TAKE-A-SIDE TALKBACK SERIES

PAST PANELISTS

Ned H. Bassen (Panelist) is a management labor and employment attorney at the law firm of Hughes Hubbard & Redd LLP, where he is Co-Chair of the firm’s labor and employment practice, and has specialized in labor and employment law for more than 25 years. Mr. Bassen has had numerous speaking engagements around the world, including such topics as employment and labor strategy for Japanese owned companies, employment practices liability, affirmative action and the status of disparate impact after the Civil Rights Act of 1991. He has published articles on the effect of strikes upon vacations, state laws regulating employment of the handicapped, sexual harassment and EEO compensation issues for government contractors. He is an Editorial Advisory Board member of Litigating Sexual Harassment & Sex Discrimination Cases. He is a member of the Industrial Relations Research Association, the Employment Disputes Committee of the CPR Institute for Dispute Resolution, the Committee on Equal Employment Opportunity Law of the Labor Law Section of the NY State Bar Association and the Committee on Development of the Law Under the National Labor Relations Act of the Section of Labor and Employment Law of the American Bar Association.

Benjamin Brafmen (Attorney) is a criminal defense attorney based in New York. He maintains the firm Brafman Associates and has handled cases for high profile clients, including celebrities, such as Sean “Diddy” Combs (for whom he helped win an acquittal from 1999 illegal weapons and bribery charges), Michael Jackson (as part of the initial defense team along with his co-counsel, Los Angeles celebrity attorney Mark Geragos, for Jackson’s  child molestation trial) and Peter Gatien.

Mary Schmidt Campbell (Panelist) was appointed Dean of the Tisch School of the Arts in 1991. Under her stewardship as Dean, the Tisch School has tripled the number of applications it receives, cut its acceptance rate in half, and increased the percentage of minority students studying there from 10% to 40%. She has initiated major renovations of the School's film facilities; inaugurated new programs in Art and Public Policy, Film Preservation and Archiving, and Recorded Music; and is currently leading the School in a $70 million capital campaign. In June 2007, Campbell was nominated by the Governor of New York State to head the New York State Council on the Arts, and was later confirmed as chair by the New York State Senate. Previously, she was New York City Commissioner of Cultural Affairs from 1987-1991 in the Koch and Dinkins administrations. She has given numerous lectures, authored many papers and articles, and is co-editor of Artistic Citizenship: A Public Voice for the Arts (2006) and co-author of Harlem Renaissance: Art of Black America (1987) and Memory and Metaphor: The Art of Romare Bearden, 1940-1987 (1991).

Anne Craig (Panelist) is a feature reporter for FOX 5, WNYW. She first joined FOX 5 in April, 2003. Her "Anne About Town" segments are seen regularly on GOOD DAY NEW YORK. Craig can be found engaged in wide range of activities: tightrope walking or juggling fire with the Universoul Circus, going behind the scenes of the hottest Broadway musicals, hanging with designers backstage at Fashion Week, or interviewing celebrities at the city's biggest red carpet events. A dedicated volunteer in helping the homeless in the city, Craig works with the New York City Rescue Mission serving meals to the hungry at the Great Thanksgiving Banquet and Mothers Day Banquet. She also volunteers at the Humane Society of New York working as a dog walker with the adoption animals. In 2007, she adopted her dog Henry from the shelter. Craig received an award from "Animal Haven" for her commitment to helping homeless animals. In 2006, she ran her first New York City Marathon and is running the 2008 New York City Marathon as well. Craig resides with her husband in Manhattan.

David Dinkins (Panelist) was the first African American mayor in NYC history. He briefly practiced law in NYC and began his steady ascent in politics. In ‘89, he ran for mayor, defeating Mayor Edward Koch to win the Democratic nomination. He went on to defeat Rudolph Giuliani. Among his accomplishments were working to create an all civilian police complaint review board, creating the office of Special Commissioner of Investigations for schools, as well as being a national voice in favor of anti-apartheid sanctions.

