Edward Lindner, Deputy Administrator for Litigation, is a graduate of the University of Arizona and Cornell Law School, where he was a member of the Board of Editors of the Cornell International Law Journal. Prior to joining the Commission’s staff, he was an Assistant Solicitor General in the Division of Appeals & Opinions for the New York State Attorney General. He has been a Board Member and volunteer for various community organizations, including Catholic Charities, The Children’s Museum at Saratoga, the Saratoga Springs Public Library and the Saratoga Springs Preservation Foundation.

Denise Buckley, Senior Litigation Counsel, earned her J.D. at NYU School of Law and B.A. (magna cum laude, in cursu honorum) at Fordham University. Born and raised in Bronx, New York, she lived and worked in New York City, Edinburgh, and Dublin before settling in New York’s Capital Region. She holds an LL.M., from the University of Edinburgh and a Diploma in Commercial Litigation from the Law Society of Ireland. Before assuming her current role with the Commission, she worked as a Professional Support Lawyer in the Edinburgh and Glasgow offices of a law firm in Scotland, a State Solicitor with the Chief State Solicitor’s Office in Dublin, Ireland, an Adjunct Lecturer at Albany Law School of Union College, and an Assistant Attorney General with the New York State Office of the Attorney General. In 2021, she received a Louis J. Lefkowitz Memorial Award from New York State’s Attorney General in recognition of her outstanding performance on behalf of the Office of the Attorney General and the people of the State of New York. In addition to her academic and professional achievements, Denise has served as a volunteer with St. Peter’s Community Hospice and Capital City Rescue Mission.

David P. Stromes, Senior Litigation Counsel, is a graduate of Brandeis University and Brooklyn Law School. Prior to joining the Commission’s staff, he served for nearly 12 years as an Assistant District Attorney in the Appeals Division of the New York County District Attorney’s Office. He also has taught Appellate Advocacy as an adjunct professor at Brooklyn Law School.

Celia A. Zahner, Clerk of the Commission, is a graduate of Colgate University and Harvard Law School. She previously served as Special Counsel to the Independent Investigations Officer and the Chief Investigator appointed pursuant to the Consent Order in United States v International Brotherhood of Teamsters. Ms. Zahner also served as a Staff Attorney in the Law Enforcement Bureau of the New York City Commission on Human Rights and as a Staff Attorney in the Criminal Defense Division of the Legal Aid Society.

Mark Levine, Deputy Administrator in Charge of the Commission's New York office, is a graduate of the State University of New York at Buffalo and Brooklyn Law School. He previously served as Principal Law Clerk to Acting Supreme Court Justice Jill Konviser and Supreme Court Justice Phylis Skloot Bamberger, as an Assistant Attorney General in New York, as an Assistant District Attorney in Queens, and as law clerk to United States District Court Judge Jacob Mishler. Mr. Levine also practiced law with the law firms of Patterson, Belknap, Webb & Tyler, and Weil, Gotshal & Manges.

Brenda Correa, Principal Attorney, is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University (cum laude). Prior to joining the Commission staff, she served as an Assistant District Attorney in the New York County District Attorney’s Office under Robert M. Morgenthau. She also worked as an associate for Wilentz Goldman & Spitzer, PA in the area of toxic torts and Kaufman Borgeest & Ryan, LLP in the area of legal malpractice defense and as Professional Responsibility Counsel for Foley & Lardner, LLP.

Jennifer L. Lowry, Principal Attorney, is a graduate of Barnard College (magna cum laude) and Fordham Law School, where she received the Archibald R. Murray Public Service Award and served as the Managing Editor of the Environmental Law Journal. Prior to joining the Commission, she served as Principal Law Clerk to Acting Supreme Court Justice Jill Konviser. She previously served as an Assistant District Attorney in New York County, assigned to the Trial Division, Sex Crimes and Domestic Violence Units, and the Appeals Bureau, and as an Assistant District Attorney in Westchester County, assigned to the Special Prosecutions and Local Courts and Grand Jury Divisions.

Melissa DiPalo, Principal Attorney, is a graduate of the University of Richmond and Brooklyn Law School. She previously served as Administrative Counsel and as a Staff Attorney at the Commission. She has also served as an Assistant District Attorney in the Bronx and as a Court Attorney in Kings County Civil Court.

Vickie Ma, Senior Attorney, is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin at Madison and Albany Law School, where she was Associate Editor of the Law Review. Prior to joining the Commission staff, she served as an Assistant District Attorney in Kings County. She previously worked for the Commission from 2000 to 2006, when she left for a legal consultant position in private industry.

Eric Arnone, Senior Attorney, is a graduate of New York University (magna cum laude) and Brooklyn Law School. Prior to joining the Commission Staff, he served for ten years as an Assistant District Attorney in Manhattan where he was assigned to the Trial Division, Homicide Investigations Unit and the Violent Criminal Enterprises Unit. After leaving the Manhattan D.A., he entered private practice with a focus on criminal defense and both state and federal civil litigation.

Kelvin S. Davis, Staff Attorney, is a graduate of Yale University and the University of Virginia Law School. Prior to joining the Commission staff, he served as an Assistant Staff Judge Advocate in the United States Air Force and as Judicial Law Clerk to New Jersey Superior Court Judge Eugene H. Austin.

Stella Gilliland, Staff Attorney, is a graduate of Lewis and Clark College and Fordham University School of Law. She previously served as Deputy State Public Defender with the Colorado Public Defender in Alamosa, Colorado.

