Staff and Board
Staff
Executive Director
Susan Gedrick, Esq.
sgedrick@lawyersclearinghouse.org, 617-544-3434 x 105
Susan became the Executive Director of Lawyers Clearinghouse in September 2020.
She first joined the Clearinghouse in August 2017 as Manager of the Access to Justice Fellows Program, which pairs senior lawyers and retired judges with nonprofit organizations and the courts to provide pro bono assistance to people and groups in need.
Prior to joining the staff of the Clearinghouse, Susan managed nonprofit programs for seven years as the Summer Institute Director at Grab The Torch and Director of Special Programs at Teen Ink. She was formerly an associate at the law firm of Nutter McClennen & Fish LLP, and has spent several years teaching and volunteering in private and public schools.
Susan is a graduate of Bucknell University (1994) and Villanova University School of Law (2000).
Communications Director
Hilary Vaught
hvaught@lawyersclearinghouse.org, 617-544-3434 x 103
Hilary joined the Clearinghouse as the Communications Coordinator in 2013. She produces all external communications, including newsletters, fundraising materials, event outreach, press releases, and social media content; designs program flyers, event booklets, and other print materials; and maintains the Clearinghouse website and social media accounts.
Prior to joining the Clearinghouse, Hilary interned at both the State Library of Massachusetts and the Massachusetts State Archives and worked on a multi-year project involving the transcription and preservation of hundreds of historical letters and photographs from the 1930s and 40s.
Hilary is a graduate of Northeastern University (2012), where she studied journalism and sociology.
Legal Clinic Manager
Sean Thekkeparayil, Esq.
sthekkeparayil@lawyersclearinghouse.org, 617-544-3434 x 110
Sean joined the Clearinghouse as Legal Clinic Manager in 2020. He facilitates the Legal Clinic for the Homeless and the CORI Sealing & Expungement Clinic, connecting volunteer attorneys from law firms and corporate legal departments with homeless and very-low income people at local shelters and service agencies and throughout Greater Boston.
Prior to joining the Clearinghouse, Sean worked as an intake specialist and investigator for the City of Boston’s Office of Fair Housing and Equity. He also interned with the Department of Housing and Urban & Development where he worked on issues related to fair housing and mortgages.
Sean graduated from Northeastern University School of Law where he focused on law and economics, and received his Bachelor of Arts degree in philosophy from University of Massachusetts Boston.
Nonprofit Programs Manager
Susan (Shifrah) Halevi, Esq.
nonprofit@lawyersclearinghouse.org, 617-544-3434 x 108
Shifrah joined the Clearinghouse as Nonprofit Programs Manager in 2022. She connects nonprofit organizations in need of legal assistance with pro bono attorneys, organizes legal seminars for nonprofits, and develops lawyer trainings for prospective pro bono attorneys.
Prior to joining the Clearinghouse, Shifrah worked as an attorney, representing employee-owned businesses, First Amendment plaintiffs, and nonprofit organizations, as well as corporations and commercial lenders. She was also a regional director for a national nonprofit dedicated to social justice.
Shifrah was an associate at Ropes & Gray and Hill & Barlow and taught at Northeastern University School of Law. She graduated from Duke Law School, Tufts University (M.A.) and Vassar College (A.B.)
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Manager
Lex Brown
lbrown@lawyersclearinghouse.org
Lex joined the Clearinghouse as the first ever Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Fellow in 2021. She works closely with staff and the board to create action plans, update guidelines and materials, and compile resources to ensure the Clearinghouse promotes diversity, equity, and inclusion across all of its programs.
Prior to joining the Clearinghouse, Lex attended Harvard College, where she concentrated her studies on sociology and African American studies, with a secondary focus on education. She also has experience creating and implementing DEI initiatives and trainings for teens, young adults, and their families, and has studied and written about topics such as anti-Blackness in schools and the school-to-prison pipeline.
Outreach & Programs Coordinator
Rachel Scully-Gonzalez
rscully@lawyersclearinghouse.org, 617-544-3434 x 113
Rachel joined the Clearinghouse as the Outreach & Programs Coordinator in 2024. She assists in the managing of the Fellows Program, Legal Clinics, and the Nonprofit Assistance Program, as well as fundraising and event outreach.
Prior to joining the Clearinghouse, Rachel worked at YouthBuild USA and Rise Against Hunger, advocating and fighting for basic human rights and social justice both domestically and internationally.
Rachel attended two semesters at Universidad CIA Veritas and is a graduate of Emmanuel College (2009), where she studied political science and Spanish.
Board of Directors
President
Tonysha Taylor, Massachusetts Legal Assistance Corporation
Vice President
Mia Friedman, Esq., Fish & Richardson P.C.
Treasurer
Melanie L. Todman, Esq., Mass General Brigham
Cheryl S. Bratt, Esq., Boston College Law School
Nicole Collymore, Esq., Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program
Emily F. Hodge, Esq., Choate Hall & Stewart LLP
Kurt A. James, Esq., KJP Partners LLP
Karen J. Kepler, Esq., Sullivan & Worcester LLP
Christopher H. Lindstrom, Esq., Nutter McClennen & Fish LLP
Rosalyn Garbose Nasdor, Esq., Ropes & Gray LLP
Yavor Nechev, Esq., Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP
Stephen M. Nolan, Esq., Nolan Sheehan Patten LLP
Alexander B. Rosso, Esq., Nixon Peabody LLP
Cindy A. Rowe, Esq., Jewish Alliance for Law and Social Action
Teresa M. Santalucia, Esq., Klein Hornig LLP
Alison Sclater, Esq., Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP
Paul R. Tremblay, Esq., Boston College Law School
Fabiana Videla, St. Francis House