Clarissa Rodriguez
Chair, NYS Workers' Compensation Board

Clarissa M. Rodriguez, Esq. is the Chair & Commissioner of the New York State Workers' Compensation Board, which administers workers' compensation, disability benefits, and Paid Family Leave insurance. During her time at the Board, Clarissa has led the agency through several important legislative reforms and implementations, including the launch of New York's landmark Paid Family Leave law, while also working to make significant improvements to the workers' compensation system. In 2023, NYS Governor Kathy Hochul reappointed Clarissa as Chair through 2029.

Before joining the Board in 2016, Clarissa worked as a litigator with the Legal Aid Society of NY and the Civil and Matrimonial Parts of the Nassau County Supreme Court. She also served with the Civil Rights Bureau of the NYS Office of the Attorney General, the City University of New York's (CUNY) Office of General Counsel, the Municipal Employees Legal Services (MELS) at District Council 37, and the Urban Justice Center, among others, prior to joining the New York State Bar in 2007.

Clarissa has received numerous professional recognitions from the New York State Legislature, the Nassau County Executive, the New York State Bar Association, and other affinity Bars. Most recently she was awarded the AGA's 2024 Eleanor Clark Diversity Leadership Award in Washington D.C. She is part of the Governor's Interagency Statewide Workforce Group, and Latina Mentorship Initiative. She chairs the NYS Self-Insureds Association Advisory Committee and is a member of the Dominican Bar Association and the Hudson Valley Hispanic Bar Association. She is a Council on Legal Education Opportunity (CLEO) Fellow and is a graduate of CUNY School of Law. She holds a BA in Political Science and Women's Studies from the State University of New York at Purchase College and lives in Orange County, NY with her husband and two daughters.

Steven M. Scotti
Executive Director, NYS Workers' Compensation Board

Steven Scotti has served as Executive Director of the New York State Workers' Compensation Board since September 2022. He was a practicing workers' compensation attorney for over 30 years, working exclusively in-house for New York self-insured employers, and dedicated to ensuring that injured co-workers promptly received all benefits to which they were legally entitled.

Steven began his legal career in the public sector at the U.S. Department of Labor, followed by over 15 years of service with the New York City Law Department, where he served as Chief of the Workers' Compensation Division for the last seven years. He joined Con Edison in 2002, where he managed the workers' compensation practice in its Law Department for over 16 years. Starting in 2013, Steven served for five years as Associate General Counsel for Labor, Employment, and Benefits, overseeing all labor and employment matters for the company. In 2019, he joined the Workers' Compensation Division of the New York City Transit Authority, serving as Deputy Executive Assistant General Counsel until leaving to join the Board.

In 2016, Steven was inducted as a Fellow into The College of Workers' Compensation Lawyers, a nationwide organization recognizing outstanding attorneys who have distinguished themselves for 20 years or more in the workers' compensation field.

Steven was Co-Editor in Chief and contributing author of the 2011 NYS Bar Association's Workers' Compensation Law and Practice in New York and is a frequent speaker on workers' compensation issues. He served on two Governor's workers' compensation task forces (Governor Spitzer's 2007 Rocket Docket Committee and Governor Paterson's 2010 Task Force on Group Self-Insurance), as well as an FBI task force on workers' compensation fraud. Steven was a member of the Executive Committee of the Special Funds Conservation Committee, a former Chair and Special Counsel of the New York Self-Insurers Association (NYSIA) and a former President of the New York Claim Association (NYCA), receiving the distinguished Greg Saxum award from NYSIA and a lifetime achievement award from NYCA. In 2001, he received the New York State Workers' Compensation Board Chair's Award for Excellence.

Steven brings his years of study of the New York Workers' Compensation Law and expertise managing claims and legal operations at three of the state's largest self-insured employer programs to his current position. He strives to guide and improve the system for all stakeholders in furtherance of the Board's critical mission to serve injured workers and employers.

Steven earned a BA in Political Science cum laude from Stony Brook University and a JD with honors from New York Law School. He lives in Queens with his wife of 37 years, Patricia, and is the proud father of Mark and Paul.

Joe Cavalcante
Ombudsman/Advocate for Injured Workers, NYS Workers' Compensation Board

Joe Cavalcante is the ombudsman and Advocate for Injured Workers at the New York State Workers' Compensation Board. He has worked for the Board for more than 15 years, first joining as a Board spokesman.

Before starting with the Board, Joe had prior experience at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) as a college instructor, and in the software and health insurance industries. He's also written professionally for decades, including many Board publications. He holds an MA in English from the University at Albany.