Adam Duritz (Panelist) With over 20 million albums sold worldwide, eight Top 5 singles, and three records having broken the Top 5 on the Billboard 200, Counting Crows’ success dates back to their ‘93 debut release August And Everything After and the hit single "Mr. Jones." The band's most recent accomplishments include a #1 hit with the song "Accidentally In Love," (Grammy, Golden Globe, and Academy Award nominations).

Tovah Feldshuh (Panelist) For her work on Broadway – Yentl, Saravá, Lend Me a Tenor, Golda’s Balcony, and Irena’s Vow – she has earned 4 Tony nominations and has won 4 Drama Desk, 4 Outer Critics Circle, the Obie, and the Lucille Lortel Award.  Her films include Kissing Jessica Stein (Golden Satellite Award), A Walk on the Moon, Lady in the Water, Just My Luck, and the upcoming Buddy Gilbert Comes Alive.  

Kathy Gantz  (Panelist) is a psychotherapist and hypnotherapist with 20 years of accomplishments helping thousands of people produce extraordinary results in their lives. She has conducted hypnosis workshops, seminars, and individual sessions for Fortune 500 companies. She is a consultant at the Juva Medical Spa and the Beth Israel Hospital for Health and Healing, and a smoking cessation and hypnosis leader for the American Cancer Society.

Joanna Grossman  (Panelist) is a professor and the John DeWitt Gregory Research Scholar at Hofstra Law School in Hempstead, New York.  She has also taught at Vanderbilt, UNC-Chapel Hill, Cardozo, and Tulane law schools.  She is an expert in sex discrimination law and has written extensively about workplace equality, with a focus on issues such as sexual harassment and pregnancy discrimination.

Jackie Hoffman (Panelist) is an American actress and stand-up comedian known for her facially-contorting expressions, one-woman shows and comedy that often focuses on Jewish themes. She is a veteran of Chicago 's famed The Second City comedy improv group. Hoffman has performed a one-woman cabaret show and has been the lone star of the following comedy performances: "If You Call This Living," "The Kvetching Continues," "Jackie Hoffman's Hanukkah," "Jackie's Kosher Khristmas" and "Jackie's Valentine's Day Massacre," among others. She is currently starring in the one woman show, "Jackie with a Z," in New York City. 

Leonard Jacobs (Panelist) s a journalist and theater critic. He is the editor of The Clyde Fitch Report, the nexus of arts and politics, and a left-of-center political pundit for Fox News' live-streaming program The Strategy Room and various print and online publications. Previously, he was the national theater editor of Back Stage and founding editor of Theatermania.com. His first book, Historic Photos of Broadway: New York Theater, 1850-1970—a history of the Great White Way culled from the collection of the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts—was published in 2008.

Kaylie Jones (Panelist) is the author of the recently-released Lies My Mother Never Told Me (William Morrow), her memoir about the painful truth about growing up as the daughter of literary royalty (James Jones, From Here to Eternity) and the consequences of a mother-daughter relationship torn apart by miscommunication and alcoholism. Lies My Mother Never Told Me is a Featured Alternate Selection of Book-of-the-Month Club, Quality Paperback Book Club and BOMC2. Kaylie is also the author of the novels As Soon As It Rains (her debut), the semiautobiographical A Soldier’s Daughter Never Cries, which was adapted into a film starring Kris Kristofferson, Barbara Hershey, and Leelee Sobieski, Celeste Ascending, Speak Now and Quite the Other Way. In between novels, she writes short stories and screenplays. Committed to nurturing the careers of aspiring writers, she has taught for years, both at the university level and in classes for “at risk” New York City teenagers. She also chairs the James Jones First Novel Fellowship.

Marc Kudisch (Panelist) for the past 18 years has been one of the busiest actors in New York City . Last season he earned his third Tony and fourth Drama Desk nominations as sexist boss Franklin Hart in the musical 9 to 5. His other Broadway credits include The Apple Tree, Thoroughly Modern Millie (Tony, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle nominations), Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (Tony, Outer Critics Circle nominations), Assassins (Drama Desk nomination), Bells Are Ringing, The Wild Party, The Scarlet Pimpernel, High Society, Beauty and the Beast, and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. Off-Broadway credits include The Glorious Ones, See What I Wanna See (Drama Desk nomination), The Thing About Men and No Strings, plus The Pirates of Penzance (New York City Opera) and A Little Night Music (NYCO and Los Angeles Opera). His many concert appearances include Portland Symphony, Ravinia Festival, the Philadelphia Philharmonic and the popular Broadway By the Year concert series at Town Hall, where Marc has been a constant performer and director for over 5 years.

