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 Roxane Crowley, Staff Attorney, joined the VIP staff in June 2011. She helps with coordinating VIP’s homeownership (tangled title) project. Her practice focuses on the areas of estate administration and quiet title. From 2007 to 2010, Roxane was an Independence Foundation Fellow then a Borchard Foundation Fellow at SeniorLAW Center in Philadelphia. Her fellowships were dedicated to providing legal assistance to chronically and terminally ill seniors and to educating health care providers about this population’s legal needs. Most recently, Roxane served as a staff attorney in the Public Housing Unit at Community Legal Services in Philadelphia. Roxane received a B.A., magna cum laude, in Philosophy from St. Mary’s College of Maryland. She is a graduate of Temple University, Beasley School of Law.
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 Brittany Daniels, Pro Bono Case Manager for the LawWorks Team, joined the VIP staff in September 2012 as VIP’s first Augustinian Volunteer. She works with the LawWorks Team on preparing and referring homeownership cases, as well as other projects, such as helping to organize Pro Bono Opportunities Day (PBOD). PBOD is VIP’s signature training seminar where attorneys have the opportunity to attend various sessions to expand their knowledge of low-income clients with legal needs in the city of Philadelphia. She is a recent graduate of Stonehill College in Massachusetts, where she graduated cum laude with a B.A. in Philosophy and Political Science. She received recognition for her community service, including AmeriCorps Student Leader in Service Award and Student Life Community Service Awards. She served as Volunteer Coordinator for Women’s Empowerment programs and Co-Director for Into The Streets, the community service program for Stonehill College. Interested in eventually pursuing a career in international law, Brittany studied abroad in Cameroon and is proficient in French.
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 Mariana Fernández, Pro Bono Case Manager, joined the VIP staff September 2012. She prepares and monitors litigation case files, and assists volunteer attorneys as they work on referred cases. A recent graduate of Saint Joseph’s University, she previously interned at the National Hispanic Caucus of State Legislators and the International Visitors Council of Philadelphia. She speaks Spanish, Portuguese and French.
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 Cindy Garo, Pro Bono Case Manager, joined the VIP staff in July 2012 to as a homeownership advocate. She works with VIP's homeownership clients and manages the Tangled Title Fund. A recent graduate of Swarthmore College, Cindy previously interned with Greater Boston Legal Services and served on the Board of Trustees of The Food Project in Boston, where she directed volunteer groups and created community workshops. A fluent Spanish speaker and minor in Latin American Studies, Cindy spent a semester abroad in Buenos Aires, Argentina. |
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 Kelly J. Gastley, Supervising Attorney, joined the VIP staff in September 2005 as an Independence Foundation Public Interest Law Fellow, working on our homeownership (tangled title) project. Now a supervising attorney, Kelly continues to work with VIP's homeownership clients and is now doing policy work on estate and real estate issues. She also works with the Homeownership Advocate on coordinating community education and outreach and trains and mentors VIP’s volunteer attorneys. Kelly received her B.A. in Sociology and Government from the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, in 2002, and her J.D. from the Marshall-Wythe William and Mary School of Law in 2005, where she was Executive Editor of the William and Mary Law Review and a member of the Public Service Fund.
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 Marco Gorini, Community Economic Development Coordinator, joined the VIP staff in August 2010. Marco recruits clients and volunteers for the LawWorks team's Small Business and Nonprofit program. Marco also manages these matters, supporting clients and volunteers throughout the process. Prior to VIP, he worked at the Community Design Resource Center of Boston. He is a recent graduate of Vassar College, where he earned his B.A. in Art History with a correlate in Urban Studies.
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 Theresa (Terri) L. Jett, Systems Manager, joined the VIP staff in 1992 as a part-time receptionist. In her current position as Systems Manager, she works directly with the Executive Director to assist with fundraising, board activity, and office administration. She is also responsible for many of the firm, volunteer, and case statistics as well as CLE credit and training preparation. In addition to all her other duties, she also serves as staff liaison for the Resource Development and Communications committees of the VIP Board.
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 Ourania (Rainy) Papademetriou is the Managing Attorney at Philadelphia VIP, the public interest organization providing volunteer attorneys to clients in civil matters in the Philadelphia courts. She is a member of the Board of Governors of the Philadelphia Bar Association. Also, she has served as the Chair of its Public Interest Section and is an active member of the Delivery of Legal Services Committee, where she served as Co-Chair for several years, and of various committees of the Family Law Section. She is a member of the Nicholas A. Cipriani Family Law Inn of Court and has served on its executive committee since its establishment in 2007. She received her B.A. degree from Salve Regina College in Newport, Rhode Island and her J.D. from Temple University School of Law. Her prior experience includes serving as an Assistant District Attorney for the City of Philadelphia and as Legal Center Director for Women Against Abuse, Inc. She was awarded the 2010 Philadelphia Bar Foundation Award for her service to the public interest legal services community.
