Staff & Board

Staff

Alaina Evelyn Varvaloucas, Esq.

Executive Director

Alaina Evelyn Varvaloucas, Esq.

Executive Director

Alaina joined WJCNY as Executive Director in 2024. She previously served as the Managing Attorney of the Agricultural Worker Project (AWP), a unit of the Legal Aid Society of Mid-New York. At AWP, Alaina represented farmworkers and other low-wage workers on matters such as wage theft, retaliation, unlawful evictions, unsanitary housing, H-2A and H-2B program violations, labor exploitation, organizing, workplace injuries, immigration, and public benefits. She also conducted outreach with agricultural workers around New York State and collaborated with various state- and nationwide advocacy coalitions on targeted systemic issues. In addition, Alaina has a background representing survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault in both rural and urban settings at Pine Tree Legal Assistance in Maine and Lawyers for Children in New York City. Alaina also has engaged in program-building and investigative research in Latin America, West Africa, Southern Africa, and South Asia. Alaina has tried to live, litigate, research, or engage in access to justice efforts on every continent and in both urban and rural settings in the United States. She believes there is no one-size-fits-all approach to providing advocacy, education, and legal services. Alaina has had an immense respect for WJCNY for years and is thrilled to join the WJCNY’s expert staff in combatting labor exploitation and serving agricultural and other low-wage workers across New York State. Alaina holds a law degree from Yale Law School and a bachelor’s degree from Yale College and has been the recipient of an Equal Justice Works Fellowship and a Fulbright Scholarship.

Phone:(845) 331-6615 x 1000
Email:AVarvaloucas@wjcny.org

Aylin Aguilar

Human Trafficking Specialist

Aylin Aguilar

Human Trafficking Specialist

Aylin joined WJCNY in 2026 as a Human Trafficking Specialist. Prior to this role, she worked as a Case Manager at a nonprofit organization that received referrals from the Office of Refugee Resettlement to reunify unaccompanied minors with sponsors across the country. She also served as a Case Advocate and later as a Human Services Coordinator at a nonprofit in Middletown, where she supported families throughout Orange County by assisting with applications for social services, preparing family court petitions—including child support, custody, and divorce—and managing a food pantry that served approximately 150 families each week. Aylin earned her Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice, with a minor in Accounting, from the University of Scranton. She also completed the Paralegal Certificate Program at Marist University and is a Notary Public. As the proud daughter of immigrants, Aylin is deeply passionate about empowering her community and advocating for individuals facing unjust treatment. In her free time, she enjoys traveling and listening to music, and she aspires to become an Immigration Attorney in the future.

Phone:(845) 331-6615 x 1008
Email:aaguilar@wjcny.org

Cristina Brito, Esq.

Deputy Legal Director

Cristina Brito, Esq.

Deputy Legal Director

Cristina joined WJCNY in 2021 as a staff attorney. Cristina represents both individuals and groups in state and federal court actions involving claims of wage and hour, discrimination, and other labor-related violations. Prior to joining WJCNY, Cristina worked as a labor and employment law paralegal for 9 years at a private firm in Manhattan, primarily working with low-wage immigrant workers in wage theft and discrimination cases. While working full-time, Cristina received her J.D. in 2021 from CUNY School of Law where she was a Senior Staff Editor for the City University of New York Law Review and research assistant to Professor Chaumtoli Huq. During her time in law school, Cristina worked in the Community and Economic Development Clinic collaborating with and counseling grassroots community groups fighting for economic change and social justice. Cristina has interned with Catholic Migration Services’ Workers Rights Program and served as a Judicial Intern to U.S. Magistrate Judge Lois Bloom in the Eastern District of New York. Cristina enjoys yoga, hiking, and spending time with her family and dog.

Phone:(845) 331-6615 x 1009
Email:cbrito@wjcny.org

Cecilia Cortina Segovia

Paralegal

Cecilia Cortina Segovia

Paralegal

Cecilia, a native of Mexico, currently holds the position of Paralegal within the Legal Program. She joined WJCNY in 2018. She started as the Human Trafficking Specialist (WJCNY), where she assisted victims of human trafficking, organized two task forces in the North Country and Capital Region of New York State, and gave training on Human Trafficking to law enforcement, service providers, and the community. Later she became the Survivor Services Advocate. In this role, as a case manager, she assisted survivors navigating the complex system of social support, including basic needs like food, utilities, housing, and mental health, to rebuild their lives. Previously, Cecilia worked as an outreach specialist in Mexico with government and nonprofit organizations focused on social development and environmental justice.

