College of Advisors

Dr. Calvin O. Butts, III, is President of State University of New York College at Old Westbury and Pastor of the nationally renowned Abyssinian Baptist Church in the City of New York.

As President of The College at Old Westbury, Dr. Butts works continuously to create an invigorating atmosphere dedicated to academic excellence and the development of leadership qualities in students. Through its broad multidisciplinary liberal arts programs, the College confers degrees in more than 40 majors leading to Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Professional Studies and Master of Science degrees.

Dr. Jean Lau Chin is Professor and Dean of the Derner Institute of Applied Psychological Studies at Adelphi University, an appointment she has held since June, 2006.

Dr. Chin is a licensed psychologist with more than 30 years of experience as an administrator, educator, clinician, and consultant in the health, mental health, and human services fields. She has served as a faculty member at Boston University School of Medicine and Tufts University School of Medicine, and was Co-Director of the Thom Clinic, Executive Director of South Cove Community Health Center, and President of CEO Services. Prior to accepting her Adelphi appointment, she served as Systemwide Dean and Professor of the California School of Professional Psychology at Alliant International University.

After a career of twenty years as a psychologist and family therapist, Nancy Rauch Douzinas decided to devote herself to expanding and building the Rauch Foundation, a family foundation created by her father and uncle in 1961. In 1990 she became President of the Foundation and under her leadership the Rauch Foundation has sought to be a change agent on Long Island and in Maryland. Understanding the value and cost/benefits of a prevention based approach to social and clinical problems, Dr. Douzinas helped develop such an orientation for the Foundation and its grants in the areas of children and families, the environment and the development of civic and non-profit leadership.

Craig Gurian is Executive Director of the Anti-Discrimination Center, Program Manager of "Fair Housing for All" (www.fairhousingforall.org), Adjunct Professor at Fordham Law School, and Scholar-in-Residence at Fordham's Stein Center for Law and Ethics. He has practiced anti-discrimination law since 1988.

Professor Gurian was a principal drafter of the comprehensive 1991 Amendments to the New York City Human Rights Law. He was the principal drafter of the Local Civil Rights Legislation Act (enacted by New York City in 2005). He acted as counsel to ERASE Racism in connection with the drafting and passage of the comprehensive 2006 Nassau County Fair Housing Law. He has also drafted and is leading the effort to pass both the Fair and Prompt Coop Disclosure Law and the Local Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing Laws (Intros 119 and 685, both currently pending in the New York City Council).

Horace and Amy Hagedorn became a Long Island philanthropic team in 1995, when Horace's firm, Miracle-Gro, merged with the Scotts Company and he invested his share of the proceeds in the donor-advised Horace and Amy Hagedorn Fund in the Long Island Community Foundation. Horace was the founder of the national plant food company and he became one of the best-known funders on Long Island.

Horace and Amy were part of the Long Island Community Foundation advisory board when ERASE RACISM was founded there. The Hagedorns were married for almost twenty years, before Horace's death at age eighty-nine in 2005.

Mr. Kraut coordinates the strategic planning, marketing and web-based activities of the North Shore-LIJ Health System, as well as the development of its network of providers through merger, acquisition or affiliated relationships. North Shore-LIJ is the third largest secular health system in the country with revenues in excess of $4 billion and employing over 30,000 persons.

A member of the NYS Hospital Review and Planning Council since 2003, Governor Spitzer recently designated Jeffrey Kraut as its chairman. The Council is charged with improving the quality and efficiency of health care throughout New York State and is responsible for revisions in health policy, code regulations and the approval of Certificate of Need applications. He also served as a member of the Long Island Regional Advisory Committee of the Commission on Healthcare in the 21st Century, (the "Berger Commission").

Connie Lassandro, an innovative and visionary leader, has more than thirty years of diverse experience working in the non-profit and government sectors administering housing programs for low and moderate income persons.   Appointed in 2002 Director of Nassau County’s Office of Housing & Homeless Services; she was a leader in the preservation of affordable rental units and in the rehabilitation and construction of additional affordable rental units in Nassau County.  She implemented the first Section 8 program on Long Island in 1974 for the City of Glen Cove and, prior to becoming Director of Nassau of Housing, she was Director of Homeless Services for the Community Development Corporation of Long Island (CDCLI) in Suffolk County. She administered the largest Housing Choice Voucher Program and ancillary housing initiatives in Nassau County.  She introduced Section 8 Project-Based Vouchers to promote new construction and substantial rehabilitation on existing housing stock; leveraged Low Income Housing Tax Credits, HOME and IDA funding to expand affordable housing throughout Nassau County.

