Staff

Tamika Edwards
Executive Director
E-mail Me | 718-752-0222 Ext 202
Ms. Edwards received her B.A. in Legal Studies from the State University of New York at Buffalo in 1996 and her J.D. from New England School of Law in 1999. She worked at Legal Outreach from 1999-2009 in several capacities, including Coordinator and Director of Legal Education, Saturday Writing Program instructor, and Queens Site Director. From 2009-2012 Ms. Edwards worked at Advocates for Children as an Education Specialist and Staff Attorney before rejoining Legal Outreach in 2012.

Bethsheba Cooper
EVP / Co-Director and Managing Director of College Access
E-mail Me | 718-752-0222 Ext. 203
Ms. Cooper has been with Legal Outreach for thirty-nine years and has served in numerous capacities in helping to build and establish the various components of the Law-Related Education and College Bound Programs. She is a recipient of the PASEsetter Award for excellence in After-School education. She is a 1981 graduate of Southern California College with a B.A. in English. Previous to her tenure with Legal Outreach, Ms. Cooper worked in ministry with Voice of Calvary, a community development organization in Jackson, Mississippi.

Massiel Ramos
AVP / Managing Director of Program Operations
E-mail Me | 718-752-0222 Ext. 201
Ms. Ramos received her B.A. from Emory University in 2011, and her J.D. from Brooklyn Law School in 2015. While in law school, Ms. Ramos was the recipient of the Edward V. Sparer Fellowship and the Equal Justice America Fellowship allowing her to work with underserved communities in New York City. As an alumna, of the Summer Law Institute and the College Bound program, she has remained connected to Legal Outreach through volunteer work as a college access intern while in college and as a debate coach during law school. Recognizing the immense value that Legal Outreach has added to her life, upon graduating from law school, she has returned to serve Legal Outreach students and alumni full-time.

James O’Neal
Co-Founder / Senior Specialist
E-mail Me | 718-752-0222 Ext. 215
In August 2023, he stepped down as the Executive Director having served Legal Outreach in that capacity for 40 years. In 1982, Mr. O’Neal received the Harvard Fellowship in Public Interest Law and co-founded Legal Outreach in 1983. He became a Columbia University Charles Revson Fellow in 1990. Mr. O’Neal attended Oxford College of Emory University, A.A., 1977; Emory College, Emory University, B.A.,1979, Political Science; and Harvard Law School, J.D.,1982.

Pebbles Angella Byndloss
AVP / Director of Finance and Operations
Email Me | 718-752-0222 Ext. 214
Ms Byndloss joined the Legal Outreach Family in Spring 2012, with over sixteen years of banking and accounting experience. She has worked in both corporate for-profit and not-for-profit sectors. Ms. Byndloss believes job performance reflects the person, and takes great pride in performing all tasks – menial to managerial – with diligence, pride, and efficiency. Ms. Byndloss is a graduate of CUNY York College.

Alfas Miah
AVP / Director of Information Technology
E-mail Me | 718-752-0222 Ext. 205
Mr. Miah began working with Legal Outreach in 2006 as Program Assistant for the College Bound and Law-Related Education. In 2009 he officially became the Director of IT, responsible for establishing the organization’s security governance, managing its information technology infrastructure, and maintaining operational security. He develops and manages various applications and systems, providing technical direction for programs. He graduated from John Jay College, summa cum laude, with a B.A. in Public Administration.

Rhiannon Connor
Executive and Communications Coordinator
E-mail Me | 718-752-0222 Ext. 221
Ms. Connor graduated from Vassar College in May 2022, where she studied Africana Studies with a focus in Prison Studies. While at Vassar, Ms. Connor was a part of the Transitions Program for first-generation & low income college students, the Multiracial and Biracial Students’ Alliance, and also served as a trained facilitator for Intergroup Dialogue on Race and Migration. Ms. Connor joined Legal Outreach in 2023 as an Executive Assistant, and currently provides administrative and organizational support to the Executive Director. She is excited to be a part of the Legal Outreach team and larger community, and looks forward to continuing to build her tool set within community advocacy and social justice.

Craig Livermore
Grant Writer
E-mail Me | 718-752-0222 Ext. 212
Mr. Livermore received a B.A. from Franklin and Marshall College, MTS from Harvard Divinity School, and JD from Columbia Law School. Mr. Livermore volunteered for Legal Outreach while in law school, and later worked as a Law-Related Education Coordinator. In 2006, with Legal Outreach’s help, he founded NJ LEEP [NJ Law and Education Empowerment Project] in Newark based upon the Legal Outreach College Bound Program model. He has returned home to help Legal Outreach expand its programs to transform the lives of more youth and families.

Kristina Leath-Malin
Director of Brand Marketing and Digital Strategy
E-mail Me | 718-752-0222 Ext. 213
Kristina Leath-Malin is a brand, marketing, and digital strategy professional with over a decade of experience across broadcast, news, film, and educational media. She began her career as a writer and video editor, building a foundation in storytelling that continues to shape how she approaches brand and digital ecosystems. She holds both an MA and MFA in Media Arts Management from LIU Brooklyn, where her work focused on cinema through a feminist lens, both in front of and behind the camera. As Director of Brand Marketing and Digital Strategy at Legal Outreach, she leads efforts to strengthen the organization’s visibility, align messaging across platforms, and deepen engagement with students, partners, and donors, bringing her media experience into the nonprofit space. Her background includes work with A+E Networks, Focus Features, Discovery Communications, and Channel One News, where she contributed to content operations, communications initiatives, and large-scale media projects. She brings a practical, systems-minded approach to making sure storytelling and strategy actually work together to move organizations forward.

