Law Alumni Association Board of Directors

Crystal D. Peralta is an attorney with Robinson+Cole, LLP, where her work has two primary focuses. First, as a member of the firm’s Insurance and Reinsurance Practice Group, Crystal advises and represents domestic and foreign insurers in complex insurance coverage litigation in a wide variety of insurance lines, including commercial property, liability, health and professional liability. Second, as part of the firm’s Litigation Section, Crystal advises individuals and businesses navigating complex commercial disputes in state and federal courts, including breach of contract, shareholder disputes, business torts, unfair and deceptive trade practices, and claims stemming from employee misconduct.  Crystal also focuses a significant portion of her practice to class action defense, primarily in the data breach and privacy and insurance and financial services sectors.  

Maintaining strong communities ties is at the core of Crystal’s practice. In that same vein, she has devoted numerous hours of pro bono legal aid to low-income clients, non-profit organizations, and individuals involved in immigration proceedings. She is also involved in the Rhode Island Bar Association’s House of Delegates and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee, is a member of the Board of Directors for the Women’s Resource Center, and is a participant in the 2023-2024 Cohort of the Rhode Island Foundation’s Equity Leadership Initiative.

As a first-generation, Dominican-American attorney, Crystal is passionate about making the legal profession more inclusive for and supportive of attorneys from underrepresented backgrounds. She enjoys mentoring law school and college students and newer attorneys to the bar.  Crystal is a 2020 graduate of RWU Law, and the proud President of the RWU Law Alumni Association.  While in law school, she was involved in Law Review, Moot Court and the Student Bar Association, participated in the Immigration Clinic, and served as a judicial intern in the U.S. District Court of Rhode Island and the First Circuit Court of Appeals.  

Max graduated from Roger Williams University School of Law in 2015, where he was a member of both the Law Review and Moot Court Board.  After completing a clerkship with the Rhode Island Supreme Court Law Clerk Department, Max began practicing at Robinson & Cole LLP in its Providence office, where he has been ever since.  He is the chair of the firm’s Associates Council. 

Max’s practice focuses on dispute resolution, primarily including commercial litigation and insurance coverage matters—with respect to the latter, both advising clients’ during the investigation of claims and acting as coverage counsel in the event that litigation arises. His practice has a nationwide footprint, and he has litigated matters all over the country in state and federal courts at both the trial and appellate level.  

Max is an active member in several local and national bar associations, and he frequently participates in activities at the law school.  In college, he was the captain of his NCAA men’s volleyball team, and he played in two professional leagues following graduation.  In his spare time, he enjoys playing sports (basketball, golf, volleyball) and taking care of his French bulldog, Sophia.

Max was elected as Vice President in Fall 2023.

As a proud graduate of the Class of 2016, Jamie is thrilled to join the RWU Law Alumni Association Board of Directors and eager to contribute her experience, insight, and relationships to foster the bond between Alumni, the School, and the Community.

Throughout her law school career, Jamie maintained a focus in public interest law taking advantage of the many social justice programs offered.  After working with the RI Public Defenders Office, the RI Federal Defenders, and private criminal defense firms, Jamie spent three years practicing criminal defense work in the District and Superior Courts of Rhode Island and Massachusetts. 

She had the opportunity to teach the Legal Research Course in the prison through CCRI and hone her skills as a zealous advocate.  In 2019 Jamie transitioned into the civil side of the law, where she strengthened her community connections through representation of clients in the field of residential and commercial real estate transactions. Jamie currently holds the position of Private Attorney Involvement Coordinator with South Coastal Counties Legal Services.  Here, she manages the pro bono department, maintains and develops the volunteer projects, engages the local legal community, and helps to bridge the justice gap by increasing SCCLS’ service capacity through pro bono and reduced fee cases.   

Jamie was elected as Secretary in Fall of 2023.

Doris is a native Rhode Islander with West African roots. She has a passion for entrepreneurship and the economic development of underrepresented communities and disadvantaged populations. She is a graduate of the Goldman Sachs One Million Black Women: Black in Business program and of the Nasdaq Entrepreneurship Center Milestones program. 