Patrick J. Cremo
Supervising Law Judge - Judges' Bureau, NYS Workers' Compensation Board

Patrick Cremo is a Supervising Law Judge for the New York State Workers' Compensation Board, working within the Judges' Bureau. Joining the Board in 2001, Patrick was previously a Supervising Attorney in the Board's Office of General Counsel, acting as a liaison between the Office of General Counsel and Adjudication.

Patrick received a BA from Siena College in 1994 and a JD from Albany Law School in 1998. He worked as an associate in the law firm of Grasso & Grasso in Schenectady, New York from 1999 until 2001, after which he began his employment with the Board.

Audrey Cunningham
Deputy Director of the Medical Director's Office, NYS Workers' Compensation Board

Audrey Maiello Cunningham is the Deputy Director of the Medical Director's Office (MDO) for the New York State Workers' Compensation Board. In this role, Audrey is responsible for the operation of the MDO, providing leadership and oversight of all functions within the unit.

Audrey previously served as Deputy Inspector General for Workers' Compensation Fraud in the Office of the New York State Inspector General, managing legal operations and investigations of workers' compensation fraud. Her legal career also includes roles as a prosecutor for the New York State Attorney General's Office Criminal Prosecutions Bureau, Assistant District Attorney in Bronx County, and as an associate attorney in civil litigation firms.

Prior to entering the legal arena, Audrey worked in health care public relations in New York City, where she specialized in managing and developing public relations strategies for pharmaceutical companies.

Audrey received her JD from Loyola University College of Law and her BS from Boston University. She also completed coursework at Moscow State University School of Law in Moscow, Russia and Eötvös Loránd University School of Law in Budapest, Hungary. She is admitted to practice law in New York and Virginia.

Kerry Cunningham
Social Work Supervisor, NYS Workers' Compensation Board

Kerry Cunningham is a Social Work Supervisor for the New York State Workers' Compensation Board. Joining the Board in 2022, Kerry has over 25 years of experience working as a Social Worker. She transitioned to the Board after serving eight years as a Social Worker at Brookwood Secure Center - Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS). She also has had extensive training in Dialectal Behavioral Therapy (DBT).

Kerry has assisted many individuals throughout her career in various social work settings and helped them to navigate difficult systems and issues while providing counseling and support. She has also worked with stakeholders in the community to assist injured workers in navigating the claims processes, as she is a strong advocate for the claimants she works with.

Kerry received her BA in Psychology from Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts. She is a Licensed Master Social Worker (LMSW) and holds an MSW from the State University of New York at Albany. Kerry received a Certificate in Nonprofit Management and Leadership from the State University of New York at Albany and has also received her New York State Provisional Teaching Certification. In addition, Kerry worked for five years as a Clinical Care Manager for a 24/7 clinical referral line managing New York State mental health and substance abuse benefits.

Jaclyn Desautels
Investigator - Workers' Compensation Fraud, Offices of the New York State Inspector General

Jaclyn Desautels is investigator for the New York State Offices of the Inspector General. As an investigator, Desautels primarily handles workers compensation fraud cases, investigating individuals as well as businesses and follows the case within the criminal justice and judicial system until its closure, collaborating with partner agencies. She is part of a statewide team that coordinates and manages the prioritization and triage of incoming complaints and cases.

By working closely with partner institutions on several task forces, and by conducting speaking engagements across the state, Desautels helps ensure that fraudulent activity is identified, investigated, prosecuted and resolved effectively. She began her career in the insurance industry in 1999 working on claims, and first began working for New York State in 2004 as an investigator with the NYS Insurance Frauds Bureau (now the NYS Department of Financial Services). She has worked as an investigator with the OIG since 2016.

Kathy Fisher
Director of External Relations, Workers' Compensation Research Institute

Ms. Fisher oversees membership engagement, event coordination, including WCRI's Annual Issues & Research Conference, and state coordination in California, Indiana, Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. Ms. Fisher formerly served as an attorney for the City of New York, as well as a Workers' Compensation Hearing Officer for the State of Alaska, Department of Labor. Ms. Fisher received her B.A. in political science from the University of Michigan and a J.D. from Seton Hall Law School.

Lisa-Michelle Houck
Excelsior Fellow, NYS Workers' Compensation Board

Lisa-Michelle Houck is an attorney with the New York State Workers' Compensation Board's Office of General Counsel (OGC). Her previous work is in disability advocacy.

Lisa-Michelle is passionate about occupational health, the history of public health, disability accommodations, and diversity, equity, and inclusion. She serves on the DEI Council at the Board and is also in the process of completing a Master's degree in Public Health.

Taniqua Hunter
Senior Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor, NYS Workers' Compensation Board

Taniqua Hunter is the Senior Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor at the New York State Workers' Compensation Board. Joining the Board in 2022, she has over 20 years of experience in vocational rehabilitation.

