Karen Aavik
1st Vice President / Compliance Officer at First Niagara Financial Group
kaavik@roadrunner.com
Karen Aavik is the First Vice President / Compliance Officer at First Niagara Financial Group. She Graduated summa cum laude from Canisius College with a BA in History, Political Science, and Spanish. Karen then received her JD from SUNY at Buffalo Law School in 1999, and her MBA in Finance from SUNY at Buffalo School of Management in 2000. In 2008, she completed her LLM in Criminal Law with a concentration in White Collar Crime at SUNY at Buffalo Law School,graduating with honors. Karen has substantial experience in analyzing federal, state, and SRO regulations, writing and implementing policies and procedures, creating and delivering training,and conducting monitoring, gap analyses, and periodic reporting activities.
Amanda Dermott
Attorney at U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Office of Chief Counsel
amanda.dermott@dhs.gov
Ms. Dermott is a staff attorney for the Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (“CBP”), Office of Assistant Chief Counsel in Buffalo. The Buffalo Office of Assistant Chief Counsel provides legal advice and guidance, as well as legal representation,to CBP components located throughout New York State (excluding New York City) and parts of Pennsylvania. Legal matters handled by the office include enforcement of customs and immigration laws, trade and finance issues, labor and employment cases, and civil and criminal actions involving CBP. Ms. Dermott recently graduated from UB Law School in May 2010, and began her legal career at Hodgson Russ, LLP in the firm’s Employee Benefits practice group.Ms. Dermott’s internship experience during law school included summer internships for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of New York and Hodgson Russ, LLP, a one-semester externship for the Buffalo Office of Assistant Chief Counsel, and a one-semester intensive clerkship for the Honorable Richard J. Arcara of the U.S. District Court for the WesternDistrict of New York.
Randy Fahs
Manager of Corporate Contracts at Moog
rfahs@moog.com
Randy Fahs is the Manager of Corporate Contracts for Moog Inc., a $2 billion per year publicly traded aerospace company which is located in East Aurora. He focuses his professional activity negotiating domestic and international high tech business agreements and mergers &acquisitions. He graduated from the University of Notre Dame in 1984 with a BA in Government& International Relations and from the SUNY at Buffalo School of Law in 1988 with a JD. Hebegan his legal career as an associate with the Hodgson Russ Law firm and has served in various capacities with Comptek Research, Inc., Superior Technical Resources, Inc., and Northrop Grumman Corporation, prior to joining Moog. Randy participates in numerous pro bono activities, including Canal Fest of the Tonawandas, Inc., and Neighborhood Legal Services, Inc.
Glenn Murray
NYS DMV Administrative Law Judge
gemesq@me.com
Since November, Mr. Murray has served as a NYS DMV Administrative Law Judge. Prior to that appointment, he had over 25 years of litigation experience in state and federal courts. Mr.Murray is a former Army prosecutor and military defense counsel, who taught Constitutional Law at Canisius College, and as a frequent guest speaker at the University at Buffalo Law School. He has lectured and chaired numerous seminars for lawyers and judges sponsored by the State and County Bar Associations and the NYS Office of Court Administration on the topic of DUI. Mr. Murray is the author of COLLATERAL CONSEQUENCES OF CRIMINAL CONDUCT(NYSBA, 1992) and is the coauthor of CRIMINAL LAW SLANGUAGE OF NEW YORK 3d (Lexis Nexis/ Gould Publishing, 2006).
Robert C. Whitaker Jr.
Associate at Hancock Estabrook, LLP
rwhitaker@hancocklaw.com
Robert C. Whitaker Jr. is an attorney with the Syracuse, New York based law firm of Hancock Estabrook, LLP where he is a member of the firm’s hiring committee. Mr. Whitaker is a member of Hancock Estabrook’s Labor & Employment, Intellectual Property and Construction Law Practice Groups. Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Whitaker served in the Navy’s Judge Advocate General’s Corp (“JAG Corps”) representing active duty military personnel in military federal courts throughout the southeastern United States. As a Navy JAG, Mr. Whitaker also served as Deputy Staff Judge Advocate to a United States Marine Corps Commanding General in Al Anbar, Iraq. Mr. Whitaker continues to actively serve the Navy JAG Corps as a member of the Navy Reserves.
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