Rachel Chazin Halperin, J.D., L.M.S.W., has been working as an advocate for underserved and vulnerable populations for the last 20 years. Appointed as CEO in 2021, she oversees every aspect of Legal Services of the Hudson Valley.

Rachel joined LSHV in 2014 as the Deputy Director and was promoted to Chief Program Officer in 2016. In that position, she oversaw all aspects of the program delivery, including the nine local offices. In her role as CEO her priorities remain steadfast in the belief that everyone should have the right to legal counsel regardless of their socio-economic status and that LSHV is an organization with an anti-racist and social justice mission.

After graduating from law school, Rachel worked for four years as a staff attorney and then supervising attorney at the Legal Aid Society of the District of Columbia where she represented low-income residents in housing, family, domestic violence, and public benefits cases. In 2004, Rachel became the Legal Director of My Sisters’ Place, the largest domestic violence service provider in Westchester, NY. From 2008 – 2014, Rachel worked at HELP USA as the Executive Director of Domestic Violence Programs – including HELP Haven emergency shelter and HELP ROADS non-residential domestic violence program. While at HELP USA, Rachel started several programs including a Transitional Housing Project, Economic Empowerment Program, and Trauma-Informed Childcare Center.

Rachel received her J.D. from New York University School of Law and her M.S.W. from New York University School of Social Work. She received her B.A. in sociology from the University of Pennsylvania. Rachel sat on the Board of Directors of the New York State Coalition Against Domestic Violence from 2010-2020. She is a member of the NYS Permanent Commission on Access to Justice, the NYS Bar Association’s Committee on Legal Aid as well as the Women Bar Association’s Access to Justice Committee. She is admitted to practice law in NY. In her free time, Rachel enjoys reading, binge-watching shows, and hanging out with her husband and three kids.

Jill Bradshaw-Soto recently stepped into the role of Chief Program Officer.  She is responsible for the overall strategic and operational aspects of the program and the supervision and support of nine attorneys-in-charge.

Mrs. Bradshaw-Soto joined Legal Services of the Hudson Valley in 1998 as a housing attorney in its White Plains office and was subsequently named managing attorney of its Yonkers office then Attorney-in-Charge of the Mt. Vernon office, prior to assuming her current position. Her prior experience includes work as a Special Assistant Corporation Counsel for the City of New York’s Paternity and Support Unit and as a legal advocate in the Osborne Association’s Alternative to Incarceration Program in the Bronx. She has built strong ties within the cities of Mount Vernon, New Rochelle and Pelham, as well as the many local non-profit organizations that address matters of concern to economically disadvantaged individuals and families.

She received her J.D. from Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law and has a BS in Administration of Justice from Guilford College in Greensboro, NC. She received her paralegal certification from Mercy College, prior to entering law school.  Mrs. Bradshaw-Soto is a skilled litigator and her areas of legal expertise include Housing and Benefits Law.

Mrs. Bradshaw-Soto is a mother of 4 adult children and the proud grandmother of 3.

Related Experience:

Vice President, Westchester Black Bar Association

Member of the Westchester County African American Advisory Board

Lara Kasper-Buckareff oversees agency-wide initiatives at LSHV, including grants, technology, affirmative litigation, pro bono, and intake. She also acts as LSHV’s liaison to LSHV’s affiliate, the Hudson Valley Justice Center.

From 2008 until 2012 when she joined the management team, Ms. Kasper-Buckareff was a Staff Attorney at Legal Services of the Hudson Valley, gaining diverse experience representing persons with disabilities in related civil matters, victims of domestic violence in family court and matrimonial matters, and low-income children and their families in various matters. Prior to joining Legal Services of the Hudson Valley, Ms. Kasper-Buckareff was an attorney at the Workers’ Rights Law Center of New York, Farmworker Legal Services of New York, and MidPenn Legal Services. Ms. Kasper-Buckareff is licensed to practice law in New York and Pennsylvania. She received her JD and MSW from SUNY Buffalo, and her BA from California State University, Fullerton. In her free time, Ms. Kasper-Buckareff enjoys running, hiking, meditating, and spending time with her spouse and young son.