Taniqua transitioned to the Board after serving 17 years as a Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor and Business Relations Representative at Adult Career and Continuing Education Services - Vocational Rehabilitation (ACCES-VR). Taniqua has helped thousands of individuals with disabilities attain and maintain employment, along with serving the business community regarding hiring, reasonable accommodations, disability etiquette, and worker retention services of individuals with disabilities.

Taniqua is a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor (CRC) and holds a BA in Psychology and an MS Ed in Rehabilitation Counseling from Hofstra University. She recently joined the Disability Advisory Council of the NYS Division of Human Rights. For the past eight years, Taniqua has been a member of the ADA Trainer Network via Cornell University and the Northeast ADA Center.

Keith Longden
Deputy General Counsel, NYS Workers' Compensation Board

Keith Longden is the Deputy General Counsel for the New York State Workers' Compensation Board. He has been in the Board's Office of General Counsel (OGC) since 1998.

Prior to working at the Board, Keith began his legal career at the New York State Insurance Fund. He received his BA from the State University of New York College at Oneonta and his JD from Albany Law School.

Thomas Neiles
Project Manager 5, NYS Workers' Compensation Board

Tom Neiles is the OnBoard Program Manager at the New York State Workers' Compensation Board. In this role, he oversees the coordination of activities performed by project teams to modernize Board systems as a part of the Board's Office of Innovation (OOI).

Tom joined the Board in 2019 and has over 20 years of experience supporting New York State IT systems in various roles, including Project Manager and Web Developer/Analyst.

Tom received a BA from the University at Albany, and a Graduate Certificate in Public Administration/IT Strategy from Rockefeller College.

Michael Papa
Deputy Counsel for Compliance and Litigation, NYS Workers' Compensation Board

Michael Papa is Deputy Counsel at the New York State Workers' Compensation Board. Mike has held numerous roles with the Board, including heading up the Board's compliance efforts to ensure that the state's roughly 500,000 employers maintain workers' compensation, disability, and Paid Family Leave coverage, while simultaneously ensuring that the state's approximately 1,300 payers of workers' compensation benefits comply with the Workers' Compensation Law regarding the delivery of benefits to injured workers. Mike has also spearheaded the defense of a multitude of legal challenges to Board determinations and engaged in collection efforts against entities that owe the Board funds.

Mike has been with the Board for over two decades, initially within the Administrative Review Division, assisting Board Members in writing Memorandum of Decisions on appealed workers' compensation claims, then transitioning to various roles within the Board's Office of General Counsel (OGC). Prior to joining the Board, Mike served as an Administrative Law Judge for the Department of Labor's Unemployment Insurance Division.

Thomas Parisi
Associate Attorney, NYS Workers' Compensation Board

Thomas Parisi is an Associate Attorney at the New York State Worker's Compensation Board as part of the Health Provider Discipline unit. His unit works closely with the Medical Director to ensure the quality of health care providers authorized to treat and independently examine injured workers across New York State. He joined the Board in 2022.

Thomas earned his BA from the University of Miami, and graduated from Albany Law School in 1996. Since then, Thomas has acquired a wide array of experience as an Assistant District Attorney in Richmond County, a civil litigation attorney and sole practitioner in South Florida, an Assistant Counsel in the Administrative Appeals unit of the New York State Justice Center for the Protection of People with Special Needs, and a Senior Attorney with the New York State Department of Transportation.

In his current role, Thomas calls upon his experience as an insurance defense litigator, in which he deposed numerous health care providers to defend against claims involving medical fraud, upcoding, and overutilization.

Dr. James Tacci
Medical Director, NYS Workers' Compensation Board

James A. Tacci, MD, JD, MPH (FACOEM, FACPM), is the Medical Director of the New York State Workers' Compensation Board. His focus is to ensure timely, appropriate, and high-quality care for injured workers, and to optimize their clinical and functional outcomes.

Prior to joining the Board, Dr. Tacci was a Medical Director and Residency Program Director at the University of Rochester, where he still holds part-time clinical (non-workers' compensation) and teaching appointments. Previously, he directed occupational medicine programs or served as a senior medical consultant in such industries as health care, technology, automotive, defense, medical devices, and pharmaceuticals. He also worked extensively with municipalities, school districts, utilities, and local police and fire departments.

Dr. Tacci earned his BS in Biology from Cornell University, MD (with distinction) from the University of Rochester, MPH from SUNY Albany, and JD (magna cum laude) from Syracuse University. He completed residencies in General Preventive Medicine & Public Health (NYS Department of Health) and Occupational Medicine (Harvard University).