Kate Levin (Panelist) is the Commissioner of the Department of Cultural Affairs for the City of New York . Prior to her appointment, she was an Assistant Professor of English and Theater at the City College of New York CUNY and Associate Director of the Simon H. Rifkind Center for Humanities and the Arts CCNY. Levin received a BA from Harvard University and a PhD in English from the University of California at Berkley.

Pia Lindström (Panelist) received 2 Emmy Awards and the New York Associated Press Broadcasters Award for news reporting. She has written and produced stories for television news and was a theatre critic for NBC for many years. She can be heard on Sirius XM Satellite Radio on Book Radio. She is a long time Trustee of the Theatre Development Fund and is a Board member of the American Theatre Wing.

Lionel (Panelist) is the eponymous host of Air America Media’s syndicated Lionel Show, airing 6-9 AM in myriad markets including morning drive on 1050 AM in Washington, DC. Lionel is a 21-year talk radio veteran, author, stand-up comic and former criminal prosecutor and criminal defense trial lawyer. Lionel was recruited from his native Tampa, Florida, to bring his show to New York and WABC Radio (morning and afternoon drive) and then WOR Radio (evenings). He was a special commentator during the Clinton impeachment hearings on WCBS Radio. Lionel hosted his own TV series on Court TV entitled “Snap Judgment” and is a contributor to The Huffington Post. He’s appeared on CNN, MSNBC, Fox News Channel and C-SPAN. As concerns the plot line in Oleanna, Lionel, being conversant with criminal law and the laws of sexual harassment, will attest to the fact that there’s nothing far-fetched about this most poignant drama. Lionel’s website is lionelonline.com.

Laurence Maslon (Panelist) is an Associate Arts Professor at the Graduate Acting Program at New York University ’s Tisch School of the Arts, with an affiliation in Drama and the Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Program. His most recent book is Some Like It Hot: The Official 50th Anniversary Companion as well as The South Pacific Companion and The Sound of Music Companion. With Michael Kantor, he has co-written the six-part PBS series Make ‘Em Laugh: The Funny Business of America, as well as the companion volume. He and Kantor were nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Writing of a Non-Fiction Series for this show. He also co-wrote two episodes of the Emmy-winning Broadway: The American Musical with Kantor and the companion volume. He wrote the acclaimed “American Masters” documentary Richard Rodgers: The Sweetest Sounds and is the editor of Kaufman & Co., the Library of America edition of George S. Kaufman’s plays, as well as his official website, www.georgeskaufman.com. In 2005, he wrote “Better When It’s Banned,” Jane Krakowski’s debut concert for Jazz at Lincoln Center.

Kathleen McKenna (Panelist) is a partner in Proskauer Rose’s Labor & Employment Law Department. Named among the “Top 50 Female” lawyers in New York by New York Super Lawyers ‘06 and ‘07, Kathleen is an elected member of the prestigious College of Labor and Employment Lawyers. She has served as a featured guest commentator on “ABC World News This Morning,” addressing various employment topics.

Mitchell Moss (Panelist) is the Henry Hart Rice Professor Urban Policy and Planning at New York University ’s Wagner Graduate School of Public Service. He served as Director of NYU's Taub Urban Research Center from 1987 to 2003, where he directed research projects for the National Science Foundation, Charles Revson Foundation, U.S. Department of Commerce, New York State Economic Development Corporation and leading private corporations. Professor Moss has been on the faculty of NYU since 1973 and served as Chairman of The Interactive Telecommunications Program in the Tisch School of the Arts from 1981-83. He was voted "Best Teacher of the Year" by Wagner School students in 2002. Moss's essays have been published in The New York Times, New York Post, Daily News, Newsday, and The New York Observer. He has appeared on “ABC World News Tonight,” “The Today Show,” “Hardball” and the “NBC Nightly News.” In 2001, he served as an advisor to the mayoral campaign of Michael R. Bloomberg.

