Saralee Evans is a retired Justice of the New York State Supreme Court. She was elected to the Civil Court of the City of New York in 1993 and served on the Civil and Supreme Courts for the next eighteen years, presiding over a broad range of cases including matrimonial, contract, tort, property, labor law and litigation brought against the City of New York. Her final seven years as a judge were devoted exclusively to matrimonial law; Ms. Evans stepped down from the bench on December 31, 2011.
Prior to her election to the Civil Court, Hon. Evans worked in the public interest sector. She was a staff attorney for the Queens Legal Services Corporation for seven years where her practice consisted of representing indigent people who faced difficulty with housing, employment, discrimination, immigration, and family issues. Through her work at Legal Services, Saralee successfully represented applicants for political asylum in the United States. Without her legal assistance, many of the applicants would have been force to return to countries, such as Haiti, Iraq, Iran and Poland, where they faced imminent danger from hostile governments.
Ms. Evans has previously served on the Bar Association of the City of New York’s Civil Rights and Housing Court Committees. She was an adjunct professor at CUNY Law School and has participated in Continuing Legal Education programs at the New York State Bar Association, the New York County Bar Association and the Association of the Bar of the City of New York. Ms. Evans served as the Legal Co-chair or the Interdisciplinary Forum on Mental Health and Family Law; she serves on the FamilyKind Board of Directors as well as the Advisory Council of FamilyKind, an organization dedicated to helping children, parents and couples cope with separation and divorce.of the City of New York
Lesley Ann Friedland is a family law attorney, mediator, and lifelong public servant with more than three decades of experience supporting families through times of transition. In 2012, she founded FamilyKind to provide families with access to affordable education, mediation, and support services during separation and divorce. Prior to launching FamilyKind, Lesley served for over 25 years in the New York City Family Court as a Court Attorney and Referee, where she handled custody, visitation, and child protective matters across all five boroughs. She also helped facilitate and create several impactful parenting education programs, including the NYS Parent Education & Awareness Program and Children’s PACT—a program designed to help children cope with divorce and separation.
Lesley has received the Kathryn A. McDonald Award for Excellence in Service to the NYC Family Court, and under her leadership, FamilyKind was named the Outstanding Organization by the American University Public Relations Student Society of America.She currently serves as Co-Chair of the Steering Committee of the New York State Parenting Education Partnership (NYSPEP) and is active in many professional organizations committed to supporting families and advancing best practices in family law and mediation.
Lesley holds a J.D. from Antioch School of Law and a B.A. from Sarah Lawrence College. Her dedication to helping families find clarity, connection, and peace remains at the heart of FamilyKind’s mission.
Barbara Adler was the founding executive director of the Columbus Avenue Business Improvement District (BID), and served in that role for 20 years, She began her tenure with no staff and very little money for improvements, taking on the job as a challenge after the City of NY had just undergone a major reconstruction of the Avenue, removing the streets, sidewalks, and all infrastructure, including water pipes, sewers, etc. As a result, more than half of the shops and restaurants lining Columbus Avenue, unable to sustain themselves during the long renovation, closed. With a large board of directors and no staff, it was determined that beautification was the most important and practical objective. Tree guards were planted on the tree-lined avenue, and a sustainable streetscape was built between W.76th-W.77th on Columbus Avenue, with new trees lining a schoolyard fence, seating, in-ground lighting, a bioswale, and many other amenities. Graffiti was removed, a sanitation company hired, and slowly but surely, the Avenue came back to life and soon became the shopping center of the Upper West Side, for which the BID won numerous awards. Barbara started ‘Taste of the Upper West Side’, involving 80 restaurateurs from the Avenue each year, in an event that became very popular, drawing people from throughout the city, and really cemented Columbus on the map.
Having majored in graphic arts and illustration at Pratt Institute, Barbara worked first in publishing as a book designer, then went on to illustrate for various publications on a freelance basis during the years she was raising her three kids on the Upper West Side.
She is a long-time member of Community Board 7, and is the Vice President of Friends of Roosevelt Park, a not-for-profit overseeing the 12-acre park surrounding the American Museum of Natural History.
Dr. Latoya C. Conner is a distinguished professor, multicultural clinician, ethicist, public speaker, and forensic psychologist. She has served as an expert witness in hundreds of family, civil, and criminal court cases in New York and California. With over two decades of experience, she is well-regarded for her work in advancing culturally responsive, trauma-informed care for children, youth, and families. Currently, she holds a faculty appointment and continues to teach, consult, and lead internationally.
