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General Counsel, New York Conference of Mayors

Wade Beltramo is General Counsel for the New York State Conference of Mayors and Municipal Officials (NYCOM), a voluntary membership association which represents villages and cities in the State of New York. As NYCOM General Counsel, he oversees the NYCOM legal department and amicus program. He is also responsible for handling general municipal legal matters as well as building code, planning and zoning, cannabis, property maintenance, justice court, parking and traffic regulations, community and economic development, and local government consolidation and dissolution issues. He has been with NYCOM since April 2002.

Mr. Beltramo joined NYCOM after serving as Assistant Corporation Counsel in the New York City Law Department, where he litigated both civil and criminal cases on behalf of the City’s Department of Buildings, Department of Health, Taxi and Limousine Commission, Department of Environmental Protection, and Fire and Police Departments. Prior to working for New York City’s Corporation Counsel, he was an analyst in the New York City Mayor’s Office of Operations.

Mr. Beltramo graduated from Grinnell College, with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science. He received his Juris Doctorate from Brooklyn Law School.

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Partner, Delaware Engineering, DPC

Mary Beth Bianconi is a Partner and Senior Project Manager with over 20 years of experience as a consultant to public and private entities with a focus on infrastructure and economic development. She applies her expertise to conceptualizing, permitting and financing small and large scale municipal infrastructure projects as well as providing assistance to community planning and zoning boards in conducting site plan, subdivision and variance reviews in conformance with local and state codes, the State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA) and, if necessary, the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). Additionally, Ms. Bianconi has spearheaded a number of economic development master plans, from concept and due diligence as well as economic pro forma analysis through the SEQR process to permitting and implementation. A proponent of regional approaches to economic development and infrastructure, her work experience spans throughout New York’s Capital District, the North County, Catskills, Southern Tier and Hudson River Valley.

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Professor of Law, University of Richmond School of Law

Professor Carol N. Brown is a tenured law professor at the University of Richmond School of Law. She teaches and writes in the areas of property, land use planning, real estate transactions, and housing law. She is the author or co-author of six books on these subjects, including West Academic Publishing’s Cases and Materials on American Property Law (7th edition) and Experiencing Housing Law (2nd edition), Carolina Academic Press’ Planning and Control of Land Development: Cases and Materials (10th edition), as well as a number of law review articles and book chapters. A leader in her field, Professor Brown is a frequent presenter at symposiums and conferences. She has served as the chair of the Association of American Law Schools (AALS) Section on Real Estate Transactions and Section on Property Law, among other leadership positions on AALS committees, and is a fellow with the American College of Real Estate Lawyers. Professor Brown is also a member of the Property Section of the National Conference of Bar Examiners which prepares property questions for the Multistate Bar Examination.

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Senior Urban Planner & Technologist, VHB

Andrew Buck is a Senior Urban Planner and Technologist at VHB with over a decade of experience in urban planning and design. He specializes in integrating digital technologies to address complex community challenges, including decarbonization, climate adaptation, and infrastructure modernization. Andrew began his career in Asia and now leads projects across the New York Metro Region and the East Coast, focusing on smart cities and climate planning. An active member of the American Planning Association, serving both the Tech Division and NYM Chapter, he champions sustainable, technology-driven urban development with a strong emphasis on inclusivity and equity.

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Senior Consultant, Clarion Associates, LLC

Don is a Senior Consultant with Clarion Associates, LLC, based in the Denver office, and has been a member of the firm since 1995. He has assisted over 80 U.S. communities to update zoning and development regulations, with a particular focus on fair and affordable housing strategies. Key projects have included first-in-a-generation zoning code rewrites for Detroit, Philadelphia, Indianapolis, and Albuquerque. Don has also advised numerous local governments in Russia, Mongolia, and India on land use issues and served as the Democracy and Governance Advisor to the United States Agency for International Development in Uganda for two years. He is the author of An Even Better Way to Zone (Island Press 2025), A Better Way to Zone (Island Press 2008), co-author of The Rules that Shape Urban Form (APA 2012) and The Citizen’s Guide to Planning (APA 2009) and served as the editor of Colorado Land Planning and Development Law for 30 years. Don teaches a graduate-level course on Land Use Regulation at the University of Colorado at Denver School of Architecture and Planning and is a former member of the Denver Planning Board. He has a bachelor’s degree in Urban Planning and Policy Analysis from Yale University, a law degree from Harvard Law School, and a master’s degree in City and Regional Planning from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard.