Wayne N. Outten (Panelist) is the founding and managing partner of Outten & Golden LLP. His practice focuses exclusively on representing individuals in all areas of employment law. Mr. Outten has lectured extensively on employment law, especially on negotiation, mediation, and arbitration of employment disputes, on employment and severance agreements, and on retaliation and whistleblower claims. He is a widely published author whose work is frequently found in legal and popular publications. He is a founding member of the Executive Board of the National Employment Lawyers Association (NELA) and served on its Board for more than 11 years. For almost 20 years, he was a member of the Board of the New York Civil Liberties Union. Mr. Outten’s notable cases include a recovery of $12 million in a gender discrimination/retaliation case against Morgan Stanley in federal court and (with partner Larry Moy) $18.9 million arbitration award in a breach of contract case against Deutsche Bank – one of the largest arbitration awards in an employment case. He is a member of the bars of New York, the U.S. Supreme Court, the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York, and the Second Circuit Court of Appeals.

Debra L. Raskin (Panelist) graduated from Radcliffe College magna cum laude in 1973 and received her law degree from Yale in 1977. She worked at the Legal Assistance Foundation of Chicago from 1977 to 1981, serving in 1981 as Supervisor of Employment Litigation for that organization. She served as law clerk to Hon. Lee P. Gagliardi of the United States District Court, Southern District of New York from 1982 to 1984. From 1984 to 1986, she served as an Assistant Attorney General of the State of New York in the Civil Rights Bureau. She joined the Vladeck firm in 1986, and became a partner of the firm in October 1988. Ms. Raskin has been Chair of the Labor and Employment Committee of the City Bar and is currently on the City Bar Executive Committee. Ms. Raskin is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, has taught at Columbia and Fordham Law Schools and has lectured and written on employment law matters for the New York State Bar Association and the American Law Institute/American Bar Association, among other groups.

Michael Riedel (Panelist) is the Theater columnist and reporter for The New York Post. He has covered Broadway for 20 years, 10 of them for The Post. He is also the co-host of “Theater Talk” on PBS and CUNY-TV. He graduated from Columbia University with a BA in history.

Susan Sangillo Bellifemine (Panelist) is a neutral who limits her practice to mediation, arbitration, internal investigations and training. Susan is a member of the New Jersey State Bar Association and the New Jersey Association of Professional Mediators; she is a FINRA Arbitrator and a panel member of the New Jersey State Board of Mediation. She is listed on the statewide roster of court-appointed mediators as a Rule 1:40 qualified mediator and has successfully completed the Mediation Workshop at the Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School . Susan specializes in labor and employment matters and has extensive experience in individual as well as mass and class discrimination actions; nationwide collective wage and hour matters; compensation, employment contract and tort disputes and labor arbitrations. Her most recent executive positions were as the Chief Administrative Officer of Hypo Real Estate Capital Corporation and the Chief Operating Officer & Corporate Secretary of Quadra Realty Trust, Inc.In her various in-house positions Susan gained the respect of her colleagues and opposing counsel alike for her ability to analyze complex employment and labor law theories, evaluate facts and negotiate early resolution. Susan is a Seton Hall School of Law graduate. While at Seton Hall she was an editor of the Law Review.

