Class Action - December '18

Ann E. Evanko ’79 will receive the 2019 Edwin F. Jaeckle Award, the highest honor the University at Buffalo School of Law and the UB Law Alumni Association can bestow. It will be presented at the Buffalo Club on Friday, Feb. 1. She is president and managing member of Hurwitz & Fine PC and resides in Orchard Park, NY. Evanko is a member of the law school’s Dean’s Advisory Council and co-chairs its Mentor Committee.

Hon. Barbara Howe ’80, former New York State surrogate judge for Erie County has become a member of the Dean’s Advisory Council. Howe is senior counsel with Woods Oviatt Gilman LLP in Buffalo. She is a past recipient of the School of Law and the Law Alumni Association’s Edwin F. Jaeckle Award, and the Law Alumni Association’s Distinguished Alumna Award for the Judiciary. Howe is a past president of the Law Alumni Association and a former adjunct faculty member at the School of Law. She is a Buffalo resident.

Josephine A. Greco ’81 has become a member of the Dean’s Advisory Council. She is a partner with Greco Trapp PLLC in Buffalo. Greco lives in Alden, N.Y.

Denise O’Donnell ’82 has been named to State Attorney General-elect Letitia James’ 36-member transition team in advance of her taking office Jan. 1. O’Donnell is a Distinguished Senior Fellow, Marron Institute of Urban Management, NYU; former U.S. Attorney for the Western District of New York; former Director of the Bureau of Justice Assistance at the U.S. Department of Justice; and former New York State Commissioner of Criminal Justice Services. A former president of the Law Alumni Association, she lives in New York City and Buffalo.

Hon. Michael L. Hanuszczak ’84 received the Mike Bristol Crystal Award from the Onondaga Court Appointed Special Advocates in Syracuse, N.Y. Hanuszczak, an Onondaga County family court judge, is a leader in the Central New York chapter of the Law Alumni Association. He resides in Camillus, N.Y. 

Lori Cohen ’86 has been elected president of the New York State Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. She is a solo practitioner in New York City, where she resides. Cohen is a lifetime member of the Law Alumni Association.

Melinda R. Saran ’86 received the VIP Award from the Bar Association of Erie County’s Volunteer Lawyers Project in Buffalo. Saran is vice dean for social justice initiatives at the law school. She is a resident of Williamsville, N.Y.   

Terrance P. Flynn ’88 of Snyder, N.Y., has been elected president of the National Association of Former United States Attorneys. Flynn, a partner with Harris Beach PLLC in Buffalo, is a former U.S. Attorney for the Western District of New York. He is a past president of the UB Law Alumni Association.

Terrence M. Gilbride ’88 has become a member of the Dean’s Advisory Council. A past president of the Law Alumni Association, he is a partner with Hodgson Russ LLP in Buffalo. Gilbride is a resident of Eggertsville, N.Y.    

Mason P. Ashe ’89 has become a member of the Black Entertainment & Sports Lawyers Association's board of directors in Fort Washington, Md. He also served as a panelist at the BESLA annual conference in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. Ashe is founder/CEO of Ashe Sports & Entertainment Consulting Inc in Bethesda, Md., where he resides. He is a past recipient of the UB Law Alumni Association’s Distinguished Alumnus Award for business.

Vincent E. Doyle III ’89 has been named to State Attorney General-elect Letitia James’ 36-member transition team in advance of her taking office Jan. 1. Doyle is a partner in Connors LLP, and is a former President of the New York State Bar Association. He resides in Elma, N.Y.

Kenya M. Faulkner ’89 of North Wales, Pa., has been named chief ethics and compliance officer at Pennsylvania State University. She previously served as managing director for business intelligence and investigations at Kroll Inc, a global risk management firm in Philadelphia. She is a past recipient of UB School of Law’s Students of Color Distinguished Alumna Award.

Eric M. Falkenberry ’95 has been named a Law360 Data-Driven Lawyer for 2018. He was recognized for using data and analytics to discover new ways to meet the challenges of his practice. Falkenberry is a partner in the New York City office of DLA Piper. He resides in Katonah, N.Y.  