Jazmine Leon is a Development, Public Relations, and Marketing professional with thirteen years of experience in fundraising, public relations and marketing within the non-profit industry. Throughout her career, Dr. Leon has raised millions of dollars and generated over 2,000 media hits for various non-profit organizations.

Jazmine received her Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from Manhattanville College in 2007, and in 2011 went on to receive her Master’s Degree in Sports Business Management. In 2016, she received her Doctorate Degree in Business Administration with a specialization in Strategy and Innovation with Capella University after successfully defending and publishing her dissertation. Her research focused on the correlation between NBA video game participation and the consumption of NBA related products and services.

Dr. Leon currently works as a Chief Development Officer and continues to volunteer with several NY Tri-state based non-profit organizations.

Myra Loewenstein joined Legal Services of the Hudson Valley in 2012, becoming CFO in 2015.  Myra began her finance career in Equity Research at Morgan Stanley.  After graduate school, she held director level positions at Thomson Reuters and Reader’s Digest as well as several corporate finance and consulting roles, including both start-up and large corporations.

Myra has a B.A. in International Studies from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and an M.B.A from Columbia Business School and resides with her family in Westchester County.

As Chief Engagement Officer, Sheeba Roy Mathai focuses primarily on building meaningful engagement of LSHV stakeholders. Sheeba has been a member of LSHV’s Leadership Team since 2021. From 2015-2021, Sheeba was Attorney in Charge of LSHV’s Spring Valley office, which serves residents of Rockland County. Sheeba began working as a Staff Attorney in the Domestic Violence Unit of Legal Services of the Hudson Valley’s Yonkers office in March 2011. In that capacity, she represented victims of domestic violence in family offense and custody proceedings. Sheeba lives in Rockland County with her husband and two children.

Sheeba received her J.D. degree from the University of Connecticut School of Law and a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from The George Washington University. She is admitted to practice law in New York and New Jersey. Sheeba’s areas of expertise include family law and general practice.

Christa Ring joined LSHV in 2011, and supports our talented and dedicated LSHV staff in all aspects of Human Resources at LSHV, including recruiting and retention, benefits, performance management, compliance, and collaborating with LSHV’s Chief Diversity Officer, Sheeba Mathai, on DEIB initiatives.

After receiving her BS in Biology from Bucknell University, and prior to joining LSHV, Christa held various project management, sales, and supervisory positions in both large corporate and small business settings.

Christa resides in northern Westchester County with her husband. She is the parent of four adult children. She loves to cook and enjoys hiking and taking walks in the area.

Melinda Bellus oversees Legal Services of the Hudson Valley’s Yonkers office where she leads a team of over 30 attorneys, paralegals and support staff in delivering comprehensive legal services to residents of Westchester County. Her primary area of concentration is elder law. However, since joining Legal Services of the Hudson Valley in 1999, she has practiced in many areas including housing, government benefits, disability rights and family law. Prior to supervising the Yonkers office, Ms. Bellus was the Attorney-in-Charge of our White Plains and Peekskill offices. Previously she supervised our central intake unit. Ms. Bellus is a tireless advocate for seniors and is committed to assisting seniors to successfully age in place.

Melinda Bellus received her J.D. from the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law and a B.A. in political science and theatre arts from Hunter College of the City of New York. Her prior experience includes working as an associate in the law firm of Zeichner Ellman & Krause in New York City where she practiced in real estate law.

Related Experience:
Chair of the Real Estate and Housing Committee – Elder Law Section of the New York State Bar Association Co-chair of the Westchester County Senior Law Day Collaborative

Erin C. Burud is the Attorney in Charge of Legal Services of the Hudson Valley’s Kingston Office where she oversees a staff of 12 attorneys, paralegals and support personnel. Prior to Attorney in Charge, Erin was a Supervising Attorney in Legal Services’ Foreclosure Prevention Unit for Ulster, Dutchess, Sullivan and Orange counties and a Staff Attorney in Ulster County where she assisted homeowners seeking to avoid mortgage and tax foreclosure through bankruptcy, litigation, and Pro Se assistance.

