Director

Leonard E. Noisette, a New York University Law School graduate, is a founder of NDS. He has been its director since 1993. Lenny has been in the field of indigent defense for over twenty years and has extensive experience in both trial and appellate litigation. He is a recognized nationally as a leader in efforts to improve indigent defense services. He was invited by Attorney General Janet Reno to be a keynote speaker at the Justice Department’s National Symposium on Indigent Defense in Washington DC in February 1999, and from 1999-2001, he was a member of the Executive Session on Public Defense (ESPD), sponsored by the Federal Bureau of Justice Assistance and Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government. ESPD brought together practitioners, policy makers, non-profit managers and legal academics to help examine the current state of public defense in this country, and to chart the course of improvement of that work over the next decade. Lenny is an active member of a number of bar associations, sits on the board of the New York State Defenders Association and is currently Chair of the Board of the National Legal Aid & Defender Association. He recently served on a special committee of the New York State Bar Association charged with examining the collateral consequences of criminal proceedings.

Lenny is a frequent guest lecturer for the criminal defense clinics at NYU, CUNY and Fordham law schools in the areas of Jury Selection, Evidentiary Objections, Case Preparation and Investigation, and Preservation of the Record. He serves as a member of the faculty of the National Legal Aid and Defender Association’s National Defender Leadership Institute (NDLI) and has also taught in its Defender Advocacy Institute trial skills training program. He is a regular instructor of the annual Basic Trial Skills Program of the New York State Defenders Association, a seven-day program designed to build the trial skills of entry-level public defense lawyers throughout New York State. He is also a member of the faculty of the National Criminal Defense College, in Macon, Ga.

Since August of 2001, Lenny has been an Adjunct Professor of Law at Fordham University Law School, teaching Fundamental Lawyering Skills, a skills-building course in which he works with small groups of between 8 and 12 students. In the winter of 2005, Lenny created the curriculum for a Community Defense Externship, conducted as a partnership between the Neighborhood Defender Service and Columbia University Law School, and since the Spring 2006 semester has served as an Adjunct Professor of Law at Columbia, teaching a weeklong two-hour seminar that supplements students’ externship fieldwork activities.

Among his published work are the Minority Report of the New York State Committee on Audio-Visual Proceedings, An Open Courtroom: Cameras In New York Courts, New York State Committee To Review Audio-Visual Coverage Of Court Proceedings, Fordham University Press, 1997, and The Best Defense is No Offense: Preventing Crime Through Effective Public Defense, N.Y.U. Rev. L. & Soc. Change, vol. 29(1), 2004, which he co-authored with other members of the Executive Session of Public Defense.

Deputy Director

Rick Jones is a founding member of the Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem (NDS). He currently serves as NDS’ Deputy Director and Chief of Litigation. Rick has more than 15 years experience in complex multi-forum litigation. His current practice focuses on the representation of individuals accused of murder and the collateral consequences of those allegations in family and housing court as well as police abuse and misconduct cases. He has represented artists, musicians, entertainers, athletes, activists and other residents of the Harlem community in state and federal, civil and criminal courtrooms throughout the city. Many of his cases have been widely reported in both print and television news. Among his more notable clients have been an Olympic medal winning athlete, prominent jazz musician, legendary singer, highly profiled graffiti artists and a lead singer from the world renowned Boys Choir of Harlem. He is often asked to consult with lawyers throughout the country on complex or high profile matters.

Rick is an active member of the civic community. In addition to being a member of the Association of the Bar of the City of New York, the New York State Bar Association and the National Legal Aid & Defender Association-American Council of Chief Defenders, he was also selected to be a Leadership New York Coro Fellow and sat as an expert on the NAACP Legal Defense Fund’s yearlong Race and Criminal Justice Reform Initiative. Additionally, Rick serves on the Editorial Board of the Amsterdam News newspaper and was recently installed as a member of the Board of Directors of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL), where he will serve as Vice-Chair of the Indigent Defense Committee. Rick is also an Adjunct Professor of Law at Columbia Law School, where he teaches a complex criminal defense clinic. Rick received his B.A. in English from the University of Michigan in 1984, where he was elected to the Michigan Student Assembly and his J.D. from Rutgers Law School in 1987, where he was a Ralph Johnson Bunche Scholar and won the prestigious Harkavy Prize as the most promising trial lawyer in his graduating class. He is admitted to the Bars of New York, New Jersey and the Southern District of New York.

