Who We Are
Board of Directors
We are grateful to the dedicated and caring individuals who volunteer their time, talent and treasure in support of Legal Services of the Hudson Valley. The continued operation and growth of our organization depends on the hard work and commitment of our Board of Directors.
If you are interested in learning more about the opportunities available at LSHV with our Board of Directors, please contact Maureen A. Fox, Chief Development Officer at mfox@lshv.org or 914-949-1305 x160. A job description for LSHV’s Board of Directors can be viewed here.
Alfred E. Donnellan ESQ.
President
David L. Posner ESQ.
Vice President
Partner, McCabe & Mack LLP
Erik Haas, ESQ.
Treasurer
Eric L. Gordon, ESQ.
Secretary
Frances M. Pantaleo, ESQ.
Second Vice President
Partner, Bleakley Platt & Schmidt, LLP
LEADERSHIP STAFF MEMBERS
Rachel Chazin Halperin
Chief Executive Officer
Rachel Chazin Halperin, J.D., L.M.S.W., has been working as an advocate for underserved and vulnerable populations for the last 15 years. After graduating from law school, Rachel worked for four years as a staff attorney and then supervising attorney at the Legal Aid Society of the District of Columbia where she represented victims of domestic violence in family court. In 2004, Rachel became the Legal Director of My Sisters’ Place, the largest domestic violence service provider in Westchester, NY. From 2008 – 2014, Rachel worked at HELP USA as the Executive Director of Domestic Violence Programs – including HELP Haven emergency shelter and HELP ROADS non-residential domestic violence program. While at HELP USA, Rachel started several programs including a Transitional Housing Project, Economic Empowerment Program, and Trauma-Informed Childcare Center.
Rachel received her J.D. from New York University School of Law and her M.S.W. from New York University School of Social Work. She received her B.A. in sociology from the University of Pennsylvania. Rachel sits on the Board of Directors of the New York State Coalition Against Domestic Violence.
Jill Bradshaw-Soto
Attorney-in-Charge, Mount Vernon Office
Maureen Fox
Chief Development Officer
Maureen A. Fox joined the Legal Services team in December 2019 as the Chief Development Officer. She has spent her career dedicated to improving the communities in which she lived and worked through raising funds and awareness for many important causes. As Chief Development Officer she is responsible for the strategic fundraising and communications avenues of the organization in order to further the mission of Legal Services of the Hudson Valley.
Having begun her career as a paralegal in the Brooklyn District Attorney’s office, she decided to devote the remainder to the non-profit sector after graduate school. Maureen has over 25 years of experience as a non-profit executive and communications professional with a demonstrated history of working in the social service sector.
Her previous role was Vice President of External Relations and Communications at Little Flower Children and Family Services of NY where she was responsible for building partnerships and collaborations with local government, schools, community members and individuals. Prior to this she was the Director of Development where she built a strong fundraising and communications department to meet the needs of the organization.
Maureen earned her BS from St. John’s University and an MPA from Baruch College. In addition, she is a Certified Fundraising Executive.
Officer Myra Loewenstein joined the Legal Services of the Hudson Valley Finance & Administration team in 2012 as Assistant Director of Finance. Previously she served in a number of corporate finance and consulting roles, including both start-up and large corporations. Most notable is her experience in the publishing industry—Reader’s Digest & Thomson Corporation (now Thomson Reuters). Her responsibilities included director positions in Finance and Reporting.
Myra has a B.A. in International Studies from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and an M.B.A from Columbia Business School.
Myra Loewenstein
Chief Financial Officer
Officer Myra Loewenstein joined the Legal Services of the Hudson Valley Finance & Administration team in 2012 as Assistant Director of Finance. Previously she served in a number of corporate finance and consulting roles, including both start-up and large corporations. Most notable is her experience in the publishing industry—Reader’s Digest & Thomson Corporation (now Thomson Reuters). Her responsibilities included director positions in Finance and Reporting.
Myra has a B.A. in International Studies from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and an M.B.A from Columbia Business School.
Lara Kasper-Buckareff
Program Director
Sheeba Mathai
Chief Diversity Officer and Attorney-in-Charge, Spring Valley Office
Officer Myra Loewenstein joined the Legal Services of the Hudson Valley Finance & Administration team in 2012 as Assistant Director of Finance. Previously she served in a number of corporate finance and consulting roles, including both start-up and large corporations. Most notable is her experience in the publishing industry—Reader’s Digest & Thomson Corporation (now Thomson Reuters). Her responsibilities included director positions in Finance and Reporting.
Myra has a B.A. in International Studies from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and an M.B.A from Columbia Business School.
Amber Jeunegens
Andrew Williams
Clifford S. Weber, ESQ.
