Ben Alkon Staff Attorney The Rockville, Maryland native has primarily worked as a family law and domestic relations litigator since graduating from George Washington University Law School in 2020. He was president of his undergraduate Hillel chapter at the University of Maryland Baltimore County, and later at the firm of Heideman Nudelman & Kalik, P.C., he assisted in the firm’s representation of American victims of international terrorism. Mr. Alkon worked closely with Richard D. Heideman, providing support for his second book, The Bloody Price of Freedom, and on an article published in the Loyal University Law School’s International Law Review’s special edition on the Nuremberg trials. He has interned with the ACLU’s Program on Freedom of Religion and Belief and worked as a research assistant for the George Washington University Law School’s David R. and Sherry Kirschner Berz Research Professor of Law and Religion, Robert Tuttle. Kami Z. Barker Senior Litigator Ms. Barker is an accomplished trial attorney, disability policy advisor, and former intergovernmental lobbyist. She earned her business and law degrees from Emory University and her public administration degree from Harvard University. Ms. Barker joins LDB after spending most of her career representing the City of New York, advocating for legislation in the halls of Congress and defending high-profile and complex labor and employment discrimination cases in New York’s most esteemed courts. Ebony Y. Dan Executive Assistant Ebony Dan is an accomplished Executive Assistant with over 13 years of experience supporting C-suite executives and senior leadership teams. She specializes in providing high-level administrative support, managing complex schedules, coordinating meetings, and streamlining day-to-day operations. Known for her attention to detail and proactive approach, Ebony is dedicated to ensuring seamless operations and supporting the organization’s mission. David M. Dince New York Senior Counsel Mr. Dince is a former Assistant District Attorney for the Kings County, NY, District Attorney’s Office, an accomplished trial lawyer, and a veteran of several prominent New York City law firms. He has been recognized as one of NY-Metro’s “Super Lawyers.” He is an adjunct clinical professor at Brooklyn Law School, where he teaches one semester each year. He was active for many years in the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation where he served as President of the New York Chapter and was a member of the International Board of Directors. Mr. Dince is admitted to practice law in the State of New York and the United States District Courts for the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York. He is a graduate of New York Law School. Paul Eckles Senior Litigation Counsel Paul Eckles is an accomplished litigator and trial attorney. Prior to joining the Brandeis Center, Mr. Eckles was a litigation and antitrust partner at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meager & Flom LLP, K&L Gates LLP, and Moses Singer LLP. He is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame (cum laude) and earned his J.D. from the UCLA School of Law (Order of the Coif). Emma Enig Director of Policy Education Emma Enig, a D.C.-area native, is a third-year law student at Antonin Scalia Law School and graduate of George Washington University, where she double-majored in Jewish History and Political Science. She has educated others on First Amendment protections, promoted minority representation in politics, and worked with non- and bipartisan organizations to further Jewish causes. Using her extensive historical, political, and legal knowledge of anti-Semitism in the U.S. and abroad, Enig previously worked on both international campaigns against Jew-hatred and domestically for the Republican Jewish Coalition as Deputy Grassroots Director and CAMERA as a Campus Fellow. Jody Forchheimer Senior Legal Fellow Ms. Forchheimer led major litigation and regulatory investigations for more than 40 years. She was an equity partner at Bingham (now Morgan Lewis), head of litigation and regulatory investigations at Fidelity, and of counsel at O’Melveny & Myers. She directed teams to complete victories in the 1st, 3rd , 8th and D.C. circuit courts of appeals, the Massachusetts and New York state appellate courts, and numerous lower courts and arbitration forums. Jackie Himelfarb Development Manager Before joining the Brandeis Center, Jacqueline worked as a corporate attorney at Lowenstein Sandler, where she advised clients on mergers and acquisitions, fund formation, and corporate governance. She has a strong commitment to pro bono work and a deep passion for justice, further fueled by the devastation of the events on October 7th. Jacqueline earned her J.D. from Emory University School of Law and is admitted to the New York Bar. Denise Katz-Prober Director of Legal Initiatives Prior to joining the Brandeis Center as the Director of Legal Initiatives, Ms. Katz-Prober was a trial attorney at the Office of the Attorney General for the District of Columbia, where she served as a criminal prosecutor and defended the District of Columbia and its employees in civil lawsuits in D.C.’s state and federal district courts. Ms. Katz-Prober has also served as a Special Assistant United States Attorney at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, where she prosecuted domestic violence offenses. Before law school, she worked for a research organization focused on counterterrorism and extremist groups. Ms. Katz-Prober graduated from Brandeis University and received her J.D., cum laude, from Suffolk University Law School. Rory Lancman Director of Corporate Initiatives and Senior Counsel A graduate of Queens College of the City University of New York and Columbia Law School, Rory began his career in the litigation department of a prominent international law firm and later focused his practice of law on representing employees experiencing discriminatory or unsafe workplaces. Rory previously served as a New York City Council