Nicholas G. McClary, Executive Director of Beacon Behavioral Health
Monica T. Parsons, Princeton University
Christina J. Vassiliou Harvey, Esq., Lomurro, Davison, Eastman and Muñoz

was born and raised in the small farming town of Ringoes, New Jersey. Two decades later she found herself embarking on one of her lifelong callings–to become an agent for progressive justice. The law, it turns out, would become her weapon of choice. Melissa was drawn to civil rights law and Rutgers School of Law–Newark by the inspiration of the legendary, late professor and "people's lawyer", Arthur Kinoy. There she discovered the National Lawyers Guild, of which she has been an active member since 2002. During her time at law school and upon graduation, she received the Charles J. Stamler Award, the Eli Jarmel Memorial Prize, and the Eric Neisser Public Interest Program's Pro Bono Award, all for her dedication and contributions toward the public interest and law school community.

As a recipient of the Equal Justice America Legal Services Fellowship and the Haywood Burns Fellowship, Melissa was able to experience firsthand the power of collaborative, interdisciplinary approaches to legal advocacy, working with veteran activists and organizers, first at the Maurice and Jane Sugar Law Center for Economic and Social Justice in Detroit, and then at the Mississippi Workers' Center for Human Rights in Greenville.

In 2004, in an effort to raise funds for public interest scholarships, Melissa created a quilt commemorating the 50th anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education, and honoring the legacy of community lawyering at Rutgers-Newark. The quilt raised $5,000 and now hangs in the school’s lobby.

Since admittance to the bar in Pennsylvania and New Jersey in Fall 2005 until January of 2009, she worked as a Staff Attorney at the Community Health Law Project, representing indigent, disabled people in a variety of civil matters in Central New Jersey.  She also founded the new and growing New Jersey Chapter of the National Lawyers Guild.

Melissa now serves as Executive Director of the Community Justice Center. She has been accredited by the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of General Counsel and admitted to appear in VA courts. She is a member of the Mercer County Bar Association, and the NJ State Bar Association's Section on Military and Veterans Affairs. Her article, From Aspiring to Inspiring, was published in the January 2010 issue of the American Bar Association's The Young Lawyer. She was also recently awarded with the 2010 Young Lawyer Service to the Community Award by the New Jersey State Bar Association at its Annual Convention in Atlantic City.

No matter where she is, or where she goes, Melissa remains actively committed to progressive social change, and to Robert F. Kennedy’s belief that “if you can’t make waves, make ripples.”  While her activist work took a backseat following a near-fatal car accident, she is back again, and ready for more.  No longer content to make ripples, she is ready to make waves.

grew up in Long Hill Township, New Jersey. Having lost his sight at the age of five, he spent his days at the local public elementary school learning to read Braille, while his classmates were learning print. 

Pat’s loss of sight, however, never translated into a loss of vision.  He dreamed of a career working in and on behalf of the environment.  His lifelong passion for the outdoors, endangered wildlife, and the collecting of rocks and minerals led to a Bachelor’s Degree in Environmental Geology at Lafayette College. Pat then pursued a Masters Degree in Environmental Science at Rutgers University, specializing in Pollution Remediation and Prevention.

His vision then took an unexpected turn.  He took his first Environmental Law course, and was in awe of the many ways in which a legal education could further his pursuit of environmental endeavors.  He was hooked, and shortly thereafter, found himself at Rutgers University School of Law-Newark, never losing his focus on environmental law.

But then, another unexpected turn.  Pat was introduced to Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR). Just as his single Master’s Environmental Law class inspired his application to law school, so too did this introduction inspire another twist.  Intrigued by the potential of both mediation and arbitration, Pat pursued ADR and earned a Certification in Conflict Management.  Since 2003, he has been working either as mediator or arbitrator for the ADR Unit of NJ Consumer Affairs. He has also participated in mediated family and employee discrimination conflicts.

Pat has remained active in the visually impaired community. Working in conjunction with the New Jersey Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired, he has given presentations on the many challenges that blindness can pose to those in pursuit of higher education.  He often volunteers his time helping visually impaired college-bound high school students face the challenges of college independence.

Pat’s path has come full circle, and he is finally ready for his vision to become reality—to use both the law and his knowledge of alternative dispute resolutions in pursuit of his environmental endeavors.

grew up in Massachusetts and graduated from the University of Massachusetts with a bachelor’s degree in sociology.  In 1983, Lisa graduated from Boston University School of Law and was admitted to practice in Massachusetts later that year.  She practiced law until 1987, focusing on plaintiff’s employment discrimination litigation and consumer protection.

In addition to her interest in the law as an instrument of fairness, Lisa has had a lifelong interest in psychology and women’s issues.  After moving to southern Vermont in 1987, she had the opportunity to work in a cutting-edge program for survivors of abuse.  As a result Lisa applied to and was accepted by a master’s degree program in clinical social work.  Family responsibilities intervened, however, and she was unable to pursue this goal.  Back at work after a hiatus, Lisa became engaged in fund-raising and development for social service and environmental non-profits.  She earned a certificate in grant writing in 2001, shortly before relocating to New Jersey where she has been an active member of Women in Development in central New Jersey.

Education and experience in the law and mental health eventually came together when Lisa took a position as Staff Advocate for the Community Health Law Project.  Her primary responsibility was to assist clients who are disabled due to mental illness with their claims for Social Security and other entitlements.  This work has reignited Lisa’s interest in the law as an agent of social change.  She recently joined the National Lawyers Guild as a legal worker.  Lisa carries her passion for the environment, engendered by 15 years of life in rural Vermont, to urban New Jersey and looks forward to becoming active in the Environmental Justice Committee of the National Lawyers Guild.

was born and raised in Aberdeen, New Jersey. She attended Tulane University for her first two years of college, where she witnessed the devastation of Hurricane Katrina and its effects on the community. Through university groups, she was able to participate in projects devoted to rebuilding the city of New Orleans. In particular, she volunteered at the New Orleans Legal Assistance Center, where she developed a strong sense of interest in working with disadvantaged groups. While attending her final two years of college at Fordham University, Siobhan continued her activities within the community by tutoring underprivileged elementary and middle school students in New York City.

Siobhan currently attends Rutgers School of Law-Newark, where she is active in the Public Interest Law Foundation and Human Rights Forum. She is a member of the Equal Justice Works Summer Corp program, which selects law students who devote their summers to non-profit organizations dedicated to serving low-income and underserved communities. Siobhan was drawn to the Community Justice Center because of its core values and commitment towards social justice and community empowerment.