John R. Logan is Professor of Sociology and Director of the S4 initiative. He came to Brown University in Fall 2004, after 24 years at the University at Albany, where he served as Chair of the Department of Sociology, Director of the Lewis Mumford Center, and Director of the Center for Social and Demographic Analysis. Dr. Logan is co-author, along with Harvey Molotch, of Urban Fortunes: The Political Economy of Place. His most recent edited book, The New Chinese City: Globalization and Market Reform, was published by Blackwell in 2001.

Research Interests:

Urban Sociology, Race & Ethnicity, Migration & Immigration, Family, Political Sociology

David E. McClean, a former member of the ERASE Racism board as well as its former Treasurer, is a consultant to firms in the financial services industry on matters of regulatory compliance and corporate governance. He is also a member of the Rutgers University (Newark) philosophy department, where he teaches regularly and where he has designed a new curriculum in advanced business ethics.

Professor john a. powell is an internationally recognized authority in the areas of civil rights, civil liberties, and issues relating to race, ethnicity, poverty, and the law. He is the executive director of the Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity at Ohio State University. He also holds the Williams Chair in Civil Rights and Civil Liberties at the Moritz College of Law.

Professor powell has taught at Columbia University School of Law, Harvard Law School, University of Miami School of Law, American University, the University of San Francisco School of Law, and the University of Minnesota Law School.

Clifford Richner is vice president and publisher of Richner Communications, Inc. [RCI].  Mr. Richner began working in the family business part time and summers when he was 13. He returned to RCI on a full time basis in 1982 as associate publisher. He and his brother, Stuart, became publishers in 1987 upon the retirement of their father, Robert Richner. Since becoming publisher, Mr. Richner along with his brother, has started seven community newspapers in south Nassau County. Today RCI publishes 12 Herald Community Newspapers, as well as several specialty publications.

Joan Saltzman has been a resident of Nassau County for more than sixty years. During that time she has been actively involved with the human services agencies in the county.

She is the founder of and past President of Community Advocates, Inc. an agency dedicated to helping people participate in the decision making process of the Health, Welfare and Housing agencies and systems in the county.

Ms. Smith is an enrolled Shinnecock, and an attorney, educator, dispute resolution professional (consulting on policies and procedures and serving as a mediator and arbitrator in various types of community, family and workplace disputes), and an advocate for health and justice, especially in the areas of racial/ethnic and gender bias prevention and intervention, and economic and environmental justice. Marguerite maintains her residence on the Shinnecock Indian Reservation on Eastern Long Island, New York, and has been instrumental in advancing various Native rights, economic development, cultural preservation and health promotion efforts of her Native Nation and others. She maintains a law practice based in Suffolk County.

Paul Tonna is the CEO of Professional Evaluation Medical Group, a preventive health care company headquartered in Hicksville, New York. He served from 1994 to 2005 as a Suffolk County Legislator and for three years, 2000, 2001, and 2002, his fellow legislators chose him to lead the Suffolk County Legislature as its Presiding Officer.

During Legislator Tonna's 12 years of elected office, he had been a strong advocate for the poor, homeless and marginalized on Long Island, affordable housing, labor organizations and the environment. He sponsored, co-sponsored, and passed numerous laws and/or initiatives including: ground breaking non-smoking legislation; innovative programs focused on eliminating child poverty and homelessness; legislation designed to elevate the standard of living for all Suffolk County residents and innovative Greenways Funds to protect open space, farmlands and parklands.

Luis Valenzuela, Ph.D., LMSW, is the Executive Director of the Long Island Immigrant Alliance (LIIA), and he is a clinical associate professor of social work at the Stony Brook University School of Social Welfare. Dr. Valenzuela works with an alliance of diverse community, religious, labor, and immigrant organizations in solidarity with all immigrants who are an integral part of our communities. He advocates support for all immigrants, affirms their legal and human rights, and advances the use of collective strength to overcome the voices of extremism, division, and hatred.

For the past sixteen years Linda Howard Weissman has been the Assistant Dean for Institutional Advancement at Touro Law Center. At Touro Law she heads a staff of six individuals who are responsible for annual fund, corporate, foundation and government relations, special events, alumni relations and marketing and public relations.

Before working at Touro, she served as the Executive Director of The Five Towns Community Chest. From 1983 to 1989 she served as Director of Development of Family Service Association of Nassau County (now Family and Children Services). Earlier in her career Linda worked as a free-lance writer with articles published in the New York Times, Newsday and several magazines.

Retired New York State Supreme Court Justice, Mary M. Werner started her career at the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office.  While there she served on the New York State Organized Crime Task Force and became Chief of the Family Crime Bureau. In 1991 she was appointed to the position of New York State Supreme Court Judge and was subsequently elected to that position. In 1994 she was appointed District Administrative Judge of Suffolk County.  She initiated reforms of trial case management in Suffolk County, and  started  Drug Courts in both District and Family Courts. She  opened a Children’s Room in the District Court.