For additional information, you may email Don.

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Vice President - Planning and Land Development, AKRF, Inc.

Peter is a Vice President and a leader of AKRF’s New York Hudson Valley municipal and land planning practice for public and private clients focused on single- and mixed-use land development. His work includes land-use planning, zoning, master planning, comprehensive planning, environmental reviews, and GIS-based mapping. He manages some of the firm’s most complex assignments involving multi-jurisdictional geographic boundaries and he is a skilled navigator of the SEQRA environmental review process from both the municipal and private sector perspectives. Peter is a member of the Westchester Municipal Planning Federation’s Board of Directors, the Westchester County Association’s Real Estate Task Force, and the Village of Tarrytown’s Housing Affordability Task Force, as well as a former member of the Board of Directors of the American Planning Association-New York Metro Chapter. Peter has proudly presented at previous LULC conferences and LULA trainings, as well as at events for the NYS Association of Towns, Hudson Valley Pattern for Progress, New York Planning Federation, Capitol District Regional Planning Council, Westchester Municipal Planning Federation, NYS Municipal Administrator’s Association, and the Urban Land Institute’s Westchester/Fairfield chapter.

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Partner, Cuddy & Feder LLP

Chris is a Partner at Cuddy & Fedder with a practice concentration on digital infrastructure, telecommunications, land use, zoning, energy permitting and litigation. He is Chairman of the firm’s Digital Infrastructure Group and a past Chairman of the firm’s Land Use, Zoning & Development Group, two of the largest infrastructure practices in New York and Connecticut. Chris also served as a member of the firm’s Management Committee for the period 2003-2013 and as the firm’s Managing Partner for the period 2017-2022.

Chris has been lead counsel in several precedent setting cases involving nuanced areas of zoning and claims under the Federal Communications, Fair Housing and Civil Rights Acts. Chris represents wireless carriers, tower small cell and fiber companies, residential and commercial developers, retailers, community solar and public utilities typically in the states of New York and Connecticut.

Clients consult with Chris on varied aspects of infrastructure and real estate development and frequently seek his advice regarding the Telecommunications Act, New York’s State Environmental Quality Review Act, Connecticut’s Public Utility and Environmental Standards and numerous other federal, state and local laws regulating development. He routinely appears before state and municipal land use, zoning and environmental permitting agencies such as local planning boards, zoning commissions and the State of Connecticut Siting Council. Chris has extensive experience in the siting of wireless facilities and telecommunications infrastructure at the local, state and national level.

Chris serves in several leadership roles for national and state trade associations. He is a founding board member of the New York State Wireless Association (NYSWA) and served as its President from 2012-2018. He currently serves as NYSWA’s State and Local Government Affairs Advisor. He was appointed to WIA’s Innovation and Technology Council and chaired a working group focusing on municipal government relations and small cell policy. Chris also serves as Vice-Chair of the Westchester County Association Board and leads its Digital Connectivity Initiative including a National Science Foundation/US Ignite Grant to address the digital divide in Yonkers, New York. Chris is recognized by City & State as one of New York’s Power 50 in Telecommunications.

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Partner, Leventhal, Mullaney & Blinkoff, LLP

Steve is an attorney and CPA (ret.), and managing member of the Roslyn general practice firm of Leventhal, Mullaney & Blinkoff, LLP. He is a graduate of the New York University School of Law, and serves as ethics counsel to two counties, four towns, and two villages. Steve is an elected Village Justice and an arbitration chairperson for the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA). Steve served as a hearing officer for the New York State Joint Commission on Public Ethics (JCOPE).