Member and New York State Assembly Member from the Borough of Queens, a vice chair of the New York State Democratic Party, an officer in the U.S. Military, and in leadership positions in numerous Jewish communal organizations. L. Rachel Lerman Vice Chair and General Counsel L. Rachel Lerman is General Counsel for the Brandeis Center, which she joined in July 2021 after serving as the Center’s Vice Chair for many years. She earned her BA from Yale (in Fine Art) and her JD from Berkeley Law. At the outset of her legal career, she clerked for the late Hon. T.G. Nelson of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit. She was a partner in the appellate practice group at Akin Gump LLP, and co-chaired the national appellate practice group at Barnes & Thornburg LLP. During her years in private practice, she litigated federal and state appeals and engaged in pro bono work on behalf of asylum applicants, prisoners and private citizens, winning recognition from the ACLU and Public Counsel.She is a member of the California Academy of Appellate Lawyers and serves on the LA County Bar Association’s State Appellate Judicial Evaluation Committee. Deena Margolies Staff Attorney Ms. Margolies is a graduate of Northwestern School of Law. She previously worked for the offices of two FCC Commissioners – Kevin Martin and Harold Furchtgott-Roth. Her Juris Doctor from Northwestern includes a Business Association Concentration from the Kellogg School of Management. Margolies also holds an LLM from Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law in Intellectual Property Law. Her undergraduate degree is from the University of Pennsylvania, where she graduated Summa Cum Laude. Marci Lerner Miller Director of Legal Investigations Prior to joining the Brandeis Center, Ms. Miller was a partner at Potomac Law Group PLLC in the Litigation, Government Investigations, and Education practice groups. She also practiced litigation and employment law at Gibson Dunn & Crutcher LLP and Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP. She founded Miller Advocacy Group PC, a public interest law firm specializing in high impact litigation and education law. Ms. Miller earned her B.A. in Government from Claremont McKenna College and her J.D. from New York University School of Law, where she was an Articles Editor for the NYU Law Review. Robin N. Pick Senior Counsel Robin Pick is a civil rights attorney with extensive experience fighting anti-Semitism through litigation. She practiced law at some of the largest law firms in the country and has worked for the federal government. She also served as the legal analyst for a major civil rights organization. Ms. Pick graduated from the University of Michigan phi beta kappa and the University of Pennsylvania Law School, where she served as an Associate Editor of the Law Review. Lynda Prior Executive Administrator Lynda Prior is a Michigan native and graduated from Davenport University with a B.S. in paralegal studies. She has worked in law offices for thirty plus years and her varied work experience includes filing Supreme Court and federal circuit appellate briefs. Prior to joining the Brandeis Center, Ms. Prior was an office manager for Lewin & Lewin, LLP, where she worked with Brandeis Center President, Alyza Lewin, for 20 years. Alexandra Rindenow Intake Clerk Ms. Rindenow, a graduate of the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, served as staff editor, articles editor and board member of the Cardozo Journal of Conflict Resolution. She spent her third year of law school working at the Cardozo Human Rights and Atrocity Prevention Clinic, focusing on atrocity prevention in both the legal and policy-based arena. During multiple legal internships for nonprofit organizations serving vulnerable populations, she assisted underserved communities, including Jewish victims of domestic violence. She has also volunteered for Jewish organizations serving terminally ill children living with cancer-related disabilities. Crystal Smith Program Legal Assistant Crystal’s experience encompasses various types of legal and administrative work. She has worked for over 25 years in various law firms as a Legal Secretary, Legal Assistant and as Office Administrator. She has a track record of excellence in supporting attorneys and has now brought her expertise and knowledge to the Brandeis Center where she is currently the Program Legal Assistant. Omer Wiczyk Senior Counsel Mr. Wiczyk is a graduate of New York University School of Law and began his career with the Bronx County DA’s Office as an Assistant District Attorney. In his twenty-year career, he was involved in the investigation and prosecution of organized crime, gun-traffickers, homicides, large-scale narcotics operations, and myriad other violent crimes. He served as the Chief of the Public Integrity Bureau, which was tasked with the prosecution of public officials, including politicians, police officers, and correction officers, and investigated dozens of police-involved shootings. He has lectured on witness preparation and investigative methods, and spoken about his experiences at NYU, Harvard Law School, the John Jay College of Criminal Justice, and at the New York City Police Department’s Training Academy. Stewart M. Wiener Senior Counsel With over 25 years of experience as a trusted legal advisor, Mr. Wiener brings a diversified set of skills to the fight against anti-Semitism. Before joining the Brandeis Center, he protected intellectual property rights and negotiated agreements as in-house counsel to several Fortune 500 technology companies, and in private practice at Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP. Mr. Wiener served on a federal advisory committee of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, and was president of the Benjamin Franklin American Inn of Court. He clerked for U.S. District Judge William H. Yohn. He earned his B.S.E. in computer science from Princeton, and graduated first in his class with a J.D., summa cum laude, from Temple University School of Law.