For more information on the Housing Justice practice, visit https://takerootjustice.org/areas/housing/

As part of my goal to integrate my technology background into my legal career, I have maintained my skills through freelancing. Recent projects include:► [Brooklyn Law School, Criminal Defense & Advocacy Clinic] Building the database and operational workflows for a clinic assisting incarcerated domestic violence survivors in applying for sentence reductions.► [Intercounty Fellowship of Alcoholics Anonymous] Auditing and overhauling the technology and operational workflows for… Show more As part of my goal to integrate my technology background into my legal career, I have maintained my skills through freelancing. Recent projects include:► [Brooklyn Law School, Criminal Defense & Advocacy Clinic] Building the database and operational workflows for a clinic assisting incarcerated domestic violence survivors in applying for sentence reductions.► [Intercounty Fellowship of Alcoholics Anonymous] Auditing and overhauling the technology and operational workflows for the AA organization serving San Francisco & Marin counties (aasfmarin.org).► [AA Grapevine, Inc.] Building a platform to engage subscribers to the international journal of Alcoholics Anonymous via SMS. Show less

Provided legal support to tenants and coalitions fighting gentrification and predatory landlords.

Provided legal support to tenants and coalitions fighting gentrification and predatory landlords.

Gained early clinical experience at the Economic Justice Project within Main Street Legal Services, the legal services provider adjacent to CUNY Law:► Provided legal advice to CUNY undergrads fighting to restore their Public Assistance benefits.► Researched CityFHEPS on behalf of a grassroots organization serving Central Brooklyn.

Assisted attorneys assigned to represent tenants in eviction proceedings.

Aggressively defended parents and children from being separated from one another by the grotesquely punitive, unfair, wantonly destructive "child welfare" system.

Propel is an e-bike retailer committed to consumer advocacy, fighting for national standards in a new market that largely lacks regulation. Locally, Propel has been at the forefront of successfully overturning New York City’s blanket ban and educating legislators on the role e-bikes can play in a sustainable transportation economy.I was brought on by the CEO to prepare the company to expand to the West Coast with a California retail location & distribution center. To that end, I… Show more Propel is an e-bike retailer committed to consumer advocacy, fighting for national standards in a new market that largely lacks regulation. Locally, Propel has been at the forefront of successfully overturning New York City’s blanket ban and educating legislators on the role e-bikes can play in a sustainable transportation economy.I was brought on by the CEO to prepare the company to expand to the West Coast with a California retail location & distribution center. To that end, I facilitated an internal reorganization, overhauled operations, and managed up to 7 employees while transitioning the company to holacracy (self-organized system of distributed authority). I also implemented new standards and led company-wide training twice per month to ensure all communications (email, phone, in-store, a new website) and practices were consistent with Propel’s commitment to consumer advocacy. Show less

Adverator is the first-ever independent, local media marketplace. Its mission is to dramatically improve the way small businesses advertise by making local media more accessible and affordable through a self-service online store.I worked within the Marketing & Product teams, as well as led initiatives that cut across the company:► I spearheaded one of the company’s five media offerings, including researching the competitive landscape, identifying potential partners for licensing… Show more Adverator is the first-ever independent, local media marketplace. Its mission is to dramatically improve the way small businesses advertise by making local media more accessible and affordable through a self-service online store.I worked within the Marketing & Product teams, as well as led initiatives that cut across the company:► I spearheaded one of the company’s five media offerings, including researching the competitive landscape, identifying potential partners for licensing & fulfillment, facilitating negotiations with our partners & redlining contracts, and managing the user experience design, visual design, and development processes.► I was responsible for Quality Assurance testing new features added to the website. QA involved meticulously identifying every way a new feature could be used and managing a small team to test each scenario across different devices and web browsers.► I developed all of the internal communication and collaboration tools used company-wide. I also periodically reviewed workflows across the entire company to eliminate inefficiencies.► As "Social Technologist,” I led the CEO’s experiment with holacracy, a model of self-organization and -management at the level of the individual, team, and the organization as a whole (http://www.holacracy.org/how-it-works/).► I led or played a leading role in the selection, set-up, and optimization of each process & tool within our marketing technology. This included several major migrations (Office365 to Front & G Suite; Netsuite to a custom database solution; ExactTarget & QuickPivot to MailChimp, Outreach.io, & Salesforce).► I facilitated sprint planning for the activation marketing team, wrote the SQL queries for our marketing segments, and created the conditional logic to customize our campaigns. Show less

VV is a boutique digital consultancy that incubates start-ups and provides giant companies with creative direction and support around execution (e.g. rethinking customer service for 20+ million Comcast customers).I was the account lead for three start-up clients, including Adverator (see above), and overhauled VV’s internal communication & collaboration tools. I was responsible for project-managing product launches involving multiple companies, developing business plans, contributing to… Show more VV is a boutique digital consultancy that incubates start-ups and provides giant companies with creative direction and support around execution (e.g. rethinking customer service for 20+ million Comcast customers).I was the account lead for three start-up clients, including Adverator (see above), and overhauled VV’s internal communication & collaboration tools. I was responsible for project-managing product launches involving multiple companies, developing business plans, contributing to user experience design, writing website content, and establishing communication & collaboration tools for clients. Show less

