Staff
-
Edwin Rekosh
Executive Director
Edwin Rekosh is the executive director of PILnet, a post he has held since 1997 when he founded the organization as a program of Columbia Law School. The original inspiration for the organization came from Rekosh's work assisting the development of human rights groups in Romania and then elsewhere [...] Read more »
-
Tamás Barabás
Legal Officer
Tamás Barabás is a legal officer in PILnet’s Budapest office. He runs PILnet’s Hungarian Pro Bono Clearinghouse and supports pro bono projects in Central and Eastern Europe. His main responsibility is working with NGOs to broker their legal needs with law firms in Hungary and elsewhere. As a [...] Read more »
-
Kseniya Brailovskaya
Project Researcher
Kseniya Brailovskaya is a project researcher based in PILnet's Moscow office. She is responsible for developing and implementing project-related research activities. Ksenia is trained as a sociologist and develops research instruments, collects data and analyses materials to evaluate key [...] Read more »
-
Denelle Burns
Assistant to the Executive Director
Denelle Burns works in the New York office as assistant to PILnet’s executive director, and she also supports PILnet's board of directors in all aspects of their work. Burns graduated from Xavier University with a dual B.A. in international affairs and modern European history. She received [...] Read more »
-
Erin Carll
Program Coordinator
Erin Carll is the program coordinator in PILnet’s New York office. She assists the program director with the International Fellows program and legal education strategies, working closely with the fellows and acting as a liaison between them and NYC-based NGO representatives. Carll [...] Read more »
-
Lauren Cotton
Director of Foundation and Government Relations
Lauren Cotton is the director of foundation and government relations in PILnet’s New York office. Prior to joining PILnet in 2007, Cotton worked as a development consultant to various non-profit organizations in New York as well as on staff at the Opportunity Agenda, a human rights organization [...] Read more »
-
Lusine Hovhannisian
Program Director
Lusine Hovhannisian is a program director in PILnet’s New York office. She has provided technical assistance and advice for the creation and development of clinical legal education programs in a variety of countries in Central and Eastern Europe, including the Balkans and former Soviet [...] Read more »
-
Zhang Jingjing
Deputy Country Director for China
Zhang Jingjing is the deputy country director for China and works in PILnet's Beiijing office. She assists in managing PILnet’s China program and helping to grow the country's public interest community for which she is a role model. One of China's top public interest lawyers, Ms. Zhang became [...] Read more »
-
Li Li (Lily)
Program Officer
Li Li is a program officer in PILnet’s Beijing office. She is responsible for helping organize and implement projects, attending PILnet events to provide support, and conducting training for project partners. She is also responsible for office managment, including finance, human resources, and [...] Read more »
-
Krisztina Molnár
Administrative Director
Krisztina Molnár helped establish the PILnet office in Budapest in 2002. Her responsibilities include managing and supervising administrative tasks and the organization of PILnet events, as well as overseeing grants administration and liaising with donor and partner financial departments. She [...] Read more »
-
Asmik Novikova
Senior Project Researcher
Asmik Novikova is a senior project researcher based in PILnet's Moscow office. She is responsible for developing and implementing project-related research activities. Novikova graduated from Moscow State University, Department of Sociology, in 2001. Before joining PILnet, she worked for various non [...] Read more »
-
Gyöngyvér Papp
Program/Administrative Assistant
Gyöngyvér Papp is responsible for reception duties, office administration and management, and other administrative tasks key to the smooth daily operation of PILnet's Budapest office. She answers inquiries, helps orient new staff members, and assists with the logistical management and [...] Read more »
-
Atanas Politov
Director for Europe
Atanas Politov is director of PILnet’s Budapest office and is responsible for managing PILnet’s pro bono efforts. He has developed large-scale legal aid reform projects in Bosnia Herzegovina and Serbia, coordinated PILnet’s contributions to legal aid reform in other countries and has [...] Read more »
-
Robert Precht
Director for China