Steve is Chair of the NYSBA Local and State Government Law Section, and co- chair of the section’s Ethics Committee. He is Past-President of the Nassau County Bar Association, a director of the Nassau Suffolk Legal Services Corporation, and Associate Dean for Continuing Judicial Education of the Nassau County Magistrates Association. Steve served as chair of the Nassau County Board of Ethics, as a member of the Grievance Committee for the Tenth Judicial District, and as a consultant to the United Nations Ethics Office.

Steve has lectured and written extensively on the subjects of government, legal, corporate and medical ethics. He is co-author and editor of Municipal Ethics in New York: A Primer for Attorneys and Public Officials, published by the NYS Bar Association. He is frequently engaged to provide ethics advice, training and continuing professional education programs to municipal officers and employees throughout the state, municipal associations, bar associations, law firms and universities.

Contact Information

Steven G. Leventhal
Leventhal, Mullaney & Blinkoff, LLP
15 Remsen Avenue
Roslyn, New York 11576
Phone: (516) 484-5440 Ext. 101
Fax: (516) 484-2710
Email: steven@lmbesq.com

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Associate, Cuddy & Feder LLP

Maximillian is an Associate at Cuddy and Feder. He counsels clients in a wide range of local and state permitting and environmental review matters and regularly represents applicants before public bodies.

While at the Elisabeth Haub School of Law, Maximillian worked in various capacities for the Land Use Law Center and received the Distinguished Service Award from the Land Use Law Center. Maximillian served as a Judicial Intern for the Chief Judge for the Eastern District of New York, and interned for the Village of Ossining, NY Corporation Counsel, as well as for Johnson, Haslun & Hogeman , a boutique land use law firm in Greenwich, Connecticut. Maximillian has a Master’s and Bachelor’s of Urban Planning from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and while in graduate school, he interned for the City of Urbana, Illinois Planning Department. Maximillian is also the Chair of the Planning and Law Division of the American Planning Association, and on the Board of White Plains Bar Association.

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Founder, Mallett Law

Rhea is the founder of Mallett Law, a boutique law practice specializing in citizen representation in land use matters throughout New York State. A former partner at McCarthy Fingar LLP, where she was a member of the firm’s Municipal Law, Land Use and Commercial Litigation groups, she has represented clients in the areas of land use, zoning and planning, municipal law, and SEQRA before local administrative boards and New York Supreme and Appellate Courts.

In addition to her legal practice, Rhea serves as a Fellow at the 91��Ƶ Land Use Law Center, where she helps lead trainings of municipal officials and local board members on planning and zoning law, open meetings law, and ethics issues. This work is especially relevant to Rhea as she is serving her third term as an elected Trustee for the Village of Briarcliff Manor. Rhea is also an adjunct professor at the Elisabeth Haub Law School teaching advanced land use.

As Chair of Westchester County’s Correction Advisory Board, Rhea’s volunteer work builds upon her prior legal experience in criminal justice reform and her continuing criminal defense representation on the 18B Panel. Highlights of her earlier career include working in the Criminal Defense Division of the Legal Aid Society; advocating for public policy and legislative reform as Director of the Correctional Association’s Women in Prison Project; supporting the NYPD’s anti-corruption efforts as Deputy Executive Director of the Mayor’s Commission to Combat Police Corruption; and leading NYC’s domestic violence prevention strategy as Executive Director of the Mayor’s Commission to Combat Family Violence.

Rhea received an LLM in Environmental Law summa cum laude from the Elisabeth Haub School of Law where she also volunteered at the 91��Ƶ Land Use Law Center. She previously received her JD from Columbia University School of Law and a BA in Latin summa cum laude from Amherst College.

For more information, please email Rhea.

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Senior Project Manager, VHB

Gina Martini, a Senior Project Manager at VHB, is a professional planner with extensive experience providing planning and environmental review services for public- and private- sector clients. Her areas of focus include land use, zoning, affordable housing, grant writing, economic development, and environmental impact analysis. She specializes in housing needs studies and is thoroughly proficient with NEPA compliance requirements for HUD Community Development Block Grant Programs.

Ms. Martini holds a Master’s Degree in Urban Planning and has 28 years of professional experience.

