Telesca Center for Justice names new executive director

Listen to this article

Mary Loewenguth, former clerk of court for the U.S. District Court for the Western District of New York and executive director of the Monroe County Bar Association, has been appointed executive director of the Telesca Center for Justice.

Loewenguth, who lives in Rochester, was executive director of the Monroe County Bar Association and the Foundation of the Monroe County Bar from October 2001 to December 2015.

She was Clerk of Court for the U.S. District Court for the Western District of New York from January 2016 to February 2026, when she retired.

“I was loving retirement, but I feel really strongly that I have a window in which I can make a difference,” said Loewenguth, 67, who started the part-time role on May 11.

“I still have energy, and hopefully some wisdom,” she said.

Loewenguth will focus on fundraising, donor engagement, public awareness, and reenergizing support for the Telesca Fund for Justice, the shared fundraising arm of the four partner organizations.

The Telesca Center, named in honor of the late Senior U.S. District Judge Michael A. Telesca, brings four civil legal services law firms together under one roof at 1 W. Main St. in downtown Rochester.

A donor appreciation event on Thursday (June 18) will serve as Loewenguth’s first official public event and the formal kickoff to the Telesca Center’s 20th anniversary year.

Established nearly 20 years ago with a $3 million capital campaign known as the Partnership for Equal Justice, the Telesca Center is now home to Empire Justice Center, JustCause, Legal Assistance of Western New York (LawNY), and the Legal Aid Society of Rochester.

Together, those organizations provide free civil legal services to low-income individuals and families throughout the Greater Rochester region and beyond.

Recently they incorporated the Telesca Center as its own nonprofit, creating new opportunities to raise funds, build visibility, and deepen community support for the shared mission of the partner agencies.

“Mary is uniquely positioned to lead the Telesca Center into its next chapter,” said Carla Palumbo, president and CEO of the Legal Aid Society.

“She understands the history, purpose, and promise of this partnership because she helped build it nearly 20 years ago. Her return is both meaningful and timely as we prepare to celebrate two decades of collaborative access-to-justice work in Rochester,” Palumbo said.

Loewenguth played a pivotal role in the original fundraising effort.

“For me, this truly feels like coming home,” said Loewenguth. “The Telesca Center was built on a powerful idea: that when the legal community comes together, we can expand access to justice for people who need it most. I am honored to return to this partnership and help reconnect lawyers, law firms, donors, and community leaders to the work happening here every day,” she said.

While each partner agency will continue to manage its own operations, programs, and grants independently, the Telesca Center provides shared space, shared visibility, and a shared point of connection for the broader legal and philanthropic community.

“The 20th anniversary is not just a celebration of a building. It is a celebration of a vision — one that was conceived more than 35 years ago by the late Hanna Cohn, the former executive director of JustCause who died at the age of 50 in 2002, and made a reality by the late Justin Vigdor, chair of the capital campaign. Their shared vision was that justice is stronger when we work together; the celebration of our 20th anniversary is an invitation to the community to recommit to that vision for the next 20 years,” Loewenguth said.

The anniversary year will conclude in June 2027 with an outdoor block party in front of the Telesca Center, bringing together partner agencies, donors, law firms, community members, and civic leaders to celebrate the Center’s legacy and future.

[email protected] / (585) 232-2035