Dr. Conner began her forensic career at the Family Court Mental health Services in Manhattan, where she conducted psychological, diagnostic, and forensic evaluations while providing expert testimony in court proceedings. Her extensive forensic experience encompasses hundreds of cases related to child abuse, neglect, truancy, juvenile justice, educator sexual misconduct, sexual assault, and workplace harassment. She is the founder of the Clinical & Forensic Psychology Institute, PC.
As a member of the American Psychological Association’s Ethics Committee, Dr. Conner and her colleagues offer ethical oversight and policy guidance to promote integrity and uphold high standards across academic, clinical, and professional psychology practices.
Dr. Conner earned a Ph.D. and three master’s degrees from Columbia University. She completed an APA-accredited clinical internship at Yale University School of Medicine and received global mental health training through Harvard Medical School. Additionally, she has held research fellowships at Morehouse School of Medicine and faculty positions at Columbia University, CUNY, NYU, Stanford School of Medicine, and Sarah Lawrence College. A passionate advocate for integrative wellness, Dr. Conner is a certified yoga teacher trained in both Sivananda and Kemetic traditions. She incorporates mind-body approaches into her work with grief, trauma, and resilience.
Patricia Ann Fersch is the founding partner of Fersch LLC. Throughout her 25 year career in Matrimonial and Family law, she has successfully completed thousands of cases involving families caught in the turmoil of family law conflicts. Ms. Fersch is known for handling high-conflict divorce and custody matters, and frequently represents clients in complicated cases in the Family and Supreme Courts. Ms. Fersch also handles a number of international and high-profile divorce and family court matters.
Ms. Fersch is dedicated to public service and has been honored many times throughout her career. Ms. Fersch was named the 2000-2001 Chairperson of the Women’s Rights Committee at the New York County Lawyers Association and is a member of the Women’s Bar Association of the State of New York. Ms. Fersch was awarded the 2002 New York Law School Public Interest Coalition Award and was highlighted that same year at the Law School’s annual Spotlight on Women luncheon.
In 2011, Ms. Fersch, with her co-chairwoman Judy White, reignited the Women’s Bar Association Matrimonial Pro Bono Project which is now in effect in New York Country, serving financially challenged litigants in contested divorce cases. In 2014, Ms. Fersch was appointed by the Chief Administrative Judge to serve on the New York State Judicial Committee on Women in the Courts.
Ms. Fersch was the recipient of the 2015 Hanna S. Cohn Pro Bono Award from the Women’s Bar Association of the State of New York for her work in co-founding the Matrimonial Pro Bono Project in New York and Kings Counties. Ms. Fersch was selected to the New York County Supreme Matrimonial Advisory Committee and, since 2018, has been a member of the sub-committee, Matrimonial Mediation Pilot program in New York County.
In 2019, Ms. Fersch was awarded the FamilyKind Service Award. She is a graduate of New York University and New York Law School and was admitted to the practice of law in the State of New York and the Southern and Eastern Districts of United States Federal Court in 1994. Since 2020, Ms. Fersch has been a Forbes contributor on family law and female leadership.
Karla Hernandez Martinez is a manager with PwC’s Pharma Life Sciences Risk & Regulatory practice with over seven years of experience in IT quality and compliance, computer systems validation, GAMP5, and Part 11/Annex 11 considerations. She specializes in bringing together the diverse universe of risk relevant to the pharma industry, including FDA regulatory risk, post-market pharmacovigilance, privacy, and SOX, among others.
Ms. Hernandez Martinez supports gap analysis and remediation of operational processes, allowing the client to enhance their business processes while meeting minimal compliance standards. Ms. Hernandez Martinez completed a 4-month research and analytics rotation within PwC’s national Health Research Institute group. This included research, data collection, and drafting various Pharma/Health Industry publications on emerging regulatory risk. Ms. Hernandez Martinez also serves as part of a university recruiting strategy team as the Campus Diversity Champion for Temple University, to create connections with diverse candidates and PwC.
Ms. Hernandez Martinez is a Certified Information Systems Auditor and holds a bachelor’s degree in Accounting and Management Information Systems from Temple University.