Robert Precht has overseen PILnet’s Beijing office since 2008. Over the last four years he has been actively involved in promoting legal reform efforts in Asia, including consulting with Japanese lawyers and judges regarding the creation of the country's new jury system and leading a project [...] Read more »
-
Bruce Rabb
General Counsel
Bruce Rabb is general counsel of PILnet. Prior to joining PILnet he was a partner at Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel LLP and before that at Stroock & Stroock & Lavan LLP. After law school he clerked for Judge John Minor Wisdom of the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals and in 1969-1970 [...] Read more »
-
Dmitry Shabelnikov
Director for Russia
Dmitry Shabelnikov oversees PILnet’s Moscow office and is responsible for PILnet’s work in Russia. He has been leading efforts to promote legal aid reforms in Russia and develop clinical legal education there. Following the expansion of the PILnet Moscow office in 2007, he has continued to [...] Read more »
-
Olga Shepeleva
Senior Legal Officer
Olga Shepeleva is a senior legal officer in PILnet’s Moscow office, where she analyzes the current state of legal aid in Russia. She helps prepare materials and organize educational and informational events aimed to provide information about designing legal aid programs. Shepeleva conducts [...] Read more »
-
Réka Várkonyi
Program Coordinator
Réka Várkonyi is a program coordinator in PILnet’s Budapest office, where she provides administrative support and liaises with PILnet’s offices in New York and Moscow. She conducts NGO outreach to research and build networks of NGOs in Hungary. Várkonyi coordinates and provides [...] Read more »
-
Sonia Song
Program Officer
Sonia Song is the program officer in PILnet’s Beijing office, assisting the country director and deputy director to implement projects. Born in China, she lived through the Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution, worked as a barefoot doctor in a commune, and joined the army briefly [...] Read more »
-
Constance Herndon
Communications Manager
Constance Herndon is based in PILnet’s New York office, where she is responsible for developing communications strategies in support of PILnet’s program goals and advocacy efforts. Her role involves overseeing the organization’s website, social media efforts, publications, promotional [...] Read more »
-
Matthew J. Yust
Director of Finance
Matt Yust is director of finance, managing PILnet's finances, directing accounting staff, and implementing best practices. He has more than 25 years of management experience, including non-profit leadership roles at the Clinton Foundation, the James Beard Foundation, the Global Business Coalition on [...] Read more »
-
Marianna Kosharovsky
Legal Officer
Marianna Kosharovsky is a legal officer in PILnet's Moscow office. She is responsible for pro bono development, including fostering partnerships between the legal community and NGOs, managing PILnet’s Russian Pro Bono Clearinghouse, overseeing projects, organizing legal trainings in various Russian cities, and presenting pro bono topics at events. Read more »
-
Anna Kostenko
Admininstrative Assistant
Anna Kostenko joined PILnet’s Moscow office as administrative assistant in 2011. She provides administrative support for the office and assists with planning events, meetings, and conferences. Kostenko graduated from Lomonosov Moscow State University as a linguist and currently studies law at [...] Read more »
-
Lyudmila Ginzburg
Finance Manager
Lyudmila Ginzburg joined PILnet in 2012 as finance manager. She is responsible for coordinating the daily activities of the finance department, producing management reports, and managing the annual audit. Ginzburg has more than 10 years of accounting experience, including leading audit teams [...] Read more »
-
Zachary Eaton
Communications Associate
Zachary Eaton provides editorial and technical support for a broad range of communications projects in PILnet’s New York office. His responsibilities include writing news and features, editing, proofreading, and general administrative assistance. He helps spearhead PILnet’s social media outreach [...] Read more »
-
Shelley Binder
Director of Development
Shelley Binder is PILnet's director of development, based in the New York office. She is responsible for resource development. Binder brings more than 20 years of experience in fundraising and program development at nonprofit organizations. She has held leadership positions in a number of [...] Read more »
-
Sobaika Mirza
Office Coordinator
Sobaika Mirza works as an office coordinator in the New York office where she fulfills administrative duties and provides logistical support for the finance and development departments. Mirza graduated from Northeastern University with a dual B.A. in international affairs and political science. [...] Read more »
