UNIVERSITY OF CONNECTICUT - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- General Counsel
- Associate Healthcare Counsel
- Healthcare Counsel
Alesandra (Allie) Hlaing serves the Office of General Counsel as a Health Attorney who advises on various legal matters affecting UConn Health's day-to-day operations. Allie is passionate about helping the institution navigate its diverse legal issues so that it can focus on what it does best: helping its patients achieve and maintain healthy lives and training the providers of tomorrow.
Prior to joining UConn Health, Allie worked as an Attorney at the Health Law Consultancy, an award winning health law boutique firm in Chicago, where she was able to consult on a wide variety of healthcare regulatory and compliance matters.
Allie received her B.S. in Health Sciences with a minor in Law and Public Policy at Northeastern University and her J.D. from Loyola University Chicago School of Law, where she was awarded a Health Law Fellowship and received certificates in both Health Law and Compliance Studies. During her time in law school, Allie externed in the Office of General Counsel at Rush University Medical Center and Shirley Ryan AbilityLab. She served on two journals, Journal of Regulatory Compliance and the Annals of Health Law and Life Sciences, the latter of which she served as the Technical Productions Editor.
Job Titles:
- UCONN Health Staff Member
- Clinical Nurse Consultant
Job Titles:
- Director of Tax and Compliance
Job Titles:
- Senior Associate Healthcare Counsel
Danielle Ives serves as a Senior Associate Healthcare Counsel within the Office of the General Counsel. She provides legal services and advice in connection with the diverse issues affecting UConn Health.
Prior to joining UConn Health, Danielle was an international trade compliance attorney at Wiggin and Dana LLP. She has also practiced employment law and served as a law clerk to the Honorable Vanessa L. Bryant in U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut.
Danielle earned her J.D. from the University of Connecticut School of Law, with high honors, and received her B.A. from Yale College.
Job Titles:
- Executive Assistant to the General Counsel
Job Titles:
- Deputy Chief Counsel, UConn Health
Job Titles:
- Senior Associate University Counsel
Jonathan Heinlein serves as Senior Associate University Counsel to the University within the Office of the General Counsel. He provides legal services and advice in connection with various issues affecting the University, with a focus primarily on commercial, intellectual property, regulatory compliance, and transactional matters.
Jon has more than 10 years' experience representing clients in the public and private sectors, serving as in-house counsel for an international corporation and as associate director with the University of California, San Diego. Jon earned his Bachelor of Science from the University of Maryland and graduated magna cum laude from the University of San Diego School of Law, where he was a member of the San Diego law review, a teaching assistant, and an extern with the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California.
Job Titles:
- Senior Associate Healthcare Counsel
Job Titles:
- UCONN Health Staff Member
- Administrative Program Assistant
- Administrative Program Assistant, UConn Health
Job Titles:
- UCONN Health Staff Member
- Program Manager, Risk Management
Job Titles:
- Senior Associate University Counsel & Director, International Legal Relations
Lesley Salafia serves as a Senior Associate University Counsel & Director, International Legal Relations in the University of Connecticut's Office of the General Counsel. She provides legal services in connection with a wide range of issues and initiatives at the University with a focus on Global Affairs, Student Affairs and Student Activities, Human Resources, and the Office of the Provost. She serves as the signatory authority and provides legal analysis, preparation and review of employment-based nonimmigrant and immigrant visa petitions on behalf of the foreign national faculty and staff at the University of Connecticut. She presents within Connecticut and nationally on topics concerning immigration and higher education.
Before joining the University of Connecticut in 2010, Lesley was an associate in the Hartford office of the law firm Shipman & Goodwin LLP. There, she served in the immigration and employment litigation practice groups, representing employers throughout immigration processing and handling claims of employment discrimination, wrongful termination, sexual harassment and wage violations. She has represented clients in State and Federal Court, including the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, and before the Connecticut Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities ("CHRO"), the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission ("EEOC"), the Department of Labor, federal funding agencies, and before arbitration panels. Lesley has also represented clients in immigration matters before the U.S. Board of Immigration Appeals and the U.S. Board of Alien Labor Certification Appeals. She was selected one of Connecticut's Rising Stars 2009 by Super Lawyers Magazine. Lesley graduated with honors from the University of Connecticut School of Law and received her Bachelor of Arts degree, Summa Cum Laude from Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Job Titles:
- UCONN Health Staff Member
- Paralegal
- Paralegal, UConn Health
Job Titles:
- Senior Associate Healthcare Counsel
Lynn advises UConn Health on employment matters and general litigation issues. She also works closely with UConn Health's Office of Graduate Medical Education and enjoys supporting personnel providing clinical care to patients, administrators, and educators.
