2007 - 2008 Board Biographies
(In alphabetical order)

SARA STOUT ASHCRAFT, Membership Committee Chair, after receiving a Bachelor's Degree in Psychology and Sociology from Concord University and a Master's Degree in Clinical Psychology from Marshall University, Sara worked in psychology-related areas.  In 1995, she received her J.D. from the State University of New York at Buffalo School of Law, graduating cum laude and receiving the Milton Frey Award in family law.  Admitted to practice in both New York and West Virginia, Sara is currently a partner with Ashcraft, Franklin and Young, LLP in Rochester, New York, with primary practice areas in matrimonial and family law.  In addition to being active in GRAWA (having served as President) and WBASNY (having served as a Delegate in the past), Sara also is active in several other bar associations including the New York State Bar Association, the West Virginia Bar Association, and the Monroe County Bar Association, and is currently a member of the 7 th Judicial District Gender Fairness Committee.  Sara has been a presenter for a number of CLE programs in matrimonial and family law.  Additionally, she is a columnist on matrimonial and family law for The Daily Record .

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Current Board Standing Committees Special Committees Board Bios

CYNTHIA J. CARROLL, Judicial Evaluation Committee Co-Chair (second term), is the Program Director of the Family Law Unit of the Legal Aid Society of Rochester. A graduate of Boston University and the University of Washington School of Law, she has been practicing in the area of matrimonial and family law since 1996. In addition to representing clients in Family Court and in matrimonial proceedings, she supervises attorneys, law student interns and legal assistants in both the Domestic Violence Program and the Limited Means Program of the Legal Aid Society of Rochester.

 

AMY R. COTé, Judicial Evaluation Committee Co-Chair, received her Bachelor's Degree from SUNY University at Albany, magna cum laude, and her J.D. from the State University of New York at Buffalo Law School with certificates in Affordable Housing and Community Development and Finance Transactions.  She practiced in the litigation department at Gallo & Iacovangelo for over two years before joining the Rochester-Genesee Regional Transportation Authority as in-house counsel in 2005.  Amy has served as the Programs Committee Co-chair and a member of the Mentor-Mentee Committee. A member of the Judicial Evaluation Committee since 2004, Amy is serving as a JEC Co-chair this year.   Amy also provides services, pro bono , to the Rochester Birding Association.  

 

HON. GAIL DONOFRIO, Nominating Committee Chair, attended Saint John Fisher College, where she received her Bachelor of Arts in English, Magna Cum Laude . She went on to the State University of New York at Buffalo Law School, where she received her Juris Doctor Degree and was admitted to practice in New York State Court and in the United States District Court, Western District of New York. Judge Donofrio's background in private practice included civil litigation in State and Federal Courts in cases involving negligence, severe brain injury, medical malpractice, products liability, business, construction, contract, discrimination and labor and employment law. She also served as a member of the Pittsford Town Board. As a Family Court Judge, she maintains a large caseload, addressing complex issues including, child sexual and physical abuse and neglect, domestic violence, custody and visitation, adoptions, child support, juvenile delinquency and P.I.N.S. (persons in need of supervision). In her role as an Acting Supreme Court Justice, she presided over criminal and civil cases and jury trials, including matrimonial, contract disputes, and negligence cases. She also served as Acting Surrogate Court Judge, where she presided over estate matters and disputes. Judge Donofrio has served as an instructor for mandated continuing legal education for lawyers for the New York State Bar Association. She served as Dean of the Monroe County Bar Association's Academy of Law, which oversees the continuing legal education programming provided by the bar association. Judge Donofrio has served on the Board of Directors for the Greater Rochester Association for Women Attorneys, serves on the Office of Court Administration Gender Fairness Committee and acts as the Seventh Judicial Liaison to the New York State Unified Court System Parent Education and Awareness Program Committee. She was a longtime Board Member for Main West Attorneys at Law, Inc., a law firm which provided legal services to the working poor. She is a regular presenter for the Assisting Children through Transition (ACT) program which is designed to educate parents on the effects of divorce or separation of their children. Judge Donofrio has volunteered for various community projects and has been a member of the Pittsford Library Board of Trustees, the Board of Directors for the Pittsford Library Foundation, a youth group coordinator for the St. Louis Church Pittsford Food Cupboard Project, and serves as a member of the Casa Italiana of Nazareth College Progress Committee. She was named Woman of the Year in Government by the Italian American Community Center and Outstanding Citizen of the Year by the Italian Civic League. She also proudly serves as a member of the Pittsford Rotary Club.