Professional Affiliations / Memberships

• American Institute of Certified Planners
• Envision™ Sustainability Professional
• American Planning Association, NY Metro Chapter
• American Planning Association, Private Practice Division
• National Association for County Community and Economic Development (NACCED)
• National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials (NAHRO)

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Attorney at Law

Dwight H. Merriam, of Simsbury, Connecticut, has practiced law for 45 years. He represents land owners, developers, governments, and individuals in land use matters. Dwight is a Fellow and Past President and of the American Institute of Certified Planners, a former Director of the American Planning Association, a former chair of APA’s Planning and Law Division, a former chair of the American Bar Association’s national Section of State and Local Government Law; the Connecticut member of Owners’ Counsel of America, a former Fellow of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation, a member of the Rocky Mountain Land Use Institute National Advisory Board, a Fellow of the Connecticut Bar Foundation, a Counselor of Real Estate, a member of the Association for Real Property and Infrastructure (formerly the Anglo-American Real Property Institute), and a Fellow of the American College of Real Estate Lawyers.

Dwight is the former Chair of the Cooper’s Fellows Program of the Connecticut Bar Foundation. He is President of Rivers Alliance of Connecticut and former Vice Chair of the board of the Connecticut Legal Rights Project, a legal aid organization serving clients with mental health disabilities.

He has taught land use law at the University of Memphis, the University of Bridgeport, Vermont Law School, the University of Connecticut School of Law, and the Quinnipiac University School of Law and has published over 200 articles and thirteen books including "Inclusionary Zoning Moves Downtown", "The Taking Issue", "The Complete Guide to Zoning", "Eminent Domain Use and Abuse: Kelo in Context", and "Group Homes." He is a co-author of the leading casebook in his field, Planning and Control of Land Development, the author of Connecticut Land Use Law and Practice, and co-author of the leading treatise in the field, Rathkopf's The Law of Zoning and Planning and 4th.

Dwight has been named to the Connecticut Super Lawyers list in the area of Land Use Law 2006- 2017, named as one to the Top 10 Connecticut Super Lawyers in 2016 and 2017 (ranked number 2 in the state); was one of the Top 50 Connecticut Super Lawyers in Connecticut 2014; one of the Top 100 New England Super Lawyers in 2014 and 2016 (Super Lawyers is a registered trademark of Key Professional Media, Inc.),ranked in Chambers USA: America's Leading Lawyers for Business in Connecticut in the area of Real Estate, listed in The Best Lawyers in America® in the areas of Land Use & Zoning Law and Real Estate Law since 1991 and the areas of Litigation - Land Use & Zoning and Litigation - Real Estate for 2012, and in 2017 in four areas: Land Use and Zoning Law, Litigation - Land Use and Zoning, Litigation - Real Estate, and Real Estate Law. He was also listed in The Best Lawyers in America® as Hartford Lawyer of the Year in the area of Litigation - Land Use & Zoning for 2013 and in the area of Land Use & Zoning Law for 2012. In the 27th Edition of The Best Lawyers in America® Dwight is listed for his work in: Land Use and Zoning Law, Litigation - Land Use and Zoning, Litigation - Real Estate, and Real Estate Law. In 2019 the Connecticut Law Tribune (American Law Media) recognized him as a New England Trailblazer.

He received his B.A (cum laude) from the University of Massachusetts, his Masters of Regional Planning from the University of North Carolina, where he was invited back as the graduation speaker in 2011, and his J.D. from Yale. He is a featured speaker at many land use seminars, and presents monthly audio land use seminars for the International Municipal Lawyers Association.

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Principal Planner, Nelson, Pope & Voorhis, LLC

Valerie Monastra is an AICP Certified Planner with over 20 years of experience throughout the Hudson Valley in project management and planning pertaining to land use development, zoning, SEQR, affordable housing and community development projects. Her work focuses on both the public and private sectors. She specializes in working on the local level with municipalities in the creation of land use plans, legislation, and policies. In addition, she has significant expertise in navigating projects through the land use approval process. She is currently a Principal Planner at Nelson Pope and Voorhis, a firm specializing in environmental and land use planning. She also currently serves as a board member for the Westchester Municipal Planning Federation. Valerie holds master’s degrees in Environmental Policy and Planning from Tufts University, and in Geochemistry from Cornell University.

