Law Alumni Association elects 2013-14 officers and directors
The SUNY Buffalo Law Alumni Association has elected its 2013-14 officers and directors for both the Association and the GOLD Group.
Terrence M. Gilbride ’88 has been elected 2013-2014 president of the SUNY Buffalo Law Alumni Association, Inc. Gilbride is a partner in the Buffalo office of Hodgson Russ LLP where he practices in the areas of real estate, public finance, higher education, commercial leasing, and public/private partnerships. Gilbride focuses his practice on large, multifaceted commercial real estate development projects, and co-chairs the firm's College & University Practice Group. He is corporate counsel for Martin House Restoration Corporation, past chair of the board of trustees for Goodwill Industries of Western New York, Inc., past chair of the board of directors of Meals and Wheels of Buffalo & Erie County, Inc. and a past trustee of the University at Buffalo Foundation.
Hon. Lenora B. Foote-Beavers ’97 of Erie County Family Court is the new president-elect. Vice presidents are: Marc W. Brown ’99 of Goldberg Segalla LLP, Joseph N. Del Vecchio ’96 of National Fuel Resources Inc.; Mary Pat Enright Fleming ’85 of the United States Attorney's Office; Brian D. Gwitt ’98 of Damon Morey LLP, and Robert P. Heary ’91 of Hiscock & Barclay LLP.
Treasurer is Michael A. Piette ’80 of Jaeckle Fleischmann & Mugel, LLP; assistant treasurer is Pietra G. Lettieri ’01 of Harris Beach PLLC; secretary is Mary Moorman Penn ’99; and assistant secretary is Marion K. Henderson ’65, retired.
Immediate past president is Brian M. Melber ’96 of Personius Melber LLP. Vice Dean for Alumni, Public Relations and Communications Ilene R. Fleischmann of SUNY Buffalo Law School, continues as executive director. Lisa M. Mueller ’93, Assistant Dean for Alumni and Communications, serves as assistant director.
New directors elected for terms ending in 2016 are Melissa A. Foti ’03 of Kenney Shelton Liptak Nowak LLP, Anne E. Joynt ’05 of Lipsitz & Ponterio, LLC, Thomas F. Knab ’88 of Underberg & Kessler LLP, Joseph D. Morath ’05 of Connors & Vilardo LLP, Paulette E. Ross ’97 of Gibson, McAskill & Crosby LLP, Andrea Schillaci ’82 of Hurwitz & Fine, PC, and Stephen A. Sharkey ’88 of Bond, Schoeneck & King, PLLC.
Other directors include; Hon. Tracey Bannister ’84 of New York State Supreme Court; Scott C. Becker ’93 of Kavinoky Cook LLP; Christopher E. Copeland ’02 of M & T Bank; Michael T. Feeley ’92 of Rupp, Baase, Pfalzgraf, Cunningham & Coppola, LLC; Joseph M. Hanna ’05 of Golberg, Segalla LLP; Amy Herstek ’04 of Rich Products Corporation; Angela M. Zwirecki Miller ’98 of Phillips Lytle LLP; Ryan J. Mills ’03 of Brown & Kelly, LLP, Jeffrey F. Reina ’99 of Lipsitz Green Scime Cambria LLP, Amy Habib Rittling ’95 of Lippes Mathias Wexler Friedman LLP; Stephanie A. Saunders ’00 of Kaleida Health; Sheldon K. Smith ’01 of Nixon Peabody LLP; Kirstin Lowry Sommers ’99 of Seneca Gaming Corporation; and Linda Lalli Stark ’84 of the Law Office of H. Jeffrey Marcus.
Officers and directors of the Law Alumni Association’s GOLD (Graduates of the Last Decade) Group, an arm of the Association focused on organizing educational, social and networking opportunities to assist recent graduates as they transition from student to attorney, were also elected. Teia Marie Bui '08 of Gross, Shuman, Brizdle & Gilfillan, PC will serve as 2013-2014 GOLD Group president. President-elect is Kevin J. Espinosa '09 of Hodgson Russ LLP. Immediate past president is James M. O’Keefe '07 of the Law Offices of William Mattar; treasurer is Marnie E. Smith '09 of Harris Beach PLLC; treasurer-elect is Joshua E. Dubs '08 of the Law Offices of Joshua E. Dubs; secretary is Jeffrey T. Fiut '10 of Hodgson Russ LLP; and secretary-elect is Seth D. Pullen '09 of Biltekoff & Pullen, LLP.
Other GOLD Group directors include: Elizabeth Blazey-Pennel '11 of the Internal Revenue Service; Stephanie J. Calhoun '08 of the New York State Attorney General’s Office; Ryan P. Crawford '06 of Gibson, McAskill & Crosby, LLP; Frank H. Ewing '12 of Hodgson Russ LLP; Kathleen T. Feroleto '11 of Brown & Kelly, LLP; Elizabeth Fox-Solomon '06 of New York State Supreme Court, Appellate Division, Fourth Department; Kimberly A. Georger '08 of Rupp, Baase, Pfalzgraf, Cunningham & Coppola, LLC; Jeffrey P. Gleason '08 of Damon Morey LLP; Thomas M. Gordon '05 of Gross, Shuman, Brizdle & Gilfillan, P.C.; Michael J. Hecker '09 of Hodgson Russ LLP; Bradley S. Loliger '13 of Legal Services for the Elderly, Disabled, or Disadvantaged of Western New York; Melissa M. Morton '07 of Gibson, McAskill & Crosby, LLP; Ryan K. Parisi '10 of The Parisi Firm; Michael E. Reyen '09 of Hodgson Russ, LLP; Shatorah N. Roberson '12 of The Roberson Law Firm; and Patricia C. Sandison '07 of Hodgson Russ LLP.
Chairs of the Association’s regional alumni chapters include: Rachel P. Ainspan ’12 of Boies, Schiller and Flexner LLP and Kevin M. Grossman ’04 of the New York State Governor’s Office of Employee Relations, co-chairs of the Albany Chapter; Sam M. Tamburo ’68 of the Law Office of Sam M. Tamburo, chair of the Central New York Chapter; Daniel A. Sikka ’07 of McDonald’s Corporation, chair of the Chicago Chapter; Anshu Pasricha ’07 of White and Case, LLP, chair of the New York City Chapter; Wende J. Knapp ’10 of Harter Secrest and Emery LLP and Jennifer K. Meldrum ’10 of Woods Oviatt Gillman, LLP, co-chairs of the Rochester Chapter, and Christopher R. Moran ’11 of the Internal Revenue Service, chair of the Washington, D.C. Chapter.