Cathryn Harris-Marchesi

Ms. Harris-Marchesi is admitted and has argued before the Second Circuit Court of Appeals, U.S. District and State Supreme Courts. Ms. Harris-Marchesi has almost two decades experience as a Federal Constitutional and Employment Law Attorney as well as experience as a mediator.

Ms. Harris-Marchesi graduated from Northeastern University School of Law in Boston, Massachusetts, where she obtained her juris doctorate, and has been a member of the New York Bar since 2006. While attending law school, Ms. Harris-Marchesi was a Judicial Extern for the Honorable Kim McLane Wardlaw of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit; a Teaching Facilitator selected to teach the "Law, Culture and Difference" course; a Teaching Assistant who conducted lectures on hate crimes to law students; and Student Project Manager for the university's Justice Institute.

Ms. Harris-Marchesi worked with a small team and drafted new fair housing laws with enforcement systems that were enacted in Nassau and Suffolk Counties in January 2007 and conducted legal analysis of proposed community development plans and zoning ordinances. She frequently entered into negotiations with federal, state and local government agencies, testified at several county legislative hearings and was an invited speaker on fair housing law at many forums. Ms. Harris-Marchesi was also a guest lecturer at Touro Law School and Stony Brook University on public policy issues and the law, and has taught numerous CLEs on Section 1983 litigation, housing and employment issues at various Bar Associations.

From 2009 to 2015, Ms. Harris-Marchesi was the Hearing Officer for the Nassau County Department of Housing and Community Development, where she conducted hearings regarding individuals who had their Section 8 benefits terminated or had a grievance regarding their portion of the rent.

Currently, Ms. Harris-Marchesi sits as the Secretary on the Executive Board of the Women’s Intercultural Network, where her work includes interviewing and sponsorship for predominantly Afghani female judges and attorney seeking Humanitarian Parole in the United States. Ms. Harris-Marchesi is a delegate to the United Nations for CSW, which seeks to improve the lives of women and children internationally.

Ms. Harris-Marchesi was appointed in 2005 by then-New York State Governor George Pataki as a board member on the Nassau County Rent Guidelines Board and became a board member for Long Island Housing Services in 2011. Ms. Harris-Marchesi is multi-lingual, as she speaks French and has a strong knowledge of Spanish.