Teresa Ombres is a divorce mediator, attorney and collaborative attorney, with a private practice in Great Neck, New York. After some disillusionment with matrimonial practice early in her career, she quit the law for eleven years. When the Peer Mediation Group in her daughter’s high school did a demonstration for the Parents Association she realized, in a light-bulb moment, that she was a mediator. Ms. Ombres was immediately trained in divorce and community mediation (that was in 1996) and has since devoted her career to understanding and helping people resolve conflict.
Ms. Ombres spent many years on the Board of the Family and Divorce Mediation Council of Greater New York, where she served as Co-chair of the Education Committee. She also spent several years on the Board of the New York Association of Collaborative Professionals. She is a founding member of the New York Chapter of the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts where she served on the Executive Board for over twenty years.
In the beginning of her mediation career Ms. Ombres worked part-time at Community Mediation Services in Jamaica, Queens, first at the director of the Bayside Satellite office and later managing the first pilot program in Custody-Visitation Mediations at the Queens Family Court. She previously taught the Judicial Matrimonial ADR Externship at St. John’s School of Law, and now teaches the Family Law Practicum at the Maurice A. Deane School of Law at Hofstra University. Ms. Ombres is currently enrolled in a seminar taught by Pauline Tesler, a founding member of the International Academy of Collaborative Professionals, where practitioners from around the world are taking a deep dive into better understanding how people’s brains and emotions work in order to help separating couples resolve, not only their immediate issues, but the underlying reasons for their conflict.
Ms. Ombres is a graduate of Fordham University and New York Law School.
Michael Knuff is Managing Director-Investments of the Prentis Wealth Management Group of Wells Fargo Advisors. He provides comprehensive investment planning and co-heads the portfolio management activities of the team. Prior to joining Wells Fargo Advisors in 2008, Mr. Knuff worked in Application Engineering and Business Development for Nuclear Power Plants at Flowserve, was a Special Effects Design Coordinator at FXperts Inc.—working on the film Pirates of the Caribbean 3, and was a Product Design Engineer at Ingersoll Rand. Mr. Knuff earned a Master of Science degree in Engineering with a focus in Entrepreneurship and Scientific Decision Making from The Pennsylvania State University, where he also completed a Bachelor’s degree as a member of the Schreyer Honors College.
He is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional and he earned the Certified Private Wealth Advisor® certification from the Yale School of Management. He achieved the Certified Investment Management Analyst® certification from the Wharton School of Business at The University of Pennsylvania. Mr. Knuff is also a Certified Divorce Financial Analyst®.
Outside of work, Mr. Knuff is the lead singer and rhythm guitarist for a pop/rock cover band called Men or Myth that performs at various charity benefits and private functions. His music has led to his involvement assisting with the event planning and fundraising efforts of many charitable organizations. Mr. Knuff is a member of the Junior Board of the Metro-NY Make-A-Wish® Foundation and volunteers his time as a “wish granter,” serving as a liaison between the organization and the critically ill children and their families.
Wells Fargo Advisors is a trade name used by Wells Fargo Clearing Services, LLC, Member SIPC, a registered broker-dealer and non-bank affiliate of Wells Fargo & Company. CAR-0621-01550.
Dee Dee Mozeleski is the Senior Vice President of the Office of Institutional Advancement, Communications and External Relations, and, as such, also serves as the Executive Director of the Foundation for City College. In 2016, she was asked to serve in the additional capacity of Senior Advisor to the President of City College, Dr. Vince Boudreau.
Ms. Mozeleski has spent more than thirty years working in service to public higher education institutions, cultural programs, international agencies and government organizations. At City, she is a member of the College's senior leadership team, the President's Cabinet and serves on a variety of special committees, including the Task Force for the Future of City College. Her responsibilities include philanthropic management of the Foundation for City College, stewarding and expanding the College's public profile, workforce development activities, city, state and federal government affairs oversight, community engagement projects and management of our campus emergency needs programs specific to Benny's Food Pantry, the Urban Gardens at CCNY and a portfolio of emergency support programs to expand opportunities for students. During her time at City, she led the consolidation of the College's two fundraising organizations and oversaw the fundraising campaign which launched the Colin Powell School for Civic and Global Leadership in 2013.
