2022-2024 Board of Directors Nominations Slate

The New York City Chapter of the Association of Legal Administrators has a Board of Directors which is comprised of a President, President-Elect, Financial Officer, Communications Officer, Immediate Past President, nine Vice-Presidents, and up to three Vice-Presidents-at-Large. Vice-Presidents shall end their terms on March 31, 2024 which is two years following the year of their election. Vice Presidents-at-Large serve a one-year term and are empowered to vote when a quorum is needed. Vice Presidents-at-Large may be appointed to a Vice-President position should a Vice-Presidential vacancy occur during the term. This year the Chapter is electing 7 Vice Presidents and 3 Vice-Presidents-at-Large. 

2022-2023 Executive Committee

PRESIDENT, 2022-2023: TINA CARTER
Tina Carter joined Dunnington, Bartholow & Miller LP in 1997.  She aided the firm in several support roles, including Office Services, Reception, and Systems Administrator. Since then, she has guided the office through several successful full system upgrades.

Tina began assisting the Office Manager (Patricia Murray) with whatever she needed in her free time.  When Ms. Murray retired in 2007, the Firm asked Tina to become the Office Manager. Before Ms. Murray retired, she strongly encouraged Tina to join the ALA. Tina benefited almost immediately from the ALA program as a novice in this field, proving that Ms. Murray’s advice was the best. Tina has served on the Membership Team, Business Partner Relations Team, Communications Teams, and the Symposium Team before joining ALANYC’s Executive Committee.

Tina has an innate passion for volunteerism and has aided many organizations. To name a few - Growth and Development Services’ Camp Excel Program; IAHH’s Living Well Program; Terence Cardinal Cooke Health Care Center; L.O.V.E. - Ladies of Victory and Excellence; Mt. Neboh Baptist Church of Harlem.

She humbly looks forward to stepping into a new volunteer role on April 1, 2022, serving as the Association of Legal Administrators’ New York City Chapter President.

IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT, 2022-2023: JANINE A. NEDD
Janine A. Nedd has 10+ years’ experience in law firm administration. She is currently with Morrison Forester LLP, overseeing global document services as well as outsourced vendor services and relations. Janine is also a member of the firm’s Diversity & Inclusion Steering Committee.

Janine started her career at White & Case LLP where she collaboratively created their global computer environment. She has worked in some of the firm’s worldwide offices including Johannesburg, Warsaw, Stockholm, London, Helsinki, Singapore, Brussels, Paris and Mexico. In later years, Janine managed the firm’s document and creative services departments. She also enjoyed positions at LeBoeuf Lamb and Dewey & LeBoeuf.

Janine joined the ALA in 2015 and was nominated and elected to the board of directors the following year.  During the first two years, Janine chaired the Education and Professional Development committees. In 2019 she led the Symposium committee and was a member of the Diversity and Inclusion team. For the 2020 chapter year, Janine enjoyed her term as President-Elect and continued to contribute to both the Symposium and DEI teams as well as the Executive Committee. 

Janine has a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Criminal Justice from John Jay College of Criminal Justice. She has volunteered at HerJustice, a non-profit serving New York City women living in poverty with high-stakes legal needs.

Janine also volunteered at Great Neck Senior Center in Long Island, training computer and software to their members.

PRESIDENT ELECT, 2022-2023: MICHAEL A. LEONARDI
Michael A. Leonardi is the Executive Director and Chief Financial Officer at Holwell Shuster & Goldberg LLP.  He handles all aspects of financial and administrative management, including as a member of the Executive Committee and a Trustee of their Retirement Plans. 

Michael has been in the legal industry for nearly 40 years holding positions such as Controller, Director of Finance, Chief Operating Officer, Chief Financial Officer and Executive Director. 

Married for 38 years, Michael is the father of two daughters and has four grandchildren who glowingly occupy his free time.  He is an avid sports enthusiast, both as a player and fan, loves to read, plan events, attend Broadway shows and enjoys traveling.  Michael is extremely passionate about charitable initiatives, having recently led a major fundraising event benefiting Autism Cares and the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, along with other current Chapter causes.  Michael is also concerned about mentoring and developing the next group of industry leaders and often participates in Chapter Career Initiatives, while seeking out and assisting others to reach their leadership potential.  He is also a regular participant in Habitat for Humanity projects throughout the NJ Community, often collaborating with others to maximize their skillsets.

Michael has served as our Financial Officer the past four years, providing valuable financial insight to our Board members, and has previously been Co-lead of the Communications and Events Teams, while assisting with other team’s initiatives regularly.