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Mayor, City of Kingston

Mayor Steve Noble was born and raised in the City of Kingston. He graduated from the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry with a degree in Environmental Science. Steve also earned his Masters in Public Administration from Marist College. He began his career at the City of Kingston’s Parks and Recreation Department, serving as an Environmental Educator and then as an Environmental Operations Specialist. Steve began his first term as Kingston Mayor on January 1, 2016 and was recently re-elected for an unprecedented third term, which began on January 1, 2024.

His tenure has brought significant improvements to the City, including winning a $10M Downtown Revitalization grant for Uptown Kingston, investing over $25M in Midtown infrastructure, securing over $22M in funding for Waterfront improvements and sustainability efforts, and completing an overhaul of the City’s antiquated zoning laws with a new form-based zoning code, among many other major infrastructure and sustainability projects. The current Grants portfolio for the City of Kingston is $84M.

Steve has also held leadership positions with the Ulster County Resource Recovery Agency, Ulster County Environmental Management Council, NYS Association of Conservation Commissions and is a founder of the Kingston Land Trust and the Kingston City Land Bank.

Key Focus Areas

• Maintaining and improving infrastructure
• Attracting and retaining responsible businesses
• Increasing citizen engagement and building a more open and accessible government
• Supporting arts and culture
• Building a sustainable community, promoting environmental stewardship and protecting Kingston's natural resources
• Ensuring that all residents have access to safe, quality housing
• Building a more connected community through an improved transportation system
• Expanding recruitment efforts to develop a diverse and skilled city workforce that reflects the community we serve
• Improving public health and wellness efforts

Partner, Rodenhausen Chale & Polidoro LLP

Victoria L. Polidoro is a partner in the firm and concentrates her practice in environmental, land use and municipal law. Ms. Polidoro represents private developers, municipalities, homeowners, not-for-profit entities and public agencies.

She currently serves as planning board attorney or zoning board attorney, or both, for the Towns of Dover and Hyde Park and the Villages of Fishkill and Red Hook. She has experience representing public and private clients in connection with a wide variety of matters including planning and zoning matters, contracts and grant agreements, environmental compliance, drafting and preparation of local laws, special district proceedings, intermunicipal agreements, easement and real estate matters, and historic preservation issues.

Ms. Polidoro was of counsel in Cooperstown Holstein Corp. v. Town of Middlefield, one of the first two decisions in the state defending the right of the Town to ban fracking for natural gas through the use of its zoning law, ultimately affirmed by the Court of Appeals. She was also of counsel in Gabrielli v. Town of New Paltz, which successfully defended the right of the Town of New Paltz to regulate its wetlands and vernal pools in the face of a constitutional and SEQRA challenge. This decision established that towns do not have to accurately map each wetland before enacting a wetlands law, nor do they have to forego regulating vernal pools, though they may exist for only two months a year.

Ms. Polidoro studied at the 91��Ƶ Land Use Law Center throughout law school and was a senior associate on the 91��Ƶ Environmental Law Review. With 91��Ƶ Law School Professor John Nolon, Victoria coauthored "Hydrofracking: Disturbances Both Geological and Political: Who Decides?" published in the Urban Lawyer. She has participated in the Land Use Law Center's Land Use Leadership Alliance Training Program as a facilitator and lecturer during its training programs for local officials. Ms. Polidoro has also lectured on the topic of land use law at a continuing legal education course for attorneys.

Ms. Polidoro was selected for the Upstate New York Super Lawyers Rising Star list in 2014 through 2018. Ms. Polidoro received the Distinguished Young Attorney award from 91��Ƶ’s Land Use Law Center in 2019.

Ms. Polidoro is a member of the Mid-Hudson Women's Bar Association and the New York Bar Association (Environmental and Municipal Law Sections).