More recently, she oversaw the launch of the College's new "Doing Remarkable Things Together" Campaign to bring the Foundation's endowment to $1 billion dollars.Having worked with some of the largest non-profit organizations in New York City and around the world - with a focus on North America the Middle East and Africa - Ms. Mozeleski has focused her career working as a public servant in support of causes that impact communities on a global scale. A graduate of San Diego State University, Ms. Mozeleski serves as the advisor to the College's Outdoor Initiative and Hockey Club, is a member of the CASE District II Cabinet, and a Board Member of AFP-NYC, where she also serves as Co-Chair of the Mentorship Committee. She is also a member of the AFP-Global Ethics Committee, the Public Relations Society of America, and a Board Member for the National Scholarship Providers Association.She has previously served as a Board Member of Women in Development, New York City, and Seeds of Africa Foundation, where she worked to build a K-12 school in Adama, Ethiopia.
Ms. Mozeleski was recognized as CASE Professional of the Year (2021) for CASE District II, was named a Crain's New York Notable in Non-Profits (2021, 2025), as well as Crain's New York Notable in Marketing and Communications for 2023. One of her proudest accomplishments is having raised a City College graduate, class of 2016 and 2022.
Maurice Robinson, a Board Member at FamilyKind, is currently the EEO Officer | Executive Agency Counsel for New York City Housing Authority’s (NYCHA) Department of Equal Opportunity. Prior to his position at NYCHA, he served the NY community as an Administrative Law Judge, Queens County Mediation Manager, and Housing Court Program Supervising Pro Bono Attorney.
Mr. Robinson has years of professional experience mediating disputes in the family, entertainment, real estate, employment and securities law field. He has completed the New York State Community Mediator Program, the Safe Horizon Mediator Training and Apprenticeship, and received a certificate in Alternative Dispute Resolution from the Kukin Program. While at Cardozo Law School, he also trained in Divorce Mediation, Negotiations, and Mediation Advocacy. In addition, he is a certified Professional in Human Resources (PHR).
Prior to his position as a hearing officer for NYC’s Housing Preservation and Development (HPD), he was the Mediation Manager for the Queens County Family Court Custody/Visitation program through the New York Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children. Maurice serves as an approved mediator on the New York Peace Institute Mediation panels, as well as a mediator in Manhattan Civil Court, Housing Court and Small Claims Court. He has also participated in mediations with EEOC, FINRA, and other private organizations.
As an Adjunct Professor at Seton Hall School of Law, Maurice teaches courses in Family Law and Mediation, Advanced Mediation Skills, and serves as a Supervising Attorney in the SDNY Representation in Mediation Practicum. He also coaches Seton Hall’s successful ADR Competition Teams. Maurice received his J.D. from Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, with specializations in Mediation, Litigation, and Intellectual Property & Communications Law.
Jennifer Safian serves FamilyKind as a trilingual mediator as well as serving on the Board of Directors. She is a family and divorce mediator and has been in private practice in New York City since 2003. Ms. Safian volunteered many hours mediating custody and visitation disputes at Cluster—a mediation center in Yonkers. For many years, she was also active on the Custody and Visitation Panel of the Family Courts of the five boroughs of New York City and was a divorce mediator for the Westchester County Supreme Court’s Matrimonial Mediation Program. Ms. Safian is an accredited mediator member of the New York State Council on Divorce Mediation, and a former member of the board and membership chair of the Family and Divorce Mediation Council of Greater New York.
She was raised in Paris, France, is fluent and can mediate in French, Spanish and English. Ms. Safian received her BA and her master’s degree in Fine Arts at the University of the Sorbonne, Paris.
Asia Scarlett-Jones, Esq. is a force in family law, known for her forward-thinking leadership and dedication to helping professionals navigate divorce with strategy, efficiency, and dignity. As the Founder and Managing Attorney of ASJ Law Office, a boutique New York-based firm, she has redefined the family law experience, offering concierge-level legal services with a deep commitment to protecting what matters most: family, legacy, and peace of mind.
Before launching ASJ Law Office, Mrs. Scarlett-Jones built a strong foundation in public service. She served as a Public Defender at the Nassau County Legal Aid Society, where she advocated for parents in custody and support matters, and later as a Principal Court Attorney in Nassau County Family Court, where she worked directly with Family Court judges to resolve complex legal issues and draft judicial decisions.
Under her leadership, ASJ Law Office has become a trusted name for professionals seeking resolution- not conflict- in family matters. Her firm focuses on divorce, custody, child support, prenuptial agreements, and mediation, with a mission to guide clients through transitions with clarity and confidence.