With a background in law and business, she formerly worked for both the Raimondo and McKee administrations at the State of Rhode Island Governor’s Office as a member of the legal, policy and diversity teams. She also spent a semester of graduate school working for United States Senator Jack Reed. 

She currently serves as the Founder of the Diversity Business Exhibit, a regional conference, business tradeshow and nonprofit showcase geared towards highlighting and empowering racially diverse businesses and nonprofits throughout Southern New England. They facilitate strategic partnerships, networking events and year-round programming. She also serves on several community boards and committees inclusive of the Rhode Island Foundation’s Equity Leadership Initiative Steering Committee, the Preservation Society of Newport County DEAI Committee among others. 

While attending Roger Williams University School of Law, Doris was a member of the Phi Alpha Delta Law Fraternity and served as the Sub-Regional Director for the Northeast Regional Black Law Students Association, and as the President of both the RWUSOL Black Law Students Association and the RWUSOL Business and Intellectual Property Law Association.

Christina graduated from Roger Williams School of Law in 2018. Christina is an associate at Motley Rice LLC where she is part of the team of attorneys who litigate in state and federal courts for people who experienced life-altering complications allegedly caused by defective medical devices. Christina currently serves on the Board of Governors for RIAJ. When she isn’t advocating on behalf of her clients, Christina dedicates her free time as a volunteer for Ten Lives Cat Rescue.

Sarah Boucher is an attorney at DeSisto Law in Providence, Rhode Island. Sarah focuses her practice on municipal defense, civil rights claims, police misconduct, employment discrimination, land use disputes, and general tort claims. Sarah also has experience conducting independent investigations.

Sarah graduated from Roger Williams University School of Law in 2020. She was the valedictorian of her class. During law school, Sarah participated in the judicial externship program, where she worked for the Honorable Bruce M. Selya in the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit. She also interned for the Honorable Lincoln D. Almond, Magistrate Judge in the United States District Court for the District of Rhode Island. Sarah served as the Managing Editor of the Roger Williams University Law Review, Volume 25. She also worked as a research assistant and teaching assistant throughout law school.

Prior to attending law school, Sarah worked in the healthcare industry for over ten years, holding positions in hospital administration and development.

In her free time, Sarah enjoys cooking, entertaining, reading, and traveling with her husband.

Elizabeth (Pytlik) Cardenas, ‘12 has spent her entire post-Roger Williams career with the Office of Government Relations and Strategic Services for Hillsborough County, Florida government, where she currently serves as Division Director. Beth affectionately refers to her department as the “Island of Misfit Toys” as it is a true catch all department for the County. In this role, she serves as the County’s HIPAA Officer; oversees the Equal Opportunity Office; and manages a variety of special projects for County Administration and the Board of County Commissioners. In this office, she has previously served as the in-house State legislative affairs manager, Pre-Disciplinary Hearing Officer, I-9 Auditor, and has served on a variety of specialty task forces and administered several boards, including the Charter Review Board and Hospital Authority. Hillsborough County is home to the cities of Tampa, Plant City, and Temple Terrace, and is comparable in size to the State of Rhode Island.

Beth teaches “Administrative Law & Regulation” at the University of South Florida’s Master of Public Administration program. She serves as the Board Secretary for the Hillsborough County Community Organizations Active in Disaster (COAD); on the City of Safety Harbor Code Enforcement Board; and as a Polling Precinct Clerk for the Pinellas County Supervisor of Elections. Beth recently served on the Board of the Junior League of Clearwater-Dunedin, and currently serves on the State Public Affairs and Research committees. She is a former president and active alumni of Alpha Gamma Delta sorority. Finally, she has served as president of the local alumni chapter for the University of Tampa Alumni Association and as an Alumni Ambassador for the University of South Florida Master of Public Administration program.

Beth earned her Juris Doctor from Roger Williams University School of Law (2012); her Master of Public Administration from the University of South Florida (2017); and her Bachelor’s degree from the University of Tampa (2007). She received a Master Certificate in Leadership from the High-Performance Leadership Academy/National Association of Counties. Beth also earned an Ethical and Inclusive Leadership Certificate; a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the Workplace Certificate; and a Post-Crisis Leadership Certificate, all from the University of South Florida.