Marian Seldes (Panelist) Her many Broadway credits include Deuce with co-star Angela Lansbury, 45 Seconds From Broadway, Deathtrap (Tony nomination), The Merchant, Equus, Father's Day (Tony nomination, Drama Desk Award), Before You Go, A Delicate Balance (Tony Award), Tiny Alice, The Milk Train Doesn't Stop Here Anymore, A Gift of Time, The Wall, The Chalk Garden, Ondine, The High Ground, The Tower Beyond Tragedy, That Lady, Crime and Punishment, Medea. For Lincoln Center Theater, she has appeared in Dinner at Eight, Ring Round the Moon (Tony nominations) and Ivanov. Off-Broadway: Terrence McNally's Dedication, or the Stuff of Dreams at Primary Stages, Diff'rent, The Ginger Man (Obie), Isadora Duncan (Obie), Painting Churches (Outer Critics Circle Award), Richard II, Richard III, Mercy Street, Dear Liar, A Bright Room Called Day, Three Tall Women, The Torch-Bearers, The Butterfly Collection, The Play About the Baby, Helen, Play Yourself and Beckett/Albee. Williamstown Theatre Festival: The Royal Family, The Matchmaker, The Skin of Our Teeth and the premiere of Dedication. She received the Obie Award for Sustained Achievement and was inducted into the Theatre Hall of Fame in 1996. She is the author of The Bright Lights: A Theatre Life and Time Together, a novel.

Anne C. Vladeck (Panelist) is a partner at Vladeck, Waldman, Elias & Engelhard, P.C. where she focuses her practice on employment matters, including discrimination, sexual harassment, defamation, union-side labor law, and litigation. In addition to being an adjunct faculty member at Columbia University Law School and Fordham Law School, Ms. Vladeck is a past President of the Federal Bar Council Inn of Court, a trustee of the Federal Bar Foundation, a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, and a member of the Professional Discipline Committee of the Association of the Bar of the City of New York. Ms. Vladeck received her B.A., magna cum laude, from the University of Pennsylvania, and J.D. from Columbia University School of Law. She has previously served as an adjunct faculty member at Cardozo Law School. She regularly speaks on employment law and related topics at the Practicing law Institute, ALI/ABA, ABA, NYSBA, and N.Y.U. Conference, among others.

Dennis Walcott (Panelist) is the Deputy Mayor for Education and Community Development. In that capacity, he oversees and coordinates the operations of the Department of Education and the Department of Youth and Community Development, as well as maintains liaison with and reviews the activities of the New York City School Construction Authority, City University of New York, City University Construction Fund and the New York City Housing Authority. Walcott is also responsible for maintaining liaison with community-based organizations citywide and coordinating policies concerning youth programs and adult education. He serves as Co-Chair of the Mayors Commission for Construction Opportunity. A product of the New York City public school system, Walcott received a Masters of Social Work from Fordham University and a Masters of Education from the University of Bridgeport.

Lis Wiehl (Panelist) joined FOX News Channel (FNC) as a legal analyst in Oct 2001. Currently an associate professor of law at the University of Washington School of Law, Wiehl also serves as a legal commentator on National Public Radio’s All Things Considered. Prior to joining FNC, Wiehl served as a legal analyst for KIRO-TV (CBS). From November 2000-February 2001, she provided legal analysis for NBC News. Before that, Wiehl held the position of principal deputy chief minority investigative counsel for the United States House of Representatives, Committee on Judiciary. Additionally, from 1990-1995, she served as an executive assistant at the United States Attorney’s office. Wiehl began her career as a litigation associate for Perkins Coie law firm. She earned her Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School in 1987. She is also the author of The 51% Minority: How Women Still Are Not Equal and What You Can Do About It.

Alfred Uhry (Panelist) Broadway credits include Here's Where I Belong, The Robber Bridegroom, The Last Night Of Ballyhoo, and Parade. In ‘87 his first play, Driving Miss Daisy won the Outer Critics Circle Award and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. For the film version, he won an Academy Award, and the film itself was voted Best Picture of the Year. Other films include Mystic Pizza and Rich in Love.


Mindy Utay  (Panelist) is a psychotherapist and psychoanalyst in private practice in Manhattan . She is a much sought-after couples and family therapist with a specialty in improving the communication between partners and families in conflict. She also treats individuals for depression, anxiety and mood disorders. She is on the Board of Directors of the National Institute for the Psychotherapies Professional Association.

Montel Williams (Panelist) was the Emmy Award-winning host and Executive Producer of the Montel Williams Show. His daily talk radio program Montel Across America is broadcast on Air America stations. Shortly after being diagnosed with MS, he established the Montel Williams MS Foundation to further the scientific study of MS, provide financial assistance to research organizations and institutions, and educate the public.