Executive Director
Rick Jones is the executive director and a founding member of the Neighborhood Defender Service. He is a distinguished trial lawyer with 30 years experience in multi-forum litigation. Rick served as the 59th president of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL) and is an inaugural member of the steering committee of the National Association for Public Defense (NAPD). He is the vice-chair of the International Legal Foundation (ILF) and a trustee of Fair Trials International. He has served on the faculties of both Columbia Law School and the National Criminal Defense College (NCDC) for more than a decade.
Senior Management
Alice Fontier
Managing Director, NDS Harlem
Andrea Bridgewater
Chief Operating Officer
Elizabeth Fischer
Managing Attorney, Criminal Defense Practice
Emily Ponder Williams
Managing Attorney, Civil Defense Practice, NDS Harlem
Kristine Longstreet
Managing Director, NDS Detroit
Matthew Knecht
Chief of Staff
Roxanna Gutierrez
General Counsel, NDS Harlem
Zainab Akbar
Managing Attorney, Family Defense Practice, NDS Harlem
Detroit Staff
Alex Fields
Assistant to Managing Director
Andrew Sullivan
Staff Attorney
Angela Bosetti
Staff Investigator, Criminal Defense Practice
Brandy Robinson
Supervising Attorney
Blase Kearney
Senior Trial Attorney
Brian Gagniuk
Attorney, Felony Non Support
Cait De Mott Grady
Staff Attorney
Cassandra (Sandee ) Stone
Office Administrator
Cheryl Quick
Supervising Attorney
Cody Bradford
Client Advocate
Cynthia Mercado-Cooke
Training Team Administrator
Dalton Roberson
Client Advocate
Dante Taylor
Human Resources Manager
Devon Milner-Young
Investigator
Don Johnson
Attorney, Felony Non Support
Earl Washington
Staff Attorney
Emily Elijah
Staff Attorney
Emily New
Staff Attorney
Eunice McCall
Team Adminstrator
Glen Oh
Staff Attorney
Hannah Baron
Staff Attorney
Jackie Pilcowitz
Staff Attorney
James O’Donnell
Senior Trial Attorney
James Parker
Staff Attorney
Jeff Knoche
Staff Attorney
Joe Bruce
Investigator
Kim Basen-Mishon
Senior Trial Attorney
Ken Riggins
Staff Attorney
Kenneth Jackson
Investigator
Kristen Key
Team Administrator
Kristin LaVoy
Training Director
Lauren Anderson
Staff Attorney
LaBonnie Woodard
Receptionist
Lene Maxwell
Client Advocate for Civil Defense Practice
Mark Procida
Supervising Attorney
Meit Birabiro
Social Worker
Mike Davisson
Social Worker
Nanci Kastaw
Staff Attorney
Nancy Richards
Senior Trial Attorney
Natalie Phelps
Staff Attorney
Renee Wilson
Team Administrator
Robert Burton-Harris
Staff Attorney
Tiffani Palmer
Team Administrator
Tyrone Bickerdt
Staff Attorney
William Noakes
Staff Attorney
Harlem Staff
Alecia Huie
Assistant to Managing Director
Alexander Frechette Moulter
Senior Trial Attorney, Criminal Defense Practice
Alexandra Rockoff
Staff Attorney, Civil Defense Practice – Collateral Consequences Team
Alice Fontier
Managing Director Active
Amanda Donnelly
Social Worker, Criminal Defense Practice
Amelia Bedoya
Advocate, Family Defense Practice
Amy Armstrong
Staff Attorney, Family Defense Practice
Amy Kwak
Staff Attorney, Family Defense Practice
Andrew Morales
Assistant Human Resources Manager
Angela Wang
Social Worker, Criminal Defense Practice
Anjuli Branz
Staff Attorney, Criminal Defense Practice
Annabel Bruno
Client Advocate, Family Defense Practice
Annoguie “Annie” Viruet
Facilities Manager
Anthony Acosta
Executive Assistant
Antigone Archer
Social Worker, Criminal Defense Practice
Aram Barikian
Staff Attorney, Civil Defense Practice – Collateral Consequences Team
Ariana Brill
Education Attorney, Criminal Defense Practice
Ariel Tejada
Retained Intake Advocate, Criminal Defense Practice
Bethany Woosen
Data Analyst
Brent Low
Staff Attorney, Criminal Defense Practice
Calypso Taylor
Staff Attorney, Family Defense Practice
Candice Lee
Staff Attorney, Civil Defense Practice
Carlos Hernandez
Team Administrator, Criminal Defense Practice
Carolyn Klemens
Human Resources Manager
Christina Villegas Armas-Edwards
Mitigation Specialist, Criminal Defense Practice – Homicide Team
Christopher Helwig
Supervising Attorney, Civil Defense Practice – Housing Defense Team
Daniela Robles
Legal Advocate, Civil Defense Practice – Immigration Defense Team
Danielle Jackson
Interim Managing Attorney, Criminal Defense Practice
Dara Pluchino
Social Worker, Civil Defense Practice
Darlene Jackson
Client Advocate, Family Defense Practice
Daudi Justin
Staff Attorney, Criminal Defense Practice
Demi Licona
Team Administrator, Criminal Defense Practice
Devin Conway
Staff Attorney, Criminal Defense Practice
Dori Brail
Supervising Social Worker, Family Defense Practice
Edward McGowan
Staff Attorney, Criminal Defense Practice
Edwin Santana
IT/System Administrator
Elizabeth Bender
Staff Attorney, Criminal Defense Practice
Elizabeth Fischer
Managing Attorney, Criminal Defense Practice
Elma Zapata
Staff Attorney, Criminal Defense Practice
Elsie Chandler
Director, Criminal Defense Practice – Youth Law Practice
Emily Herder
Staff Attorney, Family Defense Practice
Emily Ponder Williams
Managing Attorney, Civil Defense Practice
Eulalia Q. Sullivan, J.D.
