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U. I. APPEAL BOARD MEMBER BIOGRAPHIES

LEONARD D. POLLETTA, CHAIRMAN

Leonard D. Polletta was appointed Chair of the Unemployment Insurance Appeal Board in June 2007. After graduating from the University of Connecticut in 1969 and Suffolk University Law School in Boston in 1973, he worked as a public defender in Massachusetts and later as Associate Counsel for the United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America. In 1985, he became Assistant General Counsel for District Council 37, AFSCME, the municipal union representing over 125,000 public employees in the City of New York. Mr. Polletta is a current member of the New York State Bar Association, the American Bar Association and the New York City Bar Association. He is admitted to practice in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Pennsylvania and New York, a number of U.S. District Courts and the U.S. Supreme Court. He has appeared on numerous panels and conferences, and published an article in AAA’s Dispute Resolution Journal after the Supreme Court’s decision in Wright v. Universal Maritime Service Corporation, entitled “What’s Left After Wright? Do Employees Still Have Two Bites of the Apple?” advocating a more active role for unions fighting workplace discrimination. Mr. Polletta has taught both public and private sector Labor Law and Collective Bargaining courses and was an Adjunct Instructor at Cornell University School of Industrial & Labor Relations in New York City before his appointment.

MICHAEL TWOMEY GREASON

Michael Twomey Greason was appointed to the Board in 2002 and reappointed in 2003 and 2006. He served as Chairman from July 2006 through July 2007. A native of New York City, Mr. Greason brings 20 years of government and management experience to the Board. He began his public career in law enforcement and has more recently served the public and non-profit sectors as an Assistant Manager of the Metropolitan Museum of Art; as Director of Communications for the Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation of NYS; as Deputy Commissioner of Personnel for the City of Yonkers; and most recently, as the Deputy Commissioner of Human Rights for the State of New York. Mr. Greason is a graduate of the Richmond (VA) Sheriff’s Academy and he received his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from the University of Richmond.

MARYANN K. McCARTHY

Maryann K. McCarthy was appointed to the Board in June 2004. Prior to her appointment, Ms McCarthy was a Senior Associate in the firm Harter, Secrest and Emery LL where she practiced corporate law and government affairs with a concentration in health insurance and taxation. She has represented trade associations, corporations and not-for-profit corporations. She has also been a guest speaker on the Lobby Law, Campaign Finance Law and the legislative process. Ms. McCarthy also was a tax attorney at the Ayco Company, LLP, and has traveled throughout the United States speaking to employees of Fortune 200 companies on investment and retirement planning. She also has served as a legal aide in the Corporate Tax Litigation Department of the Department of Taxation and Finance. She holds an undergraduate degree in Accounting from Providence College and a Juris Doctor from Albany Law School.

TANYA R. DANIEL

Tanya R. Daniel was appointed to the Board in May 2005. Her work experience began after high school with the State of New York. After several years working in State service, she began working in private industry in the sales arena (Moore Business Forms and 3M Company) and then in the entertainment industry (CBS, Inc.). She returned to school in 1993 (Agnes Scott College in Decatur, Georgia); majored in English Literature and Creative Writing; in May, 1997 she graduated. She returned to New York and began working for the Senate Majority Leader in a variety of assignments including advance work and two pilot programs. "Road to Independence" was a program designed to cut down on recidivism. As Program Director, she assisted people transition from prison back into the community by helping them to obtain services such as employment, housing, education and health insurance. As Program Director of "Road to Recovery", a program that served as an alternative to incarceration, she helped first-time felons arrested as a result of crimes committed due to their dependency on alcohol or drugs gain entry into certified treatment programs approved by the Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services (OASAS).

EILEEN LONG CHELALES

Eileen Long Chelales was appointed to the Board in July 2006. Prior to joining the UIAB, Ms. Long-Chelales was appointed by President George W. Bush to serve as Regional Administrator for the General Services Administration’s Northeast/Caribbean region in April 2004. As Regional Administrator, she was responsible for providing products and services to federal agencies located in New York, New Jersey, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. She oversaw 450 federally owned and leased properties with a staff of approximately 840 individuals. Prior to being Regional Administrator Ms. Long Chelales served as Deputy Secretary for Administration and Operations for Governor Pataki. She first joined the Governor’s administration in January of 1995 as a member of the Press Office, and later was named Deputy Press Secretary. Ms. Long Chelales, served as Chief of Staff to Lt. Governor Mary Donohue from 1999-2003. She has her B.A. in History from Saint Francis College in Brooklyn.