She obtained her J.D. from Catholic University, Columbus School of Law, a B.A. in History from Catholic University of America and is admitted to practice law in New York.

Cherish Celetti is the Attorney in Charge of the Mount Vernon Office of Legal Services of the Hudson Valley. Cherish joined Legal Services of the Hudson Valley in 2014 as a Staff Attorney in the Yonkers office where she provided extensive eviction defense representation and prevented homelessness for many residents in private and subsidized housing. In 2015, Cherish transitioned to the White Plains Office as an elder attorney and represented hundreds of seniors with a myriad of legal issues. In 2018, Cherish became the Supervising Attorney of the White Plains Office overseeing staff attorneys whose work included public benefits, elder law, Veteran’s benefits and housing. From 2010 to 2014, Cherish was a prosecutor at the Nassau County DA’s Office and helped to pilot the Adolescent Diversion Program. Cherish earned her B.A. in History from New York University, and her JD at St. John’s University School of Law.

Ashley is the Attorney-in-Charge of Legal Services of the Hudson Valley’s Peekskill Office.

Ashley joined Legal Services of the Hudson Valley’s Spring Valley office in 2015 as a staff attorney. Her practice areas include housing, elder law, government benefits and disability advocacy.

She received her J.D. from New York Law School and her B.A. from SUNY Albany and is admitted to practice law in New York.

Tornishia Destin is the Director of Social Work where she oversees social work staff to ensure a holistic, client centered and trauma-informed collaborative approach to provide free civil-legal services to individuals in need.

Tornishia joined LSHV in 2021 as the Supervising Social Worker for the Family Defense Unit, LSHV and Westchester County’s first multidisciplinary unit. During this role, Tornishia oversaw LSHV first social work unit consisting of family advocates, a licensed social worker and interns who provided social service support and advocacy as part of parent’s legal representation in Child Welfare Cases in Westchester County. Tornishia assisted in implementing and bringing awareness to the FDU in Westchester and upstate NY through community outreach, presentations, and collaborating with local stakeholders, community providers, and the Department of Social Services.

Tornishia received her Master of Social Work from Fordham University and is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in the state of NY. Tornishia has experience working with children and families and adults in foster care, supporting housing, domestic violence, and child welfare. Tornishia is committed to help expand forensic social workers in LSHV to ensure client advocacy by ensuring basic needs are met and client’s are aware of their rights.

Tanya Dwyer, Esq. founded and operated a law firm for 10 years, primarily defending the rights of homeowners, which allowed them to stay in their homes. During this time, she was selected as a 2016 TED Resident. She presented her TED Talk, “Brooklyn is Magic,” about the vast economic potential of the Crown Heights neighborhood in Brooklyn.

Ms. Dwyer earned her law degree from George Washington University. She interned at the United Nations on the Right to Adequate Housing, the Ugandan Woman’s Lawyers Association (traveling throughout Uganda and informing women of their newly-granted Constitutional rights), and the D.C. Office of Human Rights.

Ms. Dwyer is Chair of the Peekskill NAACP Economic Sustainability Committee, where she has an initiative to update Peekskill’s City plan to center housing and environmental justice. She volunteers for Hudson Valley Pattern for Progress as a DEI committee member, and is also a board member of The Black Diamonds Academic Success Inc.

Nicole Feit oversees LSHV’s immigration program, which provides comprehensive, high quality immigration assistance to survivors of domestic violence and other crimes.

Nicole joined LSHV in 2014 where she worked as a Staff Attorney in the Mount Vernon and White Plains offices, assisting survivors of domestic violence in obtaining protection from abuse in family court. She also litigated custody and child support matters in family court, and assisted clients with their immigration matters. From 2021-2024, Nicole was a Supervising Attorney in the Peekskill office. In that role, Nicole supervised a team in the domestic violence and crime victims units. Prior to coming to LSHV, Nicole was a Senior Associate at the law firm WilmerHale, where she worked on a variety of commercial litigation matters and had an active immigration pro bono practice representing victims of violence in asylum, special immigrant juvenile status and other immigration matters.

