PRESIDENT

Jennifer Aronson
Partner
Hodgson Russ LLP

Leah Cintineo
Partner
Underberg & Kessler LLP

Leah is a partner at Underberg & Kessler LLP where she is the chair of both the firm’s litigation department and family law practice group. Leah represents clients in divorce and post-divorce matters, pre-nuptial agreements, high conflict child custody litigation, child support, and guardianship litigation. She also has years of experience handling divorce matters involving businesses, complex financial issues, and extensive marital estates, as well as preparing QDROs for the division of retirement assets at the completion of a divorce. Leah practices in Supreme and Family Courts in counties throughout the Seventh Judicial District. She actively takes cases representing children as the Attorney for the Child. Leah is a member of the Collaborative Law Association of the Rochester Area (CLARA) where she represents clients in collaborative divorces.

In addition to her role as President Elect of GRAWA, Leah is a member of the Monroe County Bar Association Family Law Section and the Ontario County Bar Association. Leah has many accolades including being selected as an Upstate New York Super Lawyers Rising Stars honoree from 2016-2023 and an Upstate New York Super Lawyers honoree in 2024. She was named to the 2024 Daily Record's Power List in Litigation and both the 2022 and 2023 Daily Record's Power 20 in Family Law lists. She was the 2022 recipient of The Daily Record and Rochester Business Journal's Legal Excellence Award for Pro Bono Excellence and is a past recipient of the Rochester Business Journal’s "Forty Under 40" Award. In addition, Leah was the 2017 recipient of the Honorable Michael F. Dillon Attorneys for Children Award for her work advocating for children in court proceedings.

IMMEDIATE PAST-PRESIDENT

Wende Knapp
Partner & Head of Labor and Employment Law Practice Group
Woods Oviatt Gilman LLP

Wende is a Partner & the Head of Labor and Employment Law Practice Group at Woods Oviatt Gilman LLP.  Wende is a forward-thinking legal, business, communications, and HR advisor, focusing her practice on employment law counseling and litigation. She has a BA from Canisius College, an MA from Seton Hall University, and her JD from University at Buffalo School of Law. 

After 16 years as a journalist and then a PR executive at Xerox, Wende made a career pivot in 2007. She went to law school and then worked in private practice as a Litigation and Labor & Employment attorney with amazing mentors and colleagues at Woods Oviatt Gilman and Harter Secrest & Emery. She re-joined Xerox in 2014 in its Office of General Counsel and then spent several years with Paychex launching a new service model for the more than 600 customer-facing HR team members. In late-2021, she joined Procore Technologies, Inc. a California-based, hyper-growth construction management software provider where she’s advising every level of the organization on HR- and employment law-related matters around the world and helping develop a global employment law department. Wende is also honored to be a 2011 Forty Under 40 honoree, a 2016 Up-and-Coming Attorney, the recipient of the 2017 Emerging Bar Leader Award, the former chair of the ATHENA International Awards, and past president of Women’s Council, a Greater Rochester Chamber of Commerce Affiliate. Wende has also been a proud member of GRAWA since 2010 and has served in a variety of capacities including, but not limited to, on the Board of Directors, as WBASNY Delegate and on the following committees: strategic planning, programs, nominating, and women’s connections. She is also currently the board vice chair for New York Kitchen.

A proud Buffalonian, Wende is married to her partner-in-crime and favorite global traveling companion, Joseph. She is an avid DIY-er and has spent the last 25 years honing her electrical, plumbing, and construction skills on her City of Rochester home and cottage on Conesus Lake. Wende has three adorable, and sometimes mischievous, rescue dogs – Dolly, Hugo, and Gracie Lou!

SECRETARY

Grace Streicher
Trial Support Attorney
Harris Appeals, P.A.

Grace is an appellate and trial support attorney at Harris Appeals, P.A., based out of Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.  She has over a decade of litigation and clerkship experience. Before joining Harris Appeals, Grace served as a law clerk to Chief Judge Frank P. Geraci, Jr., of the United States District Court for the Western District of New York in Rochester, and as a career clerk at Florida’s Fourth District Court of Appeal in West Palm Beach, Florida.  Over the course of her clerkships, Grace drafted hundreds of orders, opinions, and bench memos.  Before clerking, Grace practiced as a civil and commercial litigator in Boca Raton.