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President & CEO, Westchester County Association

Michael N. Romita, a business leader with extensive public policy expertise, was named the President & CEO of the Westchester County Association in March of 2020. Since taking on this role, Michael has helped to create and advance groundbreaking initiatives designed to strengthen the economy in Westchester and the surrounding region. He has led the WCA’s growth in focus areas such as real estate and housing, healthcare and life-science, workforce development, energy and sustainability, and digital opportunity. He is repeatedly recognized as one of the region’s leading voices in business, economic development, and sustainability.

Prior to the Westchester County Association, Michael was Executive Vice President in charge of corporate strategy and operations at Castle Oil Corporation, a mid-stream energy company founded by his grandfather. He started his career as an environmental litigator at the U.S. Department of Justice where he represented the United States in federal court on a broad array of environmental and energy matters.

Michael holds a BS from Tufts University, JD from the University of Michigan Law School, and Master of Laws from The London School of Economics. He has served on the boards of many charitable and civic organizations, including the Westchester County Parks, Recreation, and Conservation Board, the Westchester Parks Foundation, and Calvary Hospital. Michael and his wife Melissa live in Westchester and wait patiently for their daughter to face time them from college from time to time.

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Senior Environmental Planner, VHB

Abi Rudow, AICP, is a Senior Environmental Planner with VHB, a national planning, engineering, and design firm with clients in various markets including real estate, transportation, local government, institutional, and energy. Abi has been a part VHB’s environmental and community planning practices for 9 years, supporting commercial and residential development on Long Island, New York City, and the Hudson Valley. Abi’s past projects include the Greater East Midtown Rezoning, 175 Park, and the New York State Downtown Revitalization Initiatives in Baldwin and Kingston, NY. She worked previously for Kramer Levin and the White Plains Planning Department. Abi holds a Masters of Urban Planning from the NYU Wagner School of Public Service and a BS in Policy Analysis and Management from Cornell University. Abi also proudly serves as the Chair for the Urban Land Institute’s New York Chapter TAPs Steering Committee.

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Senior Vice President, Academic Affairs and Provost, Graduate and Professional Divisions, Touro University

Patricia Salkin served as Dean and Professor of Law at Touro College Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law Center from 2012–2016. She currently serves as Provost, Graduate and Professional Divisions and Professor of Law.

Prior to joining Touro Law Center, Salkin was the Raymond & Ella Smith Distinguished Professor of Law, as well as Associate Dean and Director of the Government Law Center of Albany Law School. Salkin is co-chair of the NYS Bar Association’s Standing Committee on Legal Education and Admission to the Bar and she was a member of the City Bar’s Task Force on New Lawyers in a Changing Profession. She is a past chair of the American Association of Law School’s State & Local Government Law Section, and is the author of hundreds of books, articles and columns including a recent piece in the Journal of Legal Education on incorporating best practices into the teaching of land use law. She served two terms as an appointed member of the National Environmental Justice Advisory Council, a Federal Advisory Committee to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

A member of the American Bar Association’s House of Delegates, Salkin holds and has held many leadership positions within both the ABA and the New York State Bar Association including: Past Chair of the ABA State and Local Government Section and current member of the Standing Committee on Governmental Affairs (ABA); Past Chair of the NYSBA Municipal Law Section and Founding Member and Past Chair of the NYSBA Committee on Attorneys in Public Service; and she has chaired numerous NYSBA task forces including one focusing on: government ethics, eminent domain, and town and village justice courts.

A nationally recognized scholar on land use law and zoning, Salkin is the author of the popular blog, Law of the Land. Her land use publications include: The 4-volume 4th edition of New York Zoning Law & Practice (1999-present); the 5-volume 5th edition of American Law of Zoning (2008–present); Bordering on Madness: An American Land Use Tale Companion (with Popper and Avitale)(2008); Land Use & Sustainable Development: Cases and Materials, 8th ed. (Thomson West) (with Nolon) (2012); Climate Change and Sustainable Development Law in a Nutshell (Thomson Reuters) (with Nolon) (2010); Land Use in a Nutshell (Thomson West) (with Nolon) (2007); The Greening of Local Governments (with Hirokawa, eds.) (ABA Press 2012); and the annual Zoning and Planning Law Handbook, ed. (Thomson Reuters).

