Meet the Team
Justine Almada
Chief of Staff
Justine Almada, a specialist on tenants rights, is Council Member Garodnick's chief of staff. In that role, she oversees all aspects of the office, including the legislative agenda, constituent affairs, and Council Member Garodnick's priorities for the City budget. Justine is also Council Member Garodnick's liaison to the Stuyvesant Town / Peter Cooper Village Tenants Association.
She joined Council Member Garodnick's staff upon his induction, following volunteer stints on several City Council campaigns.
Justine graduated from Wesleyan University with a degree in Latin American studies. Born and raised in Manhattan, she is a Milken Scholar and a fluent Spanish speaker.
Elena Arons
Director of Scheduling / Community Liaison
Elena Arons joined Council Member Garodnick’s office in March 2011. In addition to being responsible for maintaining the Council Member's daily schedule, she serves as his liaison to Community Board 6 and as intern coordinator.
Elena was born and raised in Washington D.C. and has been drawn to New York City from a young age, finally making the move and joining family members here in 2010. Prior to joining Council Member Garodnick’s staff, Elena managed Mike Huether’s successful campaign for Mayor of Sioux Falls, South Dakota. She also worked for Repower America, a clean energy campaign, and Barack Obama’s Presidential campaign in Ohio during 2008.
Elena’s areas of interest include social justice work, public health, and environmental protection. She continues to promote awareness of these issues through community projects and outreach, and is dedicated to improving the lives of constituents in District 4.
Teresa Boemio
Legislative Aide
Teresa Boemio joined Council Member Garodnick’s staff as his legislative aide in April 2010, helping to formulate the office’s legislative agenda and develop ideas for new policy and regulations.
Teresa earned a master’s degree in public policy and administration at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs in May 2011. For many years, she worked with deaf and hard of hearing children and adults, through clinical work at hospitals, as an instructor at Teachers College, Columbia University, and as director of an early childhood school for deaf children.
Just prior to joining Council Member Garodnick’s staff, Teresa was a policy intern at the Office of the Public Advocate.
David Kimball-Stanley
Community Liaison
David joined Council Member Garodnick's staff in April of 2010. He works on a variety of constituent issues on the Upper East Side, where he also serves as the Councilman's liaison to Community Board 8 and the Isaacs and Holmes Towers tenants associations.
Prior to joining the staff, David interned on Capitol Hill in the office of Senator Charles E. Schumer and worked on Barack Obama's presidential campaign in Virginia. In New York, he worked on Ken Diamondstone's campaign for State Senate, and interned for State Senator Liz Krueger.
David received his B.A. from Trinity College in 2009, majoring in Public Policy and Law, with a minor in performing arts. He grew up on Roosevelt Island, where he still lives today.
Lily Mandlin
Deputy Communications Director
Lily Mandlin joined Council Member Garodnick's office in July 2010. In addition to assisting on communications activities, she serves as liason to Stuyvesant Town and Peter Cooper Village, and responds to email correspondence to the Council Member.
Prior to joining Council Member Garodnick's staff, Lily was engaged in community and youth organizing, and in service work at York Correctional Institute. She also worked at the Legal Aid Society's Juvenile Rights Practice Area as an intern investigator, and at Amnesty International in the Women's Human Rights Project.
Lily graduated from Wesleyan University in May 2010 and was a "lifer" at the Hunter College Campus Schools. She is a native New Yorker and a resident of the Upper West Side.
Dan Pasquini
Communications Director
As Communications Director, Dan Pasquini is responsible for all public messaging from Council Member Garodnick's office. The son of two public school principals, Dan is also Council Member Garodnick's aide to the Education Committee.
He graduated magna cum laude from the University of Southern California with a degree in journalism. Following stints as a writer for radio morning shows and as an advertising copywriter, he began his career in government with an internship in the office of State Senator Liz Krueger, where he drafted campaign finance reform legislation that was introduced in the Senate in 2006.
Dan joined the office of Council Member Garodnick in May 2006 and has served as his liaison to Community Board 5 since that time. He lives with his wife on the Upper East Side.