General Counsel, Chief Risk Officer, PCSB Bank & PCSB Financial Corporation
Christopher Oldi
Pro Bono Director
Officer Myra Loewenstein joined the Legal Services of the Hudson Valley Finance & Administration team in 2012 as Assistant Director of Finance. Previously she served in a number of corporate finance and consulting roles, including both start-up and large corporations. Most notable is her experience in the publishing industry—Reader’s Digest & Thomson Corporation (now Thomson Reuters). Her responsibilities included director positions in Finance and Reporting.
Myra has a B.A. in International Studies from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and an M.B.A from Columbia Business School.
Officer Myra Loewenstein joined the Legal Services of the Hudson Valley Finance & Administration team in 2012 as Assistant Director of Finance. Previously she served in a number of corporate finance and consulting roles, including both start-up and large corporations. Most notable is her experience in the publishing industry—Reader’s Digest & Thomson Corporation (now Thomson Reuters). Her responsibilities included director positions in Finance and Reporting.
Myra has a B.A. in International Studies from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and an M.B.A from Columbia Business School.
Erin Burud
Attorney-in-Charge, Kingston Office
Jane Rembert-Wigfall
Jeremiah Frei-pearson, ESQ,
Founding Partner, Finkelstein, Blankinship, Frei-Pearson & Garber, LLP
Officer Myra Loewenstein joined the Legal Services of the Hudson Valley Finance & Administration team in 2012 as Assistant Director of Finance. Previously she served in a number of corporate finance and consulting roles, including both start-up and large corporations. Most notable is her experience in the publishing industry—Reader’s Digest & Thomson Corporation (now Thomson Reuters). Her responsibilities included director positions in Finance and Reporting.
Myra has a B.A. in International Studies from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and an M.B.A from Columbia Business School.
Joanne Sirotkin
Attorney-in-Charge, White Plains and Peekskill Offices
Joanne Labrusciano
Director,
Grant Initiatives & Reporting
Joanne Labrusciano heads the organization’s grant initiatives and both internal and external reporting. Her responsibilities include oversight of (1) reviewing Requests for Proposals and other public funding opportunities, writing proposals and applying to selected opportunities, disseminating award information and informing and developing strategies for implementation; (2) ensuring contract terms are agreeable and paperwork is properly executed; (3) primary liaison between LSHV funders and the program and finance staff; (4) ensuring preparation, efficiency and success for funders’ monitoring visits; (5) arranging for contract renewal paperwork; (6) producing reports for internal and external use including productivity, contract fulfillment, performance metrics and special information requests for outreach and networking purposes and events; (7) reviewing database content to identify issues and propose solutions; (8) identifying opportunities, through technology and online tools, to extend LSHV’s efficiency and reach to target populations.
Ms. Labrusciano joined Legal Services of the Hudson Valley in 2009 as Grants Manager in its White Plains office prior to assuming her current position. Her previous experience includes Wall Street investments, trading and financial analysis at a variety of firms including a large money market fund, primary money market dealer, primary government dealer, municipal bond insurer, money center bank’s mortgage portfolio and a single strategy hedge fund.
She received her J.D. from Pace School of Law and has an M.B.A. in Finance from Fordham University, Lincoln Center. She received her B.A. in Modern Languages from Fordham College, Rose Hill campus.
Related Experience:
Pace Law Investors’ Rights Clinic
LSC Innovations in Technology conferences
Kerri Foley
Officer Myra Loewenstein joined the Legal Services of the Hudson Valley Finance & Administration team in 2012 as Assistant Director of Finance. Previously she served in a number of corporate finance and consulting roles, including both start-up and large corporations. Most notable is her experience in the publishing industry—Reader’s Digest & Thomson Corporation (now Thomson Reuters). Her responsibilities included director positions in Finance and Reporting.
Myra has a B.A. in International Studies from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and an M.B.A from Columbia Business School.
Kenneth Thompson
Kiara Taylor
Marcie Kobak
Director of Litigation
Mary Grace Ferone
Disability Counsel, Disability and Public Benefits Legal Services
Ms. Ferone has dedicated her entire career to working with low-income and disabled New Yorkers. She began her career in legal services in a small field office near the Canadian border where she represented clients with serious physical and mental disabilities. Ms. Ferone then represented low-income persons in housing matters at Queens Legal Services. A native of Westchester, Ms. Ferone returned home in 1999 to work in the mental health unit of Legal Services of the Hudson Valley (LSHV). From 2001-2014, Ms. Ferone was managing attorney of LSHV’s White Plains office (2001-2010) and LSHV’s Yonkers office (2011-2014).
Currently, Ms. Ferone serves as Program Manager, Disability and Public Benefits Legal Services at Legal Services of the Hudson Valley. Ms. Ferone welcomes this opportunity to work more closely with case handlers on client issues and litigation.