Legal Advocate, Civil Defense Practice – Collateral Consequences Team
Fatima Faloye
Law Graduate, Civil Defense Practice – Housing Defense Team
Francesca Konner
Investigator, Criminal Defense Practice
Garrett Salzman
Investigator, Criminal Defense Practice
Gerlene St Jean
Legal Advocate, Family Defense Practice
Grace Bevilacqua
Staff Attorney, Family Defense Practice
Gregory Gomez
Supervising Attorney, Criminal Defense Practice
Hannah Rosner
Staff Attorney, Family Defense Practice
Helen Montalvan
Supervising Social Worker, Family Defense Practice
Helmis Ortega
Senior Paralegal, Criminal Defense Practice – Homicide Team
Hope Skelly
Investigator, Criminal Defense Practice
Isidermi Leonardo
Team Administrator, Civil Defense Practice – Collateral Consequences/Immigration Defense Teams
Jacob Schneider
Supervising Attorney, Family Defense Practice
Jahnavi Bhaskar
Staff Attorney, Criminal Defense Practice
Jane Merrill
Staff Attorney, Criminal Defense Practice
Javionte Johnson
Staff Attorney, Criminal Defense Practice
Jennifer Lambert
Fellow, Criminal Defense Practice – Bail and Decarceration Project
Jenzo Duque
Supervising Investigator, Criminal Defense Practice
Jeremiah Rygus
Supervising Attorney, Criminal Defense Practice – Training
Jeremy Tinsley
Staff Attorney, Criminal Defense Practice
Jessica Hallam
Gallogly Fellow, Civil Defense Practice- Collateral Consequences Team
Jill Applegate
Skadden Fellow, Immigration Defense Team, Civil Defense Practice
Josh Hagelgans
Social Worker, Criminal Defense Practice
Julie Fry
Staff Attorney – Forensic Science, Criminal Defense Practice
Justin Pita
Legal Advocate, Civil Defense Practice – Collateral Consequences Team
Karen Hamberlin
Supervising Attorney, Criminal Defense Practice
Karla Hernandez
Immigrant Justice Corps Fellow, Civil Defense Practice – Immigration Defense Team
Karla Vergara Perez
Staff Attorney, Family Defense Practice
Kathryn (Katie) Doman
Staff Attorney, Civil Defense Practice – Housing Defense Team
Kayan Clarke
Supervising Team Administrator, Civil Defense Practice
Kelsey Burgess
Staff Attorney, Criminal Defense Practice
Kenna Capalbo
Client Advocate, Family Defense Practice
Klevis Baholli
Social Worker, Criminal Defense Practice
Kristin Heavey
Senior Trial Attorney, Criminal Defense Practice
Kyung Lee
Staff Attorney, Civil Defense Practice – Housing Defense Team
Lisa Freedman
Senior Trial Attorney, Criminal Defense Practice
Liza Oviedo
Team Administrator, Family Defense Practice
Lorena Jiron
Staff Attorney, Civil Defense Practice – Housing Defense Team
Luis Arnao
Supervising Team Administrator, Criminal Defense Practice
Marco Balestri
Legal Advocate, Housing Defense Practice
Maria Vanesa Maldonado
Spanish Interpreter
Maria Cristina Moracho
Investigator, Criminal Defense Practice
Mariel Hooper
Interim Supervising Attorney, Civil Defense Practice – Collateral Consequences/Housing Defense Teams
Marisa Beckley
Social Worker, Criminal Defense Practice
Matthew Daloisio
Supervising Attorney, Criminal Defense Practice – Arraignments
Matthew Knecht
Chief of Staff
Meghna Philip
Special Litigation Attorney, Criminal Defense Practice
Melida Ramirez
Team Administrator, Criminal Defense Practice
Michael Woodruff
Staff Attorney, Criminal Defense Practice
Michelle Villaseñor-Grant
Senior Trial Attorney, Criminal Defense Practice – Homicide Team
Monica Shah
Staff Attorney, Family Defense Practice
Naima Gregory
