Officers
Elizabeth Z. Marcus
Elizabeth Z. Marcus is an Assistant District Attorney at the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office. She is a graduate of the University of Michigan Law School (Go Blue!). While at Michigan, Elizabeth was an Executive Editor of the Michigan Journal of International Law. She also served as a Student-Attorney with Michigan’s Juvenile Justice Clinic and Civil-Criminal Litigation Clinic. Additionally, she interned for the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court.
Prior to law school, Elizabeth earned a Master’s degree in Human Rights Studies from Columbia University. Her research focused on the intersection of disability and aging with her final thesis titled, “The Human Rights-Based Approach to Disability: Opportunities for the World’s Aging Society.” While pursuing her Master’s degree, Elizabeth interned at the United Nations Headquarters for the UN’s focal point on disability rights. She is also a graduate of New York University, having earned her B.A. degree, magna cum laude, in history and politics.
Elizabeth previously served as Treasurer, Corresponding Secretary, and Recording Secretary of the Westchester Women’s Bar Association, and was the proud co-chair of the New Lawyers Committee. She was nominated for the Women’s Bar Association of the State of New York Doris S. Hoffman Outstanding New Lawyer Award.
Elizabeth is admitted to practice law in the State of New York and U.S. District Courts for the Eastern and Southern Districts of New York.
Amanda K. Rieben
President-elect
arieben@law.pace.edu
Amanda Rieben is the Director of the Pace Women’s Justice Center’s Walk-In Legal Clinic. As Director, she provides legal assistance to victims of domestic violence, elder abuse, and sexual assault, primarily in the areas of matrimonial and family law, including divorce, custody, child support and other related matters. She also oversees the day-to-day Clinic operation and supervises other staff and pro bono attorneys serving clients through this program. Prior to joining the Pace Women’s Justice Center, Mrs. Rieben was an associate at one of the largest family/matrimonial law firms in Connecticut. She previously worked as a Staff Attorney at Legal Services of the Hudson Valley, in the organization’s domestic violence unit. Additionally, she was a Staff Attorney at the Center for Family Representation, Inc., where she defended parents in child protective proceedings in New York County Family Court.
Ms. Rieben is the incoming 2022-2023 President Elect of the Westchester Women’s Bar Association, and the immediate past Recording Secretary (2021-2022). She is one of the Co-Chairs of the Westchester Women’s Bar Association’s Families, Children & the Courts Committee. Moreover, she is a member of the Westchester County Bar Association. She also serves on the Management Board of the St. Luke’s Parish School in Darien, Connecticut, where one of her daughters attends.
Mrs. Rieben earned her J.D. degree from New York Law School in 2009, and is admitted to practice in New York and Connecticut. She received her undergraduate degree from Colby College, Magna Cum Laude, and studied abroad through the General Course Program at the London School of Economics. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her three daughters and family, and playing tennis.
Sherry A. Bishko has been a partner in Rosenthal & Markowitz, LLP since January of 2016, and has worked at the firm since 2006. Sherry is involved in all practice areas including estate planning, estate settlement and real estate but concentrates primarily in matrimonial and family law. Sherry is a trained mediator and collaborative law attorney. She is a long-time member of the Westchester Women’s Bar Association where she is co-chairperson of membership. Sherry is also a member of the Orange County Women’s Bar Association, the New York State Bar Association and the Westchester County Bar Association. Her road to becoming a practitioner in matrimonial and family law was a bit circuitous but inevitable, given her sustained community involvement and interest in and desire to help people.
Sherry graduated from Colgate University in 1990 and went straight to graduate school at Tufts University where she received an MA in Environmental Policy. Upon graduating from Tufts, she began working at the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s Regional Office in New York City. Sherry worked in the Office of Policy and Management and was in charge of President Clinton’s Project XL initiative. Project XL is a program in which corporations and government agencies are given regulatory flexibility in exchange for achieving better “bottom-line” environmental results. Her experience with Project XL required a working knowledge of federal environmental statutes and regulations and prompted an interest in law school.
Sherry began her second career as a lawyer in 2000 when she entered Pace University Law School. She graduated Cum Laude with a Certificate in Environmental Law from Pace in 2003. After graduation, she practiced corporate law in Rye, NY and founded a citizen’s action group in her then hometown of Sleepy Hollow, NY to monitor the re-development of the General Motor’s site located on the Hudson River.
Sherry is actively involved in the Westchester Women’s Bar Association and co-founded and launched the successful WWBA “Mentorship Program” which pairs young lawyers and law students with seasoned lawyers throughout Westchester County. She also has assisted Legal Services of the Hudson Valley in efforts to train staff on uncontested divorce preparation.
Sherry resides in the Village of Tuxedo Park, New York in Orange County, and has served as a member of the Village’s Planning Board. Her family is a “founding family” having resided in the Village since the late 1800s and she is passionate about the history, residents and natural beauty of Tuxedo Park.
NATANYA L. BRIENDEL
Vice President
nbriendel@gmail.com
Natanya Briendel has been a member of the Westchester Women’s Bar Association since the mid 1990s. She has been Chairperson of the Domestic Violence Committee and the Programs Committee and is currently serving as Vice-President on the Executive Board.
