PAST PRESIDENTS

1992 -1994 – Hon. Manuel J. Mendez
Hon. Manuel J. Mendez is a highly accomplished lawyer and judge with an extensive background in criminal defense and civil liability. He earned his Doctor of Law degree from Universidad Central del Este (U.C.E.) in the Dominican Republic in 1987, and later graduated from the Fordham University College of Business Administration (C.B.A.) in 1988. Judge Mendez was admitted to the Dominican Republic Bar, as well as the Federal Court for the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York, and the Federal Court for the District of Puerto Rico.

Judge Mendez began his professional career as a public defender in the Legal Aid Society Criminal Division in Bronx County, NY in 1990. In 1993, he founded the law firm Kwasnisk & Mendez, Esqs., which specialized in federal and state criminal defense and civil liability. In 1999, he established the Law Office of Manuel J. Mendez, P.C., where he continued to practice criminal defense and civil liability, as well as workers' compensation defense. In 2003, he was elected to the Civil Court of New York City, New York County. In January 2010, he was appointed a judge of the Supreme Court of the State of New York. In 2012, he was elected to the Supreme Court of the State of New York and presided over a civil and commercial chamber of the Supreme Court of the State of New York in the County of New York. In 2020, he was appointed an Associate Justice of the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of the State of New York, First Department.

Judge Mendez has made significant contributions to his community throughout his career, including founding a legal clinic in the office of Councilman and Assemblyman for the 72nd District of the State of New York, Dr. Guillermo Linares. He also established an internship program with La Universidad Central del Este (UCE) School of Law, where law students rotate through his courthouse in New York to learn about the North American legal system. He was a member of Community Board 12, Neighborhood Advisory Board 12, and several non-profit organizations in Upper Manhattan. He is a member of various professional organizations, including the Dominican Bar Association, Inc. New York, the Academy of Trial Lawyers, the New York State Bar Association, and the Puerto Rican Bar Association.

Judge Mendez has received numerous awards and honors for his outstanding achievements, including the New York City Council for Leadership and Contributions to the Washington Heights Community, the Dominican Bar Association for his Contribution, Leadership, and Devotion, and the Archdiocesan Committee Our Lady of Altagracia. He was also awarded the rank of Honorary Lieutenant Colonel by the Fire Department of the City of San Pedro de Macoris and recognized as a Distinguished Son of the City of Santo Domingo by the Presidency of the Dominican Republic, the Autonomous University of Santo Domingo, and the City Council of Santo Domingo. In 2006, he was honored by the Universidad Central del Este with the rank of Professor Honoris Causa and Honorary Graduate.

1995 -1997 - Hon. Julia Rodriguez
Julia I. Rodriguez was elected Supreme Court Justice in Bronx County in November 2013. She also served as Judge of the Civil Court starting in January 2004, and as a Housing Court Judge from 1999 through 2003. In Supreme Court Justice Rodriguez presides in civil jury and non-jury trials, covering the range of personal injury, medical malpractice, labor law, contracts and Article 78 proceedings. Starting in 2019, Justice Rodriguez also serves as an Adjunct Professor at Fordham Law School, teaching Legal Writing to international LLM students. 

Judge Rodriguez received her law degree from Fordham University School of Law in 1990, and earned her bachelor’s degree in economics at Hunter College, City University of New York in 1986. Her first job after law school was at the Civil Division of the Legal Aid Society working in landlord/tenant matters. Judge Rodriguez began her public service career in 1994 as a Court Attorney in Civil Court for Justice Lucindo Suarez; she continued to serve as his Principal Court Attorney in Bronx Supreme Court. 

Judge Rodriguez was an Arbitrator in Bronx County before joining the Bench in 1999. She is proud to have served as President of the Dominican Bar Association (DBA) for two terms in 1997/98. Under her leadership the DBA became a member of the Network of Bar Leaders, and the DBA gained national recognition when it joined as an affiliate of the Hispanic National Bar Association in 1997. She is also a member of the Bronx County Bar Association, the Bronx Women’s Bar Association and the Puerto Rican Bar Association. She also served as a Board of Director of the Bon Secours Schervier Nursing Care Center, an unpaid position, from January 2007 to December 2012. 