Phone:(845) 331-6615 x 1012
Email:ccortina@wjcny.org

Julie Dragonetti

Outreach & Education Coordinator

Julie Dragonetti

Outreach & Education Coordinator

Julie joined WJCNY in 2022 as a Campaign Organizer. In this role, Julie worked on statewide legislative campaigns to advance workers’ and immigrants’ rights. In the fall of 2023, she transitioned into the role of Worker Rights Advocate, focusing out outreach and community legal education intiatives. Julie has a background in case management and earned her Bachelor of Science in Counseling & Human Services from the University of Scranton. Julie has previously organized with the Syracuse Immigrant & Refugee Defense Network and volunteered with the Workers’ Center of Central New York.

Phone:(585) 325-3050 x 2010
Email:jdragonetti@wjcny.org

Gloribell Figueroa

Worker Rights Advocate

Gloribell Figueroa

Worker Rights Advocate

Gloribell joined WJCNY in February of 2023 as Worker Rights Advocate, based in our Rochester office. In this role, she is involved with various aspects community outreach, legal rights education, and client advocacy. Prior to joining our team, Gloribell spent 11 years as a migrant educator with the Northwest Regional Migrant Education and Tutorial Support Services Program Center at the SUNY Brockport. She Holds a BA in Education from Turabo University of Puerto Rico.

Phone:(585) 325-3050 x 2013
Email:gfigueroa@wjcny.org

Todd Humphrey

Director of Finance & Administration

Todd Humphrey

Director of Finance & Administration

Todd joined WJCNY in 2023 after serving as a finance consultant for WJCNY through Conlon and Company, CPAs, PLLC. After graduating from SUNY Albany, he worked for a local CPA firm where he obtained his CPA license. Todd has experience in accounting and finance with several nonprofit organizations in Western NY. He has served on several volunteer boards of Rochester-area nonprofits and participated in the Career Opportunities in the Accounting Profession (COAP) Program of the NYSSCPA. Todd is a Buffalo Bills fan and enjoys fishing.

Phone:(585) 325-3050 x 1001
Email:thumphrey@wjcny.org

Maureen Hussain, Esq.

Legal Director

Maureen Hussain, Esq.

Legal Director

Maureen joined WJCNY in 2018 as a staff attorney and has served as its legal director since 2021. She is humbled to represent hard-working people who are standing up for their rights against discrimination, sexual harassment, unsafe working conditions, subminimum wages, and other forms of labor exploitation, and to collaborate with community leaders to try to make our laws and our society more just. She was part of the WJCNY trial team that won one of the top 100 labor and employment verdicts in the U.S. in 2019, on behalf of three construction workers who had worked off-the-clock and had been denied overtime pay. Prior to joining WJCNY, Maureen worked on employment, immigration, housing, access to education, and local governance matters at Catholic Migration Services in Queens and the Hudson Valley Justice Center in Westchester County, and served as a judicial law clerk to the Honorable Debra Freeman, Magistrate Judge in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. She is a graduate of Duke University, where she received degrees in computer science and comparative area studies, and Harvard Law School, where she participated in the Harvard Immigration and Refugee Clinic.

Phone:(845) 331-6615 x 1011
Email:mhussain@wjcny.org

Malcolm Song-ok Kim, Esq.

Immigration Attorney

Malcolm Song-ok Kim, Esq.

Immigration Attorney

Malcolm joined WJCNY in 2025 as an immigration attorney based in our Rochester office where they provide comprehensive immigration legal services to victims of raids, crimes, and trafficking at their workplaces. Malcolm has also volunteered with WJCNY since 2022 and has long respected WJCNY's close connection to the communities it serves. Prior to working at WJCNY, Malcolm ran a solo law firm focusing on immigration law and civil rights with a substantial pro bono practice. Malcolm previously worked on social security appeals and tenant defense at Empire Justice Center's Rochester office. Before moving to Rochester in 2021, Malcolm did removal defense, both with Catholic Charities Community Services’ Unaccompanied Minors Program in New York City, and as a law student with Make the Road New York through New York University School of Law’s Litigation, Organizing, and Systemic Change clinic. Malcolm’s focus on immigration law is informed by being a second-generation Korean immigrant. Malcolm graduated from NYU Law in 2016 and has an undergraduate degree in Comparative Literature from the University at Buffalo. When not practicing law, Mal enjoys hiking, gardening, and playing with their two little dogs.