FINANCIAL OFFICER, 2022-2024: MEREDITH M. LONNER, MBA, CLM
Meredith Lonner has a BA in Economics and Political Science from Yale University and an MBA with a concentration in Finance and Strategy from UC Berkeley. She started her legal career in San Francisco as a paralegal advancing to Paralegal Supervisor and then IT Director at a CA firm.  She moved back to New York and was the IT Director at a small NYC firm for several years. Ten years ago Meredith transitioned to general law firm management and is currently the Director of Administration and Finance at Clifton Budd & DeMaria, LLP.

This is Meredith’s second tenure serving on the Board.  She currently chairs the Social Media Team.  Last year she co-chaired the Symposium Team.  In the past she has served as Chair of the Website Committee. She is currently a member of the Business Partner Relations Team. She has also served on the Luncheon Committee, the Symposium Committee, and the Community Services Committee. She is also an active member of ILTA.

Meredith is looking forward to stepping up into the role of the chapter’s Financial Officer.

COMMUNICATION OFFICER, 2021-2023: AUDREY SERBAN
Audrey Serban is the Office Administrator  for the New York and New Jersey offices of Fisher Phillips, where she  is responsible for the overall management of the office staff, facilities, IT as well as recruitment and retention.  She carries over 20 years of experience in the legal industry.  Having dual membership in the ALANYC and NJALA chapters, she splits her time between both office locations. 

Audrey has been a long-time member of the Association of Legal Administrators, having previously served on the ALA-Region 1 Conference Planning Committee (2009-2010), President of the New Jersey Chapter (2014-2015) as well as serving as a ALA-Region 1 Representative (2016-2018).  Within ALANYC, she is currently serving as Communications Officer as well as Co-Team Lead for fitALANYC, Community Services and C.O.R.E.

Audrey is a graduate of Pennsylvania State University, where she attained her B.A.  She excels at managing multiple projects at once and organizing people and resources for efficiency.  She prides herself in her ability to be resourceful, a strong communicator and is focused on excellent customer service and teamwork. 

She looks to continue to bring these skills to the ALANYC leadership team and serve the most important component of the chapter…it’s people.

VICE-PRESIDENT CANDIDATES
(In alphabetical order)

ORIA APONTE
Oria L. Aponte is currently the office manager of Hodgson Russ’ NYC office located in midtown.  As the manager, she is responsible for human resources, facilities, accounting, and events.  She has been a member of the ALA since entering the legal industry nearly 12 years ago.  Oria has spent the last 2 years serving as Vice President of the ALA NYC Chapter and the team leader of the Diversity Equity & Inclusion team.  Her biggest accomplishment as team leader has been re-branding PRISM (DE&I annual newsletter) and taking it to a higher level.  She holds a bachelor’s degree in Finance and Economics which she earned Cum Laude at Bernard Baruch College in NYC while also working a full time job.   Oria is dedicated, friendly, has positive energy, and a great sense of humor.  During her free time she enjoys gardening, cooking, traveling, and spending time with her family and friends.  She has been married to her husband Dan for over 30 years and is the proud mother of two children, Dylan and Lyana. 

ROBERT (“BOB”) A. COHEN
Robert (“Bob”) A. Cohen is an experienced legal professional with over 20+ years of experience.  He is currently the Director of Administration at Kleinberg Kaplan Wolff & Cohen PC.  Prior to his current firm, Bob was working in public accounting.  Bob has been a member of ALANYC since 1997.  He has volunteered on the D&I and Business Partner teams.  Bob is also an active and contributing member in the Small Firms Group.

Bob has a BBA in Accounting from Emory University.  He is also a CPA, member of NYSSCPA and AICPA.  Bob would like to provide alternative viewpoints on sharing information; mindful of the consequences of sharing private, confidential, proprietary information during open discussions.

ELBA CORTES
Elba Cortes is an experienced legal professional with over 25 years of experience in both small and large law firms in the New York City and New Jersey areas.  She has an A.A.S. in Liberal Arts and a B.A. in Psychology from NJCU. She is currently the Office Administrator at Fox Rothschild. Elba began her career at Cozen O’Connor as a secretary and gradually worked her way to a management level position.  Elba joined ALANYC in 2016 and currently serves on several teams including the DE&I and Sustainability teams. With various roles and years of experience within the legal community, she brings a long history and diversified perspective to the Chapter.

ORIS DIAZ
My career in the legal field began when I joined Fischbein●Badillo●Wagner●Harding LLP ("FBWH") as a Human Resources Coordinator and was later promoted to a Human Resources & Benefits Generalist. I had the pleasure of working with an outstanding administrative staff and influential attorneys who taught me valuable lessons about the many moving parts of a law firm. For  eight years, I worked at FBWH under the leadership of Martha Llano, a past president of ALANYC, and Mimi Shore. As my mentors, both gave me the opportunity to manage all Human Resources functions. I continued to work for the firm until it was acquired by Cozen O'Connor. FBWH was a great place for me to make lifelong connections, and the tight-knit community was there for me throughout my professional growth.  My time at FBWH was memorable.