Bryan D. Richmond, Esq.
Attorney-In-Charge - Workers' Compensation Fraud, Offices of the New York State Inspector General

Bryan Richmond serves as the Attorney-In-Charge for Workers' Compensation Fraud at the Offices of the New York State Inspector General under Inspector General Lucy Lang. In this role he is dedicated to ensuring that the Inspector General's Office is the leader in the fight against and prevention of corruption, fraud, and abuse in the New York State workers' compensation system and state government. Mr. Richmond directs and supervises all Workers' Compensation Fraud investigations conducted by the Inspector General throughout New York State and assists in the criminal prosecution of all aspects of suspected fraud in the New York State workers' compensation system. Mr. Richmond also participates in numerous other cooperative interagency anti-fraud initiatives throughout the State, coordinating efforts with multiple agencies and prosecutors on matters investigated both independently and cooperatively.

Mr. Richmond has more than 20 years of legal experience including more than a decade in private practice prior to joining the offices of the Inspector General, representing employers, municipalities, insurers and their insureds in workers' compensation matters and other areas of civil defense litigation. Prior to practicing law, Mr. Richmond was a tax accountant with a Big Four accounting firm. Mr. Richmond has presented numerous specialized training courses to both public and private organizations throughout the State of New York in the areas of identifying, investigating, and prosecuting workers' compensation fraud and other revenue crimes.

Paula Rauch
Registered Nurse Supervisor 2 (Medical Care), NYS Workers' Compensation Board

Paula Rauch, RN, is the Registered Nurse Supervisor 2 (Medical Care) for the New York State Workers' Compensation Board within the Medical Director's Office (MDO). In this role, Paula is responsible for the operation and oversight of the various medical units within the MDO's Clinical Standards unit and reports to Audrey Cunningham, Deputy Director of the MDO.

Paula began her career at the Board in 2009 as a consultant RN for the implementation of the New York Medical Treatment Guidelines (MTG) pilot program. She became a permanent employee in the MDO before the Board implemented the legislatively mandated guidelines in December of 2010.

Prior to working for the Board, Paula performed utilization review and nurse case management for numerous national accounts as a Registered Nurse Case Manager II under Empire Blue Cross and Blue Shield. She later worked for Anthem in the same position when they merged with WellPoint in 2004. In this position, Paula was licensed in all 50 states to practice as an RN and performed medical necessity reviews on inpatient hospital stays, surgical procedures, acute rehabilitation, skilled nursing facilities, and various other outpatient services.

Paula began her nursing career as a Registered Professional Nurse II in the operating room at Albany Medical Center's main campus and later their South Clinical Campus. In this position, Paula worked as a circulating and scrub nurse in surgical procedures for all specialties and surgeries, however, she specialized in Cardiac Surgery. In the South Clinical campus, Paula assisted with coordinating emergency surgeries, and coordinating and training new staff.

Paula has an AS in Liberal Arts and Sciences (with a Biology concentration) and an AAS in Nursing from Hudson Valley Community College. She has also completed master's degree coursework from Excelsior College.

Anthony Tomaselli
Ombudsman/Advocate for Business, NYS Workers' Compensation Board

Anthony Tomaselli serves as the Advocate for Business for the New York State Workers' Compensation Board. As the Advocate for Business, Anthony leads the office that serves as the liaison between New York's business community and the Board, helping employers with issues related to workers' compensation, disability benefits, and Paid Family Leave. Anthony also educates employers about coverage requirements and more generally advocates for the needs of the business community with respect to the benefits and systems administered by the Board.

Prior to joining the Board, Anthony worked for the New York State Office of General Services (OGS), Division of Service-Disabled Veterans' Business Development, where he served as Assistant Director for eight years. In this role, Anthony helped build the successful NYS Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Business (SDVOB) program, which empowers disabled veteran entrepreneurs to grow their small businesses by increasing their participation in New York State's contracting opportunities.

Prior to joining OGS, Anthony held roles at the Empire State Development Corporation and the NYS Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services. Before beginning his career in government, he served as a social studies teacher and served time in the military as a paratrooper for the U.S. Army, 82nd Airborne Division.

Anthony's education includes a BA in History and Secondary Education and Youth Services from CUNY Queens College, an MA in Liberal Studies from SUNY Stony Brook, and an MPA from Rockefeller College at SUNY Albany.

Courtney Vallee
Associate Attorney, NYS Workers' Compensation Board

Courtney Vallee is an Associate Attorney at the New York State Workers' Compensation Board, where she has been with the Office of General Counsel (OGC) since 2016. She drafts regulatory proposals and files all rulemaking activities for the Board. She also drafts bills and monitors proposed legislation for potential Board impact. Courtney also assisted with the launch and implementation of Paid Family Leave in 2018 and currently directs and manages the day-to-day operations of the Paid Family Leave program.

Before joining the Board, Courtney worked at the New York State Liquor Authority as a prosecutor. She graduated summa cum laude from Albany Law School in 2014 and received her BA (magna cum laude) from Binghamton University in 2010.