Our Team

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TERRY FERREIRA

Finance Director

Terry Ferreira, NYCOSH Finance Director leads the finance work of the organization. Terry leads on everything from budgeting to financial planning to invoicing and also supervises the Development and Administrative team.

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LUZDARY GIRALDO

Safety & Health Specialist

Luzdary Giraldo works as a NYCOSH Safety and Health Specialist and coordinates its outreach efforts to immigrant workers.

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Samantha Fisher

SAMANTHA FISHER

Industrial Hygienist

Samantha Fisher is the NYCOSH Industrial Hygienist, providing support to unions, workers, and community organizations. Her role includes conducting site visits, performing assessments, delivering training, and offering technical guidance.

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Liam Lynch

LIAM LYNCH

Safety and Health Specialist

Liam Lynch is NYCOSH’s Program Coordinator for the WTC Health Program. He organizes NYCOSH’s outreach and education efforts on the health program, informing 9/11 responders and survivors (area workers and residents) that healthcare is available to those who were exposed to 9/11 health hazards

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Lara Maldjian

LARA MALDJIAN

Associate Director

Lara Maldjian is Associate Director at NYCOSH. As AD, she directs safety and health education, trainings and campaigns, and oversees programmatic activity.

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EMILY MARTE

Safety and Health Specialist
Emily Marte is a NYCOSH Safety and Health Specialist who joined the organization during the Coronavirus crisis in 2020.
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CHRIS FOX

Safety and Health Specialist

Chris Fox is a Health and Safety Specialist at NYCOSH who coordinates outreach and education to workers across various industries so they can know and protect their rights on the job and organize for better working conditions.

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Headshot of Charlene Obernauer

CHARLENE OBERNAUER

Executive Director

Charlene Obernauer became NYCOSH’s executive director in January 2014. In her role as director, she oversees and develops the NYCOSH’s campaigns and advocacy work; bringing an innovative vision to NYCOSH that incorporates research, education, training, coalition building, and member development in order to create healthier jobs in New York State.

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DIEGO PALAGUACHI

Safety & Health Specialist

Diego Palaguachi works as a NYCOSH Safety and Health Specialist and coordinates its Construction Safety School for day laborers and immigrant construction workers.

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CHARLIE URUCHIMA

Program Coordinator

Charlie Uruchima is NYCOSH’s Program Coordinator for the Manhattan Justice for Workers Collaborative (MJWC), where he coordinates efforts of the initiative and its partners to increase crime reporting for victims of wage theft and negligent health and safety practices.

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Lewis Quezada

LEWIS QUEZADA

Finance & Operations Associate

Lewis Quezada is the Finance & Operations Associate at NYCOSH. His role includes supporting staff with training materials, reports and technical assistance, organizing and updating NYCOSH’s different platforms, as well as assisting with the vouchering/invoicing process and various finance reports.

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Blanca Vidal

BLANCA VIDAL

Program Coordinator

Blanca Vidal became a Program Coordinator at NYCOSH in Summer of 2021. In her role as Program Coordinator, Blanca is an educator, trainer, and leader within NYCOSH’s nail salon worker program.

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14 Wall Street, Suite 5A
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T 212 227 6440
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E NYCOSH[AT]NYCOSH.ORG

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Hauppauge, NY 11788

T 631 435 1857
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Terry Ferreira, Finance Director

Terry Ferreira, NYCOSH Finance Director leads the finance work of the organization. Terry leads on everything from budgeting to financial planning to invoicing and also supervises the Development and Administrative team. She brings her enthusiastic love of finance to the organization and helps ensure the organization’s sustainability with smart projecting and planning for NYCOSH’s future.

Terry Ferreira had previously served as the Finance and Operations Manager at the Financial Clinic. Terry has a vibrant background in nonprofit finance, budget management, and operations, having always been drawn to the mission aspect of the work. Previous roles include Operations Manager at Third Wave and Director of Volunteers at Angel’s Gate Animal Hospice and Rehabilitation Center. Terry holds a BA in Economics from Hunter College.

