Legal Aid Society

Our Leadership

Leaders of The Legal Aid Society are some of the most respected in their fields, offering decades of experience and perspective gained from dedicating their careers to ensuring equal justice.

Attorney-in-Chief and Chief Executive Officer

Twyla Carter

Twyla Carter (she/her) serves as the Attorney-in-Chief and Chief Executive Officer of The Legal Aid Society, becoming the first Black woman and first Asian American to lead the organization in its 145-year history.

Chief Attorney, Civil Practice

Adriene Holder

Adriene serves as Chief Attorney of the Civil Practice of The Legal Aid Society and has devoted her entire professional career to challenging poverty and racial injustice for the advancement of equity. Adriene is responsible for managing the provision of comprehensive civil legal services through a network of neighborhood offices and specialized city-wide units serving all five boroughs of New York City with over 500 staff working on more than 50,000 cases each year.

Chief Attorney, Criminal Defense Practice

Tina Luongo

Tina has served as the Chief Attorney of the Criminal Defense Practice at The Legal Aid Society since 2014 where they are responsible for the daily operation of all of the practice’s trial, appellate, post-conviction, law reform and parole defense work conducted on behalf of over 200,000 clients. They lead a citywide team of 12 senior managers who, in turn, manage the practice’s over 1100 staff.

Chief Attorney, Juvenile Rights Practice

Dawne Mitchell

From law intern to Chief Attorney, Dawne’s career at The Legal Aid Society spans more than 20 years and it speaks volumes for her commitment to justice for New Yorkers and particularly for its most vulnerable community – New York City’s children.

As an integral leader at the Society, Dawne’s comprehensive knowledge of all aspects of the Juvenile Rights Practice, transformational management style, strategic business acumen, litigation expertise, creativity and perseverance, oversees the operations and delivery of services for more than 34,000 clients each year.

Secretary and General Counsel

Scott Rosenberg

Scott has served as the General Counsel of The Legal Aid Society since 2011. Mr. Rosenberg is responsible for overseeing all legal matters in which the Society is the principal, including compliance with federal, state, and local laws, and not-for-profit governance and regulation. He plays a key role in the negotiation and enforcement of contracts; audits; real estate transactions and lease compliance as well as coordinates the involvement of outside counsel in legal matters where the Society is a principal.

Chief Operating Officer

Lauren Siciliano

As Chief Operating Officer, Lauren oversees essential administrative functions of the organization, including Finance, Strategic Operations, Human Resources, Facilities, and Information Technology.

Chief Human Resources Officer

Connie Park

As the Chief Human Resources Officer of the Legal Aid Society of NYC, Connie Park leads a team of Human Resources professionals dedicated to retaining, recruiting, and supporting the people who deliver on the mission for justice in every borough.

Chief Counsel of the Pro Bono Practice

Louis Sartori

Lou serves as Chief Counsel of the Pro Bono Practice at The Legal Aid Society where he is responsible for the recruitment, administration and coordination of nearly 3,000 volunteers annually.

Chief Information Officer

Surya Sayed-Ganguly

Surya oversees data and technology at The Legal Aid Society, including strategy, planning, advocacy, support, training and staffing across application development and data, infrastructure and user experience teams. Across our practices, the role of technology and data is ever more critical to support our social workers, paralegals, attorneys, investigators and most importantly, to better serve the vulnerable individuals, families and children we work for.

Chief Communications Officer

Vincent Paolo Villano

Vincent Paolo Villano joined The Legal Aid Society in October of 2021 as Chief Communications Officer with the mandate to lead the organization’s media, content, marketing, and branding strategy. He joins Legal Aid with over a decade of experience in government, campaigns, and advocacy using communications to advance racial, social, and economic justice.

