Law Links - August 2014

SUNY Buffalo Law Alumni Association elects 2014-15 officers and directors

Hon. Lenora B. Foote-Beavers ’97 elected president

Hon. Lenora B. Foote-Beavers ’97 has been elected 2014-2015 president of the SUNY Buffalo Law Alumni Association, Inc. Judge Foote-Beavers is a support magistrate for Erie County Family Court where she hears and decides child and spousal support petitions as well as paternity cases. Previously, she served as the first Save Our Streets Coordinator for the City of Buffalo, as assistant corporation counsel under Mayor Anthony Masiello, and as general counsel for the City of Buffalo Urban Renewal Agency under Mayor Byron Brown. She is also a paralegal instructor at Bryant & Stratton College.

Robert P. Heary ’91 of Hiscock & Barclay LLP is the new president-elect. Vice presidents are: Hon. Tracey Bannister ’84 of New York State Supreme Court; Scott C. Becker ’93 of Kavinoky Cook LLP; Marc W. Brown ’99 of Goldberg Segalla LLP, Joseph N. Del Vecchio ’96 of National Fuel Resources Inc.; and Mary Pat Enright Fleming ’85 of the United States Attorney's Office.

Treasurer is Pietra G. Lettieri ’01 of Harris Beach PLLC; assistant treasurer is Brian D. Gwitt ’98 of Damon Morey LLP; secretary is Amy Herstek ’04 of PCB Piezotronics, Inc.; assistant secretary is Jeffrey F. Reina ’99; and secretary emerita is Marion K. Henderson ’65, retired.

Immediate past president is Terrence M. Gilbride ’88 of Hodgson Russ 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 2017 are Beverley S. Braun ’07 of Jaeckle Fleischmann & Mugel LLP; Jaime C. Gallagher ’02 of the New York State Liquor Authority, Amy L. Hemenway ’01 of Harter Secrest & Emery LLP; Tiffany R. Perry ’00 of the Legal Aid Bureau of Buffalo, Inc.; Brendan J. Rich ’05 of Lippes Mathias Wexler Friedman LLP; Pauline Costanzo Will ’96 of Bennett Schechter Arcuri & Will LLP; and Preston L. Zarlock ’92 of Phillips Lytle LLP.

Other directors include: Christopher E. Copeland ’02 of M & T Bank; Michael T. Feeley ’92 of Rupp, Baase, Pfalzgraf, Cunningham & Coppola, LLC; 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 ; Ryan J. Mills ’03 of Schnitter Ciccarelli Mills PLLC; Joseph D. Morath ’05 of Connors & Vilardo LLP ; Paulette E. Ross ’97 of Gibson, McAskill & Crosby LLP; Stephanie A. Saunders ’00 of the Law Office of Stephanie A. Saunders; Andrea Schillaci ’82 of Hurwitz & Fine, PC; Stephen A. Sharkey ’88 of Bond, Schoeneck & King, PLLC; Sheldon K. Smith ’01 of Nixon Peabody LLP; 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. Kevin J. Espinosa '09 of M & T Bank will serve as 2014-2015 GOLD Group president. President-elect is Michael J. Hecker '09 of Hodgson Russ LLP. Immediate past president is Teia Marie Bui '08 of Clover Group Inc.; treasurer is Joshua E. Dubs '08 of the Law Offices of Joshua E. Dubs; treasurer-elect is Jeffrey T. Fiut '10 of Hodgson Russ LLP; secretary is Seth D. Pullen '09 of Biltekoff & Pullen, LLP; and secretary-elect is Ryan P. Crawford '06 of Gibson, McAskill & Crosby, LLP.  Patricia L. Warrington of SUNY Buffalo Law School serves as assistant director.

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; Frank H. Ewing '12 of M & T Bank; Kathleen T. Feroleto '11 of Brown & Kelly, LLP; Jeffrey P. Gleason '08 of Damon Morey LLP; Thomas M. Gordon '05 of Gross, Shuman, Brizdle & Gilfillan, P.C.; Kerisha Hawthorne ’14 of the UB Collegiate Science and Technology Entry Program; Elizabeth A. Lee ’14 of Rupp, Baase, Pfalzgraf, Cunningham & Coppola LLC; 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; James M. O’Keefe ’07 of The Law Offices of William Mattar; Paul C. Parisi ’06 of the Erie County District Attorney’s Office; Ryan K. Parisi '10 of the Niagara County District Attorney’s Office; Michael E. Reyen '09 of Hodgson Russ, LLP; Shatorah N. Roberson '12 of Budde and Roberson Attorneys-at-Law; Christopher S. Safulko ’13 of Chelus, Herdzik, Speyer & Monte P.C.; and Marnie E. Smith ’09 of Harris Beach PLLC.

Chairs of the Association’s regional alumni chapters include: Rachel P. Ainspan ’12 of the New York State Legislative Bill Drafting Commission 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; Robert J. Gutowski ’99 of MSCI, Inc., chair of the New York City Chapter; Penny A. Dentinger ’04 of Xerox Corporation and Wende J. Knapp ’10 of Xerox Corporation, co-chairs of the Rochester Chapter; and Kenneth A. Libby ’85 of the Federal Trade Commission, chair of the Washington, D.C. Chapter.