Judge Rodriguez is proud to have authored many decisions published by the State Reporter and the New York Law Journal since she became a Judge in 1999. In August 2008 she was rated "Qualified" by the Independent Judicial Election Qualification Commission for election to the office of Supreme Court, Bronx County. 

Judge Rodriguez and her family migrated from the Dominican Republic in 1963. She and her three siblings grew up in Queens and attended public schools, where "we had the best teachers in the world who instilled in us the love of reading." 

Judge Rodriguez is married and has two grown children. In her spare time, Judge Rodriguez enjoys bird watching, gardening and learning history.

1998- 2000 - Carmen Suardy
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2001- Hon. Manuel J. Mendez
[See above 1992-1994]

2002 & 2003 - Manuel Tavarez
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2004 & 2005 - Julissa A. Gomez
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2006 & 2007 - Elsa Marte-Hampton
Elsa Marte Hampton is an attorney who currently serves as the Chief Equity Officer at the Taxi and Limousine Commission where she is responsible for the development and implementation of the agency’s strategic diversity, inclusion, and equity initiatives.  Elsa is a Diversity Professional and throughout her career she has been responsible for strategic planning, employee engagement, cross-functional relationship management, developed and implemented internal programming of cultural initiatives and cultural competency across a spectrum of diversity issues. 

She also oversees employment discrimination matters and evaluates and reports on EEO policies, procedures, and data.  She provides guidance and advice to the commissioner, executive staff, and other necessary stakeholders on EEO-related laws, regulations, cases, as well as diversity related matters.

Additionally, she is an adjunct professor at Berkeley College where she teaches criminal justice related courses, such as Criminal Law, Juvenile Justice, Research Methods, Justice and the Judiciary, Policing, and Criminology. Elsa also serves on the Legal Studies Advisory Board and provides input on the Legal Studies program.

Elsa began her legal career as a criminal defense attorney with the Legal Aid Society where she handled criminal matters from arraignment to resolution. After leaving Legal Aid, she handled matters related to employment, civil rights, and compliance at the New York City Department of Education, New York City Transit, and the Office of Technology.  She earned a B.S.  from S.U.N.Y. College at Old Westbury, an M.A from John Jay College of Criminal Justice and her J.D. from North Carolina Central University.

Elsa has a demonstrated commitment to community service. She has served as the Co-Chair of Community Partnerships Committee, New York Chapter, National Diversity Council, Chair of the Dominican Bar Association’s Scholarship Committee, member of the Neighborhood Advisory Board, which was responsible for identifying eligible programs to provide much needed services in her community; a mentor for Legal Outreach, volunteered with the Volunteer Lawyers Project Housing Court Initiative, and has been certified as a Small Claims Arbitrator. Elsa a former President of the Dominican Bar Association, a former Regional President of the Hispanic National Bar Association-NY Region, and Executive Board Member of the Network of Bar Leaders. During her tenure as President of the Dominican Bar Association, Ms. Hampton revived community based legal clinics that provided legal advice, in Spanish, to the Latinx community, distributed school supplies and toys that benefitted children in the Dominican Republic and in New York City. She has been recognized for her public service by UNAPEC, during their Dominican Week celebration, the New York City Council, Nassau County Executive, and Dominican Sunday, Inc.

2008 & 2009 - Raysa Castillo
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2010 - Peter Cedeño
Attorney Peter L. Cedeño's unfailing dedication to clients and unparalleled work ethic have led to outstanding results for families in difficult situations. Mr. Cedeño's history of excellence has been recognized by the people he has helped, as well as by trusted legal organizations. Along with being selected annually to the New York Metro Super Lawyers list since 2016, he has a perfect Avvo rating of 10.0 Superb due to his service, experience, and strong ethics.

Mr. Cedeño started out as an Assistant District Attorney in the Kings County District Attorney's Office, where he gained valuable experience as a prosecutor. There, he handled a wide range of cases involving everything from minor criminal violations to felonies. Just a few years later, he began his practice as a divorce and family lawyer.

For more than 25 years, Mr. Cedeño's private practice has centered on matrimonial and family law matters, where he is trusted by clients and peers alike. Handling everything from high net-worth divorces to amicable, uncontested separations. Mr. Cedeño has successfully represented New Yorkers who have faced a wide array of criminal charges. Mr. Cedeño's unwavering commitment to clients has led to many favorable resolutions. He has even been asked by the New York State Bar Association to provide lectures on divorce and family law issues. 