Leadership

  • Twyla Carter, Attorney-in-Chief and Chief Executive Officer
  • Adriene Holder, Chief Attorney, Civil Practice
  • Tina Luongo, Chief Attorney, Criminal Defense Practice
  • Dawne Mitchell, Chief Attorney, Juvenile Rights Practice
  • Scott Rosenberg, Secretary and General Counsel
  • Lauren Siciliano, Chief Operating Officer
  • Connie Park, Chief Human Resources Officer
  • Louis Sartori, Chief Counsel, Pro Bono Practice
  • Surya Sayed-Ganguly, Chief Information Officer
  • Vincent Paolo Villano, Chief Communications Officer

Leadership Rectangle 8

  • Twyla Carter, Attorney-in-Chief and Chief Executive Officer
  • Adriene Holder, Chief Attorney, Civil Practice
  • Tina Luongo, Chief Attorney, Criminal Defense Practice
  • Dawne Mitchell, Chief Attorney, Juvenile Rights Practice
  • Scott Rosenberg, Secretary and General Counsel
  • Lauren Siciliano, Chief Operating Officer
  • Connie Park, Chief Human Resources Officer
  • Louis Sartori, Chief Counsel, Pro Bono Practice
  • Surya Sayed-Ganguly, Chief Information Officer
  • Vincent Paolo Villano, Chief Communications Officer

Officers and Board of Directors Rectangle 8

Officers

  • Alan Levine, President
  • Twyla Carter, Attorney-in-Chief and Chief Executive Officer
  • David Greenwald, Treasurer
  • Scott Rosenberg, Secretary and General Counsel
  • Lauren Siciliano, Chief Operating Officer

Chair of the Board of Directors

  • Zachary W. Carter

Vice Chairs of the Board of Directors

  • Lara Samet Buchwald
  • June S. Dipchand
  • Mark P. Goodman
  • Tracy Richelle High
  • Bradley I. Ruskin

Members of the Board of Directors

  • Richard F. Albert
  • Deborah N. Archer
  • Christopher D. Belelieu
  • Barry A. Bohrer
  • Lara Samet Buchwald
  • John K. Carroll
  • Zachary W. Carter
  • Nancy Chung
  • Eva W. Cole
  • Roger A. Cooper
  • Sarah Coyne
  • Jenna M. Dabbs
  • June S. Dipchand
  • Mary Eaton
  • Scott A. Edelman
  • Mauricio Espana
  • Natasha I. Fapohunda
  • Edward Flanders
  • Jeffrey A. Fuisz
  • Matthew Furman
  • Raj Gandesha
  • Jeffrey Glen
  • Mia N. Gonzalez
  • Mark P. Goodman
  • Meaghan Gragg
  • Carol Greene-Vincent
  • David Greenwald
  • Helen Gugel
  • Adam Hakki
  • Richard F. Hans
  • Tracy Richelle High
  • Taleah Jennings
  • Michael C. Keats
  • Atif Khawaja
  • Marvin Krislov
  • Alan Levine
  • Perry A. Napolitano
  • Lynn K. Neuner
  • Amanda T. Perez
  • Charles C. Platt
  • Patrick T. Quinn
  • Sharyl A. Reisman
  • Katherine Rocco
  • Alyssa Rower
  • Daniel Rubens
  • Bradley I. Ruskin
  • Antony L. Ryan
  • William Savitt
  • Paul H. Schoeman
  • Bart R. Schwartz
  • Ian Shapiro
  • L. Kevin Sheridan Jr.
  • Rachel Sherman
  • Tiffany J. Smith
  • Audra Soloway
  • Joseph L. Sorkin
  • Richard Strassberg
  • Kim A. Walker
  • Charles C. Weinstein
  • Peter M. Williams

 

Board of Advisers Rectangle 8

Chair of the Board of Advisers

  • Jeffrey L. Kessler

Board of Advisers

  • David D. Arnold
  • Christopher P. Bogart
  • Barbara Latz Cohen
  • Christopher P. Conniff
  • Richard J. Davis
  • Dimitrios Drivas
  • Michael D. Fricklas
  • Eric J. Friedman
  • Noah J. Hanft
  • Michele Hirshman
  • Jerome C. Katz
  • Daniel F. Kolb
  • Martha E.M. Kopacz
  • Theodore A. Levine
  • Gregory A. Markel
  • Aaron Marcu
  • Theodore V.H. Mayer
  • J. Kevin McCarthy
  • Sara Moss
  • Brian Polovoy
  • Linda E. Rappaport
  • Steven B. Rosenfeld
  • William Roskin
  • Frederick P. Schaffer
  • Elizabeth M. Sheehan
  • Jeremy H. Temkin
  • Barry Willner