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