OCS Staff Directory

Margie’s background is in career advising and coaching, employment law, and arts administration. She served as the Director of Alumni Advising and Associate Director for JD Advising in OCS for many years and also developed the first career guidance program at Ropes & Gray in Boston. Before going into higher education, Margie was an employment litigator and worked in the general counsel’s office at Boston University in addition to several law firms. Prior to law school, Margie worked in development at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. She received her B.A. in economics from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst and her J.D. from Northeastern University School of Law where her favorite co-op was with the general counsel’s office at National Public Radio.

Kirsten advises students and alumni seeking judicial clerkships. She was the principal architect of two clerkship computer systems created for Harvard and subsequently marketed nationwide by Micron Systems and Symplicity. She also was involved in the development of the national Online System for Clerkship Application and Review (“OSCAR”) and previously chaired the Judicial Clerkship Section of NALP, the National Association for Law Placement. Before coming to Harvard, Kirsten taught legal research and writing at another law school, practiced law with a focus on employee benefits and healthcare at a large corporate firm, clerked for a federal district court judge, and interned at a small civil-rights law firm. She has a J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School and a B.A. in economics from Haverford College. 

Yih-hsien has been an adviser in the Office of Career Services since 2002. She received an A.B. in History from Columbia University and a J.D. from Harvard Law School. While a student at HLS, she served as co-chair of APALSA and as an Executive Editor of the Women’s Law Journal (now the Harvard Journal on Law & Gender). After HLS, she practiced in both the corporate and litigation departments at Davis Polk & Wardwell in New York, and then worked as in-house counsel to a life 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. Yih-hsien enjoys traveling, good food, and rooting for the New York Yankees.

Marjorie primarily focuses on advising LL.M. students about private sector career paths. Prior to joining OCS, Marjorie taught legal research and writing at Boston University School of Law, where she was also an attorney-adviser providing career advice on a wide variety of topics. Marjorie has also worked as litigator in a national law firm, and as a staff attorney for the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts. She received her B.A. from Princeton University, and her J.D. from Boston University School of Law, where she was an Edward F. Hennessey Scholar and a member of the Public Interest Law Journal. 

Prior to joining OCS, Sara was an Associate Director in the Office of Career Development and Public Service at Boston University School of Law where she headed the private sector section of the office. Sara transitioned to law school career services after practicing for several years as a real estate associate in the Boston office of an international law firm, where she also worked extensively with the Public Finance and Environmental groups. Sara graduated from the University of Florida Levin College of Law, magna cum laude, where she served as the Articles Editor for the Florida Law Review. Prior to law school, Sara received her M.S. in Counseling from Northeastern University and her B.S. in Psychology from the University of Florida.

Betsy advises J.D. students interested in private sector careers. She previously advised students and alumni interested in judicial clerkships and worked in the Office of Career Development and Public Service at Boston University School of Law. Before transitioning to career services, she clerked for the Honorable George A. O’Toole, Jr. of the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts and worked as an associate at a large Boston law firm. She earned her B.A. from Boston College and J.D. from Boston College Law School. Additionally, she served as Secretary of the Massachusetts Legal Recruitment Association (MALRA) for the 2015-2016 season and President for the 2016-2017 season, as well as a Regional Representative for the National Association of Law Placement (NALP) from 2018-2020.

Dena, who primarily advises both J.D. and LL.M. alumni, earned her J.D. from HLS and an LL.M. in European Community Law from the College of Europe in Bruges, Belgium. She began her career as an employment law associate at a firm in Washington, DC. She then transitioned to the federal government, first serving as a Counsel in the Office of Policy Development at the United States Department of Justice and then as an Assistant United States Attorney in Boston. As an AUSA, Dena focused on the prosecution of online child exploitation cases, an expertise she later brought to her role as a Clinical Instructor in the Cyberlaw Clinic at the Berkman Center for Internet & Society. At HLS, Dena has taught as a Lecturer on Law in both the J.D. and LL.M. programs as well as a Climenko Fellow in the First Year Legal Research & Writing Program. Dena earned her BA in Comparative Literature from Yale.

Liz advises students and alumni seeking judicial clerkships. Liz obtained her J.D. from Washington University in St. Louis and has experience as a law clerk for the Massachusetts Superior Court, as well as with a hospital, a consulting firm, and a small law practice. Prior to law school, she worked in Washington, D.C. as a Congressional staffer and for the government relations practice of a large law firm. 