Hon. Lourdes M. Ventura ’98 was elected a New York City Civil Court judge in Jamaica, N.Y. She was previously a partner with Ahmuty Demers & McManus in Albertson, N.Y. Ventura is a past president of the Queens County Women’s Bar Association in Kew Gardens, and an emerita member of the Dean’s Advisory Council. She lives in Richmond Hill, N.Y.

Marc W. Brown ’99 has become a member of the Dean’s Advisory Council. Brown is a partner with Goldberg Segalla in Buffalo. He is president of the Law Alumni Association and a lifetime member. He resides in Williamsville, N.Y.

Robert J. Gutowski ’99 has become a member of the Dean’s Advisory Council. He is managing director of legal and compliance at MSCI Inc. in New York City. Gutowski is a lifetime member of the Law Alumni Association and a former chair of its New York City chapter. He lives in Cortlandt Manor, N.Y.

Michael D. Mann ’06 has become a member of the Dean’s Advisory Council. Mann is a partner with Sidley Austin LLP in New York City. He is a former chair of the New York City chapter of the Law Alumni Association. Mann is a resident of Chappaqua, N.Y.

Hon. Shannon E. Filbert ’07 received the 2018 Woman Lawyer of the Year award from the Women Lawyers of Western New York, in Buffalo. Filbert is confidential law clerk to Erie County Family Court judge Lisa Bloch Rodwin ’85 and a town justice in West Seneca, N.Y.  

Samantha White ’08 has been elected corresponding secretary of the Minority Bar Association of Western New York, in Buffalo, where she resides.

F. Kenneth Graham ’11, a senior associate with Phillips Lytle LLP in Buffalo, has become a member of the Dean’s Advisory Council. He is a Buffalo resident.  

Margaret A. Hurley ’11 of Tonawanda, N.Y., has been promoted to senior associate with Lippes Mathias Wexler Friedman LLP in Buffalo. Hurley concentrates her practice in litigation and dispute resolution.

Courtney Donahue Tasner ’11 has been promoted to senior associate with Lippes Mathias Wexler Friedman LLP in Buffalo. Tasner handles cases involving trusts and estates. She lives in North Tonawanda, N.Y.  

Shatorah Donovan ’12 has been appointed chief diversity officer for the City of Buffalo. Donovan was previously director of development and communications for the Center for Elder Law and Justice, in Buffalo. She is a resident of Amherst, N.Y.

Aaron M. Saykin ’13 has become a member of the Dean’s Advisory Council. An associate with Hodgson Russ LLP in Buffalo, Saykin is president of the Law Alumni Association’s GOLD Group. He lives in Kenmore, N.Y.

Vanessa C. Gabriele ’14 has become a member of the board of directors of the Amherst Chamber of Commerce Emerging Business Leaders in Williamsville, N.Y. She is an associate with Bouvier Law LLP in Buffalo, where she resides.

Jamila A. Lee ’15 has been elected president-elect of the Minority Bar Association of Western New York, in Buffalo. She is deputy chief clerk with Erie County Surrogate’s Court in Buffalo, where she resides.

Tiffany N. McKenzie ’16 of Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ont., Canada, has become immigration counsel with the Berardi Immigration Law Firm in Buffalo. She counsels clients regarding DWI and criminal issues that may affect their entry to Canada. McKenzie previously served as legal counsel with Mosaic North America in Toronto.  

Anaiss Rijo ’16 has been elected a director of the Minority Bar Association of Western New York, in Buffalo, where she resides.

Bridget C. Steele ’16 received the Say Yes Legal Clinic Award from the Bar Association of Erie County's Volunteer Lawyers Project, in Buffalo. Steele is an associate in the health care and human services practice group with Barclay Damon LLP in the Buffalo office. She is a resident of Churchville, N.Y.  

Sarah M. Washington ’16 has joined Goldberg Segalla as an associate in the Buffalo office. She concentrates her practice in civil litigation. Washington is treasurer-elect of the School of Law’s GOLD Group. She lives in Lake View, N.Y.

Larry E. Waters Jr. ’17 has been elected treasurer of the Minority Bar Association of Western New York. Waters is an associate with Hurwitz & Fine PC in Buffalo, where he resides.