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With mixed emotions, we announce the retirement of our esteemed colleague Patricia Stein, Esq., effective February 29. Pat has brought over 35 years of legal and labor expertise to her role as CUNY SPH’s Executive Counsel and Labor Designee since 2017.
In her work with CUNY SPH, Pat provided expert guidance to the School on a broad array of governance, legal, regulatory, compliance, and risk-management matters. She provided thoughtful, timely legal advice on agreements, MOUs, grants, partnerships, gifts, revenue-generating activities, student conduct, and employment issues. As well, Pat served as the School’s Ethics Officer and Records Access Officer, and was also responsible for various compliance functions and liaison work with the CUNY Office of the General Counsel, NYS Inspector General’s Office, and NYS Attorney General’s Office.
Since first joining CUNY in 2002, Pat has worked across several campuses and in the CUNY Central Office, providing proactive, strategic legal advice on governance, university and campus policies and procedures, and the development of new university policies and best practices. She has helped negotiate collective bargaining agreements, conducted myriad grievance and disciplinary hearings, represented the campuses through arbitration, and was particularly adept at crafting innovative settlements. Prior to joining CUNY, Pat held senior legal positions in the both the federal government and in the private sector, when she focused her legal talents on the financial services industry.
At CUNY SPH, senior leadership, faculty, and staff have come to depend on Pat and her deep experience in higher education; her knowledge of relevant state and federal employment laws; her expertise in responding to employment‐related issues; her strong drafting, negotiating, and interpretive abilities; and her track record working with collective bargaining agreements, all of which made her particularly suited for her role at CUNY SPH, and helped cement the Schools’ commitment to sound administrative, academic, and legal operations. Her legal background aside, Pat is a superb writer and editor, a supremely clear and levelheaded strategist and communicator, and a formidable and trusted colleague.
Pat holds a JD with honors from Fordham University School of Law and a BA/BS (magna cum laude) in computer information systems and marketing from Manhattan College. She is a member of the New York Bar, the New Jersey Bar, the NYS Bar Association, and the National Association of College and University Attorneys. She donates her expertise to several charitable organizations including New York City Ballet.
“From the bottom of our hearts we thank Pat for her measured guidance during her many years of dedication to CUNY and especially to CUNY SPH,” says Dean Ayman El-Mohandes. “We wish her all the best in this next chapter of her life.”
CUNY SPH will be holding a reception in Pat’s honor later this spring. Stay tuned for more details.