She has served on the Board of Directors of the New York Planning Federation, and has been active in land use reform efforts including membership on the Land Use Advisory Committee of the NYS Legislative Commission on Rural Resources. She is a reporter for the American Planning Association's Planning & Environmental Law and on the Editorial Advisory Board for The Urban Lawyer produced by UMKC School of Law for the ABA. Dean Salkin continues to serve as the long-term chair of the American Planning Association's Amicus Curiae Committee. She has consulted on land use issues for many national organizations including: the American Planning Association, the American Institute of Certified Planners, the National Academy for Public Administration and the National Governor’s Association.

Salkin is committed to advancing the status of women in the legal profession. She is the editor of Pioneering Women Lawyers: From Kate Stoneman to Present, Editor (American Bar Association Press, 2008), and she has delivered speeches and earned recognition from womens' bar associations, women's business organizations and non-profit organizations focused on women. She is a member of the Suffolk County Women's Bar Association, the National Association of Women Lawyers, and a former member of the Capital District Women's Bar Association. At Touro Law, Salkin and her family have established two scholarships, one awarded to a rising 2L (F/T of P/T) or rising 3L (five-year PT) female student who shows commitment to women’s and/or diversity issues, and a second scholarship awarded annually to a law student who is either currently or was previously a K-12 teacher pursuing school while also raising a family; or someone raising a family who has expressed an interest in education law.

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Partner, Hodgson Russ LLP

Dan is the Practice Leader for the firm's Green Building, Land Use & Economic Development, and Real Property Tax Assessment & Eminent Domain Practices, as well as the Cleantech and Renewable Energy Practices Co-Leader. He concentrates his practice on issues involving environmental law, renewable energy, sustainable development, land use law, municipal law, and real estate development. His practice involves numerous renewable energy projects, including representing municipalities, developers, land owners, and financing entities. His work, from project inception through successful litigation, includes some of the largest wind farms in the eastern United States; multiple utility and small-scale solar projects; and landfill, gas-to-energy, biomass, storage, transmission, and energy efficiency projects. He successfully litigated a case of first impression concerning a municipality's right to regulate power-generating facilities based on greenhouse gas emissions.

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Partner, Zarin & Steinmetz

Michael has been a staple in real estate development and litigation throughout the Hudson Valley and in New York City for more than three decades, advising his clients on all aspects of land use and environmental law. His innovative and collaborative approach to many of the most challenging land use development and real estate matters has made him a well respected leader in the field, and sought after in bringing these matters to successful resolutions.

Michael co-founded Zarin & Steinmetz in 1997, and has overseen the firm’s rise as a recognized leader in the region. Michael’s practice encompasses land use/zoning, complex real estate transactions and financing, environmental law, site remediation, public-private partnerships, SEQRA/NEPA, urban renewal, administrative law, eminent domain, due diligence, and environmental and general litigation. He has helped private and municipal clients achieve their goals for transformational projects that have breathed new life into downtowns, waterfronts, and brownfield sites throughout the state. Michael specializes in developing pro-active and creative financing models, which take advantage of the latest tools in pursuing successful public-private development projects. Michael has also represented clients in numerous federal, state and administrative proceedings through-out the nation, as well as intensive arbitration and mediation proceedings.

Michael is also frequently retained by municipalities as Special Land Use and Environmental Counsel on large, complex development projects. His municipal work also includes serving as an eminent domain expert, including as an expert witness for the New York City Law Department in connection with its comprehensive blue-belt condemnation program on Staten Island.

Michael taught a “Land Use Regulation” seminar at Hofstra Law School. He has lectured at the New York University Real Estate Institute, and at the 91��Ƶ School of Law Environmental Master’s Program. He is a former member of the Executive Committee of the New York State Bar Association’s Environmental Section, and Co-Chair of the Land Use Committee. He also assisted the Chief Administrative Judge for the Ninth Judicial District in the formation of a Special Environmental Claims Part for the District.