 

KIMBERLY DUGUAY, Legislative Committee Chair (third term), received her B.A. in Psychology from the State University at Buffalo in 1988. She received both her J.D. and Masters of Social Work from the University at Buffalo in 1992. Before returning to Rochester in 1997, Kim worked as a staff attorney at Legal Services, Inc., in Chambersburg, PA. She was an associate attorney at the law offices of Muldoon and Getz from 2001 to 2007, practicing in the areas of criminal, family, elder and appeals. Since November 2007, she has been an Assistant Public Defender in the appeals unit of the Monroe County Public Defender office. She has been medical social worker since 1998 an works per diem at Lifetime Care (previously Via Health Home Care). Kim is also serving on GRAWA 's Health Committee.

STEPHANIE A. FIX, Programs Committee Co-Chair, is a Staff Attorney at the New York State Commission on Judicial Conduct. She is a graduate of the State University of New York at Brockport and Quinnipiac College School of Law in Connecticut.  Prior to joining the Commission staff she was in private practice focusing on civil litigation and professional liability in Manhattan and Rochester.  She has served on the Monroe County Bar Association Board of Trustees, including the Executive Committee and served as Trustee Liaison to the Communications, Young Lawyers and Public Education committees. She has also served a three year term on the Bishop Kearney High School Board of Trustees.  Stephanie received the President's Award for Professionalism from the Monroe County Bar Association in 2004 for her participation with the ABA “Dialogue on Freedom” initiative.  She is a member of the Association of Judicial Disciplinary Counsel, Monroe County Bar Association, and the New York State Bar Association. Stephanie is also an adjunct professor at St. John Fisher College. She lives in West Irondequoit with her husband, Will.

JULIE ANNE GORDON, Secretary, has been a Court Attorney/Referee in the Custody/Visitation Part of Monroe County Family Court since January 2001. This will be Julie 's third year on the GRAWA Board having previously served two years as Nominating Committee Chair. She has also previously worked as Sr. Court Attorney for Monroe County Family Court Judge Michael J. Miller and has acted as the legal advisor to Family Court's Domestic Violence Part. Julie graduated Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Arts in 1983 from Union College in Schenectady, NY, earned her Juris Doctor from Albany Law School in 1986 and was admitted to the New York State Bar in 1987. She has concentrated her practice in the areas of family law, matrimonial law and criminal law and served as an Assistant Monroe County Public Defender in the Town Courts Criminal Section. Julie has lectured on the Family Court Act, the Adoption and Safe Families Act and Family Law in general. She is currently a member of the Family Court Children's Center Advisory Board and has previously served as a member of the planning team of the Rochester Safe Start Initiative Grant Proposal by the Monroe County Health Department in conjunction with the primary Mental Health Project. Julie also served as an Adjunct Professor at the Rochester Institute of Technology, teaching Introduction to Criminal Law in 2000, and as a lecturer for The Heath Association's Shoplifter Counseling Service and the ACT Program. Julie and her husband, Ken, live in Brighton with their two daughters, Samantha (16) and Sarah (13).

 

HEIDI SCHULT GREGORY, President, received her Bachelor's Degree, magna cum laude , from Siena College in 1990 and her Juris Doctor from Albany Law School in 1993. Heidi practiced in Albany for two and a half years before getting married and moving to Rochester in 1996. Heidi is a partner at the law firm, Harris Beach PLLC, concentrating her practice in Health Services and Business & Commercial Litigation. She has been actively involved with GRAWA 's Family & Careers Committee having served two terms as Co-Chair from 2003 to 2005. More recently, from 2005 to 2007, Heidi served two terms as Secretary on GRAWA 's Board of Directors. This past year, Heidi enjoyed serving as President-Elect under Greta Kolcon's leadership. She has co-chaired the Monroe County Bar Association's Membership Committee and has served on various other MCBA committees. Heidi serves on the Ethics Committee and the Institutional Review Board at a large local hospital and frequently lectures regarding various health care issues. Heidi is currently serving on the Pastoral Search Committee at Faith Lutheran Church and also serves on the Board of Directors for Faith Child Care and Nursery School . She lives in Penfield with her husband, Doug, and their three children, Johanna (age 8), Meghan (age 7) and Daniel (age 4).