Supervising Attorney, Criminal Defense Practice
Naomi Oberman-Breindel
Staff Attorney, Criminal Defense Practice
Nicole Seigel
Social Worker, Family Defense Practice
Nolberto Zubia
Staff Attorney, Civil Defense Practice – Immigration Defense Team
Paola Velazquez
Team Administrator, Civil Defense Practice – Housing Defense Team
Patricia Williams
Team Administrator, Criminal Defense Practice
Patrick Jones
Executive Director
Paul Dillon
Investigator, Criminal Defense Practice – Homicide Team
Pierina Reyes
Law Graduate, Civil Defense Practice – Immigration Defense Team
Piyali Basak
Supervising Attorney – Family Practice
Priscilla Vidal
Social Worker, Criminal Defense Practice
Rachael Siegel
Staff Attorney, Family Defense Practice
Rebecca Calabrese
Social Work Supervisor, Criminal Defense Practice
Reid Murdoch
Staff Attorney, Family Defense Practice
Roxanna Gutierrez
General Counsel
Russell Morse
Mitigation Specialist, Criminal Defense Practice – Youth Law Practice
Ryan Napoli
Supervising Attorney, Family Defense Practice
Sadie Miner
Social Worker, Family Defense Practice
Sara Wolkensdorfer
Interim Managing Attorney, Civil Defense Practice – Collateral Consequences/Housing Defense Teams
Sara Lustbader
Staff Attorney, Criminal Defense Practice
Sarah Merchant
Social Worker, Family Defense Practice
Scott Foletta
Interim Managing Attorney, Civil Defense Practice – Immigration Defense Team
Sebastian Estrada
Staff Attorney, Civil Defense Practice – Housing Defense Team
Shalonda Curtis
Shalonda is Community Outreach Coordinator, Family Defense Practice
Sonia Roubini
Staff Attorney, Criminal Defense Practice – Youth Law Practice
Stephanie Odom
Fiscal Compliance Manager
Tenisha Cummings
Supervising Attorney, Family Defense Practice
Tiffany Wang
Senior Trial Attorney, Criminal Defense Practice
Trevor Boeckmann
Supervising Attorney, Family Defense Practice
Tricia Wong
Assistant Controller
Varun Bhadha
Staff Attorney, Family Defense Practice
Vielka Pena Rodriguez
Receptionist
Wilfredo Sta. Ana
Senior Trial Attorney, Criminal Defense Practice – Homicide Team
William Botchway
Legal Advocate, Civil Defense Practice – Housing Defense Team
William Kendall
Supervising Attorney, Criminal Defense Practice
Willie Vargas
Messenger
Yolinda Ventura
Team Administrator, Criminal Defense Practice
Zachary Wechsler
Staff Attorney, Criminal Defense Practice
Zainab Akbar
Managing Attorney, Family Defense Practice
Zoe Whitehouse
Staff Attorney, Family Defense Practice
Texas Staff
Alex Alonso
Investigator
Amairani Carrizales
Investigator
Ashley Mize
Client Intake Coordinator
Bobbie Morales
Investigator
Fabiola Martinez
Team Administrator
Faith Castillo
Staff Attorney
Guillermo Urbina
Staff Attorney
Illiana Esparza
Law Grad
Irina Alejandro
Client Advocate
Isabel Alonzo
Team Administrator
Jeff Hohl
Senior Trial Attorney
Julio Mendoza
Client Advocate
Karen Sova
Staff Attorney
Katherine Shamsie
Staff Attorney
Kennison Evans
Staff Attorney
Kimberly Torell
Program Manager
Laura Wallin
Spanish Interpreter
Leland McRae
Senior Trial Attorney
Linda Avila
Office Manager
Manuel Amaro
Spanish Interpreter
Meenu Walters
Supervising Attorney
Megan Harris
Team Administrator
Melissa Smyth
Immigration/Padilla Attorney
Omar Saucedo
Social Worker
Portia Petty
Staff Attorney
Rebecca Davalos
Senior Trial Attorney
Ruby Guizar
Receptionist
Sarah Montrose
Team Administrator
Victoria Chuffo
Staff Attorney