2011 – Hon. Fiordaliza Rodriguez
Judge Fiordaliza Rodriguez was appointed to the Family Court in February 2015. She graduated from John Jay College of Criminal Justice and received her law degree from the CUNY School of Law. She previously worked for the New York City Administration for Children's Services, was a solo practitioner and most recently served as a Court Attorney-Referee in Family Court, Kings and New York County. Appointed February 2015. 

2012 & 2013 - Hon. Bianka Perez
Honorable. Bianka Perez is a Justice of the Supreme Court assigned to the Civil Division of Bronx County. Judge Perez was elected November 2020, prior to her election to the Supreme Court she was a Civil Court Judge of Bronx County elected November 2016.  She’s also an Adjunct Professor at Monroe College teaching Criminal Justice. Prior to her judicial career, Judge Perez dedicated her legal career to help the people of the Bronx.  She served her community by providing legal services as the sole owner of the Law Office of Bianka Perez from 2004-2016 in Bronx County.  Prior to her law office she worked at the firm of Ginarte, O'Dwyer, Winograd & Laracuente specializing in personal injury plaintiff matters from 1995-2004.  She was also nominated as Commissioner of the New York City Board of Elections representing Bronx County from September 2014 through June 2016 and was elected the first Latina President of the New York City Board of Elections in January 2016.  She also served as Administrative Law Judge with the Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings from 2012 to 2014. Justice Perez received her Doctorate in Law at New York Law School in 2000 and her B.A. from John Jay College of Criminal Justice C.U.N.Y. in 1995, where she graduated Summa Cum Laude.  She is admitted to both the New York Bar and New Jersey Bar.  She is currently the second Vice President of the Supreme Court Justices Association and has served as President of the Dominican Bar Association from 2012 to 2013 and also served as Parliamentarian of the Bronx Democratic County Committee from 2012 to 2014.

Her hard work and dedication have been recognized by many including the Dominican Bar Association's Judiciary Night; Puerto Rican Bar Association's Judiciary Night; named Ambassador of Justice by the Dominican Day Parade, Inc.; Councilwoman Vanessa Gibson’s Hispanic Heritage Keynote Speaker; Senator Luis Sepulveda’s Dominican Heritage Award; Manhattan Borough President's Hispanic Heritage Award by then Borough President Scott Stringer; Councilman Robert Jackson's Dominican Independence Celebration Award; International Women's Day Award, Centro Altagracia De Fe y Justicia; Former NYC Comptroller John Liu’s Community Leader Award; Universidad APEC (UNAPEC) in the Dominican Republic for her professional accomplishments as an attorney in the United States and for her contribution to the positive recognition of the accomplishments of Dominicans in the United States.  

Justice Perez was born in the United States, her parents are from the Dominican Republic and came to the United States in the 1970s. Justice Perez currently resides in the Bronx with her husband and children.

2014 - H. Benjamin Perez
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2015 - Gloribelle J. Perez
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2016 - Queenie Paniagua
Queenie Paniagua is a litigation associate with the boutique firm of Sack & Sack, LLP. Queenie’s practice focuses on representing employees, executives and partners in all areas of employment law against the most reputable firms worldwide. As a former Brooklyn prosecutor, Queenie employs her extensive litigation experience in the zealous pursuit of her clients’ interests. 

Prior to joining Sack & Sack, LLP, Queenie spent over six years at the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office, one of the largest prosecutorial agencies in the United States. As an Assistant District Attorney, Queenie prosecuted hundreds of criminal cases from arrest to plea or trial. Later, as a Senior Assistant District Attorney, Queenie investigated, indicted and prosecuted a range of serious felony cases including attempted murders, robberies, vehicular fatalities and felony weapons possession. Additionally, she successfully conducted numerous suppression hearings and tried several cases to verdict as lead counsel and second-chaired a homicide. With less than five years at the District Attorney’s Office, Queenie was again promoted to Deputy Bureau Chief, where she supervised 20 Assistant District Attorneys and oversaw their prosecution of thousands of misdemeanor cases.  Prior to joining the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office, Queenie was a Staff Attorney with the New York Legal Assistance Group’s Storm Response Unit (SRU) for two years.