After FBWH, I moved on to Pryor Cashman, LLP ("PC"), where I spent fourteen years in another great community. At PC, I started as a Human Resources & Benefits Generalist. While at PC, my career flourished under the leadership of Susan Locker, Executive Director, who was a mentor throughout my time there. I joined the management team when I was promoted to a Human Resources  & Lateral Recruiting Manager for three and a half years, then became the Director of Human Resources for an additional three years. During my time at PC, I was responsible for all Human Resource and administration-related functions for the Executive Director. My experience at PC was wonderful and I hold dear the people I worked with or for.  There were also lasting relationships made there as well. 

A new opportunity was then presented to me with a close connection to my personal life and my views on the importance of diversity and human rights. I joined the NAACP Legal Defense Fund ("LDF") as the Director of Human Resources & Administration. I supported Christine Gregory, Chief Operating Officer, while working under her leadership and that of Sherrilyn Ifill, President & Director-Counsel, and Janai Nelson, Associate Director-Counsel. During my time at LDF, which lasted two and half years, we had tremendous growth in order to support the changes occurring in the political climate, voting, and education. The experience at LDF provided me with a better understanding of how a non-profit organization operates, as well as my first exposure to a union environment. I am thankful to their senior management team for allowing me to be part of such a historical organization, which I know will be around for many years to come. The people I connected with and the time I spent there are valuable to me.

I joined  Frankfurt Kurnit Klein & Selz PC (“FKKS”) as their first Director of Human Resources and have been with the firm for six months. I was offered the opportunity to join a collegial firm with a diversity-focused team. My responsibilities encompass all Human Resource functions and initiatives aimed at enhancing diversity, equity, and inclusion. As in the past, I look forward to partnering with the leadership team and building a community.  

As a lifelong learner, I enjoy expanding my knowledge in all areas. It has always been my goal to return to school to earn a Juris Doctor (I have a bachelor’s degree), and I know one day I will. I may not be returning to school right now, but I made it a point to demonstrate the commitment I have to my profession by earning my SPHR. My next goal is to complete my CEBS certification. 

On a personal level, I value family and the importance of time spent together. My husband, Robert, and I have two wonderful children, Adrian and Gabriella. Each night, we have dinner together as a family, and on weekends, we visit family members. We want our children to learn about their culture and to feel  connected to members of their family.  I enjoy the conversations that take place during dinner the best, as we reminisce about the day, make plans, come up with ideas, and discuss various topics (dinner is never boring!).  I am thankful for my family.

MICHELE ENGLERT
Michele Englert is a law firm leader with over 25 years of legal management and operations experience in both national and international organizations.  She has a background in talent management, improving work processes, operations, and budget planning. 

In her current role with Cooley LLP as a Senior Administrative Services Manager, she is responsible for the management of the Administrative Support staff and is the liaison for the New York office to the firm’s Human Resources group.  She also works closely with the Director of Administration on office operations. Michele has served on several firm committees and disaster recovery efforts including crisis management, pilot groups for technology and the development of new administrative support models. 

As a strategist, she leverages technology, talent, innovation, and best‐in‐class practices to improve overall operations.  Michele prides herself in being a forward thinker and mentor in establishing relationships with all levels of a multi‐tiered, culturally diverse organization. 

Michele has a BA degree in Business Administration and Management from American InterContinental University, is a member of SHRM and the Association of Legal Administrators.   In addition, as a founding member she and her industry colleagues formed a secretarial work group in New York as a forum to discuss key HR and secretarial topics in law firms. Michele has played a leadership role in community outreach activities including Safe Horizon, Cycle for Survival, and other charitable initiatives.  

DOUG GIBSON
Douglas Gibson is the Director of Information Security & Information at Chaffetz Lindsey, a litigation boutique in Manhattan. He has been with the firm since its founding in 2009. Initially, he was the sole administrator and tasked with setting everything up: from accounting systems to HR to IT to an office. Prior to his current firm, he worked at Herrick Feinstein, White & Case, and Clifford Chance, where he performed numerous roles, including the most important one at any firm: a timekeeper. He currently focuses on IT, security, and risk. According to him, “What I continue to do is to make my firm competitive – a role that I have enjoyed since Day 1 – in many ways each and every day.” 

Since joining the ALA in 2009, he has been involved in chapter activities serving on committees – including Symposium, Special Events, and Website Committees – and giving numerous presentations at the Symposium on finance and technology.

He is also active in ILTA, the Sedona Conference, and RSA. He has a recent MS from NYU in Cybersecurity, an MA from Columbia Univ. in Anthropology, and a BA from the Univ. of Washington in International Studies. He is currently studying for certification as an Ethical Hacker.