Supervising Attorneys

Kenneth Gilbert graduated from the University of Baltimore School of Law in 1994. During law school, Ken was an Editor on the Journal of Environmental Law and worked as a law clerk at the Baltimore City Public Defender Office. Further, he represented indigent clients charged with crimes through the Criminal Practice Clinic, and was Chair of the Community Involvement Committee for the Black Law Students Association. Ken worked at NDS as a law intern and investigator before becoming a staff attorney in September of 1995. Kenn became the Intake Supervising Attorney of the Intake Team in September 1999.

Thomas Giovanni is a graduate of Georgetown University Law Center, where he participated in the DC Street Law Clinic. He joined NDS in September 2001. Thomas Giovanni was promoted to Supervising Attorney in September of 2005.

Matthew Knecht is a graduate of Brooklyn Law School, where he was a Richardson Scholar. While in law school, he interned in the Criminal Defense Clinic at the Legal Aid Society's Capital Defense Unit. Prior to joining NDS in June 2002 he practiced criminal defense as an associate at the law offices of Larry J. Silverman and at Cohen, Frankel & Ruggiero. Matthew Knecht was promoted to Supervising Attorney in September of 2005.

Darlene Jorif is a 1993 graduate of New York University School of Law. From 1993 to 1996 she was a staff attorney at the Legal Aid Society Juvenile Rights Division. She was a Project Director at the Vera Institute of Justice and the Correctional Association of New York from 1996-1998. She then returned to the Legal Aid Society Juvenile Rights Division as an Assistant Attorney-In-Charge from 1998 to 2001. Prior to joining NDS she was Director Of Operations at the Bridges Juvenile Center . She joined NDS in November of 2004.

Senior Trial Attorneys

Weldon Brewer graduated from Harvard Law School in 1972. He worked for the Criminal Defense Division of the Legal Aid Society from 1972-1983, during which time he tried approximately 20 jury trials in serious felony matters. Further, while at Legal Aid he wrote appellate briefs and argued appeals. From 1983-87, Weldon worked with the Law Office of Ramsey Clark, specializing in civil rights, criminal appeals and international human rights. In 1990, he joined Mid-Hudson Legal Services as the Managing Attorney. Weldon became the Acting Director of Litigation in June of 1995, where he tried civil cases and supervised attorneys in the areas of housing, public benefits, disabilities law and family law. Weldon joined NDS in October of 1996.

Elsie Chandler, J.D., Ph.D., is an experienced criminal defense attorney who is also a New York State certified clinical psychologist. Elsie began working in Harlem in 1964 with the Northern civil rights movement. From that time, she has continued to work with New York City's youth: as a teacher, psychologist, criminal defense attorney, and university professor. She was a staff attorney at NDS from 1992 through 1995, leaving NDS to create and direct the Juvenile Offender Team at The Legal Aid Society Criminal Defense Division. From 1998 to 2002 Elsie was an associate professor of forensic psychology at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, CUNY. Elsie rejoined NDS in September 2002.

Staff Attorneys  

Wilfredo Sta. Ana graduated from Brooklyn Law School, where he was an Edward Sparer Public Interest Law Fellow. Prior to joining NDS, he worked as a court attorney in both Manhattan and Bronx Criminal court. Wilfredo spent the first four years of his legal career as a public defender for the Legal Aid society’s Criminal Defense Division in Manhattan.

Amber Baylor graduated from New York University School of Law in 2006. Prior to joining our office in February 2008, she worked as a trial attorney at Federal Defenders of San Diego, Inc. Amber participated in NYU’s Community Defender Clinic and the Comparative Criminal Justice Clinic and worked as an NDS intern. Amber also held legal internships with the indigenous rights division of the United Nations at Nairobi, Kenya, and BPI, a Chicago-based civil rights organization.

Felice Conte is a graduate of Boston College Law School. Law is a second career for Felice. Upon graduating from, she worked for several years at Court TV, traveling the country as a producer of live trials. Thereafter, Felice became involved in documentary work, even directing/producing a film for HBO’s popular “America Undercover” series. Excited to now be working in the trenches rather than behind the lens as a spectator, Felice gladly left television/film behind to join the NDS staff in December 2005.