A University of Notre Dame alumna, Lynn graduated from the University of North Carolina School of Law with high honors in 1990. She then started her litigation career at Smith, Keefe, Conti & Moraghan, LLC, in Torrington, where she practiced criminal and personal injury law for six years. She then joined the litigation department at Shipman & Goodwin, LLC, before becoming a member of the Connecticut Office of the Attorney General's where she served for over 25 years. Lynn defended the State and its employees from a variety of litigation matters in both state and federal trial and appellate courts, including the United States Supreme Court, as well as administrative agencies. She focused on constitutional and health issues.
In 2014, Lynn came to UConn Health as an Assistant Attorney General, defending and advising on employment and other litigation matters until her retirement in 2022, when she became Senior Health Counsel for UConn Health. She is thrilled to now be an official member of the UConn Health team.
Job Titles:
- UCONN Health Staff Member
- Administrative Program Coordinator
- Administrative Program Coordinator, UConn Health
Nathan ("Nate") LaVallee serves as Deputy General Counsel to the University within the Office of the General Counsel. He provides legal services and advice in connection with the many issues affecting the University.
Nicole Fournier Gelston serves as General Counsel to the University. As UConn's chief legal officer, she oversees the University's legal affairs and manages the Office of the General Counsel (OGC). The OGC provides legal representation and guidance on the wide range of legal issues affecting institutions of higher education.
Nicole joined the University in 2010. She has served in the Office of the General Counsel in various roles since its creation in 2012 and was appointed General Counsel in 2018. The General Counsel serves as a strategic thought partner in executive leadership while also providing advice and counsel on the myriad of legal and compliance issues that impact the University.
In addition to her duties as General Counsel, Nicole also served as Chief of Staff to the President from 2020 to 2022. In that role, Nicole served as the "right hand" to three presidents, providing critical assistance toward the strategic use of limited time for decision-making, organizational and operational strategies and priorities of the president.
Before joining the University, Nicole was a partner in the New Haven law firm of Lynch, Traub, Keefe & Errante, where she practiced for fourteen years. Nicole handled complex civil and criminal matters and represented municipalities, individuals and businesses in state and federal court. Nicole also briefed and argued civil and criminal appeals before the Connecticut Appellate and Supreme Courts and the U.S. Second Circuit Court of Appeals.
Nicole is a past recipient of the Connecticut Law Tribune's Award for Overall Achievement. She also received the Connecticut's Rising Stars designation by Super Lawyers Magazine and the Gerald N. Weller award presented by the University of Connecticut's Division of Student Affairs for her dedication to legal issues impacting Student Affairs.
Job Titles:
- Senior Associate Healthcare and Risk Management Counsel
Robert D. Silva serves as a Senior Associate Healthcare and Risk Management Counsel in the Office of General Counsel. Rob, who previously served as expert outside professional liability counsel to UConn Health for over 20 years, has assumed direct responsibility for leading OGC's Legal Risk Management team. He has also taken a leadership role to manage and grow UConn Health's CANDOR initiative. Rob, along with his excellent defense team in the OGC, is also defending many of the professional liability claims filed in the Connecticut superior courts. In over 30 years of defending healthcare providers, he has a well-earned reputation as a skilled and dedicated trial lawyer.
Scott Simpson serves as Chief Counsel within the Office of the General Counsel at UConn Health. In this role, Scott is responsible for providing strategic legal advice and coordinating the delivery of legal services in all areas of law affecting UConn Health. He also oversees UConn Health's clinical risk management initiative.
Prior to joining UConn Health in 2016, Scott served in the United States Navy Judge Advocate General's Corps, where he advised Naval Commanders on an array of legal issues, including military justice, administrative investigations, and ethics issues. He was also a trial attorney at the Naval Submarine Base in New London, Connecticut.
Scott has also worked in both operational and investment roles in the technology industry.
Scott earned his J.D. from the University of Connecticut School of Law, with honors, and received his A.B. in History, magna cum laude, from Harvard College.