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Luzdary Giraldo, Safety & Health Specialist

Luzdary Giraldo works as a NYCOSH Safety and Health Specialist and coordinates its outreach efforts to immigrant workers. Luzdary trains community-based organizations and Latino consulates on disaster preparedness, and trains immigrant workers on their rights on the job and common hazards. Since starting at NYCOSH, Luzdary has trained tens of thousands of workers. She came to NYCOSH in 2006 after having worked as a safety and health trainer with groups such as Make the Road New York. She is a graduate of Hunter College, with a BA in psychology/sociology.
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Samantha Fisher, Industrial Hygienist

Samantha Fisher is the NYCOSH Industrial Hygienist, providing support to unions, workers, and community organizations. Her role includes conducting site visits, performing assessments, delivering training, and offering technical guidance.

Before joining NYCOSH, Sam worked closely with nail salon workers throughout New York City to monitor, identify, and reduce harmful airborne chemicals. She trained salon managers and workers in using low-cost air quality monitors to assess and reduce chemical exposures and provided recommendations to improve salon ventilation.

Sam is pursuing her PhD in Environmental Health at CUNY Graduate School of Public Health & Health Policy. Her research focuses on the potential impacts of chemicals, especially those found in common disinfectants, on maternal and child health. Sam also has an MPH from New York University’s School of Global Public Health.

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Liam Lynch, Program Coordinator

Liam Lynch is NYCOSH’s Program Coordinator for the WTC Health Program. He organizes NYCOSH’s outreach and education efforts on the health program, informing 9/11 responders and survivors (area workers and residents) that healthcare is available to those who were exposed to 9/11 health hazards. Prior to joining NYCOSH, Liam worked in the safety & health department of District Council 37, AFSCME working as their Outreach Specialist educating DC 37 members about the benefits of the WTC Health Program. Liam graduated from the University of Massachusetts with a B.A. in Social Thought and Political Economy and has a M.A. in Labor Studies from the CUNY School of Professional Studies Joseph S. Murphy Institute.
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Lara Maldjian, Associate Director

Lara Maldjian is Associate Director at NYCOSH. As AD, she directs safety and health education, trainings and campaigns, and oversees programmatic activity.

Prior to NYCOSH, Lara spent nearly six years at the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (NYC DOHMH) and prior to joining NYCOSH, she served as the Overdose Education and Naloxone Manager in the Bureau of Alcohol and Drug Use Prevention, Care and Treatment. In this role, Lara’s mission was to protect and promote the health of New Yorkers who use drugs. She managed a collaborative and motivated team while overseeing an unprecedented expansion of the City’s naloxone distribution program; under her leadership, the number of naloxone kits distributed over the course of three years grew from 15,000 annually to over 100,000 annually. Lara has her M.P.H. from Columbia University, Mailman School of Public Health and her B.A. in Gender and Women’s Studies from the University of California, Berkeley.

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Emily Marte, Safety & Health Specialist

Emily Marte is a NYCOSH Safety and Health Specialist who joined the organization during the Coronavirus crisis in 2020. She has done advocacy, organizing, and outreach with WE ACT for Environmental Justice to empower vulnerable communities in Upper Manhattan to tackle social, economic, and environmental injustices for both Spanish and English-speaking communities. Emily is the Communications Chair for the American Public Health Association’s (APHA) Environment Section. She earned her Master of Public Health at George Washington University and her Bachelor of Science in Toxicology, with a minor in chemistry, at St. John’s University.
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Chris Fox, Health and Safety Specialist

Chris Fox is a Health and Safety Specialist at NYCOSH who coordinates outreach and education to workers across various industries so they can know and protect their rights on the job and organize for better working conditions.

Chris is an LMSW graduated from Columbia University School of Social Work, where their studies focused on Social Enterprise Administration and International Social Welfare and Services to Immigrants and Refugees. This led them to labor organizing at New Immigrant Community Empowerment where they were instrumental in organizing campaigns with immigrant construction day laborers and the launch of a Community Job Center in 2015. Chris then went on to specialize in Occupational Health and Safety as a member and worker-owner of the Action OSH Worker Cooperative.

