CLASSNOTES
ALUMNI
profile
Early on Hess Set Sights on Law School and Company President BY MICHAEL HOCHANADEL
Asish Nelluvely has joined FitzGerald Morris Baker & Firth PC as an associate attorney.
CLASS OF 2012
She was encouraged to run the company her father had founded, though she should first graduate from Albany Law School.
Emily Ekland has been named the Assistant Director of the Government Law Center.
Hanok George has joined Burns Levinson LLP in Boston as an associate.
Christopher Honeywell has joined Honeywell Law Firm PLLC as an associate. “I knew from the time I was seven years old that I wanted to be a lawyer,” said Jodi Hess ’09. So, how did she also become president of Digital X-Press, an Albany printing, mailing and marketing company? It’s a tale of two Albany Law School graduates and of torches passed across generations. The late Gary Lombardi ’72 was a friend of Hess’ father, Jack McGrath, and an early investor in Digital X-Press. “I very much respected and admired him,” said Hess. She said Lombardi encouraged her to run the company her father had founded, though she should first graduate from Albany Law School herself. Lombardi graduated from Siena College cum laude in 1968 before entering Albany Law School. Lombardi became principal and co-president of Lombardi, Walsh, Wakeman, Harrison, Amodeo and Davenport, successor to Lombardi, Reinhard, Walsh and Harrison, which his father Louis founded in 1956. A Cohoes native and graduate of Cohoes High School, Hess graduated from the University of Buffalo with a B.A. in political science and minor in business administration. “I always knew I wanted to be an attorney, but I also desired to run my dad’s company one day,” Hess recalled. But she had doubts. “I never thought I could do both.” Encouraged by Lombardi and her father, “We discussed a path for when
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I completed law school that led me to being the president of the company today.” She saw that path clearly early on. At Cohoes High School, Hess was accepted into the New Visions: Law and Government Program, and at the University of Buffalo, she served as a judge on the student court and chief judge in senior year. Taking a year off before law school, she worked in a Washington, D.C., intellectual property law firm, drafting patent applications. “I was interested in general practice but also knew, in the back of my mind, that I was still interested in the business world,” said Hess. While at Albany Law School, she worked at the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and interned for New York State Supreme Court Justice Joseph Teresi, now retired. “I particularly enjoyed classes with Professors Vincent Bonventre, David Pratt, and Norman Deutsch,” Hess recalled. “Each of them had a different style of teaching. But, they always challenged students, which encouraged us to work harder and get the most out of class.” After graduation and passing the bar, Hess began apprenticing at Digital X-Press. She said, “I began to learn about all aspects of the business.” Today, Digital X-Press employs 76 full-time and six part-time employees. The company serves retail and service companies, non-profit organizations, schools and universities. “We have a creative department that handles graphic and
SUMMER 2015
web design, along with copywriting, branding, and advertising,” Hess explained. “Our printing department features offset, digital, and large format printing, and produces printed pieces such as newsletters, business cards, postcards and outdoor signs. We also have a full service mail shop and an in-house U.S. Post Office for mail processing.” As president of Digital X-Press, “I’m involved in a wide range of things: from customer relations to assessing equipment needs to mergers to human resource issues,” said Hess, adding that the hours are long and she’s constantly available by cellphone and email. However, she also manages to balance work with family time with her commercial pilot husband and young daughter. “During the summer after my first year of law school, I began taking flying lessons at Richmor Aviation,” said Hess. “My instructor was Ryan Hess, who I ended up dating and then marrying in 2013.” They welcomed daughter Amelia Virginia last November. Hess remains close to numerous classmates, through social media and shared life events. “I met one of my best friends and favorite people, Vonzell Jones, at Albany Law School and still talk to him regularly,” said Hess. “I also met Rebekah (Mairs) Staats in law school and became quick friends with her. She is an incredible person and also one of my best friends.”
Sara Neitzel has joined the staff at the New York State Assembly. Hunter Raines has joined McNamee Lochner Titus & Williams as an associate. Michelle N. Tanney has joined Baker Hostetler in New York City as a litigation attorney. Patrick Woods has been selected as the 2015-16 Supreme Court Fellow assigned to the U.S. Sentencing Commission.
CLASS OF 2013 Benjamin Kern has been named an Albany 40 Under 40 Star by City and State Magazine. Sara Mendicino has joined Rose Waldorf Law Firm as an associate attorney. Benjamin Pomerance serves as the Counsel and Deputy Director for Program Development with the New York State Division of Veterans’ Affairs. Justin Salkin has joined Levene Gouldin & Thompson LLP as an associate. Brendan Venter has joined Whiteman Osterman & Hanna LLP as an associate.
CLASS OF 2014 Mary Armistead has joined the staff at Albany Law School as the Immigration Law Clinic Fellow.
Bryan Bergeron has joined Bartlett, Pontiff, Stewart & Rhodes, P.C. as an associate attorney.