Nicole received her J.D. from Pace Law School, and her B.A. from the George Washington University.

Ms. Ferone has dedicated her entire career to working with low-income and disabled New Yorkers. She began her career in legal services in a small field office near the Canadian border where she represented clients with serious physical and mental disabilities. Ms. Ferone then represented low-income persons in housing matters at Queens Legal Services. A native of Westchester, Ms. Ferone returned home in 1999 to work in the mental health unit of Legal Services of the Hudson Valley (LSHV). From 2001-2014, Ms. Ferone was managing attorney of LSHV’s White Plains office (2001-2010) and LSHV’s Yonkers office (2011-2014).

Currently, Ms. Ferone serves as Disability Counsel at Legal Services of the Hudson Valley. Ms. Ferone welcomes this opportunity to work more closely with case handlers on issues and litigation affecting persons with disabilities.

Active in the community, Ms. Ferone spends her time away from the office devoted to other organizations that advance the cause of justice. She is the current Board Chair of CHOICE, a Westchester based not-for-profit organization that provides peer advocacy services for persons with serious and persistent mental illness; a board member of the Max Michael Rosenfield Foundation dedicated to children’s sports and literacy; and a board member of the Westchester Women’s Agenda. In her spare time, Ms. Ferone loves singing, hosting parties and spending time with her rescue dog, CoCo Chanel.

Ms. Ferone received her law degree from Franklin Pierce Law Center at the University of New Hampshire and BA from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.

Related Experience:

Member, Westchester Disability Advocacy Partnership

Past Board Member – Careers for People with Disabilities, Family Ties, New York State Civil Liberties Union

a mentor with the Her Honor Mentoring program;
Former White Plains Democratic District Leader

Shira Galinsky serves as LSHV’s Director of Compliance, overseeing the agency’s compliance with its contractual, regulatory, and ethical obligations. Prior to becoming Director of Compliance, she was LSHV's Intake Director and supervised its team of intake paralegals and attorneys. Shira previously served as a senior staff attorney at Brooklyn Legal Services, representing clients in disability, family law, housing, and foreclosure cases. She received her BA from Columbia University and her JD from CUNY Law School, where she served on the editorial board of the New York City Law Review. She is currently a member of the New York City Bar’s Non-Profit Organizations Committee.

Ilene Hartzband is the Director of the Pro Bono Unit at Legal Services of the Hudson Valley. Ilene joined LSHV in 2021 as a Pro Bono Coordinating Attorney, in which role she conducted outreach to, trained, and oversaw the pro bono attorneys who provide advice, assistance, and representation to LSHV clients in a wide range of civil matters. Ilene primarily managed the Housing Crisis Prevention Project to place clients with volunteer attorneys in landlord-tenant matters. However, she strives to locate pro bono attorneys to assist with the multitude of interrelated legal issues that our clients face.

Prior to joining LSHV, Ilene worked as a Housing Attorney and Supervising Attorney at Lenox Hill Neighborhood House, a nonprofit and settlement house that provides an array of social services, where she represented tenants in landlord-tenant matters. Prior to her work advocating for tenants, Ilene was an associate with the law firm of Haworth, Rossman & Gerstman, LLC, and clerked for the Honorable Camille M. Kenny, J.S.C. of the Superior Court of New Jersey. Ilene graduated from Fordham University School of Law in 2014. She was active on the Moot Court Board and was awarded the Archibald R. Murray Public Service Award. Ilene received her Bachelor of Arts in Hispanic Studies and Psychology, with honors, from Vassar College.

Marcie Kobak is the first Litigation Director at Legal Services of the Hudson Valley, reflecting the agency’s increased commitment to improving outcomes for our client population through affirmative and systemic litigation. Marcie’s role includes collaborating with leaders in every office to identify wide-spread wrongs and develop strategies to address them through the judicial system. She also assists attorneys in every stage of complicated cases and coordinates keeping staff up to date on critical changes in the law. Since 2023, Marcie has led LSHV’s Systemic Change Unit, supervising attorneys and a paralegal who focus on appeals and affirmative litigation and since 2024 has supervised LSHV’s first full-time consumer attorney. Marcie had previously been a housing attorney with LSHV. She is a graduate of Fordham Law School and Vassar College.