Beyond her work as an associate, Queenie is actively involved in organizations outside the firm including the St. John’s University School of Law Alumni Association, where she serves as a Board member. Queenie is also a former President of the Dominican Bar Association. Finally, she regularly volunteers to mentor law students and young attorneys by sharing her professional journey and conducting mock interviews, among other activities. 

2017 – Vianny Pichardo
Vianny Paulino Pichardo is a former partner of a mid-size New York law firm and former corporate associate of a large international law firm. She is currently a member of Beazley’s Cyber and Executive Risk Group where she provides strategic advice and leadership concerning insurance coverage for Tech E&O, IP, media, and cyber and privacy liabilities. 

Vianny has been recognized by Super Lawyers as a New York Metro Rising Star since 2015. She recently received the 2018 Hispanic National Bar Association’s Top Lawyers under 40 award and Fordham LALSA’s 2017 Andrew A. Rivera Alumni Achievement Award.

She is currently a member of the Mayor's Advisory Committee on the Judiciary and The Attorney Grievance Committee of the First Judicial Department. She is a Past President of The Dominican Bar Association and founder of The DBA’s Women’s Committee, Las Mariposas. She is also a past member of the Latino Justice PRLDEF’s Líderes Board and the NYU CAS Alumni board.   

2018 – Miguelina Camilo
Miguelina is the daughter of a bodega owner who has spent her legal career in dedicated service to the Bronx, City of New York, and the Dominican communities from which she came. She went to NYU for Political Science and received her Juris Doctor from New York Law School becoming the first member of her family to graduate college.

In the 2022 year of redistricting, Miguelina ran for State Senate after her local Senator announced launched a campaign for an open congressional seat. The changes in district lines and competitors landed her in one of the tightest races in the City.

She currently serves as Counsel to Speaker Carl E. Heastie of the New York State Assembly. This being her first role in government she hopes to help build a strong state agenda leveraging her background in elections, criminal and family law and love of community that has gained her relationships in all levels of government. Some of the former community roles include President of the Bronx Women’s Bar Association, President of the Dominican Bar Association, Bronx County Democratic Commissioner, NYC Board of Elections and Mentor at iMentor and Bronx Connect.

Currently she is current President of 100 Hispanic Women, Bronx Chapter and co-founder of Legal Mentorship Bridge for Bronx Youth, a program focused on matching legal mentors with high school students.  Miguelina is a strong supporter of being a mentor to Latinas who, like her, may have had the odds stacked against them but with support and encouragement, they can become successful attorneys, doctors and professionals as well.

2019 – Marbel Leonel Munoz

Marbel Leonel Muñoz, a native of Santiago de los Caballeros in the Dominican Republic, immigrated with his family to the U.S. in the early 2000s. Marbel attended Towson University in Baltimore, Maryland where he received a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration with a concentration in International Business. Marbel went on to attend New York Law School (“NYLS”) where he earned his Juris Doctorate Degree. While at NYLS, Marbel was an Executive Board Member of the Moot Court Association, Vice-President of the Latino Law Student Association, a participant of the Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot in Vienna, Austria, and a judicial intern for U.S. District Judge Dora L. Irizarry from the Eastern District of New York. 

Upon graduating from NYLS, Marbel began working as an Assistant Corporation Counsel with the Office of the Corporation Counsel of the City of New York. As an ACC, Marbel litigated cases from inception to disposition on behalf of the City of New York, its agencies, and employees in the areas of municipal liability, general liability, civil rights, labor law, and contractual disputes. Currently, Marbel is a trial attorney  for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security representing the U.S. government in civil matters. 

Marbel has proudly served the Dominican Bar Association (“DBA”) in many capacites. Marbel’s involvement with the DBA began as a student member. Marbel joined the DBA’s board of directors in 2018 where he served as Vice-President. In 2019, Marbel made history by becoming the DBA’s youngest President at the time. As DBA President, Marbel raised thousands of dollars to fund Scholarship, revamped the DBA’s Know-Your-Rights Workshops providing vital legal information to the community, and built strategic partnerships positioning the DBA as a leading affinity bar association in New York City. Marbel continues serving the DBA as Chair of the Scholarship Review Committee, the committee in charge of the DBA’s Scholarship program for law students and law graduates. 

