2023 Annual Report

Legal Aid Staff

Pictured: Former Legal Aid client Leta Bennafield (l) with attorney Nicole Dooley (r)

Legal Aid's attorneys, legal support staff, and operational staff work together to provide life-changing legal assistance for thousands of DC residents each year. This listing represents Legal Aid's staff as of November 2023.

Lia Acosta
Administrative Assistant

Rais Akbar
Staff Attorney

Danielle Anani
Public Benefits Specialist

Ilana Avital
Senior Staff Attorney

Laura Bailey
Director of IT & Facilities

Carolina Boehm
Community Lawyer

Matthew Boucher
Senior Staff Attorney

Elena Bowers
Supervising Attorney

Daniela Bravo
Project Coordinator

Shreya Britton
Staff Attorney

Shulamit Bronner
Legal Assistant/Paralegal

Andrea Brooks
Intake Specialist

Meridel Bulle-Vu
Supervising Attorney

Madison Cassell
Deputy Director of Development

Molly Catchen
Supervising Attorney

Wendy Cheng
Senior Staff Attorney

Eleni Christidis
Supervising Attorney

Rachel Clifton
Public Benefits Specialist

Mistee Colbert
Staff Attorney

Shakina Cotton
Tenant Support Specialist

Gary Cunningham
Intake Coordinator/Investigator

Sylvia Davenport
Community Lawyer

Esther Davila
Gallogly Fellow

Rebecca Dayan
Legal Assistant/Paralegal

Nicole Dooley
Supervising Attorney

Ketty Eberepou
Intake Specialist

Caroline Fehr
Senior Staff Attorney

Rebecca Gallahue
Director of Legal Support

Blair Gilbert
Senior Staff Attorney

Cali Gill
Staff Attorney

Kolleen Gladden-Sorensen
Staff Attorney

Katrina Goodjoint
Reentry Justice Project Attorney

Javonta Graham
Investigator

Emily Grau
Staff Attorney

Omar Hashem
Investigator

Kathy Hays
Director of Operations

Phylicia Hill
Director of Impact Litigation

Deborah Hill
Supervising Attorney

Chelsea Himes
Sidley Austin Fellow, in honor of Mark Herzog

Haley Hoff
Staff Attorney

Shirley Horng
Senior Staff Attorney

Amanda Howard
Operations Administrative Assistant

Adam Jacobs
Project Coordinator

Jenifer Jenkins
Policy Counsel

Lauren Johnson
Executive Assistant

Christine Joseph
Senior Staff Attorney

Jennifer Joseph
Supervising Attorney

Jennifer Kelso
Staff Attorney

Kaylee Kimberlin
Intake Specialist

Amanda Korber
Director of Community Engagement and Advocacy

Zenia Laws
Senior Staff Attorney

Sarah Lee
Staff Attorney

Jonathan Levy
Supervising Attorney

Jamie Long
Staff Attorney

Susannah Loumiet
Staff Attorney

Andrea Macauley
Senior Legal Assistant

Catherine Masters
Development Manager

Meagan Matt
Legal Assistant/Paralegal

Melissa McClure
Staff Attorney

Megane Messier
Staff Attorney

Jennifer Mezey
Legal Director for Operations and Client Services

Kathleen Milton
Volunteer Staff Attorney

Mikayla Moore
Development Associate

Leunea Myers
Senior Legal Assistant

Leyah Myles
Technology Associate

Miguel Noel-Nosbaum
Intake Specialist

Megan Ocean
Staff Attorney

Maria Ochoa
Intake Specialist

Patrick Orciani
Director of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

Alyssa Padilla
Staff Attorney

Tom Papson
Volunteer Staff Attorney

Andrew Patterson
Senior Staff Attorney

Rob Pergament
Director of Development

Yoliara Ramos Soto
Director, Intake Program

Sarah Reichenbach
Staff Attorney

Rachel Rintelmann
Legal Director for Systemic Advocacy and Law Reform

Satcha Robinson
Staff Attorney

Brian Rohal
Staff Attorney

Patricia Roulhac
Receptionist/Secretary

Carolyn Rumer
Supervising Attorney

Juantre Rush
Intake Program Generalist

Alec Sandler
Sidley Austin Fellow, in honor of Mark Herzog

Melanie Sandler
Staff Attorney

Johanna Schmidt
Staff Attorney

Ashlei Schulz
Supervising Attorney

Candis Scippio
Human Resources Generalist

Katherine Shea
Staff Attorney

Samone Smith
Staff Attorney

Matthew Sokol
Staff Attorney

Sylvia Soltis
Director, Pro Bono, Volunteer and Intern Program

Rebecca Steele
Staff Attorney

Alexis Stokes
Legal Assistant/Paralegal

Vikram Swaruup
Executive Director

Eric Swenson
Staff Attorney

Hawa Tarawally
Intake Program Generalist

Sudi Tasissa
Staff Attorney

Nicholas Toland
Staff Attorney

Stephanie Troyer
Legal Director of the Direct Legal Services Program

Sarah Vandenberg
Fellow

Julia Ward
Senior Staff Attorney

Elizabeth Wei
Staff Attorney

Simon Wentzell
Staff Attorney

Charlene Whitman-Barr
Supervising Attorney

Mel Zahnd
Supervising Attorney

Legal Aid's Impact

Organizational Information & Acknowledgments