Phone:(585) 325-3050 x 2003
Email:mkim@wjcny.org

Emma Kreyche

Director of Advocacy, Outreach, & Education

Emma Kreyche

Director of Advocacy, Outreach, & Education

Emma brings two decades of experience as a social justice organizer, advocate, and educator. Since joining WJCNY in 2012, her work has focused on community outreach, know-your-rights education, and advocacy to combat abuses in low-wage industries and advance the rights of immigrant workers in New York State, particularly farmworkers. Emma has been involved in several successful local and statewide legislative campaigns. In 2019, she served as statewide coordinator of the Green Light NY Coalition and led a successful grassroots campaign to restore driver’s license access for immigrant New Yorkers, regardless of immigration status. She currently serves on the steering committee of the Fund Excluded Workers Coalition, which won $2.1 billion in pandemic relief for excluded workers in 2021 and is currently fighting to permanently repair the holes in New York’s unemployment social safety net. Emma received her Bachelor of Arts from Bard College and her Master in Philosophy in American Studies from New York University.

Phone:(845) 331-6615 x 1006
Email:ekreyche@wjcny.org

Pablo Leon

Worker Rights Advocate

Pablo Leon

Worker Rights Advocate

Pablo joined WJCNY in 2022 as a Worker Rights Advocate. He knows first-hand the issues immigrant workers face in this country as his parents are immigrants from Hidalgo, Mexico. Pablo received his B.A in Public Relations from SUNY Oswego and is now dedicated to pursuing justice for those who are denied human rights. Previously he has interned at For the Many, a social justice group looking to transform New York so it works for all people, as well as volunteered with the Saint Baldricks Foundation raising money for childhood cancer research. Pablo enjoys spending time with his cats, playing video games, and watching YouTube movie reviews.

Phone:(845) 331-6615 x 1015
Email:pleon@wjcny.org

Gabriel Marcano

Human Trafficking Coordinator

Gabriel Marcano

Human Trafficking Coordinator

Born in Caracas, Venezuela, Gabriel has dedicated over 10 years to amplifying the voices and championing the rights of marginalized communities. From advocating for migrants and low-income workers to supporting survivors of Human Trafficking, Gabriel has extensive experience working at the intersection of social justice and human rights. Gabriel has served in the Army Reserves for over 7 years, applying those experiences both professionally and as a volunteer supporting Veterans recovering from trauma, homelessness and addiction. Gabriel's unwavering commitment to equity and inclusion is a driving force in fostering positive change for vulnerable populations.

Phone:(585) 325-3050 x 2001
Email:gmarcano@wjcny.org

Sophia Allie Martinez

Paralegal

Sophia Allie Martinez

Paralegal

Emma (she/her/they/them/elle/ella) brings two decades of experience as a social justice organizer, advocate, and educator. Since joining WJCNY in 2012, her work has focused on community outreach, know-your-rights education, and advocacy to combat abuses in low-wage industries and advance the rights of immigrant workers in New York State, particularly farmworkers. Emma has been involved in several successful local and statewide legislative campaigns. In 2019, she served as statewide coordinator of the Green Light NY Coalition and led a successful grassroots campaign to restore driver’s license access for immigrant New Yorkers, regardless of immigration status. She currently serves on the steering committee of the Fund Excluded Workers Coalition, which won $2.1 billion in pandemic relief for excluded workers in 2021 and is currently fighting to permanently repair the holes in New York’s unemployment social safety net. Emma received her Bachelor of Arts from Bard College and her Master in Philosophy in American Studies from New York University.

Phone:(845) 331-6615 x 1006
Email:ekreyche@wjcny.org

Eline Martinez

Worker Rights Advocate

Eline Martinez

Worker Rights Advocate

Eline joined WJCNY in 2026 as a Worker Rights Advocate. Prior to joining WJCNY, she assisted families and individuals facing eviction while serving as a Housing Counselor with Legal Services of the Hudson Valley. Before that, she worked as a Case Manager for Catholic Charities of Ulster County. Originally from Barranquilla, Colombia, Eline has always been passionate about serving and advocating for underserved communities. In her free time, she enjoys reading poetry and spending time with her family and friends.

Phone:(845) 331-6615 x 1010
Email:emartinez@wjcny.org

Mary McConnell

Grants & Development Coordinator

Mary McConnell

Grants & Development Coordinator

Mary joined WJCNY as a Development and Grants Coordinator in 2023. Born and raised in an agricultural region of northern Maine, Mary moved to New York to attend Rochester Institute of Technology. After receiving her degree in graphic design and working for various design firms, she spent many years as a freelance designer before transitioning to grant writing. Prior to joining WJCNY, Mary worked as a grant writer for YWCA of Rochester and Monroe County for seven years. While there, she worked on securing funds for housing, domestic violence, and racial equity issues. She spends her free time cooking, knitting, and walking; and enjoys going to yard sales and flea markets to add to her collection of vintage textiles.