Active in the community, Ms. Ferone spends her time away from the office devoted to other organizations that advance the cause of justice. She is the current Board Chair of CHOICE, a Westchester based not-for-profit organization that provides peer advocacy services for persons with serious and persistent mental illness; a mentor with the Her Honor Mentoring program; a board member of the Max Michael Rosenfield Foundation dedicated to children’s sports and literacy; and a member of the Westchester Women’s Agenda.
Ms. Ferone received her law degree from Franklin Pierce Law Center (University of New Hampshire) and BA from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.
Related Experience: Member, Westchester Disability Advocacy Partnership Past Board Member – Careers for People with Disabilities, Family Ties, New York State Civil Liberties Union Former White Plains Democratic District LeaderOfficer Myra Loewenstein joined the Legal Services of the Hudson Valley Finance & Administration team in 2012 as Assistant Director of Finance. Previously she served in a number of corporate finance and consulting roles, including both start-up and large corporations. Most notable is her experience in the publishing industry—Reader’s Digest & Thomson Corporation (now Thomson Reuters). Her responsibilities included director positions in Finance and Reporting.
Myra has a B.A. in International Studies from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and an M.B.A from Columbia Business School.
Melinda Bellus
Attorney-in-Charge, Yonkers Office
Nathalie Riobe-taylor
Officer Myra Loewenstein joined the Legal Services of the Hudson Valley Finance & Administration team in 2012 as Assistant Director of Finance. Previously she served in a number of corporate finance and consulting roles, including both start-up and large corporations. Most notable is her experience in the publishing industry—Reader’s Digest & Thomson Corporation (now Thomson Reuters). Her responsibilities included director positions in Finance and Reporting.
Myra has a B.A. in International Studies from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and an M.B.A from Columbia Business School.
Rachel Saunders
Attorney-In-Charge, Poughkeepsie Office
Rachel Simons
Attorney-In-Charge, Newburgh & Monticello Offices
Shira Galinsky
Supervising Attorney – Intake, White Plains Office
Shira Galinsky oversees Legal Services of the Hudson Valley’s central telephone intake unit, where she ensures that the unit’s dedicated attorneys and paralegals provide efficient, compassionate, and thorough services to callers seeking assistance from LSHV. Prior to becoming the Supervising Attorney for the Intake Unit, Shira worked for ten years at South Brooklyn Legal Services, representing clients in housing, foreclosure, disability, and domestic violence cases. She has also served as a research associate at the Midtown Community Court in Manhattan and a program associate in the Immigration Intervention Project at Sanctuary for Families.
Shira is admitted to practice law in New York State. She received her BA in economics from Columbia University and her JD from CUNY Law School, where she was a member of the International Women’s Human Rights clinic and served on the editorial board of the New York City Law Review.
Officer Myra Loewenstein joined the Legal Services of the Hudson Valley Finance & Administration team in 2012 as Assistant Director of Finance. Previously she served in a number of corporate finance and consulting roles, including both start-up and large corporations. Most notable is her experience in the publishing industry—Reader’s Digest & Thomson Corporation (now Thomson Reuters). Her responsibilities included director positions in Finance and Reporting.
Myra has a B.A. in International Studies from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and an M.B.A from Columbia Business School.
Sarah Maida
Attorney-in-Charge, Goshen Office
Sheeba Mathai
Attorney-in-Charge, Spring Valley Office
Shary Sanchez
Attorney-in-Charge, Peekskill Office
Officer Myra Loewenstein joined the Legal Services of the Hudson Valley Finance & Administration team in 2012 as Assistant Director of Finance. Previously she served in a number of corporate finance and consulting roles, including both start-up and large corporations. Most notable is her experience in the publishing industry—Reader’s Digest & Thomson Corporation (now Thomson Reuters). Her responsibilities included director positions in Finance and Reporting.
Myra has a B.A. in International Studies from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and an M.B.A from Columbia Business School.
Vanessa Kaye Watson, ESQ.
Senior Managing Counsel, Franchise, Public Policy, Compliance & New Customer Types, Mastercard International Incorporated
Officer Myra Loewenstein joined the Legal Services of the Hudson Valley Finance & Administration team in 2012 as Assistant Director of Finance. Previously she served in a number of corporate finance and consulting roles, including both start-up and large corporations. Most notable is her experience in the publishing industry—Reader’s Digest & Thomson Corporation (now Thomson Reuters). Her responsibilities included director positions in Finance and Reporting.
Myra has a B.A. in International Studies from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and an M.B.A from Columbia Business School.
Officer Myra Loewenstein joined the Legal Services of the Hudson Valley Finance & Administration team in 2012 as Assistant Director of Finance. Previously she served in a number of corporate finance and consulting roles, including both start-up and large corporations. Most notable is her experience in the publishing industry—Reader’s Digest & Thomson Corporation (now Thomson Reuters). Her responsibilities included director positions in Finance and Reporting.
Myra has a B.A. in International Studies from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and an M.B.A from Columbia Business School.
