school bus to protest banning of Gay Straight Alliances
Equality Pride Flag flies in front of a blue sky

Staff Members

Executive Team

Marco Chan

Chief of Planning & Program Management

New York, NY

Cindi Creager

Chief Communications Officer

New York, NY

Kevin Jennings

Chief Executive Officer

New York, NY

Camilla Taylor

Interim Chief Legal Officer and Eden/Rushing Chair

Chicago, IL

Gillian Power

Chief Technology Officer

Chicago, IL

Josh Pushkin

Chief Development Officer

New York, NY

John Roane

Chief Operating Officer

Washington, DC

Amanda Wyatt

Chief Financial Officer

Dallas, TX

Management Team

Percy Brown

Senior Communications Director of Internal & External Campaigns

Atlanta, GA

Paul D. Castillo

Deputy Legal Director for Legal Education & Public Engagement

Dallas, TX

Doug Curtis

Midwestern Regional Director

Chicago, IL

Shedrick Davis

Western Regional Director

Los Angeles, CA

Karen Loewy

Interim Deputy Legal Director for Litigation

Washington, DC

Michael Shutt

Southern Regional Director

Atlanta, GA

Shelly Skeen

South Central Regional Director

Dallas, TX

Jeff Souva

National Director of Development & Marketing

Chicago, IL

Tom Warnke

Senior Communications Director of Media & Messaging

Los Angeles, CA

Andre Zax

Director of Leadership Programs

New York, NY

Legal

Jose Abrigo

HIV Project Director

New York, NY

Cheryl Angelaccio

Senior Litigation Analyst

Chicago, IL

Tara Borelli

Senior Counsel

Atlanta, GA

Sasha Buchert

Counsel, Nonbinary & Transgender Rights Project Director

Washington, DC

Carl Charles

Senior Attorney

Atlanta, GA

Michele Clanton-Lockhart

Senior Paralegal

Dallas, TX

Christopher Clark

Senior Counsel & Pro Bono Director

Chicago, IL

Amy Cook

Legal Administrative Manager

New York, NY

Currey Cook

Senior Counsel, Interim Deputy Legal Director for Policy and Youth in Out-of-Home Care Project Director

New York, NY

Alexandra Curd

Staff Policy Attorney

Washington, D.C.

Jamie Farnsworth

Senior Paralegal

Los Angeles, CA

Luna Floyd

Equal Justice Works Fellow

New York, NY

Omar Gonzalez-Pagan

Senior Counsel and Health Care Strategist

New York, NY

May Head

Paralegal

New York, NY

Nicholas Hite

McDonald/Wright Distinguished Attorney

Dallas, TX

Nora Huppert

Staff Attorney

Chicago, IL

Sonja Kerr

Counsel

Dallas, TX

Huong Lam

Legal Help Desk Director

Los Angeles, CA

Nathan Maxwell

Senior Attorney

Chicago, IL

John Miller

Help Desk Attorney

Los Angeles, CA

Leo Miras

Help Desk Attorney

Los Angeles, CA

Gregory R. Nevins

Senior Counsel and Employment Fairness Project Director

Atlanta, GA

Kell Olson

Counsel

Tucson, AZ

Alexis Paige

Senior Paralegal

Los Angeles, CA

Jennifer C. Pizer

Senior Director of Strategic Initiatives and Special Counsel to the CEO

Los Angeles, CA

Peter Renn

Senior Counsel

Los Angeles, CA

Ethan Rice

Senior Attorney, Fair Courts Project

New York, NY

Richard Saenz

Counsel, Criminal Justice and Police Misconduct Strategist

New York, NY

Kenneth Upton

Senior Counsel and First Amendment Strategist

Chicago, IL

Whit Washington

Senior Attorney for the Nonbinary & Transgender Rights Project

New York, NY

Communications

Jenna Butz

Senior Web Manager

New York, NY

Sam Crowell

Multimedia Content Producer

Washington, DC

Tyleis Davidson

Senior Public Information Officer

Atlanta, GA

Lake Geslani

Senior Content Manager

Washington, DC

Samy Nemir

Director of Strategic Communications

New York, NY

Helen Parshall

Digital Director

Washington, D.C.

Sequoyah Smoore

Social Media Manager

Chicago, IL

Development

Dani Alexander-Burk

Manager of Corporate Partnerships

Atlanta, GA

Carla Avila

Senior Manager of National Events

Chicago, IL

Amanda Boyajian

Liberty Circle Manager

New York, NY

Fran Cohen

Director of Donor Databases

New York, NY

Willard Dumas

Director of Leadership Gifts

Chicago, IL

Westley Ebling

Member Services Assistant

Washington, DC

Joe Foster

Director of National Sponsorships

New York, NY

Hannah Garcia

Senior Major Gift Officer

Dallas, TX

Joel Gonzalez

National Events Manager

New York, NY

Elliott Hobaugh

Office Manager/Regional Program Coordinator

Chicago, IL

Robin Jablonski

Database & Reports Associate

New York, NY

Maura Leahy

Director of Member Services & Direct Marketing

New York, NY

Abel Martinez

National Events Manager

Los Angeles, CA

Jonathan Menke

Senior Director of Legacy Giving

New York, NY

Lianne Pimentel

Director of National Events

New York, NY

Andreas M. Schwarz

Director of Institutional Giving

New York, NY

Nat Silverman

Donor Database Health Associate

New York, NY

Neela R. Taub

Member Services Analyst and Stewardship Officer

Washington, DC

Liz Ternes

Integrated Marketing Associate

Dallas, TX

Erik Wilson

Office Manager/Regional Program Coordinator

Los Angeles, CA

Finance & Operations

Emily Beller

IT Manager

New York, NY

Nicholas Dowse

Executive Assistant to the COO and CCO

Washington, DC

Shane Smoore

Talent Acquisition Manager

Chicago, IL

Board Members

The members of our board of directors hail from all across the country, giving the gift of their time and expertise to the national effort to defend and advance our community’s civil rights.

