Office of General Counsel Contacts
MAIN OFFICE (518) 434-7045
RFContracts@rfsuny.org
RFLegal@rfsuny.org
Chris Ashley, General Counsel (chris.ashley@rfsuny.org)
Mr. Ashley joined the RF in February 2014. Before joining the RF he spent 14 years with the University of Wisconsin System where he served as senior counsel and most recently, as deputy general counsel. Before working with the UW System, he was assistant general counsel for the National Science Foundation where he handled a wide portfolio of legal and policy issues in federally sponsored research. Mr. Ashley also worked on legal ethics matters as a staff attorney in the White House Counsel’s office and was in private practice in the labor and employment section of Morgan, Lewis & Bockius in Washington, D.C. for four years. Mr. Ashley earned his bachelor’s degree from Swarthmore College and his law degree from the University of Wisconsin Law School.
Rich Agnello, Deputy General Counsel & Assistant Secretary (rich.agnello@rfsuny.org)
Mr. Agnello has been with the RF since 2008. Prior to entering law school, he worked at the University of Rochester’s School of Medicine and Dentistry where his lab studied the regulation of hypoxia-inducible factor 1a in various keratinocyte models. He presented his work at three international conferences and published one journal article and two abstracts. Mr. Agnello is also a Certified Compliance and Ethics Professional and is a Certified Mediator in Albany County. He earned his bachelor’s degree from King’s College and his law degree from Albany Law School with a concentration in intellectual property law.
Allison Gottlieb, Senior Associate Counsel (allison.gottlieb@rfsuny.org)
Ms. Gottlieb joined the RF in September 2017. Prior to joining the RF, she worked in the labor and employment departments of the law firms of Bond, Schoeneck & King, PLLC, and Kelley Drye & Warren LLP out of New York City, focusing on employment litigation, employee relations and labor matters. Ms. Gottlieb received her bachelor’s degree from St. John Fisher College in Rochester, New York, and her law degree from Albany Law School. She is admitted to practice law in the State of New York.
Molly Worden, Associate Counsel (molly.worden@rfsuny.org)
Ms. Worden joined the RF in March of 2018. Ms. Worden provides legal counsel on a wide variety of subject matters, however she specializes in contract law and commercial transactions. Ms. Worden received her Juris Doctor, magna cum laude from Albany Law School and served on the Government Law Review. She graduated with her bachelor's degree in history, magna cum laude from the State University of New York at Albany. She is admitted to practice law in the State of New York.
Ethan Denny, Associate Counsel (ethan.denny@rfsuny.org)
Ethan Denny, Associate Counsel, joined the RF in 2015. Before joining the OGC, he was the Assistant Director of Contracts in Research Administration for RF at SUNY Downstate Medical Center. He previously worked for several years at the Clinical Trials Office for Columbia University. He earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and his law degree from the University of New Hampshire – Franklin Pierce School of Law. He is admitted to practice law in the State of New York.