 

SHARON L. HIGGINBOTHAM, WBASNY Delegate, is a Law Clerk to the Honorable David Michael Barry, Supreme Court Justice. Previously, she worked as a Court Attorney for the Hon. Thomas M. Van Strydonck and for the Hon. Craig J. Doran. Prior to that, she worked as a Legal Fellow/Law Clerk to the Hon. Kenneth R. Fisher, Supreme Court Justice of the Commercial Division. Sharon has chaired GRAWA 's Membership Committee, and is a member of the Monroe County Bar Association. Sharon received her J.D. from Albany Law School and her B.A. from SUNY Oswego. In 2006, she was selected as one of The Daily Record's Up & Coming Attorneys.

 

TARA R. JOHNSON, WBASNY Delegate, graduated from the State University of New York at Buffalo in 1999 with a Bachelor of Arts in English and from the University at Buffalo School of Law in 2002. She worked as an Assistant District Attorney with the Monroe County District Attorney's Office from 2003 until 2007, where she spent the majority of her time in the Domestic Violence and Child Abuse Bureau. Currently, she is an Associate Counsel with Excellus BlueCross BlueShield here in Rochester, New York. Tara has been involved with GRAWA since becoming a member of the Bar, serving on the Media Committee and as Membership Chair in 2005. In addition to GRAWA , Tara is a member of the Rochester Black Bar Association, the New York State Bar Association and the Association of Corporate Counsel.

 

GRETA K. KOLCON, Immediate Past President and WBASNY Delegate, is a partner in the Litigation Group at Woods Oviatt Gilman LLP, where she concentrates on business-related litigation, including environmental and employment matters. She received her J.D., cum laude , from Stetson University College of Law and her A.B. with honors from the University of Michigan. Greta has appreciated the honor of serving as GRAWA 's 25 th President during the past year. She previously served as co-chair of GRAWA 's Judicial Evaluation Committee, and has served as a member of GRAWA 's Media Committee, Nominating Committee, Judicial Evaluation Committee, Book Club and Fundraising Committee. She currently serves on WBASNY's Labor & Employment Committee, and has also served as a member of WBASNY's Convention and Awards Committees as well as WBASNY's Judicial Screening Committee. Greta currently serves as Trustee for the Historical Society of the Courts of the State of New York. Greta is a member of the Monroe County Bar Association and the New York State Bar Association, as well as the Rochester Women's Network. She frequently serves as a faculty member for continuing legal education programs and as a contributing author for a various publications. She resides in Pittsford with her husband, Jeff, and their children, Maggie (age 12) and Adam (age 7).

SUSAN SCHULTZ LALUK, Media Committee Chair, is a partner at Boylan, Brown, Code, Vigdor & Wilson, LLP, where she has practiced general corporate, intellectual property and employment law since 1985. She currently chairs Boylan Brown's Corporate Department and Intellectual Property Law Practice Group. She received her J.D. magna cum laude from SUNY Buffalo Law School, and her B.A. magna cum laude from St. Lawrence University. She has previously served on the board of GRAWA as treasurer and as media chair. She is active in the Monroe County Bar Association, currently serving as treasurer. She is a director and past president of Digital Rochester and Wilson Commencement Park. She is a co-author of Thomson/West's Internet Law and Practice. She lives in Penfield with her husband Dave, and their two children, Kathy (20) and Steve (18).

LINDA LOHNER PILATO, CLE Committee Chair, graduated magna cum laude from Union College in 1980 with a degree in Political Science and a minor in Spanish and Economics. While at Union College, Linda was the recipient of the Becker Scholarship for Excellence, for work relating to her senior thesis. In 1983 Linda graduated with a Juris Doctorate from Syracuse College of Law . While at Syracuse, Linda interned with Federal Judge Neal McCurn and was a research assistant to Professor Daan Braverman, current President of Nazareth College. In 1984-1986 Linda served as an Assistant District Attorney, ultimately prosecuting felonies in the Narcotics Bureau. From 1987 to 1990, Linda served as a Confidential Law Clerk to the Honorable Richard Wesley. Between 1990 and 1999, Linda was a litigation associate at Harris, Beach and Wilcox, and later worked as a solo practitioner. During this same time period, Linda obtained her certification to teach Spanish from Nazareth College, and subsequently taught at Franklin High School and in the Penfield School District. From 1999 to 2002, Linda clerked for Judge Melchor E.Castro, Judge John R. Schwartz and Judge Ann E. Pfeiffer, serving as a Court Attorney in Rochester City Court, assisting the Judges in both the criminal and civil parts and working with Judge Schwartz in the Domestic Violence Part. In 2002, Linda began serving as a Monroe County Family Court Magistrate specializing in child support cases. Linda is a member of the Monroe County Bar Association, a past member of the Academy of Law, a current member of the Family Law Section; a volunteer with Lawyers for Learning at School Number 29; a member of GRAWA , and a member of the Browncroft Neighborhood Association. .

