Our Team

 

The NYC Commission on Human Rights is staffed by legal, community relations, policy, communications, human resources, finance, operations, administrative and information technology staff members from across the City’s rich and diverse communities and beyond, representing many languages, cultures, and backgrounds. The Commission welcomes people of all races, faiths, colors, ethnicities, national origins, ages, genders, sexual orientations, and gender identities or expressions; veterans; people with disabilities; and people with personal experience with the criminal justice system.

At last count, the Commission’s staff speaks 26 languages across its different departments including Spanish, Haitian Creole, Arabic, Hindi, Urdu, Korean, Bengali, Russian, French and Chinese. This reflects on the Commission’s vision and mission, under Commissioner Carmelyn P. Malalis’ leadership, to be a local government resource that is representative of, and accessible to, the different communities the agency serves, and grow with the goal of meeting the needs of New Yorkers from every corner of our great City.

The diversity within the Commission’s staff is unified by a common passion for human rights. That core value is informed by the staff members’ personal and prior work experience working with and alongside other advocates for human rights, including community based groups; legal services, faith-based, and social justice organizations; and federal, state or local elected officials and government agencies.      

Office of the Chairperson and Commissioner

Carmelyn P. Malalis
Chair and Commissioner

Harry Copson
Assistant to the Commissioner

Lauren Elfant
Chief of Staff

Brittny Saunders
Deputy Commissioner, Strategic Initiatives

Dana Sussman
Deputy Commissioner, Policy and Intergovernmental Affairs

 

Office of the General Counsel

Damion Stodola
General Counsel

 

Office of Mediation and Conflict Resolution

Elizabeth J. Shampnoi
Director of Mediation and Conflict Resolution

 

Community Relations Bureau

Marissa A. Jackson
Deputy Commissioner  

Doreen Bermudez
Managing Director for Programming and Strategic Planning
Senior Liaison for Community Relations Bureau

Franck D. Joseph II
Managing Director for Strategic Partnerships and External Affairs

Anna Martinez
Director of Project Equal Access

Vanessa Ramos
Managing Director for Education, Restorative Justice, and Development

Kajori Chaudhuri
Bronx Community Service Center Director

Daryl Cochrane
Manhattan Community Service Center Director

Alexander Korkhov
Staten Island Community Service Center Director

Rasel Rahman
Queens Community Service Center Director

Derek Slaughter 
Brooklyn Community Service Center Director

 

Law Enforcement Bureau

Hollis V. Pfitsch
Deputy Commissioner

Katherine Greenberg
Assistant Commissioner, Public-Initiated Cases

Sapna V. Raj
Assistant Commissioner, Commission-Initiated Investigations

Carlos Velez
Managing Attorney

Katherine Carroll
Supervising Attorney, Housing and Public Accommodations (Disability Discrimination)

Aarti Garg
Early Intervention Legal Director

Paul Keefe
Supervising Attorney, Employment (Fair Chance Act and Criminal History Discrimination)

Philippe Knab
Supervising Attorney, Housing and Public Accommodations (Tenant Harassment)

Stephanie Rudolph
Supervising Attorney, Director of the Source of Income Discrimination Unit

Mari Grace Sacro
Supervising Attorney, Employment (Workplace Harassment)

Sudarsana Srinivasan
Supervising Attorney, Housing and Public Accommodations (Discriminatory Harassment)

Kristen Zapalac
Infoline Director

Communications and Marketing

Carmen Boon
Deputy Commissioner, Communications and Marketing

Seth Hoy
Press Secretary

Andrew Teixeira
Marketing and Communications Coordinator (Vendor Relations)

Human Resources

Taiwo Onabanjo
Executive Director of Human Resources

Information Technology

Stacey E. Blissett
Chief Information Officer

Operations (Budget)

Sheshe Segar
Executive Director of Operations