Alexandra McKinney advises students and alumni seeking judicial clerkship opportunities. She also teaches Legal Research, Writing and Analysis II in HLS’s LLM program in a Lecturer role. Alexandra previously served as Assistant General Counsel at Southern New Hampshire University, where she handled compliance, employment, and international matters. After graduating from law school, Alexandra clerked for Chief Justice Craig Stowers of the Alaska Supreme Court. In addition to her work in these positions, Alexandra has interned at large and mid-sized law firms, served as an adjunct instructor in the University of New Hampshire School of Law’s externship program, and designed and taught graduate and undergraduate business law courses at Southern New Hampshire University. She has a J.D. from Yale Law School and a B.A. in Public Policy Analysis from Stanford University.

Jason is an independent legal career adviser and the sole owner and principal of Gridline Search + Consulting. Prior to founding Gridline, he was a full time adviser here in OCS acting as the Associate Director for Career Services. He also worked for several years in the London and New York offices of Dewey & LeBoeuf as a corporate finance associate with a practice focused on securities regulation, capital markets and insurance regulatory law. Jason left Dewey to work in legal career services. He received a B.A. in Political Science and American Studies from George Washington University and a J.D. from Rutgers School of Law- Newark, where he also served as editor-in-chief of the Rutgers Law Review. Jason also has a Master’s in City and Regional Planning from Rutgers University.

Abbie is an independent legal consultant who works with law schools and law firms across the U.S. For 16 years, she was Associate Dean for Career Services and Policy Initiatives for the University of Chicago Law School, a law school for which she also served as interim Dean of Students. Prior to joining the University of Chicago, she was employed by Georgetown University Law Center, the American Bar Foundation, and a large Washington, D.C. law firm. Throughout her law school professional experience, she has worked on employment outcomes, multiple institutional long-range plans, and on committees ranging from senior administrative search to Diversity and Inclusion. Her publications include coauthoring handbooks on associate evaluation, strategies for associate retention, and market assessments for law students translating their skills to a changing profession. She holds MA and PhD degrees from the University of Illinois.

Kelsey is a peer adviser and a 3L. She graduated from Howard University in 2022 with a B.A. in Strategic, Legal, and Management Communication. In undergrad, Kelsey interned at SKDK, Goldman Sachs, and the Office of U.S. Senator Mark Kelly. Kelsey split her 1L summer at Covington & Burling in LA and The Walt Disney Company in Burbank, CA. She is spending her 2L summer at Ropes & Gray’s LA office.

Nick is a peer adviser and a 3L. He graduated from the University of Notre Dame in 2020 with a degree in Political Science. Before HLS, Nick worked in nonprofit governance and compliance. He spent his 1L summer as a judicial intern for Chief Judge Boasberg at the U.S. District Court for Washington, D.C., and his 2L summer at Gibson Dunn’s D.C. office.

Phoenix is a peer adviser and a 3L. He graduated from the Amherst College in 2022 with a B.A. in Art History and French. During undergrad, Phoenix interned in commercial art galleries and museums. He spent his 1L summer at the Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts in New York and his 2L summer at Cleary Gottlieb also in New York.

Naomi is a peer adviser and a 3L. She graduated from Georgetown University in 2020 with a B.A. in Government. Before HLS, Naomi worked in management consulting and obtained a Master’s Degree in Gender Studies from the University of Oxford. She spent her 1L summer at the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Northern District of California and her 2L summer at Davis Polk’s Menlo Park office.

Jesse manages OCS office logistics for recruiting programs, maintains office technology and databases, and manages ABA employment reporting. Prior to joining OCS, Jesse oversaw career advising at Boston University. She has also worked in career services at MIT and at a local nonprofit. Jesse graduated from Boston College with a B.A. in Psychology and Communication and an M.A. in Higher Education Administration.

Cassie manages the online communication structure for the office, including the website, blog, and recorded programs. Cassie also provides support for special events and recruiting programs. Prior to joining OCS, Cassie worked at Simmons College as a project manager for admission publications. She holds an M.S. in Library and Information Science from Simmons College and a B.A. in Linguistics from the University of Rochester. 

Stacey is the OCS primary employer relations contact and provides administrative support for career services interview programs and employer job postings. Stacey joined OCS in June 2016 with an Ed.M in Higher Education Administration from Boston University and a B.A. in Business Management from Emmanuel College. 

Ashli runs the front desk and coordinates the programming held by the office. Prior to joining the Law School, she worked as an assistant in the Harvard College Dean’s Office where she managed administrative projects across FAS. Ashli is a graduate from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, where she earned her B.S. in Public Health.