Phone:(585) 325-3050 x 2009
Email:mmcconnell@wjcny.org

Wendy Mejía-Ochoa

Paralegal Coordinator

Wendy Mejía-Ochoa

Paralegal Coordinator

Wendy joined WJCNY in 2022 as a Paralegal. Growing up, she saw a lot of inequality when it came to the Latino community, from lack of language assistance to unsafe working conditions. Wendy received her Bachelor of Arts in Politics from the New York University. Previously, she worked at TD Bank and gained knowledge in the banking industry. Her goal in life is to helo others and break through generational barriers. Currently, she is the Paralegal Coordinator and a Department of Justice Accredited Representative. She volunteers with many organizations such as For the Many, and Fuerza Newburgh.

Phone:(845) 331-6615 x 1013
Email:WMejia-ochoa@wjcny.org

Marí Perales Sánchez

Skadden Legal Fellow

Marí Perales Sánchez

Skadden Legal Fellow

Marí Perales Sánchez is our Skadden Foundation Legal Fellow at the Worker Justice Center of New York, where she focuses on protecting the rights of farmworker women and the immigrant community in New York State. Before joining us, Marí participated in the Worker and Immigrants’ Rights Advocacy Clinic at Yale Law School, where she graduated in 2025. Marí brings over a decade of work advocating alongside the immigrant and farmworker community, and previously served as Senior Policy Manager at Centro de los Derechos del Migrante, Inc. and Secretary for the board of Alianza Nacional de Campesinas, Inc. Having immigrated from Guanajuato, Mexico, at the age of eight, Marí is a recipient of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program and a first-generation immigrant. In 2017, she joined her alma mater, Princeton University, in a lawsuit against the Trump Administration for the rescission of the program. Marí was named one of the 25 Women to Watch in 2020 by The Baltimore Sun and was nominated as a Marylander of the Year by the publication in 2019.

Phone:(845) 331-6615 x 1007
Email:MPeralesSanchez@wjcny.org

Olivia Post-Rich, Esq.

Sr. Labor & Employment Attorney

Olivia Post-Rich, Esq.

Sr. Labor & Employment Attorney

Olivia joined the WJCNY team in 2021 as a labor & employment attorney at our Rochester office. Olivia represents workers in federal and state court litigation and agency complaints on matters such as trafficking, wage theft, discrimination, and retaliation, as well as related immigration matters, such as habeas petitions and affirmative applications for relief. Olivia is honored to represent courageous people fighting for dignified working conditions on behalf of themselves and others. Olivia has been involved in community organizing for over a decade and believes strongly in the power of communities to disrupt injustice and create systemic change. They graduated from New York University School of Law as a Pro Bono Scholar, where they heavily focused on civil rights and immigration in their clinical coursework. Prior to joining WJCNY, Olivia was a law clerk to the Honorable Carl E. Stewart on the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. Olivia loves being outdoors, meditating, and spending time with friends, family, and their two dogs.

Phone:(585) 325-3050 x 2002
Email:opostrich@wjcny.org

Sonia Rivera

Sr. Administrative Assistant

Sonia Rivera

Sr. Administrative Assistant

Sonia joined WJCNY in 2018 as our Administrative Assistant. For 20 years Sonia worked in administration for the Municipal Government in Cidra, Puerto Rico. In 2014, she moved to Rochester with her family in search of better opportunities. Sonia received her Bachelor of Arts in Social Sciences from Ana G. Mendez University in Gurabo, Puerto Rico and a secretarial course from Northwestern Business College. Prior to joining WJCNY, Sonia worked as a MIS/Data Specialist for the Migrant Education Program. She enjoys spending time with her family, salsa dancing, shopping, and watching Netflix.

Phone:(585) 325-3050 x 2011
Email:srivera@wjcny.org

Alana Roth, Esq.

Staff Attorney

Alana Roth, Esq.

Staff Attorney

Alana joined WJCNY in the fall of 2024 as a staff attorney. Alana represents both individuals and groups in state and federal court actions involving claims of wage and hour, discrimination, and other labor-related violations. Prior to joining WJCNY, Alana represented victims of domestic violence in family court while serving as a staff attorney at Legal Services of the Hudson Valley. Prior to that, Alana worked as a public defender with the Legal Aid Society for almost a decade. There she represented indigent clients accused of crimes in the criminal and supreme courts of the Bronx and Manhattan. Alana received her J.D. in 2012 from Fordham University School of Law. During her time in law school, Alana worked in the Criminal Defense Clinic and interned with the Urban Justice Center, ACLU, NYCLU and with Legal Aid Society’s Prisoners’ Rights Project and Immigration Law Unit. Alana enjoys reading, being cozy, traveling, hiking, going to the beach and spending time with spiritual community, friends and family.