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 Elaine Petrossian , the Director of Administration, joined Philadelphia VIP in 2011. She supports VIP’s operational mission in the areas of human resources, staff development, financial management and procurement, facilities and technology, among others. Before joining Philadelphia VIP, Elaine gained significant administrative leadership experience in diverse settings, including higher education, major law firms, community nonprofits, and professional associations. Elaine earned her JD and BA degrees from the University of Virginia and an MS in Counseling from Villanova University. While practicing law, Elaine took a pro bono case from VIP that went to jury trial and resulted in a successful resolution for her nonprofit client.
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 Christina J. Rodriguez, Administrative Assistant, joined the VIP staff in January 2007 as a secretary. In her current position as Administrative Assistant she serves as the initial contact with VIP clients and volunteers. She is bilingual and assists with translation for our clients. Christina is the initial contact for clients so she directs and refers them to the appropriate resources. Christina's responsibilities also include answering phones, data entry, preparing engagement letters to volunteer attorneys and clients, collecting all necessary funds and documents for Name Change cases and various other administrative duties. In addition to her administrative responsibilities she has also been the liaison for our Annual Award Ceremony in 2010 and assist with various event planning functions at VIP. |
 Stefanie Fleischer Seldin, Managing Attorney, joined the VIP staff in 2003. From 2000 to 2003, she developed and managed the legislative agenda for the Massachusetts Office for Victim Assistance in Boston. Prior to that, Stefanie was a staff attorney with the Support Center for Child Advocates, an agency dedicated to lawyers' pro bono service for abused and neglected children. Before that Stefanie served as an Assistant City Solicitor in the City of Philadelphia's Law Department and as a law clerk for Judge Joseph E. Irenas of U.S. District Court of New Jersey. She manages the LawWorks project. In 2009, Stefanie received the Civil Legal Aid Attorney of the Year award from the Pennsylvania Bar Association. Stefanie is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and Georgetown University Law Center. |
 Laurice Smith, Staff Attorney, joined the VIP staff in August 2010. Laurice works with clients to prepare case files for referral, provides assistance to volunteer attorneys as they work on referred cases, and assists with volunteer recruitment. She also facilitates relationships and communication between VIP and large firm contacts. Laurice received her B.A. in African American Studies from the University of Maryland and is a 2010 graduate of Temple University Beasley School of Law. |
 Michael L.Viola, Staff Attorney, joined Philadelphia VIP in October 2010, and will serve as an in-house technical advisor concentrating on the various areas of family law including adoption, custody, divorce, guardianship and support. He will support VIP’s Family Law Advisory Council, which works primarily to recruit and train volunteer attorneys who take on family law cases. Finally, he will serve as the point person for VIP’s ground-breaking study of its divorce cases with Harvard Law School. With over 20 years of legal expertise and experience in family law and domestic relations, he will play a vital role as part of the VIP team. Prior to obtaining his J.D. from Temple University School of Law in 1989, Michael earned a B.A. in Linguistics in 1986 at the University of Pennsylvania. In 2008, Michael completed the American Sign Language/English Interpreting program at the Community College of Philadelphia. |
 Sara L. Woods, Esq. is privileged to serve as the Executive Director of Philadelphia VIP. Before joining VIP in 2007, she served as the Director of Public Service Careers & Pro Bono Programs at Villanova University School of Law for five years. Prior to her tenure at Villanova, Sara worked as a staff attorney at Women Against Abuse Legal Center and the Domestic Abuse Project of Delaware County. She received a B.A. with honors from the Pennsylvania State University, a J.D. cum laude from Villanova University School of Law, and a Master of Public Administration from Villanova University. After graduating from Penn State, Sara worked as a counselor and advocate at Delaware County Women Against Rape. Sara is a proud member of the Philadelphia Bar Association, where she co-chairs the DLSC’s Pro Bono and Resource Committees. She is an adjunct Professor at Villanova University School of Law, where she teaches a Public Interest Lawyering course. She is an active volunteer with Women's Way, where she previously served on the Board of Directors as the Board Secretary. She is also the Past President of the Lion's Paw Alumni Association Board of Directors. Additionally, she is a member of the Advisory Board of the Crime Victims Law Project. |
 Suzen Wysor Nguema, is the Homeownership Advocate. Her role includes managing the Mortgage Foreclosure Program as well as developing and implementing community and volunteer outreach related to tangled title issues. Suzen has a Master's degree in Social Work from Temple University and a Master's degree in Nonprofit/NGO Leadership from the University of Pennsylvania. She is an adjunct professor at La Salle University and Community College of Philadelphia, as well as an Advisory Board member to the La Salle University Social Work Program. Her prior experience includes working with immigrant, refugee and trafficked populations in Philadelphia and group therapy with adolescent females in Trenton, NJ. |
