We are thrilled to welcome eight new board members to our Board of Directors.

Deborah Birnbaum is an attorney at the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of the Solicitor where she advises on international labor standards and veteran employment issues. Deborah also serves as the coordinator of the Department of Labor’s pro bono program.  Additionally, she teaches an externship seminar at Georgetown Law School.  Deborah holds a B.S. in Policy Analysis and Management from Cornell University, and a J.D. from Columbia University.

Fun facts: Deborah loves doing adventurous international travel. She has just returned from Sri Lanka! And she is into scotch (not bourbon!) and has an informal scotch group with some female friends where they track the scotches they have tried on an excel spreadsheet.

Raziya Brumfield is an associate at Guerrieri, Bartos & Roma P.C., and her practice involves representing unions in arbitrations, administrative hearings and in federal court.  Prior to her current position, Raziya worked in the General Counsel’s office of the Pennsylvania State Education Association.

Fun facts: Raziya is a California native. She is excited to be getting married in October and honeymooning in Italy!

Deborah Cuevas Hill works as a bilingual attorney in the Consumer Fraud & Financial Abuse Unit at Legal Counsel for the Elderly (LCE).  Prior to joining LCE, Debbie was a senior staff attorney at the Legal Aid Society for the District of Columbia in the Housing Unit. Debbie previously clerked at the DC Court of Appeals for the Honorable Inez Smith Reid.  She was also an Equal Justice Works Fellow at the National Partnership for Women & Families. Debbie received her Juris Doctor from George Washington University Law School.  She is a native Spanish and English speaker and a member of the California and District of Columbia Bars.

Fun facts: Debbie moved to Mexico City with her husband and son for 4 years. During this time period, she was a stay-at-home mom to her two boys. In fact, her second son was born in Mexico City.

Sébastien Monzón Rueda is a Legal Aid Attorney at Legal Counsel for the Elderly.  Prior to joining Legal Counsel for the Elderly in March 2018, Sébastien clerked for the Honorable Tyrona De Witt and the Honorable Diane Lepley at the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. Sébastien received his J.D., cum laude, from the University of the District of Columbia David A. Clarke School of Law and his B.A. from The University of British Columbia.  Sébastien is also an active member of the Hispanic Bar Association of the District of Columbia Legislative and Policy Issues Committee.

Fun facts: Sébastien studied abroad in Copenhagen during university.  And he once won classic rock trivia contest on a cruise to the Caribbean.

Rachel Rintelmann is a Supervising Attorney in the Housing Law Unit at the Legal Aid Society for the District of Columbia. In addition to her work with the Housing Law Unit, Rachel is Project Director of the Reentry Justice Project. Prior to joining Legal Aid as a Staff Attorney, Rachel completed a two-year AmeriCorps fellowship with Legal Aid of Western Ohio. Rachel received her B.A. from Butler University and her J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School.

Fun facts: Rachel loves to bake, and unwind by watching the Great British Bake Off.  She is also a PADI certified open water scuba diver.

Etienne Toussaint is an assistant professor of law at the UDC David A. Clarke School of Law. He teaches Contracts and co-directs the Community Development Law Clinic. Prior to joining the law faculty at UDC, Etienne served as a Visiting Associate Professor of Clinical Law and Friedman Fellow with the Small Business & Community Economic Development Clinic at The George Washington University Law School. Etienne began his legal career as a project finance associate with the international law firm Norton Rose Fulbright US LLP. Subsequently, he served as a Law & Policy Fellow with the Poverty & Race Research Action Council. Prior to embarking on a career as a legal advocate, Etienne worked as a strategy consultant for Booz Allen Hamilton. Etienne earned a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering at The Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He completed an M.S.E. in Environmental Engineering from The Johns Hopkins University. And he earned his J.D. at Harvard Law School. Most recently, Etienne earned his LL.M in Advocacy at The George Washington University Law School. He is admitted to practice in New York and the District of Columbia.

Fun facts: Etienne has watched all nine seasons of The Walking Dead, one of his favorite television series. And, as a kid, he was obsessed with yo-yo’s for a brief period of time. He can still “rock the baby” and “walk the dog”, two well-known yo-yo tricks.

Melissa Weberman is a senior associate with Arnold & Porter. Her practice focuses on complex litigation and investigations and compliance. Prior to joining the firm, Melissa was a law clerk to the Honorable Charles R. Wilson of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit.  She was also an associate in the New York office of Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom. Melissa graduated with honors from Emory University School of Law and received her BA with distinction from the University of Virginia.

Fun facts: Melissa is a former competitive figure skater. And she loves flamingos and has a flamingo-themed birthday party every year.

Stephon Woods is an Assistant Attorney General at the Office of the Attorney General for the District of Columbia. Under OAG’s Public Advocacy Division, he prosecutes cases essential to preserving quality affordable housing and crime-free communities in an effort to hold landlords and property owners accountable for providing safe and habitable housing. Prior to joining OAG, Stephon worked as a Staff Attorney for Bread for the City’s Legal Clinic’s Housing Unit. Stephon received his JD in 2014 from Florida A&M University College of Law and his BA in 2011 from The George Washington University, where he studied International Affairs.

Fun facts: He has a slight (not-so-slight) obsession with outer space. If he were not an attorney, he’d be an astronaut. And he sang on stage with President Barack Obama for Senator Ted Kennedy’s last birthday celebration in 2009 at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. 

We are looking forward to working with such a diverse and exciting group of new board members. They are already doing great things for our community, and we know they will bring a new energy to our work.