Ms. Briendel is a Staff Attorney at the Pace Women’s Justice Center where she supervises its Uncontested Divorce Program. She is also an Adjunct Professor at Mercy College where she teaches Criminal Procedure and Introduction to Family Violence.
JULIE PASSMAN
Vice President
passmanspecialed@gmail.com
Julie P. Passman, Attorney at Law, has a private practice devoted to special education advocacy. Building on a passion developed in law school, Ms. Passman is committed to ensuring that children with special needs receive a free appropriate public education. Ms. Passman is also a New York State impartial hearing officer for special education matters.
Ms. Passman graduated from Cardozo School of Law of Yeshiva University in 1990 and was a member of the Cardozo Law Review. She is the author of “Retroactive Reimbursement: The Standard of Review for a Parent’s Unilateral Placement Under the Education for All Handicapped Children Act”. Ms. Passman is admitted to practice law in New York and Connecticut.
Ms. Passman began her law career as a member of the Litigation Department at Weil, Gotshal and Manges. In addition to her current legal practice representing clients in special education matters, Ms. Passman has lectured to parent groups and at Continuing Legal Education programs focusing on special education issues.
Ms. Passman is a co-chairperson of the Lower Hudson Special Education Task Force, a regional affiliate of the New York State Special Education Task Force. Ms. Passman is a Vice President of the Westchester Women’s Bar Association (WWBA) and a co-chairperson of the WWBA Education Committee. Ms. Passman has developed an active committee, regularly hosting programs on current issues in Education Law.
Deborah is honored to serve as Treasurer of the Westchester Women’s Bar Association for a second year. She is co-Chair of the Awards Committee and has previously served as a State Director. She also sits on the Board of the Westchester Women’s Bar Association Foundation. Deborah is proud of the work that the WWBA and WWBAF do and enjoys working with such motivated, intelligent and capable individuals.
Deborah is an associate at Cohen, Soloway & Wooldridge, P.C., a prominent trusts and estates boutique law firm in Westchester County that serves New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. She focuses her practice on estate administration matters and handles many aspects of trust and estate administration cases.
Prior to joining the firm, Deborah worked in finance, and guided her clients to make well-informed decisions and attain their financial goals. Before that, she focused her legal work on various aspects of guardianship and health law. Deborah is a graduate of Wellesley College and Boston University School of Law.
JILL OZIEMBLEWSKI
Corresponding Secretary
jill_oziemblewski@yahoo.com
Jill Oziemblewski, a graduate of Brown University and Brooklyn Law School, began her career as an assistant district attorney in January 2005 in the Kings County District Attorney’s Office. After completing rotations in the complaint room and a general trial bureau, she transferred to the Domestic Violence Bureau in 2006, serving there for over three years. It was a meaningful and impactful time, being under the direction of and in community with devoted and vastly knowledgeable prosecutors and victim advocates, during a period when Brooklyn was a leader in the nation for implementing its Family Justice Center. Jill managed a voluminous caseload, presented cases to the grand jury, and tried felony and misdemeanor cases to verdict. In February 2009, she transferred to the Appeals Bureau, serving there for over ten years, finding engagement, intellectual challenge, and fulfillment in appellate practice.
Jill moved to Westchester in May 2019 after applying to the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office and being offered a position in the Appeals and Special Litigation Division. She continues to handle appeals and various applications in state and federal courts.
Jill joined the WWBA in July 2019 and attended book club the same month, instantly feeling grateful for the warm welcome and enriching discussion. She has since participated in many book clubs and several wellness committee events. Jill is enthusiastic about the work and endeavors of the WWBA in the year ahead.
Christine Paska
Recording Secretary
cpaska@gmail.com
Christine Paska is currently an associate at Most and Schneid, P.C. in White Plains. She handles matrimonial and family law cases. She was previously an Assistant District Attorney in the Special Prosecutions Division at the Westchester County District Attorney's Office where she handled a caseload of domestic violence, child abuse, sexual abuse, elder abuse and human trafficking cases.
Prior to joining the Westchester County District Attorney's Office, Christine spent 12 years as an Assistant Corporation Counsel in the Family Court Division of the New York City Law Department. Christine joined the Law Department in September 2009 as an Assistant Corporation Counsel. Christine became a member of the Special Victims Unit (SVU) in 2011 and a member of the Major Case Unit (MCU) in 2012. In 2014 Christine was promoted to the position of Assistant Borough Chief and was transferred to the Brooklyn Family Court Office where she was the Special Victims Unit supervisor until she returned to the Bronx Office as an Assistant borough Chief in 2016. Christine served as a borough training coordinator in both the Brooklyn and Bronx Family Court offices. In 2018 Christine was promoted to the Deputy Chief of Training for the Special Victims Unit.
Christine is also a co-chair of the mentorship committee.
Christine earned a B.A. from the University of Delaware and a J.D. from Pace University School of Law. In 2018 Christine had the honor of being admitted to the United States Supreme Court.
In her free time Christine enjoys running, riding her Peloton, reading and spending time with her family.
