Public Interest Law Center

Root-Tilden-Kern Alumni

The first class of Root-Tilden Scholars graduated from NYU School of Law in 1954. The members of that class and subsequent classes have shown a diversity of professional interests and have become leaders in public service. A large percentage of our alumni have served in government at some point in their careers, including appointed and elected office. Some serve as federal and state court judges. Many graduates have worked with legal services, nonprofit advocacy organizations, public defenders, prosecutors’ offices, and foundations. In addition, some are employed in law school teaching or administration, or serve as partners in public interest law firms. Each year a substantial number of graduating scholars serve as clerks to federal and state judges.

Some of our notable alumni are listed below:

Jonathan S. Abady '90
Founding Partner, Emery, Celli, Brinckerhoff & Abady LLP

Betty Baez-Melo '11
Project Director, Advocates for Children Early Childhood Education Project

The Honorable Thomas Buergenthal '60
International Court of Justice

Julie Brill '85
Commissioner, Federal Trade Commission

Derwyn Bunton '98
Chief Public Defender of Orleans Parish

Diana DeGette '82
US Representative for Colorado's 1st Congressional District

Iván Espinoza-Madrigal '05
Executive Director, Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights and Economic Justice

The Honorable Anthony Foxx '96
US Secretary of Transportation

Tsedeye Gebreselassie '07
Director of Work Quality, National Employment Law Project 

Matthew Ginsburg '05
Associate General Counsel, AFL-CIO

Anurag Gupta '11
Founder and CEO, BE MORE America

Keith Harper '94
Ambassador, UN Human Rights Council (Ret.); Partner, Kilpatrick & Stockton

Mary Haviland '94
Executive Director, New York City Alliance Against Sexual Assault

Charlotte Hitchcock '91
General Counsel and Chief of Staff, Newark Public Schools

Sharon Hom '80
Executive Director, Human Rights in China

Frances Kreimer '12
Senior Attorney, DSCS Deportation Defense and Legal Advocacy Program

Annie Lai '06
Clinical Professor of Law and Co-Director, Immigrant Rights Clinic, UC Irvine Law

Dorchen A. Leidholdt '88
Director, Center for Battered Women's Legal Services/Sanctuary for Families

Douglas Liebhafsky '64
Special Assistant District Attorney, New York County District Attorney's Office

Sonia Lin '08
General Counsel & Policy Director, NYC Mayor's Office of Immigrant Affairs

Oscar Londono '17
Skadden Fellow & Attorney, Community Justice Project

Nancy Lublin '01
Founder and CEO, Crisis Text Line; Founder, Dress for Success

Nancy Mahon '89
Senior Vice President, Global Corporate Citizenship and Sustainability at Estee Lauder

Julie Mao '11
Staff Attorney, National Immigration Project

Terry A. Maroney '98
Professor of Law, Professor of Medicine, Health and Society, and Co-Director, George Barrett Social Justice Program, Vanderbilt Law School

Christopher Meade '96
General Counsel of the US Department of Treasury

Tanya Southerland Narcel '00
Resident Country Director, Millennium Challenge Corporation

Mayra Peters-Quintero '99
Senior Program Officer - Gender, Racial, and Ethnic Justice, Ford Foundation

Dennis Riordan '74
Partner, Riordan & Horgan

Jenny Rivera '85
Associate Judge of the Court of Appeals, State of New York

Lourdes Rosado '95
Bureau Chief, Civil Rights Bureau at Office of the Attorney General of New York State

Rachel Rosenbloom '02
Professor of Law and Co-Director, Immigrant Justice Clinic, Northeastern University School of Law

Janet Sabel '84
Chief Deputy Attorney General, New York State Office of the Attorney General

Johnathan Smith '07
Senior Counsel, Office of the Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights

Ría Tabacco Mar '08
Senior Staff Attorney, ACLU's LGBT & HIV Project

Jenny R. Yang '96
Commissioner, US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission