Staff Members

The OCS staff is a team of professionals with complementary backgrounds and talents. Our advising staff is made up of attorneys with a wide variety of legal practice experience in both the private and public sectors. Our administrative team is comprised of staff with extensive experience at Harvard Law School who manage the complex technical systems that support our efforts. 

Staff members can be contacted through our main phone line at 617-495-3119 or by e-mail.  To learn more about the OCS staff, see the Staff Bios below.

OCS Staff List

Advisors

Mark Weber, Esq., Asst. Dean for Career Services

Kirsten K. Solberg, Esq., Assoc. Director for Judicial Clerkships & J.D. Advising

Marni Goldstein Caputo, Esq., Asst. Director for International & J.D. Advising
Vivian Z. Wexler, Esq., Asst. Director for J.D. Advising

Elaine Ventola, Esq., Asst. Director for J.D. Advising
Yih-hsien Shen, Esq., Asst. Director for J.D. Advising

 

Visiting J.D. Advisors

Maria Choi, Esq.                                                                                            Tanya Gisolfi, Esq.                                                                                       Orietta Barletta, Esq.                                                                                    Ann Scibelli, Esq.                                                                                           Patricia Hennessey, Esq.

Administrative Team

Emily (Orenstein) Goldberg, Asst. Director for Recruitment & Operations
Heather Stewart, Recruitment & Office Manager
Paula Garvin, Front Desk & Program Coordinator
Lisa Connolly, Office & Special Projects Coordinator
 

Advisors

Mark Weber, Esq. Assistant Dean for Career Services mweber@law.harvard.edu

A 1986 graduate of the University of Illinois College of Law, Mark Weber joined Harvard Law School in September 2000.  Prior to joining Harvard Law School, Mark worked at the University of Illinois College of Law where he was the Assistant Dean for Career Services and Editor of the alumni magazine.  He practiced law in Chicago from 1988 to 1994, focusing on corporate, tax, and bankruptcy matters. Mark holds a B.S. in Accountancy from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.  He is a CPA and worked for two years in the tax department of a Big Four public accounting firm and also taught business law as an adjunct professor at Lewis University.  Mark is an active member of NALP, the Association for Legal Career Professionals, and served on its Board of Directors from 2005-2007.

Kirsten K. Solberg, Esq. Associate Director for Judicial Clerkships and J.D. Advising ksolberg@law.harvard.edu

Kirsten joined the Office of Career Services in August 2000 and focuses mainly on judicial clerkships.  She has a B.A. in Economics from Haverford College and a J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School.  As a law student, she served on the articles committee of the Michigan Journal of Gender & Law and as a student attorney in the Women & the Law Clinic.  She chose to spend her all-important law school summers at both a large corporate firm and a small civil-rights firm.  Immediately after law school, she clerked for a federal district court judge.  She then rejoined the large corporate firm, where her practice focused on employee benefits and healthcare.  Before coming to Harvard, she taught legal writing at another law school.  Kirsten was the principal architect of two clerkship computer systems created for Harvard and subsequently marketed nationwide by Micron Systems and Symplicity, respectively.  She also was involved in the initial development of the national Online System for Clerkship Application and Review ("OSCAR") and has served in the OSCAR Work Group of NALP, the association for legal career professionals. She currently chairs the NALP Judicial Clerkship Section.

Marni received her B.A. in History and English from Tufts University in 1997 and her J.D. from Emory University School of Law in 2001.  While at Emory, Marni served as a Notes and Comments Editor on the Emory Law Journal and as a student intern for the Southern Center for Human Rights.  After graduating from law school, Marni clerked for federal district court Judge Willis B. Hunt, Jr. in Atlanta and then returned to Boston to practice as a litigation associate, first at Hill & Barlow, a large firm, and then at Prince, Lobel, Glovsky & Tye, a mid-sized firm.  Since 2004, Marni has worked as a Staff Attorney in the First Circuit Court of Appeals.  She has also taught a legal research and writing seminar to students in the American Law LL.M. program at Boston University School of Law since fall 2005.  Marni most enjoys playing with her two young children, walking her dog all over Cambridge, and cooking for family and friends.

Vivian Z. Wexler, Esq. Assistant Director for J.D. Advising vwexler@law.harvard.edu

Vivian joined the Office of Career services in July 2006. She holds an LL.B. from McGill University and a B.A. in English and Political Science from the University of Florida. Prior to attending law school, she worked as a public speaker, fundraiser and event planner for a non-profit organization. Her law school summers allowed her to obtain experience first in a small firm environment in Florida and subsequently with a large Boston firm that she returned to as an entering associate. As a practicing attorney, Vivian focused on corporate transactional and securities law and retooled her practice as a mid-level associate to focus on the investment management and financial services spaces. She is admitted to practice in Massachusetts and is a certified mediator in the province of Quebec. When not at the office, Vivian enjoys working on do-it-yourself home improvement projects, serving on the Board of Directors of Foster Parrots, Ltd. (an avian rescue organization) and spending time at the beach with friends and family.

Yih-hsien Shen, Esq. Assistant Director for J.D. Advising yshen@law.harvard.edu

After serving as a J.D. Advisor for the past four years, Yih-hsien joined the OCS staff in February 2008 as an Assistant Director for J.D. Advising. She received an A.B. in History from Columbia College and a J.D. from Harvard Law School in 1995. While at HLS, she served as co-chair of APALSA and an Executive Editor of the Women's Law Journal. After HLS, she practiced for three years in both the corporate and litigation departments at Davis Polk and Wardwell in New York, and she served as in-house counsel to a major insurance company in Baltimore, where she managed the company's litigation and advised on employment issues. Yih-hsien also holds an M.A. in Higher Education Administration from Teachers College.