Uzma Sherieff
Co-Director of Law-Related Education
E-mail Me | 718-752-0222 Ext. 210
Ms. Sherieff received a Bachelor of Laws and Bachelor of International Studies from the University of New South Wales in 2015, and a Master of Laws from NYU School of Law in 2024. Prior to joining Legal Outreach, Ms. Sherieff worked as a public interest lawyer for over eight years. In particular, she practiced as a public defender in criminal law, civil law and family defense for Indigenous clients, clerked for federal and constitutional judges in Australia and South Africa, and was a Legal Fellow at the Jailhouse Lawyer Initiative in New York City, where she conducted legal empowerment projects to support incarcerated people. Ms. Sherieff is passionate about youth empowerment, racial and social justice and community-building.

Mark Said
Co-Director of Law-Related Education
E-mail Me | 718-752-0222 Ext. 209
Mr. Said graduated from Providence College where his major was Political Science and he had minors in Business Studies and Development of Western Civilization. He later earned his JD from New York Law School in Manhattan. After law school, he represented Asylum seekers for an international charity organization. He then worked in KYC and regulatory due diligence in the investment banking world for several years. He also worked as an independent business and legal consultant, where he touched upon various areas of law, real estate and other business. Before becoming a full-time staff member, Mr. Said had a 15-year relationship with Legal Outreach as a debate coach and mentor. As the Co-Director of Law-Related Education, Mr. Said wants to push students to be bold, confident, dream big, and always give their best.

Jeda Kerr
Law-Related Education Assistant
E-mail Me | 718-752-0222 Ext. 211
Jada Kerr received her B.A in Law & Society from Macaulay Honors College at CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice in May 2026. As an undergraduate, she was involved in the Macaulay Scholars Council, and several volunteer initiatives, including offering tutoring services to fellow students. She was also an active researcher, completing two extensive capstone papers: one on intellectual property ownership of student-created work, and another on the impact of surveillance policy on racialized communities. As a Legal Outreach alumna, Ms. Kerr is dedicated to giving back to the program that provided her with an abundance of resources, and to help provide students with the support they need to thrive.

Dan Bautista
Senior Director of Writing and SAT
E-mail Me | 718-752-0222 Ext. 216
Dr. Bautista received a B.A. from Columbia University in 1991 and an M.A. and Ph.D. from Brown University in 2004, all in Comparative Literature. Prior to joining Legal Outreach in 2015, he taught as a Lecturer in the History and Literature program at Harvard University, as an Adjunct and Assistant Professor of English at Lehman College, CUNY, and as an Instructor for the Columbia University Summer High School Program.

Karen Minott
Assistant Director of SWC and SAT
E-mail Me | 718-752-0222 Ext. 218
Karen Minott-Levy is a New York City-based independent scholar, educator, and award-winning writer. She earned an undergraduate degree from Harvard University where she studied social sciences, and a master’s degree, also from Harvard University, in Theological Studies. Mrs. Minott-Levy has taught extensively and has specialties in writing, critical thinking and SAT prep.

Cheyenne Palacio-McCarthy
Academic Support Coordinator
E-mail Me | 718-752-0222 Ext. 206
Ms. McCarthy received her B.A. in Applied Theater for Social and Political Re-Imaginings from Hampshire College in May of 2019. As an undergraduate, Ms.McCarthy worked as an on-campus peer mentor and workshop facilitator. She also served as part of the teaching team of a new course at Hampshire College called Praxis: Collaborative Learning for Social Change, which she helped develop and co-facilitate. Ms.McCarthy works with the Academic Support Team as an Academic Advisor. As a Legal Outreach alumna, Ms. McCarthy is delighted to be able to motivate students. She is confident that with the right encouragement, students will fully utilize the resources at Legal Outreach.

Richard Minor
Academic Advisor
E-mail Me | 718-752-0222 Ext. 224

Maria Karameros
Associate Director of College Access
E-mail Me | 718-752-0222 Ext. 204
Ms. Karameros received her B.A. in Psychology from Columbia University in 2009 and her M.A. in Psychology and post-M.A. certification in School Counseling from Seton Hall University in 2013 and 2015, respectively. Since, she has served students in public high schools in New Jersey and in the non-profit sector in NYC where she is also certified. Her background as a first-generation college student contributes to her passion for helping students.

Temera Degroot
Coordinator of Social Justice, Civic Engagement, and Student Success
E-mail Me | 718-752-0222 Ext. 227
Ms. De Groot received her B.A. in International Development and Social Change from Clark
University in May 2025. As an undergraduate, you could often find Ms. De Groot in the library as
a Library Assistant or around campus fulfilling her duties as Vice President of the Caribbean and
African Student Association and founder of the first-generation student association. As a Legal
Outreach alumna, Ms. De Groot is dedicated to empowering students to become strong and
passionate leaders in any space they enter.