Mrs. Scarlett-Jones has been repeatedly recognized for her legal acumen and leadership. Her honors include Top 40 Under 40, The National Black Lawyers, New York Metro Rising Star, Super Lawyers Rising Star, Family Kind (2024), and National Academy of Family Law Attorneys. She currently serves on the Board of Directors for Family Kind, Family and Divorce Mediation Council of Greater New York (FDMC), and Women Owned Law (WOL). She also holds leadership roles, including Co-Chair of the Matrimonial and Family Law Committee of the Women’s Bar Association of the State of New York and Co-Chair of the DEI Subcommittee of the Small Law Firm Committee, New York City Bar Association.
Mrs. Scarlett-Jones is an active member of the New York City Bar Association, Family and Divorce Mediation Council, Women-Owned Law, Metropolitan Black Bar Association, New York Women’s Bar Association, Family Kind, New York State Bar Association, Women’s Bar Association of the State of New York, and American Bar Association.
She earned her Juris Doctor from the Maurice A. Deane School of Law and her Bachelor's from the University at Albany.
Jeffrey Vincent is a Manager within Equinix’s Global Customer Care & Experience organization. He manages a team responsible for data center infrastructure for some of the world’s largest financial institutions. Mr. Vincent loves immersing himself in a process to gain a thorough understanding of its components, this combined with his personable and patient approach to working with others defines him as a natural teacher/leader. Mr. Vincent is recognized within Equinx as a consummate communicator and has conducted training courses on verbal and written communication skills and conflict resolution. In 2020, at the request of senior management he developed, then presented a series of case studies to company executives illustrating the concept of inherent racial privilege. In 2021, Mr. Vincent successfully completed McKinsey Academy’s Management Accelerator program. This six-month program is designed to enable high-performing professionals to build leadership capabilities, including strategic and critical thinking and business acumen. In support of Equinix’s Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging strategy, Mr. Vincent serves as both an executive advisor to senior management as well as a mentor for underrepresented employees.
Mr. Vincent holds an MBA from UCLA’s Anderson School of Management and BA from Lafayette College. He and his wife of 20 years reside in Greenwich, CT and enjoy spending time with their children and godchildren. In his spare time, Mr. Vincent teaches Scuba Diving and CPR/First-Aid classes and has successfully employed his CPR First-Aid skills to save the lives of two individuals.
Elise Visco is an Associate at Cohen Clair Lans Greifer & Simpson LLP, New York’s preeminent matrimonial and family law firm, where she continues to build her career as a compassionate and strategic advocate.
Originally from Canada, Elise earned her J.D. from Osgoode Hall Law School in Toronto, one of Canada’s oldest and most distinguished law schools. Prior to relocating to New York, she practiced family law in Toronto and led educational seminars on family law topics, primarily for financial professionals.
Elise has consistently demonstrated a commitment to supporting vulnerable individuals navigating the legal complexities of shifting family dynamics. As a law student, she volunteered with Pro Bono Students Canada’s Family Law Project, drafting court documents for low-income litigants. She also completed a practicum at the Osgoode Mediation Clinic, where she specialized in family law and contributed to free community-based mediation services. Her professional journey includes international legal experience as a legal intern with Defence for Children International in Freetown, Sierra Leone, where she worked to advance the rights of children within a challenging and evolving legal landscape.
John Yacos began his legal career representing the City of New York as a Special Assistant Corporation Counsel in the New York County Family Court, trying child abuse and neglect cases during the height of the crack era. With almost daily court appearances, he developed extensive litigation experience. After years of daily court appearances, Mr. Yacos joined the elite Legal Counsel Unit of the New York City Administration of Children Services, where he represented New York City in class action lawsuits and civil rights actions related to child welfare issues in state and federal court. There, he was able to hone my skills in negotiation and legal writing related to the litigation.
Mr. Yacos’s several years as an attorney for children at The Children’s Law Center in Kings County not only put him into court on a daily basis in custody, visitation, guardianship, family offenses, paternity and child neglect and abuse cases, but the experience allowed him to develop relationships with and a knowledge of most of the attorneys, the judges and the court personnel, which gives me unique insight into what to expect during litigation. For approximately eight years, Mr. Yacos worked with the extraordinarily talented attorneys at The Edelsteins, Faegenburg & Brown, exclusively in matrimonial and family court practice. Mr. Yacos is a graduate of Brown University and he earned his Juris Doctorate from Boston University Law School.