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Charlene Obernauer, Executive Director

Charlene Obernauer became NYCOSH’s executive director in January 2014. In her role as director, she oversees and develops the NYCOSH’s campaigns and advocacy work; bringing an innovative vision to NYCOSH that incorporates research, education, training, coalition building, and member development in order to create healthier jobs in New York State. She is the co-founder of the New York Healthy Nail Salons Coalition, a project founded by NYCOSH and Adhikaar; which successfully advocated with NYS Governor Andrew Cuomo for the passage of statewide legislation to combat wage theft and mitigate safety and health hazards in nail salons. The coalition continues to organize for a Nail Salon Minimum Standards Council to ensure that the legislation that they fought to pass is truly implemented in nail salons.

Charlene heralded the release of NYCOSH’s annual report, “Deadly Skyline” on construction fatalities in New York and is an advocate for safe construction. She has served on Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer’s Construction Safety Task Force and has worked closely with the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office to increase reporting of unsafe worksites among immigrant workers. Most recently, legislation that she spent nearly a decade advocating for, Carlos’ Law, was signed by the Governor.

Prior to joining NYCOSH’s staff, Charlene served as executive director of Long Island Jobs with Justice. During her seven-year tenure at the organization, she tripled its budget and initiated a number of organizing projects including a bus riders’ union and a campaign to organize Wal-Mart workers. She got her start in organizing through solidarity work with the Coalition of Immokalee Workers, a group of farmworkers in Southern Florida.

Charlene sits on the advisory councils of the downstate occupational health clinics and is the Chair of New Immigrant Community Empowerment. Charlene has been featured in numerous publications, including MSNBC, the New York Times, ABC, CNN, Fox News, and many more. She received her B.A. from Stony Brook University and her M.A. in Liberal Studies from the Graduate Center at CUNY.

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Diego Palaguachi, Safety & Health Specialist

Diego Palaguachi works as a NYCOSH Safety and Health Specialist and coordinates its Construction Safety School for day laborers and immigrant construction workers. Diego trains workers on how to stay safe on the job and puts them on the path towards receiving their Site Safety Training Cards, a mandatory requirement for construction workers in New York City. He came to NYCOSH in 2019 after having served as the Director of Safety and Health at the Retail Wholesale Department Store Union. He is a graduate of CUNY Queens College, with a BA in Anthropology/Latin American and Latino Studies.
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Charlie Uruchima, Program Coordinator

Charlie Uruchima is NYCOSH’s Program Coordinator for the Manhattan Justice for Workers Collaborative (MJWC), where he coordinates efforts of the initiative and its partners to increase crime reporting for victims of wage theft and negligent health and safety practices. Charlie is a native New Yorker whose experience stems from work as a seasoned organizer in immigrant worker rights organizations, such as Brandworkers and, most recently, New Immigrant Community Empowerment (NICE). At NICE, Charlie led efforts to organize with day laborers, domestic workers, and immigrant construction workers, focusing primarily on reaching workers directly impacted by issues like wage theft, and elevating these experiences into the organization’s worker-led legislative campaigns. Charlie has also founded an indigenous media collective, Kichwa Hatari, a collective of Kichwa immigrants that works to empower the local Kichwa community thru media, education, and technical assistance initiatives in New York City.
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Lewis Quezada, Administrative Assistant

Prior to joining NYCOSH, Lewis served as a healthcare case manager where he assisted people by coordinating their medical care and providing crisis intervention and health education services as needed.

Lewis is fluent in English and Spanish and received a B.S. in Business from the Empire State College and a B.S. in International Business from UNAPEC, Dominican Republic.

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Blanca Vidal, Program Coordinator

Blanca Vidal became a Program Coordinator at NYCOSH in Summer of 2021. In her role as Program Coordinator, Blanca is an educator, trainer, and leader within NYCOSH’s nail salon worker program. She is a New York State Department of State-certified instructor for the New York Nail Salon Worker School. Blanca’s work has been referenced in local and international news outlets, including 19th News, NYU News, and the U.S. Department of Labor’s blog. Blanca worked in nail salons for thirteen years prior to becoming a program coordinator at NYCOSH.
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