Adam B. Kahan, Staff Attorney, is a graduate of Duke University (summa cum laude) and University of Virginia School of Law, where he served as Articles Editor for the Virginia Journal of International Law. Prior to joining the Commission Staff, he was in private practice focusing on capital markets and private fund formation at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett in Manhattan.

Alan W. Friedberg, Special Counsel, is a graduate of Brooklyn College, the Brooklyn Law School and the New York University Law School, where he earned an LL.M. in Criminal Justice. He previously served as Chief Counsel to the Departmental Disciplinary Committee of the Appellate Division, First Department, as Deputy Administrator in Charge of the Commission's New York City Office, as a Senior Attorney at the Commission, as a staff attorney in the Law Office of the New York City Board of Education, as an adjunct professor of business law at Brooklyn College, and as a junior high school teacher in the New York City public school system.

Cathleen S. Cenci, Deputy Administrator in Charge of the Commission's Albany office, is a graduate of Potsdam College (summa cum laude) and the Albany Law School of Union University. In 1979, she completed the Course Superior at the Institute of Touraine in Tours, France. Ms. Cenci joined the Commission staff in 1985. She has been a judge of the Albany Law School moot court competitions and a member of Albany County Big Brothers/Big Sisters.

S. Peter Pedrotty, Principal Attorney, is a graduate of St. Michael's College (cum laude) and the Albany Law School of Union University (magna cum laude). Prior to joining the Commission staff, he served as an Appellate Court Attorney at the Appellate Division, Third Department, and was engaged in the private practice of law in Saratoga County and with the law firm of Clifford Chance US LLP in Manhattan.

Kathleen E. Klein, Senior Attorney, is a graduate of State University of New York College at Fredonia (cum laude) and Pace University School of Law where she was a Merit Scholarship recipient. Prior to joining the Commission Staff, she served as a Senior Assistant District Attorney with the Ulster County District Attorney’s Office. She worked in private practice as a litigator, but began her career negotiating contracts for fractional aircraft ownership for CitationShares Sales, Inc. in Greenwich, Connecticut.

Shruti Joshi, Staff Attorney, completed her Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Law degree from Symbiosis Law School in India and Masters in Intellectual Property Law from George Washington University Law School in Washington, D.C. Prior to joining the Commission staff, she worked at the Legal Aid Society of Northeastern New York in Albany where she represented low-income clients in foreclosure and housing cases. Shruti practiced in India as an in-house counsel for PepsiCo, Inc. before moving to the United States of America. She is dual-qualified, with license to practice in New York and India.

John J. Postel, Deputy Administrator in Charge of the Commission's Rochester office, is a graduate of the University of Albany and the Albany Law School of Union University. He joined the Commission staff in 1980. Mr. Postel serves on the Board of Directors of the Association of Judicial Disciplinary Counsel. He is a past president of the Governing Council of St. Thomas More R.C. Parish. He is a former officer of the Pittsford-Mendon Ponds Association and a former President of the Stonybrook Association. He served as the advisor to the Sutherland High School Mock Trial Team for eight years. He is the Vice President and a past Treasurer of the Pittsford Golden Lions Football Club, Inc. He is an assistant director and coach for Pittsford Community Lacrosse. He is an active member of the Pittsford Mustangs Soccer Club, Inc.

M. Kathleen Martin, Senior Attorney, is a graduate of Mount Holyoke College and Cornell Law School (cum laude). Prior to joining the Commission's staff, she was an attorney at the Eastman Kodak Company, where among other things she held positions as Legal Counsel to the Health Group, Director of Intellectual Property Transactions and Director of Corporate Management Strategy Deployment. She also served as Vice President and Senior Associate Counsel at Chase Manhattan Bank, and in private practice with the firm of Nixon, Hargrave, Devans & Doyle.

David M. Duguay, Senior Attorney, is a graduate of the State University of New York at Buffalo (summa cum laude) and the SUNY at Buffalo Law School. Prior to joining the Commission's staff, he was Special Assistant Public Defender and Town Court Supervisor in the Monroe County Public Defender's Office. He served previously as a staff attorney with Legal Services, Inc., of Chambersburg, Pennsylvania.

Cassie M. Kocher, Senior Attorney, is a graduate of Cornell University and the University of Louisville Brandeis School of Law. Prior to joining the Commission staff, she was an Assistant United States Attorney for the Western District of New York assigned to the Narcotics and Violent Crime Section. She also previously worked as an Assistant District Attorney in Monroe County where she was assigned to the Special Investigation Bureau and prosecuted felony drug and gun cases.

Stephanie A. Fix, Staff Attorney, is a graduate of the State University of New York at Brockport and Quinnipiac College School of Law in Connecticut. Prior to joining the Commission staff she was in private practice focusing on civil litigation and professional liability in Manhattan and Rochester. She has served on the Monroe County Bar Association (MCBA) Board of Trustees and is a member of the MCBA’s Professional Performance Committee. She has served on the Bishop Kearney High School Board of Trustees. Ms. Fix received the President’s Award for Professionalism from the Monroe County Bar Association in 2004 for her participation with the ABA “Dialogue on Freedom” initiative. She is a member of the New York State Bar Association and Greater Rochester Association of Women Attorneys (GRAWA). Ms. Fix is an adjunct professor at St. John Fisher College.