In his free time, Marbel enjoys spending time with his family, exercising, cooking, and traveling

2020 & 2021- Doralyn De Dios

Doralyn De Dios is an experienced trial attorney and litigator. She started her career at the Kings County District Attorney’s office, the third largest district attorney’s office in the nation. While there, Doralyn worked in the immigrant affairs unit, the Early Case Assessment bureau, the Domestic Violence bureau, and the Investigations bureau. She prosecuted hundreds of misdemeanor and felony cases from arrest through trial, ranging from assaults, gun cases, attempted murders, embezzlement, real estate fraud, and many others. Most recently Doralyn was awarded the Top Lawyer Under 40 Award from the Hispanic National Bar Association.

Doralyn has distinguished herself as a community leader, receiving multiple leadership awards. She served as the president of the Dominican Bar Association, a national organization that empowers and fosters the growth of Latino law students and attorneys. She also served as a board director for the Association of Black Women Attorneys, a NY based organization that promotes the development of black women attorneys and law students. Through her leadership roles, she organized several workshops and programs to help underserved communities, including free Immigration Law Know Your Rights seminars and Citizenship workshops, as well as police reform webinars.

Doralyn deeply believes that every person accused of a crime deserves adequate and excellent representation. Any person who wants to be with their family, travel and work around the world, and have peace of mind deserves that opportunity. As a child of immigrants and a former prosecutor, she truly cares about the experience her clients have through the justice system.

Doralyn received her Juris Doctor from New York Law School and her Bachelor of Science from St. John’s University. She is admitted to practice law in New York, as well as in New York’s Eastern and Southern Federal Districts.

2022 - Jamell Isidor

Jamell Isidor is currently the Assistant Commissioner of the Administrative Policy & Enforcement Division of the NYC Department of Buildings. She oversees the legal units that enforce the NYC Construction Codes and Zoning laws. She is also the owner of Isidor Law, PLLC, a music and entertainment law firm. Before law school, Jamell managed Platinum Sound Recording Studios, a boutique studio owned by multi-platinum and GRAMMY award-winning producers Wyclef Jean and Jerry “Wonda” Duplessis. 

She received her B.B.A. degree in Entrepreneurship Management from the Zicklin School of Business of Bernard Baruch College in 2011 and her Juris Doctor from City University of New York (CUNY) School of Law in 2015. In law school, she was a Senior Staff Editor of the CUNY Law Review, a CUNY Moot Court member, Academic Chair of the Black Law Students Association, and President of the Latin American Law Student Association. In addition to her legal experience, Jamell continuously gives back to her community. She has presented for “Street Law in Español” Know-Your-Rights on topics such as Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, Consumer Debt litigation, and Stop & Frisk. She speaks with high school, college, and law school youth groups and volunteered in Naturalization and Citizen Workshops to help members of the community fill out their paperwork for US Citizenship. She organized student scholarship fundraisers for the Public Interest Law Association, the Black Law Student Association, and the Dominican Bar Association. 

She has also served as a director of the Civil Service Bar Association in 2019 and 2020 and is currently on the board of ASPIRA of New York.  

2023 - Jeffrey J. Saavedra

Jeffrey J. Saavedra is an associate in Latham & Watkins LLP's Finance Department and Structured Finance Practice.

Jeffrey has experience in a variety of structured finance, securitization, warehousing, and other secured financing transactions, representing banks, issuers, underwriters, placement agents, borrowers, lenders, and other financial institutions. In particular, Jeffrey works on the financings of a range of traditional and esoteric asset-backed securities in an assortment of industries, such as fintech, energy, receivables, and other emerging sectors.

Jeffrey maintains an active pro bono practice and has primarily represented Latino/a clients in a range of matters including asylum, intellectual property, corporate governance, and military discharge status upgrades.

Prior to joining Latham, Jeffrey worked as an associate at Dechert LLP from 2018-2023 and Cadwalader, Wickersham and Taft LLP from 2016-2018.

Jeffrey has been involved with the DBA since 2018 and has severed in multiple Officer positions prior to becoming President for 2023. Jeffrey’s maternal family is from Santo Domingo where Jeffrey spent many childhood summers. Jeffrey is very involved in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion efforts within and outside of the legal industry and is often a speaker on DE&I panels and seminars.