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2024 Graham Gala}

ADRIENE HOLDER

Adriene serves as Chief Attorney of the Civil Practice of The Legal Aid Society and has devoted her entire professional career to challenging poverty and racial injustice for the advancement of equity. Adriene is responsible for managing the provision of comprehensive civil legal services through a network of
neighborhood offices and specialized city-wide units serving all five boroughs of New York City with over 500 staff working on more than 50,000 cases each year. Prior to her appointment to Chief Attorney of the Civil Practice, Adriene served as Attorney-in-Charge of the Harlem Office; practiced law as a staff attorney in the Law Reform Unit of the Civil Practice; and began her career as a staff attorney in the Harlem Office Housing Law Unit.

In addition to her formal duties, Adriene also serves as a member of the New York State Permanent Commission on Access to Justice, is the Co-Chair of the New York State Bar Association Committee on Legal Aid, is a member of the New York State Bar Association President’s Committee on Access to Justice, is an executive board member for Housing Court Answers, and previously served as a Tenant Representative on the New York City Rent Guidelines Board. Adriene has also served as an adjunct professor at The New School and as a volunteer instructor at Columbia Law School.

Often called upon to work on the Society’s legislative agenda, Adriene frequently testifies before legislative bodies on the city and state levels. She also is consulted on various legal and policy matters impacting low-income communities by the media, law schools, and policy or governmental agencies.

Dr. DONNA E. SHALALA

One of the most honored academic leaders of her generation, Dr. Shalala has been elected to seven national academies: the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the American Academy of Political and Social Science, the American Philosophical Society, the National Academy of Education, the National Academy of Medicine, the National Academy of Public Administration, and the National Academy of Social Insurance. She is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and a former Guggenheim Fellow.

She is the recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian award; the Nelson Mandela Award for Health and Human Rights; and a National Public Service Award. She was elected to the National Women’s Hall of Fame in Seneca Falls, New York, and has received numerous honorary degrees. She was named one of the “top five managers in higher education” by BusinessWeek, one of “America’s Best Leaders” by U.S. News & World Report, and “one of the greatest public servants of the past 25 years” by the Council on Excellence in Government.

Dr. Donna E. Shalala became The New School’s Interim President on August 15, 2023. Dr. Shalala is a nationally recognized scholar and leader in higher education and government. She served as President of the University of Miami, Chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and President of Hunter College of the City University of New York (CUNY). A dedicated scholar and teacher, she has held tenured professorships at Columbia University, CUNY, and the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and the University of Miami.

Her leadership in the U.S. government began as one of the country’s first Peace Corps Volunteers. For eight years she served in President Bill Clinton’s Cabinet as Secretary of Health and Human Services.” Most recently, she was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives for Florida’s 27th Congressional District.