NYDLC CO-CHAIRS
Ben Duke is a litigation partner in the New York office of Covington & Burling LLP who has been involved in pro bono voting rights litigation and related activities for many years. Most recently, he was one of the lead trial lawyers in Kravitz et al. v. U.S. Dept. of Commerce et al., which struck down the addition of a citizenship question to the 2020 U.S. Census. He has also worked with leading public interest organizations in filing an amicus brief with the US Supreme Court and advising on other voting rights cases. Ben served as a volunteer Democratic election monitor in Miami (2012); Norfolk, Virginia (2017); Tuscaloosa, Alabama (December 2017 special election); and, most recently, in Nassau County, NY (2018).
Doug Dunham is Of Counsel at Quinn Emanuel, playing leadership roles in organizing and managing large teams of lawyers for briefing, legal issues, strategy and conduct of litigation at trial and on appeal in defending numerous individual cases and class actions brought against leading insurance, pharmaceutical and other companies and in coordinating with local counsel and trial teams in nationwide litigation. Doug has extensive experience in federal and state appellate practice. In addition, he has represented clients in federal securities, environmental, commercial, and employment litigation. Doug has engaged in extensive pro bono work including preparing and submitting amicus curiae briefs before the United States Supreme Court as Counsel of Record for organizations and individuals such as the Partnership of New York City, Inc., Members of the U.S. Congress, U.S. veterans associations, the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, the National Association of Federal Defenders, and Families Against Mandatory Minimums.
Carol Schrager is an attorney who counsels and represents diverse individuals, corporate and insurance company clients in a wide-ranging private civil practice. In 2012, Ms. Schrager was part of the election protection operation run by a team of senior attorneys deployed to work within the Board of Elections in Cleveland, Ohio. During the election cycle prior to that, Ms. Schrager recruited, trained, coordinated and supervised a team of NYDLC volunteer attorney poll watchers embedded within the campaign headquarters of the incumbent Congressman in the upstate New York Congressional District where she herself had run for Congress in the special election in 2009. Ms. Schrager has hosted numerous successful fundraising events at her home for Congressional candidates from around the country. A long-time Director of the New York Women’s Bar Association and its charitable foundation (dedicated to the empowerment of female lawyers, judges and litigants), Ms. Schrager is a graduate of the Harvard Law School where she was an editor-in-chief of the Harvard Women’s Law Journal.
Ekow Yankah is a Professor of Law at Cardozo Law School. As Co-Chair Mr. Yankah assists in coordinating projects and initiatives in the Downstate Region, as well as setting strategy for NYDLC as a whole. Mr. Yankah has experience working on and monitoring campaigns in New York and Illinois. He also currently sits on the Board of Directors for the American Constitutional Society and is a frequent speaker on topics that range from civil rights to campaign finance reform. Professor Yankah’s scholarship has appeared in a variety of law reviews and peer-reviewed legal theory journals with a focus on exploring the intersection of analytical jurisprudence, criminal law and political theory. Mr. Yankah holds a B.A from the University of Michigan, a J.D. from Columbia Law School, and a B.C.L. (post-graduate law degree) from Oxford.
Alejandra Pollak, Executive Director
In her role as Executive Director of NYDLC, Alejandra Pollak serves as the Voter Protection Director for the State of New York. In 2020, Alejandra managed NYDLC's volunteer export program - recruiting and managing hundreds of volunteers for remote and in-person voter protection opportunities in Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and Georgia. Alejandra served as a credentialed poll observer in Michigan and Georgia during the 2020 Presidential Election and 2021 Senate runoff elections.
Prior to NYDLC, Alejandra was Director of Operations of New Standard Institute where she led the launch of the Fashion Act in the New York State Legislature and spearheaded the Act on Fashion Coalition. She directed the initial research for the book Unraveled: The Life and Death of a Garment by Maxine Bedat, which was longlisted for the Financial Times/McKinsey Business Book of the Year Award 2021. Prior to NSI, Alejandra was Merchandising and Operations Manager of Zady - a pioneering fashion lifestyle brand recognized by Fast Company as one of the world's most innovative companies in retail.
Alejandra exercises her love of animals and passion for conservation as an active Board Member of the International Fund for Animal Welfare (Ifaw). She currently serves as Chair of the Board's Nominating Committee and led board-level development strategies as Chair of the International Development Committee.
Alejandra was born in the Dominican Republic and is a native Spanish speaker.
COMMITTEE CHAIRS
Legislative Affairs Committee Co-Chairs
Rachel Landy
Tabitha Crosier
Minority Voting Rights Committee Co-Chairs
Theodore Harris is an attorney who has spent his career helping the community through political activism. A graduate of Brooklyn Law School, he has used his legal expertise to help communities both locally and nationally. During President Obama's first presidential campaign, Theodore worked as a Field Organizer in Virginia in order to help secure the much-needed electoral win. His hard work did not go unnoticed. When President Obama served his first-term, Theodore was asked to join the Executive Office of the President at The White House as an Associate. Throughout his time, he conducted research and helped vet Presidential Appointees. After leaving D.C. and returning home to New York City, Theodore joined The New York Democratic Lawyers Council, where he currently works hard to fight for his community via the Minority Voting Rights committee.
Mark Favors