Michelle Riley

Board Chair

Florida

Fred O. Smith

Vice-Chair

Georgia

Kecia Reynolds

Vice-Chair

Washington, DC

Michael Angelo

Secretary

Virginia

Steve Thornton

Treasurer

Florida

Maureen Bennett

Massachusetts

Betsy J. Bernard

Florida

Julius Carter

Illinois

Wendy Chang

California

Dani D'Amico

New York

James R. Dale

New York

Nadia Dugal

California

Linda Elliott

Arizona

Wanda French-Brown

New Jersey

J. Robert Garcia

California

Kevin Hager

New York

William M. Hardin

New York

Angela Lim

California

Elizabeth G. Martin

Texas

Deborah H. McMurray

Texas

Patrick Oot

Florida

Kathleen Pearson

California

John Riccardi

New York

Eileen Amy Ryan

New York

Heather Steans

Illinois

Audrey Stewart

New York

Valerie M. Sullan

Colorado

Steven W. Thornton

Florida

Ian Tzeng

Massachusetts

Richard A. Wester

Illinois

Anne White

Indiana

Tashica Williams-Amirgholizadeh

California

Alan York

Texas

National Leadership Council

The volunteers who make up our National Leadership Council (NLC) play a key role in cultivating the financial resources needed to fund Lambda Legal’s work.

  • Benson R. Cohen-Chair

    New York

  • Ellen. L Farrell-Vice Chair

    Texas

  • Justin Kingsolver-Vice Chair

    Arizona

  • Frederick G. Knapp-Vice Chair

    New Jersey

  • Robert Ollis-Vice Chair

    Illinois

  • Dimitri Portnoi-Vice Chair

    California

  • Andrew Z. Smith-Vice Chair

    Georgia

  • Jamie D. Pedersen-Immediate Past Chair

    Washington

  • Andrew Parlen

    New York

  • Andrew T. Hall

    New Jersey

  • Bevin Newman

    Virginia

  • Bill Baroni

    New York

  • Brad W. Seiling

    California

  • Brandt T. Roessler

    New York

  • Brian Breheny

    District of Columbia

  • Brian K. Friedman

    New York

  • Brian Jebb

    New York

  • Caroline A. Harcourt

    New York

  • Charles Spiegel

    California

  • Christopher W. Stuart

    California

  • Daniel H. Bowers

    New York

  • David P. Draigh

    Florida

  • Dennis H. Hranitzky

    New York

  • Donald J. Hayden

    Florida

  • Edward H. Sadtler

    New York

  • Edward M. Atkinson

    New York

  • Eileen R. Opatut

    New Jersey

  • Elizabeth B. Davis

    Georgia

  • Ethan Leidinger

    New York

  • F. C. Kirschner

    California

  • Fenimore Fisher

    District of Columbia

  • G. R. Allen

    California

  • Gwendolyn Williamson

    District of Columbia

  • Heath Martin

    New York

  • Jaclyn Pampel

    California

  • James D. McDonough

    Michigan

  • James F. Owens

    California

  • Jason A. Pucci

    New Jersey

  • Jeffrey C. Brodin

    Arizona

  • Jennifer L. Rexford

    New Jersey

  • Jessica Hicklin

    Missouri

  • Joseph A. Hall

    New York

  • Joshua B. Lipsman

    New York

  • Joshua Simmons

    New York

  • Kate A. Kleba

    Pennsylvania

  • Kent Piacenti

    Texas

  • Kyle Levine

    Washington

  • Laura W. Brill

    California

  • Laurie Hasencamp

    California

  • Laurie L. Hill

    California

  • Linda Falcon

    Washington

  • Lisa A. Linsky

    New York

  • Lorie Dakessian

    Illinois

  • Marcy Wilder

    District of Columbia

  • Mark A. Robertson

    New York

  • Mark D. Zumwalt

    New York

  • Mark R. Braun

    California

  • Martin S. Checov

    California

  • Mary Harper

    Michigan

  • Matthew Harris

    New York

  • Matthew L. Moore

    New York

  • Maureen E. Ryan

    Washington

  • Meagan Griffin

    Georgia

  • Michael D. Soileau

    Pennsylvania

  • Michael Gluck

    New Jersey

  • Michael J. Foncannon

    New Jersey

  • Michael Raffaele

    New York

  • Michelle A. Peak

    Texas

  • Mitchell Draizin

    New York

  • Natasha F. Haase

    New Jersey

  • Neil Bagadiong

    Indiana

  • Norman C. Simon

    New York

  • P. W. Seaman

    Virginia

  • Paul M. Smith

    Virginia

  • Peter S. Reichertz

    District of Columbia

  • Peter S. Wilson

    Florida

  • Philip McCarthy

    California

  • Richard M. Segal

    California

  • Roy K. Wesley

    Illinois

  • Russell A. Wetanson

    California

  • Ruth E. Eisenberg

    District of Columbia

  • Samuel R. Castic

    Washington

  • Sean M. Davis

    New York

  • Stephen T. Middlebrook

    Georgia

  • Steven Weinberg

    California

  • Trayton M. Davis

    New Jersey

  • William M. Libit

    Florida

  • Zach Overton

    New York