Alison Fischer is a 2005 graduate of Columbia Law School where she was a managing editor of A Jailhouse Lawyer's Manual, a student in the Criminal Practice Clinic, and an NDS intern. Prior to returning to NDS in February 2008, Ali worked as a staff attorney at the Office of the Public Defender for Miami-Dade County, Florida. Before entering law school, Ali served in the national office of the United States Student Association, working to expand access to higher education for all people.

Michele Villaseñor-Grant is a graduate of U.C. Hastings School of Law. From September 2001 until December 2005 she was a staff attorney at Federal Defenders of San Diego, Inc., doing both trial and appellate work. She joined NDS in December 2005.

Roxanna Guiterrez is a graduate of Georgetown University Law School, where she was a law fellow who taught legal research and writing. She was a team leader at NDS from January 1996 - December 1998. Roxanna was an Assistant Director of the Center for Public Interest Law in Columbia University School of Law. She was the Director of Compliance and Deputy Capital Defender at the Capital Defender Office in New York. Roxanna was the Assistant Attorney in Charge of the Juvenile Rights Division at The Legal Aid Society from July 2005 - June 2006. She rejoined NDS in July 2006.

Kristin Heavey graduated from Columbia Law School. At Columbia, Kristin was an Articles Editor for the Human Rights Law Review and the pro bono coordinator of the Criminal Justice Action Network, which sends Columbia law student volunteers to capital defense organizations throughout the country. Kristin was a legal intern at NDS in the summer of 2004.

Annalisa Mirón graduated from New York University Law School in 2004. Prior to joining NDS, Annalisa was a staff attorney at the NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund (LDF). At LDF she helped organize the Race & Criminal Justice Reform Initiative, a yearlong project aimed at developing litigation strategies to combat discrimination in the criminal justice system. In law school, Annalisa held legal internships at the Public Defender Service of the District of Columbia, the Brennan Center for Justice, and the Juvenile Justice Project of Louisiana.

Archana Prakash joined NDS in February 2008 after working as a staff attorney at The Bronx Defenders for two and a half years. Prior to that, she served as the civil rights fellow at Cochran, Neufeld & Scheck for two years, litigating high-impact wrongful conviction and police brutality cases. She clerked for the Honorable Myron Thompson in Montgomery, Alabama. Archana earned her J.D. from Columbia University Law School, where she was received academic honors, and was awarded The Lowenstein Fellowship, based on her commitment to public service. Between semesters of law school, she interned at the Equal Justice Initiative of Alabama and spent a summer at Paul, Weiss, Rifkand, and Wharton & Garrison. She received her undergraduate degree from Cornell University.

Social Services

Johanna Elumn joined NDS in January 2001 after having been a student intern in 1999-2000. She has a Master's Degree from the Columbia University School of Social Work. Before joining NDS full-time, she was a case planner Neighborhood Youth and Family services in the Bronx.

Heather Mockeridge joined NDS in September 2007 after having been an intern in 2006-07 and brings with her a strong commitment to social justice. She received her Masters in Social Work from Hunter College with a concentration in Community Organizing and a research emphasis in Social Work within holistic criminal defense. Prior to entering Hunter, Heather was a full-time nanny in Manhattan and New Jersey, which gave her the opportunity to organize and advocate for domestic worker's rights. Heather is originally from San Antonio, Texas and earned her B.A. in American Studies from the University of Texas in Austin. Eventually, Heather would like to return to the south to work as a mitigation specialist on federal and state death penalty cases.

Team Administrators

Roderick Kelly holds a degree from Hunter College. He joined NDS in February 1999 after having been a Dental Technician at Columbia University. Roderick is a Minister of the Jehovah's Witness Church, and volunteers doing AIDS research at Columbia University.

Eric Lopez graduated Hofstra University as a N.O.A.H. graduate. Majored in Philosophy, History, and Psychology with a minor in Legal Studies in Business. While an undergraduate, he studied abroad four times to Mexico and Europe, interned for the Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Educational Fund, and was a board member for the National Association for Black accountants, and a CSTEP Volunteer. He is a Bronxite, New Yorker and World Citizen.

Melida Ramirez comes to us from the Work Experience Program sponsored by the Jewish Community Council of Greater Coney Island. She has an A.A.S. in Paralegal Studies and is currently attending John Jay College. She is expected to graduate in the spring of 2005 with a BA in Criminal Justice. She has worked for the Bronx Legal Services via Hostos' Work Study program. She has also worked in the admissions office at Hostos Community College.

