Current Scholars
Class of 2027
José Guillermo Gutiérrez ‘27 is interested in government accountability, surveillance technology, and civil rights and civil liberties issues in national security. In the summer after his first year, José interned at the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University and was a research assistant for Professors Adam Cox and Samuel Issacharoff. He is co-president of the Latinx Law Students Association, an editor on Law Review, and a student advocate in the Regulatory Policy Clinic, and will be part of the Rule of Law Practice Lab in the spring. Before law school, José was a research and program associate in the Brennan Center for Justice’s Liberty and National Security Program, where he focused on law enforcement’s surveillance of social media to target constitutionally protected activity and marginalized communities, as well as efforts to reform the Department of Homeland Security. He also served on the negotiation and executive committees of the Brennan Center’s staff union. Before joining the Brennan Center, he was a research volunteer on the Biden-Harris presidential transition and a domestic policy intern on the Biden-Harris campaign. José was born and raised in Mexico City, and is a graduate of the University of Southern California.
Sarah Wheaton ’27 is interested in the intersection of administrative law and economic policy, particularly as it relates to helping low-income families and communities. Before coming to NYU, she worked in economic policy for the U.S. Department of Commerce and the White House Council of Economic Advisers. As an Economist at the Department of Commerce’s Office of the Undersecretary for Economic Affairs, she contributed economic analysis to the department’s regulatory work, assisted with implementation of place-based initiatives in the CHIPS and Science Act, and helped brief the Secretary on the state of the economy. Prior to that, she worked as a Research Assistant at the Council of Economic Advisers, where she covered a wide range of topics including labor, the social safety net, macroeconomics, health, and climate change. Sarah spent her 1L summer doing research on distributional cost-benefit analysis for Professor Ricky Revesz and on tax expenditures for Professor Lily Batchelder. At NYU, she is a staff editor on the Law Review, a board member of the Law and Government Society, and an extern for New York State Senator Andrew Gounardes. Sarah graduated from Swarthmore College in 2021 with High Honors in Economics and Political Science and grew up in Saint Paul, Minnesota.
Mary Lewis ‘27 is interested in tax, clean energy, and climate policy. She is particularly passionate about tax credit design, energy regulation, electricity market design, and voter protection and election law. Prior to law school, she served as a Climate Policy Advisor at the Department of the Treasury where she worked to implement the Inflation Reduction Act clean energy tax credits. She also worked for nearly four years in the energy storage and clean energy industry where she led the Americas policy and market strategy for Fluence Energy, a leading U.S. energy storage company. She managed the state and federal policy outlook for the company, and developed the digital growth strategy as part of the company’s successful 2021 IPO. Additionally, she worked as a management consultant for two years in San Francisco. Mary has also worked as a Voter Protection Data Analyst on the Biden for President 2020 campaign and as an Analytics Lead at the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee during the 2022 midterms. She was a Bay Area Fellow in 2022 for the Clean Energy Leadership Institute. At law school, in addition to being an FPP Scholar, she is an editor for the Tax Law Review and an extern with the State Legislative Externship. She worked as a Research Assistant for the Institute for Policy Integrity during her 1L summer. Mary graduated Phi Beta Kappa and magna cum laude with an Economics degree from Vanderbilt University and is from Charlotte, NC.
Tresa Joseph ’27 is interested in consumer protection and antitrust law, particularly as they relate to issues of economic mobility. Prior to law school, she worked at the White House National Economic Council as a Senior Policy Advisor, where she helped advance efforts to reduce hidden consumer fees, expand access to capital for underserved entrepreneurs, and launch the federal government’s first-ever free tax filing service. Before joining the NEC, she worked at the New York City Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice, focused on pre-trial case processing and pre-arraignment diversion programs. At NYU, Tresa is a staff editor for the Journal of Legislation and Public Policy and serves on the board of the Antitrust and Competition Law Society. She spent her 1L summer at the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office where she worked on regulatory policy and consumer protection matters. Tresa graduated from Yale University with a B.A. in Political Science and was born and raised in New Jersey.
MaryAnn Placheril ’27 is interested in racial and economic justice, particularly in housing, tech, and consumer protection. Before NYU, she worked at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. At the CFPB MaryAnn primarily worked on data science and strategy for racial bias enforcement cases and supervision exams. She led the Bureau’s data analysis for novel appraisal bias cases and developed less discriminatory alternatives to credit models as a part of machine learning/AI exams. She also worked on various policy and regulatory efforts including the Overdraft Rule. She has worked previously at Brookings Metro, the Eviction Lab, at Senator Bill Nelson’s (D-FL) office. At NYU Law, MaryAnn is a staff editor for the Review of Law and Social Change, an advocate with Parole Advocates, and a Scholarship Co-chair of Law and Political Economy. She spent her 1L summer in her home state of Florida at the Broward County Public Defender’s Office and as a research assistant to Lily Batchelder and Noah Rosenblum. MaryAnn graduated from Princeton University with a degree in Public and International Affairs and minors in African American Studies and Statistics and Machine Learning.
Class of 2028
Quentin Dupouy '28 is committed to advancing economic justice and equitable social policy. Before law school, he worked for two progressive Members of Congress on issues including tax justice, social welfare, health care, and civil rights. Most recently, as Senior Policy Advisor to Rep. Jared Huffman, he advanced legislation to increase affordable housing, improve access to education, and enhance consumer protections. He also founded the Stop Project 2025 Task Force to coordinate a legal, legislative, and political strategy to counteract the conservative takeover. In his previous roles, he crafted legislation to advance President Biden’s Billionaire Minimum Income Tax, protect disability rights, and expand access to food and health care for low-income communities. Before working on Capitol Hill, he received a Fulbright Grant to live and work in Benin. At NYU Law, he is a Fellow for the Community Equity Initiative, a Staff Editor for the Review of Law and Social Change, and a Board Member for the Law and Political Economy Association. He spent his 1L Summer at Build Up Justice NYC, working to prevent foreclosures and represent low-income taxpayers in tax disputes. Quentin graduated Phi Beta Kappa and with honors from the University of Chicago. He is a lifelong New Yorker.
Class of 2028