At Harris Appeals, Grace’s practice concentrates on appeals, dispositive and evidentiary motion practice, and research and writing support in state and federal court.  She holds a Juris Doctor from Case Western Reserve University School of Law in Cleveland, Ohio, and is licensed to practice law in Florida, Ohio, and New York.

When not researching and writing, Grace enjoys spending time with her family, reading, walking, dining out, taking fitness classes, and volunteering with Roc City Rotary.

TREASURER

Randi Proukou
Partner
Zea Proukou PLLC

Randi is co-founding and managing partner at Zea Proukou PLLC, representing injured workers and disabled individuals in their Workers’ Compensation and SSD/SSI claims, with offices in Brighton and Canandaigua. Randi leads the firm in their bi-annual community service efforts with local businesses and organizations, and has been active with Girls on the Run as a volunteer coach. Randi has been a frequent presenter and panelist at continuing legal education programs as well as a speaker and mentor at many Nazareth University events.

Randi was President of GRAWA in 2020 – 2021, and previously acted with GRAWA as Membership chair, Family and Careers committee chair, and Women in Leadership committee chair. She is also involved with the Injured Workers’ Bar Association, NOSSCR, and the Monroe County Bar Association, specifically the Solo and Small Firm Committee. Randi is the recipient of the Rochester Women’s Network Up and Coming Businesswoman award, the RBJ’s Forty Under 40 award, GRAWA’s President’s Award, GRAWA’s Crennel-Branch Award, the RBJ’s Women of Excellence Award, a Finalist for the Greater Rochester Chamber of Commerce Athena Young Professional Award, Nazareth University’s Outstanding Alumni Award, and a Finalist for the Greater Rochester Chamber of Commerce Athena Organizational Award.

Randi enjoys spending her time as a strong female role model however possible, including as mother to her two children Levi and Lilah.

CLE CO-CHAIR

Hon. Jacquelyn Grippe
Judge, Rochester City Court
Acting Judge, Monroe County Court and Monroe Family Court

The Honorable Jacquelyn Grippe, is a Rochester City Court Judge also serving as an Acting Judge for both Monroe County Court and Monroe Family Court. She began her ten-year term on January 1, 2023. She presides over the Youth Part, criminal cases, landlord-tenant disputes, and various civil matters.

Judge Grippe graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from Antioch College (2006), and went on to graduate Cum Laude with her Juris Doctorate and Masters in International Relations from the Syracuse University School of Law and the Maxwell School of Citizenship (2012).

After law school, Judge Grippe spent more than ten years as an Assistant Public Defender at the Monroe County Public Defender’s Office. There, she represented thousands of clients on felony, misdemeanor and violation level offenses.

Judge Grippe lives in the City of Rochester with her husband three children. In addition to her work in the court system, Judge Grippe is an active member of the Rochester community. She serves on the Board of the Rochester Imagination Library, a non-profit that mails one free, brand-new book each month to children under five years old living in the City of Rochester. Additionally, she works with the Adams Street Rec Center and is proud to host an annual Trunk or Treat and Easter Egg Hunt right in her neighborhood. Judge Grippe is also a member of the Gender Fairness in the Courtroom Committee, the Monroe County Bar Association, and was newly appointed to the Board of the Greater Rochester Association for Women Attorneys.

Judge Grippe enjoys travel, reading, cooking, exploring farmers markets, and tending to her five backyard chickens. 

CLE CO-CHAIR

Kate Nearpass
Co-Founder
Nearpass & Koegel, PLLC

Kate is the co-founder of Nearpass & Koegel PLLC, a Rochester-based law firm with a focus on conducting independent workplace and campus investigations. Kate's practice includes conducting impartial investigations for a variety of organizations, including higher education institutions, nonprofit organizations, and municipalities. Kate also has a robust higher ed practice and, in addition to conducting Title IX investigations, regularly serves as Title IX hearing officer, Title IX appellate officer, interim Title IX Coordinator, and interim director of college and university equity and compliance offices. Kate is also teaching faculty for the Association of Workplace Investigators’ (AWI) Training Institute and an AWI Certificate Holder. Prior to launching Nearpass & Koegel, Kate spent over a decade in higher education as in-house labor and employment counsel, Title IX coordinator, and AVP for Civil Rights Compliance. Kate began her career as a litigator, practicing civil litigation and labor and employment law with both boutique and national firms. Kate earned her J.D. from Albany Law School and her undergraduate degree from Mount Holyoke College. She is licensed as an attorney and private investigator in New York.

