The governing board of the Hiscock Legal Aid Society recently announced its election of officers and the addition of four new directors.

Elected to Chair the Board of Directors is Richard C. Engel, a partner with the Mackenzie Hughes law firm; Chair-Elect is Stanfort J. Perry, Executive Director of Arc of Onondaga; Vice Chair is Suzanne O. Galbato, a partner with Bond, Schoeneck & King; Secretary-Treasurer is Joseph P. Hardick, CPA and partner with the accounting firm of Dannible & McKee.

Joining the Board for their first three-year terms are:  Sam Elbadawi; Virginia A. Hoveman; Kenneth W. Reed; and Marina Rodriguez.

Mr. Elbadawi is a partner with the Sugarman Law Firm, and a member of the firm’s management committee.  He focuses on the representation of individuals, families, and estates in personal injury and wrongful death claims.  He is a member of the Onondaga County, St. Lawrence, New York State, and Central New York Women’s bar associations and is also a charter member and member of the Board of Directors of the New York State Academy of Trial Lawyers.  Mr. Elbadawi is a member of the Board of Directors of the Onondaga-Oswego Chapter of the American Red Cross and the President of the Labrador Mountain Ski Club.  He also volunteers for the Fayetteville Manlius Youth Soccer Program, the East Area YMCA and Vera House.

Ms. Hoveman is a member of Green & Seifter Attorneys, PLLC, focusing her practice in the areas of Intellectual Property; Not-for-Profit Organizations; and Trusts and Estates.  She is a member of the Onondaga County and Central New York Women’s bar associations.  Ms. Hoveman serves on the Boards for the Onondaga Pastoral Counseling Center; Friends of the Central Library; and Planned Parenthood of Rochester/Syracuse Region Inc, where she was the Former Board Chair.  She is a member and 1993 graduate of Leadership Greater Syracuse and Former President of The Rape Crisis Center of Syracuse.  Her awards include:  “25 Women in Leadership;” “MVP Women in Business;” and she was the 2010 recipient of the Ellen Fairchild Award for outstanding work for Planned Parenthood-Rochester/Syracuse Region.

Pastor Reed is the spiritual leader of the Greater Evangelical Church of God In Christ in Syracuse.  He left an eight year career with General Electric and joined the Syracuse Rescue Mission, serving as a Crisis Counselor; Emergency Services Coordinator; Director of Homeless Services; and on the Executive Team as Head Chaplain.  In 1998, he became a full time pastor at the church.  Pastor Reed is President of the City of Syracuse & Vicinity’s Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance, and has been instrumental in establishing programs to address violence and injustice.  He has been nominated for the Syracuse Jefferson Award and has received numerous awards for outstanding service, dedication, and distinguished service.

Ms. Rodriguez is the Family Services Support Department Supervisor for the Spanish Action League of Onondaga County.  She was raised in Harlem, and worked as a Certified Emergency Medical Technician for NYC 911 while attending college for her nursing degree.  Thirteen years ago, she moved to Oswego, NY, where she served as an outreach worker in the migrant community and in 2005, she collaborated with the Spanish Action League on a case involving the accidental death of a worker.  Ms. Rodriguez also works as a Certified Medical Interpreter at University Hospital in Syracuse and as a Case Manager/Resident Supervisor for Vera House.  In 2008, she was recognized by the Labor Religion Coalition for Employing both Heart and Mind in the Cause of Worker Justice.  She is currently on the Advisory Board of Directors for the Community Wide Dialogue to Ending Racism.

Founded in 1949, the Hiscock Legal Aid Society is a private, not-for-profit organization which promotes the right of every person to equal justice under the law by providing free professional legal assistance to individuals and families in need in Onondaga County and the surrounding region.  It currently maintains a staff of 45, including 25 attorneys and seven law assistants, and handles more than 4500 cases per year.