Joanne Labrusciano heads the organization’s grant initiatives and both internal and external reporting.

She oversees a small, effective team of managers that provide the oversight of (1) applications for Requests for Proposals and other public funding opportunities; (2) contract review for new and renewal grants and that paperwork is complete and properly executed; (3) maintaining the relationship between LSHV funders and the program and finance managers (4) preparation and coordination, of funders’ monitoring visits; (5); the production of quarterly and ad hoc reports for internal and external performance metrics and special information requests; (6) review of case management system content to improve collection of statistics; (7) assisting with special projects.

Ms. Labrusciano celebrates the sizeable growth of Legal Services of the Hudson Valley its increased reach to households in our service area since her start 15 years ago. Her previous experience includes Wall Street investments, trading and financial analysis at a variety of firms including a large money market fund, primary money market dealer, primary government dealer, municipal bond insurer, money center bank’s mortgage portfolio and a single strategy hedge fund.

Ms. Labrusciano resides in Westchester County. She received her J.D. from Pace School of Law, her M.B.A. in Finance from Fordham University, Lincoln Center and her B.A. in Modern Languages from Fordham College, Rose Hill campus. She is licensed to practice law in New York.

Related Experience:

Pace Law Investors’ Rights Clinic

LSC Innovations in Technology conferences

Sarah Maida is the Attorney-in-Charge of Legal Services of the Hudson Valley’s Goshen and Monticello offices, which serves Orange and Sullivan Counties. Sarah joined Legal Services of the Hudson Valley’s Newburgh office as a law graduate in the Domestic Violence Unit in 2007. During her time as a staff attorney and senior staff attorney she also worked in the HIV Unit and on the Health Advocacy Project. Her practice areas included family law, housing law, public benefits, permanency planning, and consumer debt/bankruptcy. From 2015 to 2019 Sarah was the Supervising Attorney of the Newburgh office where she oversaw the Domestic Violence Unit and Disability Advocacy Project in Orange and Sullivan Counties.

Sarah received her J.D. from Case Western Reserve School of Law and has a dual degree in Philosophy and English from SUNY Albany. She currently sits on Newburgh Ministry’s Board of Directors.

Brain Payamps joined Legal Services of the Hudson Valley in February 2022 as the Director of Accounting.  Brian oversees many of the day to day functions of the Accounting Department and is located in the White Plains office.  Prior to coming to LSHV, Brian worked at RiseBoro Community Partnership Inc. for six years as the Assistant Comptroller. RiseBoro is a non-profit in Brooklyn, NY servicing a wide range of people, from seniors to youth.  They develop affordable housing across all five boroughs in New York City and runs a Homecare agency. As Assistant Controller Brian was responsible for conducting official financial inspections of RiseBoro’s accounts.

Brian earned his Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Lehman College in the Bronx.

Rachel Saunders is the Attorney in Charge of LSHV’s Poughkeepsie office, where she oversees a staff of almost 20 attorneys, paralegals and support personnel. Prior to joining LSHV, she worked at Mental Hygiene Legal Service for five years as an Associate Attorney and Senior Attorney. Rachel has also held positions at Children’s Law Center in Brooklyn and the Bronx, Legal Aid Society in the Bronx, as well as at the Afghanistan Justice Sector Support Program and the International Legal Foundation both in Kabul, Afghanistan.

She received her J.D. from Howard Law School, a BA in American Studies from Bard College, and is admitted to practice law in New York.

Ray Simons is the Senior Director of Operations at Legal Services of the Hudson Valley, where he oversees the organization’s IT, facilities, central intake, rental assistance programs, and real estate operations. Ray joined LSHV in 2013 as a Staff Attorney and later served as Attorney-In-Charge of the New Windsor office. Before joining LSHV, he was an attorney with New York City’s Department of Housing Preservation and Development.