Phone:(845) 331-6615 x 2004
Email:aroth@wjcny.org

Renán Salgado

Director of Anti-Human Trafficking

Renán Salgado

Director of Anti-Human Trafficking

Renán, WJCNY's Anti-Human Trafficking Director, has over 25 years experience in the identification, extraction, and assisting of labor trafficking survivors. Through his work, he has trained local, state, national and international law enforcement and service providers, including the Honduran, Salvadoran, Guatemalan, and do Mexican National Prosecution teams, Judges, Investigators, and service providers, as well as INTERPOL. He has assisted in the founding of multiple task forces throughout NY State and has provided technical assistance to various human trafficking task forces throughout the United States. Through his work and life experience with at-risk populations, Renán has developed innovative techniques to investigate potential cases of labor trafficking among isolated and difficult to access populations and is a consultant for the Office of Victims of Crime and the National Human Trafficking Training and Technical Assistance Center.

Phone:(845) 331-6615 x 2006
Email:rsalgado@wjcny.org

Will Torres

Administrative Assistant

Will Torres

Administrative Assistant

Will joined WJCNY as an Administrative Assistant in 2022. A veteran of the United States Marines, he has worked as a Program Specialist for Arc of Ulster-Green, supporting people with mental disabilities in living their fullest lives. He also has five years of experience as an Office Manager at a personal injury law firm. He also has experience in the retail industry. Will enjoys hiking with his fiancée, daughter, and two dogs. He enjoys watching “B” rated movies.

Phone:(845) 331-6615 x 1014
Email:wtorres@wjcny.org

Katie Wock

Director of Communications & Development

Katie Wock

Director of Communications & Development

Katie joined WJCNY as the Director of Communications & Development in 2026. She brings with her over fifteen years of experience working in nonprofit human services, holding a variety of roles, including communications and development at Community Action and disability advocacy at Independent Living Centers. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from SUNY Empire State University. Katie is extremely passionate about social and economic justice and ensuring those who have been marginalized by systemic inequality are able to access the human rights to which they are entitled. Katie lives with her husband and their many animal companions, where she tries to discover as many weird and interesting hobbies as possible to pursue.

Phone:(845) 331-6615 x 1016
Email:kwock@wjcny.org

Erin Young

Director of Labor Relations & Human Resources

Erin Young

Director of Labor Relations & Human Resources

Erin joined WJCNY in 2022 as the Director of Labor Relations. Erin was the former Executive Director for the Rochester & Genesee Valley Area Labor Federation, AFL-CIO, and Union Business Representative for Workers United Rochester Regional Joint Board. With her understanding of the plight of the American Worker, she is familiar with the struggles of defending human rights in our community. With a degree in Communication from the State University at Buffalo and training through Cornell ILR, working with Organized Labor was the course of action to accomplish the many goals for economic and social development. The Rochester & Genesee Valley Area Labor Federation encompasses 11 counties, 4 Central Labor Councils and two Building and Construction Trades Councils, of which Erin has worked with over the course of several years. The focus on legislative action to ensure appropriate protections are in place for our communities’ workers, along with addressing areas identified with high concentrations of poverty, unemployment and underemployment, have been her priorities, leading her to work with State and Federal Legislators on workplace policy and legislation affecting the workforce. Erin has been a panelist on Women in the Workplace conferences hosted by the Workforce Development Institute, and has conducted educational programs on the disenfranchised workers in several industries. She is honored to be a part of our team and could not be more proud to work with such incredible people who are passionate about the work they do for others.

Phone:(585) 325-3050 x 2007
Email:eyoung@wjcny.org

Board of Directors

Peter Rosenblum, Esq.

Chair

Erin Flynn Casey, Esq.

Vice Chair

Sandy Cuéllar Oxford

Secretary

Eric Binazeski

Treasurer

Staff & Board

Staff

Board of Directors

Peter Rosenblum, Esq.

Erin Flynn Casey, Esq.

Sandy Cuéllar Oxford

Eric Binazeski

Milan Bhatt, Esq.

Ed Felton

Janet Rolón Fry

Jason Parkin, Esq.

Jeff Scales

Laura Rodriguez, Esq.

Lolo Stone

Yolanda Villa, Esq.

Western New York

Hudson Valley

Lower Hudson Valley

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