Yalitza Serrano-Collado is a graduate of Berkeley College and received an AAS in Paralegal Studies in 2003. She has an Early Child Care Teaching Certificate. In preparation for her certification, Yalitza had to be certified to administer CPR and learn how to detect child abuse and mal treatment of children. Yalitza held a Teacher's Assistant position at the Westside YMCA Tendercare Program for five years. As part of her preparation for her paralegal degree she interned at the Civil Enforcement Unit of the NYPD.

Investigators

Bruni Marrero came to NDS in July 2005 with over 13 years of experience within the Criminal Justice System. She spent eight of those years as a Senior Investigator for the Legal Aid Society in both the civil and criminal division. While at LAS, she conducted Know Your Rights workshops for the young people in the Red Hook community, and coordinated community outreach for the Brooklyn office. Bruni graduated with honors from New Jersey City University with a B.S. in Criminal Justice and is currently working on her Masters in Criminal Justice at her alma mater. Bruni was certified in 2004 as a Law Enforcement & Public Safety Teacher in New Jersey.

Dania Reid graduated from Wesleyan University in 2005 and received a bachelor’s degree from the College of Social Sciences (CSS), an interdisciplinary program that integrates various courses throughout the social sciences. As an undergraduate, Dania traveled to Durban, South Africa where she worked with a local advocate to address the issue of poverty and other social concerns within a Durban neighborhood. After graduation she worked as an investigator for the Civilian Complaint Review Board (CCRB), a city agency that investigates and recommends actions on complaints against members of the New York City Police Department. Dania joined NDS in the summer of 2007.

Students Taking Action Towards Empowerment (STATE)

Tania de La Cruz rejoined NDS in January of 2008 as STATE Program Director. She previously worked at the organization as a Team Administrator and left in 2005 to run after school and summer youth programs in East Harlem. Tania graduated from Columbia University in 2002, with a B.A. in Neuroscience and Behavior. She began working with high school students at the Double Discovery Center as a freshman in college, and has remained passionate about youth development and issues of social justice ever since.

Development

Joan Woods-Rashid joined NDS in 2005 and brings fifteen plus years of experience in development and fund-raising to her position as Director of Development. As an accomplished fund-raiser, Joan has helped diverse non-profits raise more than $12 million for general operating budgets and program support. She has worked with such groups as the Center for Constitutional Rights in Los Angeles, California, the Urban League in Los Angeles, and the Low Income Investment Fund (LIHF) in the San Francisco/Bay Area. Prior to joining NDS, she provided consulting services to non-profit organizations in California and New York. Joan has a special interest in development work that builds organizational capacity. She also has a passion for programs that focus on helping today’s youth become future leaders.

Joan is a native New Yorker. Born in Brooklyn and raised in the Bronx, Joan moved to California soon after she received her Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature from City College of New York. She later received a Master’s degree in Social Welfare from the University of California, Los Angeles.

Administrative Staff

Sonia Cerpa joined NDS as Finance Officer in November 1998. Prior to joining the organization, Sonia spent seventeen years as a senior accounting analyst for the Vera Institute of Justice.

Shirley Hernandez joined NDS on September 2006 as a Receptionist after working temporarily for NDS in the Finance Department. She worked for Memorial Sloan Kettering as a Lab Assistant for five years, She also worked as an Administrative Assistant to the President of Ufland, Jannes LTD, a public relations firm in mid-town Manhattan.

Reginald Mabry, the NDS Computer Services Manager, is a Certified Netware Engineer (CNE), Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) and a Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP). He hold a BS degree in Computer Science from the City College of New York, School of Engineering. Before coming to NDS in 1994, he worked for five years at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture of the New York Public Library in the Development Unit as part of the Schomburg Center's historic 6 million dollar Capital Campaign to build the Langston Hughes Auditorium and renovate the landmark building. He has also worked as technical sales consultant for TCY Technologies, a Novell, Microsoft and Cisco systems training facility, and worked for the Vera Institute of Justice for three of its projects.

Annoguie (“Annie”) Viruet, the NDS Office Administrator, has overall responsibility for Administrative Services, Human Resources, and Facilities. Annie has many years of experience in the Human Resources and Administrative services areas, most recently as the Personnel Manager of the Council for Human Services, Home Care Services, an agency that provides home care services to 400 clients through a staff of 670. She coaches a team her local girl's softball league. Annie joined NDS in September of 1997.