As Associate Dean for Student Affairs at CUNY School of Law and Union Theological Seminary, Yvette supported students academically, professionally, and personally. At Union, she also served as Assistant Director of Recruitment, giving her direct experience in application review and admissions outreach. She has advised students on character and fitness certification, guided them through bar admission, and contributed to institutional admissions strategy.
Yvette’s lengthy higher education journey includes a BA in international studies, culture, and communications from CUNY, an MA in sociology and applied social research from Queens College, and a JD with a focus in housing and community economic development from CUNY School of Law. Yvette also earned a Master of Divinity in psychiatry, religion, and social ethics from Union Theological Seminary, and EdD in higher education management from UPenn. She has also received multiple certifications in project management, business management, executive leadership, human rights & business consulting and others from the U.S. Institute of Diplomacy & Human Rights, the Management & Strategy Institute, Cornell University, and the NYC Department of Health & Mental Hygiene.
Beyond admissions and education, Yvette has extensive experience in nonprofit leadership as Chief Operating Officer of a housing and economic development organization and Executive Director of a residential shelter, where she managed multimillion-dollar budgets and mentored emerging leaders. She has chaired the Penn GSE Executive Doctorate Alumni Advisory Board, held leadership roles with University of Pennsylvania alumni associations, and provided pro bono coaching for nonprofit executives. In addition, she served for 15 years on the board of the Fair Housing Justice Center in New York City, including as Board Vice President, where she built partnerships that created internships and educational opportunities for law students and lawyers.
While pursuing her MDiv, Yvette was selected as a Henry Luce Fellow in Indonesia, where she worked with academic and cross-cultural research centers to advance international collaboration and leadership development. More recently, Yvette’s thought leadership has been featured in preLaw Magazine and the New York State Bar Association’s Attorney Well-Being Report. She has also led workshops with the Law School Admission Council’s RISE initiative and received Outstanding Education Leadership and Teaching and Scholarship Trailblazer Awards.
As a coach and mentor, Yvette is known for a student-centered approach that helps applicants tell authentic and impactful stories, claim ownership of their admissions journey, and move through the process with clarity. Students Yvette has coached have been accepted to Columbia Law School, Fordham School of Law, New York Law School, and CUNY School of Law, among others.
Students describe Yvette as an inspiring guide who draws out the narratives they might not have recognized in themselves—she shows them how those stories can ground and sustain them through what they will experience in law school and as they enter the legal profession. Throughout her career, Yvette has been known to create cultures of care and belonging where students feel supported, empowered, and ready to thrive. At the heart of her work is a commitment to helping students find their place and voice in law school.
Yvette enjoys the arts, reading, traveling, and celebrating life with her husband, Arthur, a neuroscience and mindset coach.
