New York State
Defenders Association
Defenders Association
| VDP Staff |
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Staff and Contact Information
 Elyse B. Sheehan graduated as an International Relations Major and Pre-Law Minor from SUNY New Paltz. She received her J.D. from Hofstra Law School. At Hofstra, she focused on Public Interest Law, interning with The Safe Center and Suffolk County Legal Aid Society’s Children’s Law Bureau. Throughout law school, she was a member of the Pro Bono Scholar Program and was placed at Nassau/Suffolk Law Service’s Domestic Violence Project, providing legal representation to victims of domestic violence in Suffolk County. During law school she also worked as a Legislative Reporter for Assemblyman Felix Ortiz. Prior to joining the VDP, she was a Staff Attorney with the Suffolk County Legal Aid Society’s District Courts Criminal Division, safeguarding the rights of clients and assuring equal access to criminal justice.Elyse B. Sheehan, Staff Attorney Cell: 518-281-2487, esheehan@nysda.org
Yairelis Burgos, Ph.D., joined NYSDA’s Veterans Defense Program (VDP) as a Mitigation Specialist in April 2025. Prior to joining the VDP team, Dr. Burgos served in the United States Army from 2008-2022, retiring as a Staff Sergeant. She is a combat veteran who proudly served in Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF XII-XIII). With over 15 years of combined military, federal, and civilian experience, she is a dedicated advocate for justice-involved veterans and has extensive first-hand knowledge on military culture and challenges that servicemembers and veterans encounter. Dr. Burgos has served in a variety of roles including as a Forensic Social Worker, Paralegal Specialist, and Veteran Mitigation Specialist. She brings deep expertise in military culture and trauma-informed assistance. She has a B.S. in Justice Studies, an M.S.W., and a Ph.D. in Criminal Justice, where she conducted original research and authored a dissertation titled “The Challenges of Reentry and Recidivism Among Justice-Involved Veterans.”
Sarah Lee joined the Veterans Defense Program as a Staff Attorney in October 2025. Sarah completed her undergraduate work at the University of Pennsylvania and received her JD from New York University School of Law. After law school Sarah was an Assistant Public Defender in St. Lawrence County, New York, and in Maricopa County, Arizona. Before joining VDP Sarah was a Project Manager with the Council of State Governments Justice Center. She lives in Brooklyn with her family.
 Deanne (Dee) Quinn Miller assists with trainings and expert referrals, provides mentoring, and navigates the VA and Department of Defense systems to obtain military records for veteran cases. She has extensive knowledge of veteran issues and benefits. Previously, she was Executive Director of the Genesee Veterans Support Network. She received the VA of Western New York’s Women Veterans Justice System Award in 2016, and a Women of Distinction Award in 2017 for her work with veterans. In 2025, she will be completing her 11th year with the VDP. She is Director of the Forgotten Victims of Attica and completed her memoir in 2021, The Prison Guard’s Daughter, My Journey through the Ashes of Attica. Deanne Quinn Miller, Program Coordinator Office: 585-219-4862, dmiller@nysda.org
 Michael White mentors veteran clients by providing guidance, support, and expert referrals, as well as support to the VDP legal staff in the Batavia, Albany, and Long Island offices. He retired from the Marine Corps as a Staff Sergeant in 2014 with 22 years of military experience, including deployments to Haiti, the Philippines, Korea, and Afghanistan. He has extensive firsthand knowledge of military culture and the many issues that veterans face, as well as VA health and education benefits. He has an Associate Degree in Human Services and a B.A. in Health and Human Services Community Mental Health.Michael White, Senior Case Manager Office: 585-219-4862, mwhite@nysda.org
 Juan Sosa mentors veteran clients by providing guidance, support, and expert referrals, as well as support to the VDP legal staff in the Long Island office. He has a Biology degree from Mercy College. In 1993, he joined the U.S. Army Reserves as a Motor Transport Operator and deployed to Iraq twice, in 2002-03 and 2006-07. He has extensive firsthand knowledge of military culture and the many issues that veterans face. In September of 2022, Juan was called up to EUCOM Command for 10 months. He will be deploying again in December 2024. He is currently a Master Sergeant with the 301st Information Operations Battalion and is credited with over 30 years of service.Juan Sosa, Case Manager Cell: 518-935-7858, jsosa@nysda.org
Amanda Luce, Case Manager Office: 585-219-4862, aluce@nysda.org |
Nancy J. Farrell became Director of NYSDA’s Veterans Defense Program in January 2024 after serving as a staff attorney. Prior to becoming a part of the VDP team, she practiced criminal and parental defense in Ontario County as an Assistant Public Defender and then as the Public Defender in Schuyler County. Nancy’s familiarity with veterans developed during her time as the primary defense attorney in the Ontario County Veterans Treatment Court. In 2014, she started her Family Court practice at Hiscock Legal Aid Society in Syracuse, NY. She is the recipient of the 2017 NYS Bar Association Denison Ray Defender Award and the 2018 Ella B. Family Justice Award for her role in ensuring parents were represented at removal hearings. Nancy graduated from Western New England University in 2011. Nancy has been a regular CLE presenter for NYSDA since 2015. 
Gary A. Horton, Special Counsel with the Veterans Defense Program, has worked at NYSDA for 10 years, serving as the VDP’s Director through 2023. As Special Counsel. he provides training, support, and legal assistance to justice-involved veterans and service members, and the public defense attorneys representing them. Previously, his legal practice centered on public defense for over 30 years, serving 20 years as the Public Defender of Genesee County. He served on NYSDA’s Board of Directors for 12 years, including as Board Vice President. He received the U.S. District Court for the Western District of New York Special Service Award in 2005, the NYS Bar Association Criminal Justice Section David S. Michaels Award in 2006, NYSDA’s Wilfred R. O’Connor Award in 2011, the 2016 Criminal Justice Award from the National Alliance on Mental Illness-NYS, and in 2018, the Kutak-Dodds Prize for Outstanding Service in Public Defense by the National Legal Aid & Defenders Association (NLADA). He has a J.D. from Hofstra University School of Law.