 

KATHLEEN DUNIVIN SCHMITT, Treasurer, is the Assistant United States Trustee for Rochester, New York. Prior to her appointment as an Assistant U.S. Trustee, Ms. Schmitt served as the law clerk to Chief Bankruptcy Judge James F. Schneider and as an Honors Program Attorney for the Department of Justice in Washington, D.C. In Washington, Ms. Schmitt concentrated in bankruptcy appellate matters. She later transferred to the Greenbelt Mary land office of the U.S. Trustee where she represented the United States Trustee in complex chapter 11 maters and consumer bankruptcy cases involving fraud and abuse. During law school, Ms. Schmitt clerked for the Honorable Teaette Price, a state Juvenile Judge, the State's Attorney Office – Violent Crimes Unit in Baltimore Mary land, and for a large law firm. Ms. Schmitt is a graduate of the University of Michigan and the University of Baltimore School of Law. She has been an active member of GRAWA for 5 years, serving as co-chair of GRAWA 's Family & Careers Committee for the last 2 years. Kathleen and her husband, Steve, live in Brighton with their sons, Andrew (10), Brendan (8) and Colin (3).

 

AMY SCHWARTZ, President-Elect. After receiving her degree in Psychology and Women's Studies cum laude from Drew University in 1989, Amy worked in many capacities in both the domestic violence and runaway and homeless youth fields until 1996. It was these experiences which fostered her desire to attend law school and Amy graduated from State University of New York at Buffalo School of Law in 1999 with a concentration in Family Law. Currently, Amy is a Senior Staff Attorney with the Empire Justice Center where she coordinates the organization's statewide Domestic Violence Legal Program. In this role, Amy has lectured extensively to advocates, attorneys, judges, and other professionals around the state on many areas of law as they intersect with domestic violence including family and matrimonial law, housing, welfare, disability, and gay, lesbian, and transgender rights. She has also had her writings published in both a national domestic violence-related periodical and compendium, a practitioner's manual published by the First Department of the Appellate Division, and by The Daily Record . Since 2007, Amy has been an Adjunct Professor of Law at Syracuse University College of Law and taught several courses on domestic violence law. Previously, she was employed with the Legal Aid Society of Rochester. In 2007, Amy was honored to be selected as one of the “Up and Coming Attorneys” by The Daily Record . Beginning in 2003, Amy has been active with both GRAWA and WBASNY, serving as Co-Chair of the WBASNY's Domestic Violence Committee since 2005 and Co-Chair then Chair of GRAWA 's Domestic Violence Committee since its inception in 2003. She previously served as Chair of GRAWA 's Legislative Committee from 2004 to 2006 and remains an active member of the Committee to date. Locally, Amy is also a member of the Monroe County Bar Association, LGBTQ Lawyers of Central New York and the Rochester/Monroe County Domestic Violence Consortium. She volunteered as a film programmer with ImageOut Film Festival between 2002 and 2006, as well as served for several years on their Board of Directors. Amy lives in Brighton with her partner, Fran Wallace. They welcomed their first child, August Roy, on April 11, 2008.

 

GINA M. SICKINGER, Programs Committee Co-Chair (second term), is a corporate attorney in the law department at Bausch & Lomb. Prior to moving in-house, Gina worked in private practice for eight and a half years as an associate in the corporate law departments at Nixon Peabody LLP in Rochester and Fulbright & Jaworski L.L.P. in New York City. She received her B.A. in Political Science from Colgate University and her J.D., magna cum laude , from Syracuse University College of Law. Gina is a member of the Business Law Council of the Monroe County Bar Association and lives in Victor with her husband, Patrick Quigley.