Visiting Fellowship Program

Northeastern University’s School of Law and School of Public Policy and Urban Affairs launched the Northeastern Law and Policy Fellows Program in 2025–2026, bringing together an exceptional cohort of leaders whose depth of experience, generosity of spirit and commitment to public service made them a truly remarkable group of colleagues. The one-year program was designed for individuals with recent government service experience at a transition point in their careers. Fellows engaged with students, faculty and staff through lectures, panel discussions, guest appearances in classes and one-on-one meetings — enriching academic life at Northeastern and leaving a lasting impression on the community.

2026–2027 CPIAC Visiting Fellow: Amy Romero

Amy Romero, has been named CPIAC's 2026–2027 Visiting Fellow. Romero brings to the role a career defined by frontline advocacy and a deep commitment to her home state of Rhode Island. She currently serves as chief legal counsel for the Lawyers’ Committee for Rhode Island, a newly formed nonprofit providing pro bono rapid response to federal government overreach affecting individuals and nonprofits across the state.

Prior to joining LCRI, Romero served as an assistant US attorney in Rhode Island from 2016 to 2025, where her work focused on civil rights litigation and community outreach. Her career in public interest law spans decades and a wide range of settings: she has worked as a staff attorney at Rhode Island Legal Services and Community Legal Aid, clerked for the US Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, served as director of the Domestic Violence Court at Rhode Island Family Court, and worked as an advocate at the Domestic Violence Resource Center for South County. In 2025–2026, she was selected as a Northeastern University Law and Policy Fellow.

2025–2026 CPIAC Visiting Fellow: Kathleen Rubenstein

Kathleen Rubenstein, a public interest lawyer and former executive director of the Skadden Foundation, has been named as CPIAC’s inaugural visiting fellow. Rubenstein graduated with honors from University of Chicago Law School, where she received the Edwin F. Mandel Award for exceptional contributions to the school’s clinics. She was selected as a Skadden Fellow and completed her fellowship at the Shriver Center on Poverty Law. After her fellowship, she served as a federal judicial law clerk in the Northern District of Illinois. Rubenstein, went on to hold several positions in New York City government, including serving as deputy director of the Mayor’s Office of Appointments and as deputy chief of staff and senior counsel for government policy for the New York City Law Department.

Rubenstein led the Skadden Foundation from 2018 to 2025. The foundation was established in 1988 and has granted over 1,000 fellowships, through which attorneys begin their careers working in public interest on a full-time basis for two years. Skadden Fellows address a broad range of civil legal services to people living in poverty in the United States, and the vast majority devote their entire careers to public interest. The foundation, under Rubenstein’s leadership, provided innovative support to the entire community of 1,000 Fellows.

Rubenstein is a 2021 graduate of the Institute for Nonprofit Practice’s Core Program, from which she received a certificate in Social Impact Management and Leadership. She will be a 2025-56 participant in the the Haywood Burns Institute’s James Bell Racial Justice and Structural Well-Being Certificate Training Series. She also serves as secretary of the board of directors of the Advocacy Institute, an organization that supports social justice organizations to build the advocacy skills necessary to shape government policy in New York. Rubenstein is admitted to practice law in New York State.

Questions about the visiting fellows program?
Please reach out to the Center for Public Interest Advocacy and Collaboration at [email protected].