Ray earned his J.D. from Brooklyn Law School as an Edward V. Sparer Public Interest Law Fellow and has served on the boards and advisory committees of numerous community organizations throughout the Hudson Valley. He is a recipient of the Orange County Human Rights Award and is admitted to practice law in New York and Connecticut.

Joanne Sirotkin is Attorney-in-Charge of Legal Services of the Hudson Valley’s White Plains office, overseeing a staff of more than 20 attorneys, paralegals and support personnel. She joined Legal Services of the Hudson Valley’s staff as Attorney Manager of Domestic Violence Services in November 2013, bringing expertise as an experienced attorney and specialist in the dynamics of domestic violence.

Prior to joining Legal Services, Joanne Sirotkin was employed as Special Litigation and Appeals Counsel within the Legal Center of My Sisters’ Place, a full-service domestic violence agency in White Plains. Ms. Sirotkin was previously at Faust Roy Mangold and Fuchs, a matrimonial firm. Prior to that, she was an associate at Lansner & Kubitschek, where she was part of the trial team representing the subclass A mothers in Nicholson v. Williams, a federal class action lawsuit initiated in 2000 on behalf of victims of domestic violence and their children, and the subsequent appeal, Nicholson v. Scoppetta.

In addition to her responsibilities managing the legal program of the White Plains office, Joanne’s job duties include coordination and substantive supervision of domestic violence legal services program-wide, guiding the professional development of staff regarding domestic violence work, and serving as a resource about DV-related issues to all Legal Services of the Hudson Valley staff and justice communities.

Joanne received her J.D. from Brooklyn Law School, where she was an Edward V. Sparer Public Interest Law Fellow, and she received her B.A. from SUNY Albany

Antonio is currently the attorney in charge of the Nanuet office. Prior to beginning this position, he was supervising attorney in the Spring Valley Office as well as the Yonkers office. He began his career at LSHV as a Staff Attorney in both the Mt. Vernon and Spring Valley offices.

Antonio received his BA from John Jay College of Criminal Justice with a degree in Forensic Psychology and a minor in Forensic Science. And received his JD from CUNY Law.

Loretta Spence has spent her career in the non-profit industry. Prior to 2013, when she joined Legal Services of the Hudson Valley’s staff as Director of Development for the Mid-Hudson Valley, she was employed as the Director of the Youthful Offender Court Referral Program for the Voluntary Action Center of Dutchess County, Director at the YWCA of Dutchess County’s Teen Parent and Battered Women’s/Youth Services Programs, Executive Director of Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Dutchess County, and Director of Grantmaking Programs and Artist Services at the Dutchess County Arts Council.

She received her Bachelor’s degree from Vassar College.

Loretta currently works as Director of Development and is responsible for private grant-writing and prospect research for the organization’s seven-county region. She is a member of the Board of Directors of The Art Effect.

Lucy Turner-Iannuzzi is the Attorney-in-Charge of Legal Services of the Hudson Valley’s Goshen and Monticello offices serving Orange and Sullivan County. She joined LSHV in 2019 as a staff attorney handling housing cases primarily in Sullivan County, then stepped into the role of supervising attorney for the Goshen and Monticello offices in 2022, and AIC in 2024. Prior to joining LSHV, Lucy provided free legal representation in Schenectady County’s family and criminal courts as an Assistant Conflict Defender. Lucy earned her Juris Doctor in 2017 from Western New England University’s School of Law in Springfield, Massachusetts after she earned her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in English at the University at Albany.

Christopher Schweitzer is the Director of Housing for Legal Services of the Hudson Valley. He had been the supervising attorney in the Yonkers office for five years, supervising the housing unit. Prior to that he had been a senior staff attorney in the White Plains office with a portion of his practice in the Westchester Multifamily housing unit. In that role, Christopher litigated in a variety of city and justice courts from which he took several appeals and cases in Federal Court. He represented tenants of public and Section 8 housing under numerous housing authorities and developed expertise in subsidized housing. Christopher has also worked with the Westchester CLARO program, assisting pro se litigants in consumer debt cases. He was a summer intern at LSHV during his legal education at Pace University School of Law.