Elaine Ventola, Esq. Assistant Director for J.D. Advising eventola@law.harvard.edu

Elaine received a B.A. in English from Northwestern University and a J.D. from Boston College Law School, magna cum laude.  Following law school, she worked as an associate at Hale and Dorr (now WilmerHale) and then Goodwin, Procter.  Her focus was labor and employment law.  She enjoyed this area because it offered her extensive litigation experience as well as in-depth client counseling.  After a number of years practicing law, she transitioned to the role of Senior Training Manager at Goodwin, Procter.  In this capacity, she was responsible for developing and implementing training programs for the firm’s attorneys, including summer associates, associates and partners.  When not working, Elaine loves spending time with her family and enjoys running, reading and travel.

Visiting J.D. Advisors

Tanya Gisolfi, Esq.                                                                                     Tanya Gisolfi graduated from the University of Iowa College of Law, where she was a member of the Iowa Law Review. She began her law career as an intern in the in-house legal department of the Quaker Oats Company in Chicago, before relocating with her husband to Minneapolis where she was a securities litigation associate at Popham, Haik, Schnobrich & Kaufman. She later went on to clerk for the Minnesota Court of Appeals, and then worked for the West Group where she co-managed legal content development. Since relocating to Boston, Tanya has been providing growth and development counsel to small and start-up non-profit organizations.

Orietta Barletta, Esq.                                                                               Orietta received her A.B. in Sociology from Harvard College, her Ed.M. from the Harvard Graduate School of Education and a J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center. Immediately following law school, Orietta worked as a litigation associate at Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel in New York City. She then moved to San Francisco and joined the Office of Career Services at Stanford Law School, serving as Director of Judicial Clerkships and Advanced Degree Programs. At Stanford, Orietta advised all law students on job search strategies and career-related issues. Orietta then returned to the east coast, joining Dewey Ballantine in New York City as the Senior Coordinator of Legal Training. While at Dewey, she developed firm-wide training programs for associates and summer associates. Orietta has also taught Legal Research & Writing to law students. A native of the Boston area, Orietta is happy to be back in Massachusetts with her husband and son. She enjoys yoga, travel and spending time with her family.

Ann Scibelli, Esq.                                                                                         Ann received a B.S. in Finance from Pennsylvania State University and a J.D. from Boston College Law School. After graduation from law school, Ann worked at Chadbourne & Parke in New York City where she had worked as a summer associate. She was a member of the firm's employment and litigation departments. After two years, Ann returned to Boston as an associate, and later, junior partner, at Hale and Dorr (now Wilmer Hale). Ann eventually left Hale and Dorr to take a position as Assistant Chief of Staff to Governor William Weld. She also worked in the Paul Cellucci administration for a year before returning to the practice of law at The Timberland Company. She was Assistant General Counsel for Employment Matters at Timberland. Since leaving Timberland, Ann has worked on a contract basis for a small law firm, and focused on raising her two sons.

Patricia Hennessey, Esq.                                                                         Patricia graduated summa cum laude from Boston College with an AB degree in English and received a JD degree, cum laude, from Harvard Law School in 1987. She has over twenty years of legal and law-related experience. She began her career as a litigation and health care associate with Choate, Hall & Stewart in Boston and subsequently held the position of Associate General Counsel of Partners HealthCare System. In addition to her legal practice experience, Patricia was the first Director of Professional Development at Choate Hall and Stewart. She currently leads the attorney career management firm of Hennessy Consulting Group and serves as a Senior Diversity Consultant with Verna Myers Consulting Group LLC. Patricia is admitted to practice in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and before the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts.

Administrative Team

Emily (Orenstein) Goldberg Assistant Director for Recruitment & Operations egoldberg@law.harvard.edu

Emily joined the office in October 2003.  Prior to joining  HLS, Emily served as the Recruitment Manager at Boston University School of Law and as a Career Counselor at Columbia Law School.  She has also worked in Recruiting at Lehman Brothers and in graduate admissions for Boston University College of Communication.

Heather Stewart Recruitment & Office Manager hstewart@law.harvard.edu

Heather joined OCS in June 2006.  Prior to joining OCS, Heather worked in administrative positions at Harvard University, Northeastern University, the Boston Conservatory and the Boston Museum School.  In her position as Recruitment and Office Manager, Heather works with employers visiting on-campus for fall and spring interviewing as well as managing the day-to-day office administration.  Heather belongs to, and volunteers with various local cultural organizations.  She is currently completing her graduate studies at Harvard University.

Paula has worked in the Office of Career Services for fifteen years and is an invaluable member of the team.  She takes pleasure in assisting students with their questions and in keeping the office running.  In 2003, Paula was chosen by students to receive the Suzanne L. Richardson Staff Recognition Award.  Paula is originally from Trinidad and enjoys visiting there with her family.  In her free time, Paula is an active community volunteer, working at the Cambridge Economic Opportunity Committee Food Bank and has served as a mediator in Cambridge through the Harvard Mediation Program.

Lisa joined OCS in November 2007. Prior to joining HLS, she owned and operated her own photo lab and portrait studio in Harvard Square for many years, where she was immersed in the university’s community and culture. Lisa later worked as a recruiter before segueing into her career at Harvard. In her free time, she enjoys travel, photography, DIY and collecting mid-century modern chairs.