DIVERSITY CO-CHAIR

Lauren Maddox
Civil Rights Investigator
University of Rochester

Lauren is a Civil Rights Investigator at University of Rochester. Originally from Miami, Florida, Lauren recently relocated to Rochester. She is a graduate of the University of Miami School of Law. She started her legal career as in house counsel for insurers and has experience representing clients in state and federal court. Lauren has experience representing individuals and insurers in first party property matters. Prior to joining the Civil Rights Compliance Team at the University of Rochester, she worked on commercial litigation and employment matters at Adams Leclair LLP.

DIVERSITY CO-CHAIR

Caroline Rodriguez
State Prosecutor
Monroe County District Attorney's Office

Caroline is a state prosecutor at the Monroe County District Attorney’s Office in Rochester. She works in the Public Integrity and Economic Crimes Bureau focusing on helping victims and safeguarding the public from white collar crime. Caroline grew up in an old farmhouse in Lima, New York. For middle school, she moved with her family to Bogota, Colombia where she attended Collegio Nuevo Granda. After the stint abroad, she graduated from Honeoye Falls-Lima High School. She attended Cornell University, majoring in Spanish Language and Literature and minoring in Art History. She became interested in law after taking a Comparative Health Care Course while studying abroad in Havana, Cuba. She learned that the legal priorities of both countries helped shape the direction and goals of medical care. Upon graduation from Cornell University, she moved to Buenos Aires, Argentina for two years. She worked as a language and math tutor, and volunteered at the United States Embassy as the General Manager of the American Citizens Services Association and as an organizer of legal conferences. She also read 3-5 books a week and learned how to cook. Upon returning to the United States, she attended Albany Law School.

When not working, Caroline enjoys reading, running, and eating amazing food. You can also find her volunteering as a board member of the City of Rochester Bilingual Charter School, Eugenio Maria de Hostos. She looks forward to bringing her diverse background to GRAWA’s DEI committee and to the greater Rochester community.

LEGISLATIVE CHAIR

Catherine Cerulli, PhD
Emeritus Professor of Psychiatry
University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC)

Catherine is currently an Emeritus Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC). Dr. Cerulli was the Director of Susan B. Anthony Center and the Laboratory of Interpersonal Violence and Victimization. She currently is the CEO and Founder of HLP, LLC, a consultant service which focuses on the intersection of Health, Law and Policy. She received a PhD in criminal justice from SUNY at Albany, NY in 2004 and her Master's Degree in criminal justice from SUNY at Albany, NY in 1998. She holds a JD from the University at Buffalo law school. Dr. Cerulli received the Excellence in Public Service award from the SUNY Albany Alumni Association in 2014 and the National Institute of Mental Health New Investigator Award in 2005.

She was formerly an Assistant District Attorney in Monroe County, New York, where she created a special misdemeanor domestic violence unit in 1995. She has been working on issues surrounding domestic violence and child abuse for over three decades, in a variety of capacities. Various federal agencies have funded Dr. Cerulli's work, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institute of Justice, the Office on Violence Against Women, the National Institute of Mental Health, and the Veteran's Administration. She works internationally to ameliorate violence and currently is assisting with projects addressing the health and welfare of individuals living in the Sub Mekong region. She is a founding Board Member for the Crisis Nursery of Greater Rochester, Inc., a grass roots organization providing emergency respite care for greater Rochester area families with young children. She recently cofounded Amicus Certus, a not for profit dedicated to educating the public on the need to decrease our incarceration policies and utilize trauma-informed systems in the criminal justice system.