With a total of almost 30 years of experience in law firm management, the Board of the New York Chapter of the ALA can benefit from his diverse experience, helping make the Chapter competitive in many ways each and every day.

CHRISTOBEL JEFFREY
Christobel V. Jeffrey is the Director of Human Resources at Lester Schwab Katz & Dwyer, LLP.  Chris has over 25 years of experience in the legal industry in various roles including Administrator, Billing Manager and Controller.

Chris has been a member of the ALA since 1988. She has served on the Executive Board as Secretary.  She also served as Vice President, Editor and committee member of the NYC Chapter Newsletter, chaired the Annual Symposiums and served on various ALANYC committees.  On the Regional level, Chris has served as a Committee Member of the Region 1 Conference held in New York City.  She also served as a judge for the ALA Awards Program and a member of the Region 1 Nominating Committee.

Chris values her membership in the ALA, which has provided her with the tools necessary to succeed in the legal field through its networking and educational opportunities.

VIVIANA LLANOS-LAUT
Viviana Llanos-Laut is the Office Manager at Lewis Baach Kaufmann Middlemiss PLLC.  has over 14 years of experience in legal management. As an ALANYC member since 2006, Viviana has been actively involved on the Education, Symposium and Professional Development teams. Viviana obtained a BS in Legal Studies at the City University of New – John Jay College of Criminal Justice.  She is minored in English Literature. Viviana wants to focus on increasing membership and mentoring.  She also wants to continue work with respect to providing quality educational sessions for the membership.

SANTA MEDINA
Santa Medina is a talented human resources manager who recently joined Martin Clearwater & Bell LLP and has already become an integral part of the Firm’s management team. Impressively, she has over 25 years of experience as an administrative and human resources manager responsible for recruitment, benefits and compensation, vendor relations and negotiations, staff management, and other business operations.

At MCB, Santa is involved in all aspects of the Firm’s operations, including, but not limited to: managing the recruitment and selection process; maintaining compensation and benefits programs; ensuring legal compliance in all human resource matters; managing employee relations and fostering a positive work environment; and implementing human resource programs and strategies that align with the Firm’s overall philosophy and goals.

Santa’s professional work is complemented by her diverse educational background, which includes classes in statistics, macro/microeconomics, organizational behavior, strategic management, business law, employment law, business ethics, communications, and gender studies. She has also been an active member of the Association of Legal Administrators (ALANYC) in a variety of roles, including Vice President, Board member, and the Diversity & Inclusion Team Lead from 2018-2020. Presently, she mentors others and serves on the Legal Education; New Membership; Community Service; FitNYC; and Symposium 2021 committees.

Outside of work, Santa has volunteered her time both at the Community Food Bank of New Jersey, boxing care packages for the underserved communities, and at the New York City Bar Association, where she conducted mock interviews and resume reviews for applicants to the Thurgood Marshall Summer Law Internship Program.

GINA NEGRIN
​​Gina Negrin is the Legal Administrative Assistant at Grais & Ellsworth LLP and has over 11 years of administrative experience in legal management.

Gina holds a BA in English Writing with a concentration in Media Communications and completed New York University’s Business Certificate in Human Capital Management.

Gina has served on the Diversity & Inclusion Team and Communications Team. Gina has also led the Social Media Team, putting the Chapter and Business Partners out on the Social Media Realm with her Social Up campaign. Gina has been honored to serve as Past Vice President and is wanting to continue to serve on the Board as she is proud to participate amongst a diverse set of practicing individuals that help to motivate, encourage, and develop our careers, both personally and professionally.

STACEY PELLEGRINO
I began my career in the legal profession after working at Goldman Sachs for eight years; first as a secretary and then as a trader of precious metals.  I left that position in 1990 after giving birth to my daughter, Samantha. When Samantha was one year old, a friend of mine asked if I would be interested in filling in for a legal secretary at her firm, who was on vacation. I took her up on her offer, and the rest is history. Initially I performed trivial tasks required to run a law firm.  Eventually I became the Executive Legal Assistant to the senior partner, and approximately seven years ago I took on the role of full- time Office Administrator for the firm.    

During that early period, while working part-time at the law firm and raising my two children, my son William was born in 1993, I returned to college and earned a Bachelors’ Degree in English Literature at the CUNY College of Staten Island. It took me ten years to earn that degree, but it was well worth it! 

I have now been with the firm of Queller Fisher Washor Fuchs & Kool and the Law Firm of William A. Gallina, LLP for thirty (30) years and have developed a strong passion for the law.  

I am a people person and have an “open door policy” where all employees are welcomed and encouraged to come to me with any issues they are having, personally or professionally.

In addition to reading, I love spending time at the beach and boating on Long Island.  My favorite times are spent with my family, especially my grandchildren Madison and Nicholas.