Beth lives in Safety Harbor, Florida with her husband and fellow RWU Law Alumni Aaron Cardenas, ’13 and their rescue pitbull, Casper.

Regina currently serves the Director of Cyber Policy at American University in Washington D.C. Regina has spent the last twelve years working at public and private universities, with primary focus on university policies, nondiscrimination, Title IX, and mediation.

Regina received her law degree from RWU Law in 2010, and a bachelor’s degree in Sociology from Texas A&M University in College Station, TX. She is a certified mediator and has trained students and professionals to mediate campus and residential conflicts.

Regina has been an active member with the Association for Student Conduct Administration throughout her career serving in several leadership roles including Director of Diversity & Inclusion on the board of directors. She has served as a faculty member with the Clery Center since 2017. She provides training nationally on mediation, disrupting bias and harassment, anti-discrimination programs, Title IX, the Violence Against Women Act, and policy enforcement through a critical lens.

Olabisi M. Davies resides with her husband and their three-year-old son in the Washington, D.C., region. Olabisi works for the Superior Court of the District of Columbia as a judicial law clerk for Magistrate Judge Julie R. Breslow on the Child Abuse and Neglet, and Special Immi-grant Juvenile Status Dockets. In February 2022, the District of Columbia Court of Appeals Board of Judges appointed Olabisi to serve a three-year term as a member of the Committee on Admissions conducting character and fitness hearings, certifying bar applicants, and grading bar exams for the District of Columbia Bar. Additionally, Olabisi currently serves as a Board mem-ber of the Roger Williams University School of Law Alumni Association.

Olabisi’s prior legal experience includes being a Senior Attorney at the Children’s Law Center, representing children in abuse and neglect cases in the District of Columbia. Before joining the Children’s Law Center, Olabisi worked at the Passaic County Superior Court in New Jersey as a judicial law clerk for the Honorable Justine A. Niccollai in the Family Division and Criminal Di-vision. During law school, Olabisi was a judicial extern for Chief Judge John J. McConnell, Jr., with the United States District Court for the District of Rhode Island.

John is a partner in the firm Ferrucci Russo Dorsey, P.C.

John routinely serves as a Court-appointed Receiver and Special Master in the Rhode Island Superior Court and various Municipal Courts around the State of Rhode Island. In 2019, John was named on the Rhode Island Superior Court Business Calendar committee regarding receivership proceedings. John has also been appointed by the Rhode Island Superior Court and Federal District Court as a Commissioner in matters involving the Court-supervised sale of real estate.

He has successfully managed properties and businesses during the receivership process as well as marketed and negotiated the sales of real estate and assets for insolvent businesses. John has been successful in implementing business and insolvency strategies that have preserved many businesses and assets in the State of Rhode Island. He was part of the Ferrucci Russo Dorsey team that restructured and operated The Westerly Hospital, which was recognized as the Turnaround Deal-of-the-Year by the Merger & Acquisition Advisor.

PROJECT DEVELOPMENT AND ENVIRONMENTAL REMEDIATION

John has been instrumental in the firm’s project development efforts that span public and private undertakings and impact economic development in our region. He has worked with cities, towns and landowners to utilize specialized Court-supervised proceedings focused on collaboratively resurrecting distressed real estate development projects. He has designed abandoned properties receivership programs to address abandoned and public nuisance commercial and residential properties. In the area of real estate, he has also successfully worked through complex environmental issues for redevelopment projects in the area, assisted project owners/developers in seeking grants and other incentives to address environmental remediation in real estate project development. His most recent successes include $280,000 in grants for distressed real estate projects in East Providence and West Warwick.

EDUCATION & AWARDS

He is a graduate of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (B.S. Management, 2007) and Roger Williams School of Law (J.D., 2010). John has been named a "Rising Star" in the area of real estate law for 2015 - 2023 by Super Lawyers.