MEDIA CO-CHAIR

Nichole Austin
Attorney
Faraci Lange, LLP

Nichole is an attorney at Faraci Lange, LLP, in Rochester, New York, where she focuses on personal injury, medical malpractice, and torts litigation. She holds a bachelor's degree from SUNY Geneseo, a master's degree from SUNY Albany, and a juris doctor degree from UB Law. She is an active member of the Monroe County Bar Association, serving as the past chair of the Lawyers for Learning Committee. She is currently the co-chair of GRAWA's Family and Careers Committee and also serves as a Media co-chair. Ms. Austin resides Penfield, New York, with her husband and son. 

MEDIA CO-CHAIR

Kristin Merrick
Partner
Faraci Lange, LLP

Kristin is a partner at Faraci Lange, LLP and focuses her legal practice on all types of personal injury litigation, including negligence matters, products liability, medical malpractice, motor vehicle accident and premise liability matters.  Kristin has been selected for inclusion as a Best Lawyer in America each year since 2020 and in the Upstate New York Super Lawyers as a Rising Star from 2018-2022. She was recognized as an Up & Coming Attorney (2016), a Top Woman in Law (2020), and Forty Under 40 (2024) by the Daily Record and was an ATHENA Young Professional finalist (2024).

Kristin currently serves as GRAWA’s social media co-chair.  Previously, she served as a GRAWA board member from 2020-2022 and as the Women’s Health Committee Co-Chair from 2019-2020 and 2023-2025.  In addition to serving on the GRAWA Board, Kristin serves on the Board of the Monroe County Bar Association’s Lawyers for Learning Committee and has been a volunteer for Lawyers for Learning since 2015 where she meets and mentors students weekly.

MEMBERSHIP CO-CHAIR

Regina MacAdam
Assistant General Counsel
Rochester Regional Health

Regina works in-house as Assistant General Counsel at Rochester Regional Health, an integrated health care system providing care in Rochester, the Finger Lakes region, and Northern New York.  Regina is a member of the Executive Leadership Forum at Rochester Regional Health, and recently was honored with the Women of Excellence award from the Rochester Business Journal.  She has been involved with GRAWA and on the board for years, serving as the CLE Co-Chair for 2024 – 2025, Treasurer for 2022 – 2024, and the Nominations Committee Chair for 2020 – 2022.

Regina received her B.A. from Columbia College, and her J.D. from Columbia Law School. She joined GRAWA years ago when her oldest daughter was a baby, and spent many years attending Family & Career Committee meetings as she juggled her career and family, eventually serving as co-chair of that committee. She served on the Memorial Art Gallery Board of Directors for 15 years.

Regina and her husband, Stephen, live in Brighton with their two young adult daughters, Maggie and Mary. 

MEMBERSHIP CO-CHAIR

Lauren Whiting
Fiduciary Officer
ESL Trust Services, LLC

Lauren is a Fiduciary Officer at ESL Trust Services, LLC. In her role, Lauren administers estates and trusts and ensures all accounts comply with legal, regulatory, and estate planning document guidelines. Prior to joining ESL Trust Services five years ago, Lauren was a Private Clients Associate Attorney at Nixon Peabody LLP and a Trust and Estate Planning Associate Attorney at Pullano & Farrow PLLC. 

Lauren is on the Monroe County Bar Association (MCBA) Board of Trustees and also serves on the MCBA Foundation Jazz for Justice Committee. She is involved with GRAWA and is the Membership Chair this year. Lauren is also on the Rochester Regional Health Foundation Board and the Professional Advisors Liaison Committee for the Rochester Area Community Foundation.

Outside of professional activities, Lauren enjoys her free time with her two children (soon to be three!) and her husband and loves to hike, run, and travel. 

NOMINATING CHAIR

Leigh Ann Chute
Staff Attorney
Legal Aid Society of Rochester

PROGRAMS CO-CHAIR

Tiffany D'Angelo
In-House Trial Attorney
Allstate Insurance

PROGRAMS CO-CHAIR

Erin Elmouji
Partner
Mancuso Brightman, PLLC

WBASNY DELEGATE

Claire Bopp
Litigation Attorney
Bond, Schoeneck & King, PLLC

WBASNY DELEGATE

Hon. Joanne Winslow (Ret.)