Selfie was an app and social network built around face-to-face conversations, designed to inject authenticity into our digital interactions and humanize the little glass screens of our phones. After hearing my feedback as a beta user, they recruited me to help with their launch. I worked with the CEO & senior leadership on everything from overall strategy to daily operations, managed 2 - 3 people at any given time, ran several community-building & marketing initiatives, and established the… Show more Selfie was an app and social network built around face-to-face conversations, designed to inject authenticity into our digital interactions and humanize the little glass screens of our phones. After hearing my feedback as a beta user, they recruited me to help with their launch. I worked with the CEO & senior leadership on everything from overall strategy to daily operations, managed 2 - 3 people at any given time, ran several community-building & marketing initiatives, and established the organizational framework for the marketing & community-building team under an extremely tight deadline. Show less

As a lifelong chess player and former competitor, I created Flipped Chess Classroom to use chess as a departure point to teach kids what matters most: life lessons & non-cognitive skills (how to pay attention, manage emotions, and let go of stress). Instead of a traditional in-class lecture, I "flipped" my classroom by creating YouTube videos for my students to watch from home, using the freed-up class time to work on applied concepts. We practiced meditation during every class &… Show more As a lifelong chess player and former competitor, I created Flipped Chess Classroom to use chess as a departure point to teach kids what matters most: life lessons & non-cognitive skills (how to pay attention, manage emotions, and let go of stress). Instead of a traditional in-class lecture, I "flipped" my classroom by creating YouTube videos for my students to watch from home, using the freed-up class time to work on applied concepts. We practiced meditation during every class & competition.I taught at 9 schools across the Tri-State Area with a focus on PS 217. Enrollment in PS 217’s after-school chess program more than tripled after my first semester. I also developed a competitive team there in addition to two clubs outside of school. I welcomed all students in my private classes, regardless of their ability to pay. Show less

After starting and running small companies at the direction of someone else for the better part of five years, I struck out on my own to start Just Sherpas. Initially, we served college and local newspapers to help them adapt to the seismic editorial and economic disruptions of the Internet. Subsequently, we pivoted into project management and streamlining companies' digital workflows. Eventually, I merged Just Sherpas with a more-established company: Props.Props offered web design &… Show more After starting and running small companies at the direction of someone else for the better part of five years, I struck out on my own to start Just Sherpas. Initially, we served college and local newspapers to help them adapt to the seismic editorial and economic disruptions of the Internet. Subsequently, we pivoted into project management and streamlining companies' digital workflows. Eventually, I merged Just Sherpas with a more-established company: Props.Props offered web design & development, content marketing, search engine optimization, social media management, and workflow auditing. As a Partner in Props, I served as the organizational backbone of our team with almost 60 clients averaging 10 simultaneously active projects. I was responsible for developing the brand identities, voice, and content marketing strategies of our clients, as well as contributing to UX design and managing our visual design team. Show less

Within a week of starting an internship for a serial entrepreneur/investor, I was hired full-time to help him establish and run small companies. For the better part of the next five years, I served as his "right hand."The first company I helped start, and the one that I spent the most time on, was Lilybug Scooters, a designated driver service in the Hamptons. Instead of leaving your car behind or driving under the influence, you could call Lilybug. Our driver would arrive on a folding… Show more Within a week of starting an internship for a serial entrepreneur/investor, I was hired full-time to help him establish and run small companies. For the better part of the next five years, I served as his "right hand."The first company I helped start, and the one that I spent the most time on, was Lilybug Scooters, a designated driver service in the Hamptons. Instead of leaving your car behind or driving under the influence, you could call Lilybug. Our driver would arrive on a folding moped, fold it up, put in in the trunk of your car, and then drive you wherever you needed to go in your own car.I moved to the Hamptons and became responsible for all day-to-day operations from its inception, including building and managing a team of 15 employees (drivers & dispatchers) for the first season. I also initiated a partnership with Jack Daniel's to harness Lilybug's potential as a marketing vehicle. Show less

Working as a counselor at a camp for mentally and physically disabled children & adults was one of the best experiences of my life.► Promoted to a highly competitive paid position immediately after the required minimum of three seasons as a volunteer.► Responsible for 40 campers between the ages of 19 and 45 with physical and mental handicaps on a daily basis, including weekend-long field trips, along with 5 other staff members.► Responsibilities included assisting severely… Show more Working as a counselor at a camp for mentally and physically disabled children & adults was one of the best experiences of my life.► Promoted to a highly competitive paid position immediately after the required minimum of three seasons as a volunteer.► Responsible for 40 campers between the ages of 19 and 45 with physical and mental handicaps on a daily basis, including weekend-long field trips, along with 5 other staff members.► Responsibilities included assisting severely physically disabled campers with using the bathroom and one-on-one supervision in the pool.► Consistently received top marks in all my reviews. Show less