COMMUNITY

Member, Roger Williams School of Law - Alumni Association Board of Directors

Member, RI Black Business Association

Member, Board of Directors, Quonset Development Corporation (2015-2016)

Pete is the Assistant Dean for JD & Graduate Admissions at Seton Hall Law School in Newark, NJ. Pete is a native of Poughkeepsie, NY and a graduate of Binghamton University with a BA and MA in political science. After graduating RWU Law, he served as a seasonal admissions recruiter and then practiced at a boutique construction litigation firm in downtown Providence.

He left practice in 2014 to enter the law school admissions world, first at Seton Hall Law and then moved to UC Irvine Law in January 2020. He moved back to New Jersey in May 2023 for his current role. Pete is professionally active with the Law School Admissions Council and regularly presents on panels for LSAC and various pre-law conferences. He resides in Jersey City, NJ.

Since graduating from Roger Williams University School of Law in 2011, Jenna has devoted her legal career to state service. She served as legal counsel to the Department of Business Regulation for 9 years, followed by a year of service in the Office of the Rhode Island Senate President. Jenna began her current role at the Department of Environmental management in September 2022. She is a graduate of the Leadership Rhode Island (LRI) program in 2019 and the Women’s Policy Institute in 2020. Jenna also serves on the Executive Committee of the Rhode Island Bar Association, as well as serving on the boards of the Women’s Bar Association and Rhode Island Legal Services. Prior volunteer leadership positions include board member on the following boards: National Conference of State Liquor Administrators, Young Leaders Circle (United Way of Rhode Island), LRI’s Women’s Leadership Network, and the Wood Estates Residents Association. Jenna lives in Coventry, Rhode Island with her husband and 2 young sons; and enjoys yoga, cooking, and musicals.

Zach is an immigration attorney who represents foreign nationals through all stages of the immigration process. Zach's goal is to provide personalized, high-quality legal services to each client. He handles employment and investor visas, as well as family-based immigration, citizenship, asylum, and deportation cases. He applies his federal litigation skills to his immigration practice and has successfully litigated several cases involving naturalization and green card delays, as well as naturalization denials.

Zach frequently speaks on immigration topics on Spanish language radio and presents to community organizations regarding the latest immigration news and information. In law school, he participated in the Immigration Clinic and was awarded the Clinical Legal Education Award for Outstanding Clinic Student. Prior to attending law school, Zach taught English in Chile. He also earned an undergraduate degree at Roger Williams University.

Outside of the law, Zach enjoys spending time with his wife and dogs, running, cycling, and watching his beloved Liverpool F.C.

Kelsey is an associate at Adler, Cohen, Harvey, Wakeman & Guekguezian, LLP. Her practice includes assisting clients in a variety of civil matters including medical malpractice defense, insurance defense, toxic torts, and product liability actions.

Kelsey received her J.D. from Roger Williams University School of Law. She also serves as Secretary for the Rhode Island Women’s Bar Association and is the co-chair of the Young Lawyer Division for the Defense Counsel of Rhode Island.

Brett is the President of the RWU Law Alumni Association Board of Directors. He holds the Presidency for two years (2022-23 and 2023-24).

Brett is a Woonsocket, RI native who attended University of Rhode Island’s (URI) College of Business. After graduating from URI in 2005, Brett worked in hospitality and restaurants before making the leap in 2013 to become a student at Roger Williams University School of Law. In the summer of 2014, he interned with the Defense Institute for International Legal Studies at the Newport Navy Base. In the summer of 2015, he was an associate with the U.S. Navy JAG Corp at Naval Air Station Sigonella in Sicily, Italy. In addition to Brett’s summer internships, during semesters, he began taking hourly freelance work for several criminal defense attorneys in RI.

After graduating in 2016, Brett clerked at the appeals division of RI Worker’s Comp Court. While clerking, he decided to open his own criminal defense practice in September 2017. Brett has successfully argued cases on appeal at the Rhode Island Supreme Court and Massachusetts Appeals Court. Brett practices in Rhode Island and Massachusetts and his office is in the Turk’s Head Building in downtown Providence. 

Brett lives in Warren, RI, where he serves as Vice Chair of the Warren Planning Board, and Associate Judge of the Warren Municipal Court.