Staff

Tamara J. Britt is the Vice President and General Counsel at Teachers College, Columbia University (TC), having served as VP, GC, and Chief of Staff at Manhattan College (MC) for five years. 

Ms. Britt reports directly to the President; the General Counsel is the chief legal officer of TC and is a key member of the President’s Cabinet, contributing to the resolution of many of the most important issues that affect TC. She also provides direct advice and counsel to the Board of Trustees on legal issues, governance and related topics. Ms. Britt manages the Office of the General Counsel and provides day-to-day legal counsel on issues, policies, technology, contracts, transactions, claims, litigations, proceedings, and risks that concern TC, the Trustees, President, Vice Presidents, other senior leaders, administrators, faculty and staff.

In addition, Ms. Britt is an important convener for and implementer of policies that ensure the TC’s deep commitment to its embedded values of equity, leadership, integrity, openness, respect and accountability are honored throughout the campus.

Ms. Britt is a former associate general counsel at Rutgers University and counsel to the RU Foundation. Prior to assuming the Rutgers position, Ms. Britt was a practicing attorney with Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP where she had responsibility for a broad range of matters, including work with multinational corporations on regulatory, governance, compliance, bankruptcy and white-collar defense issues.

Ms. Britt has co-authored several articles: Guide to Human Research Subject Protections Laws in West Africa, published in the Journal of Empirical Research on Human Research Ethics; At the Border Your Laptop is Wide-Open, published in The National Law Journal; and Why Financial Statements Matter: Enforcement and Litigation Implications, published in The Banking Law Journal. Ms. Britt was an adjunct professor at Rutgers School of Law (Higher Education Law) and Manhattan College, where she taught Professional Ethics (MBA program). Ms. Britt is a Trustee of the New Jersey Bar Foundation, LaSalle Academy, the National Association of College and University Attorneys, and a member of the Alumni Advisory Council of Cleary Gottlieb.

Ms. Britt received her B.A. from Hampton University; an M.P.A. from George Washington University; and a J.D. from Rutgers University, where she was an editor of the Rutgers Law Review and an Eagleton Institute of Politics Fellow.

Patricia Jendraszek has been the Assistant General Counsel with Teachers College since June 2017, after having worked as a consulting attorney since November 2014.  Just before joining the College, she taught mathematics at Mercy College. Patricia had previously worked as an attorney with law firms in Honolulu and New York, where she primarily worked in tax and employee benefits law.  Patricia is a member of the Bar of the State of New York, the State of Hawaii and the District of Columbia.

Patricia earned her undergraduate degree and a masters in accounting at Rice University and her law degree at University of Houston, where she was Chief Articles Editor for the Houston Law Review. Patricia is a graduate of Teachers College, having earned a Ph.D. in Mathematics Education. Patricia is very excited to return to the College to work with its extraordinary faculty, students and staff.

Arlene Torres joined Teachers College as an Associate General Counsel in October 2021. She previously served as the General Counsel of Concordia College and prior thereto practiced corporate and securities law.  Arlene is a member of the Bar of the State of New York.

Arlene earned her law degree at Fordham University and her undergraduate degree at Mount Holyoke College.

Susan Mulliken joined Teachers College as Assistant General Counsel in October 2022. She previously served as Assistant General Counsel at Mercy College, and, before law school, was an Academic Advisor at LIU Brooklyn. She has also taught as an adjunct instructor at Mercy College, LIU Brooklyn, San Diego Mesa College, and Grossmont College.

Susan earned her B.A. from The College of Saint Rose, her M.A. in communication studies from San Diego State University, and her J.D. from Pace. Susan is a member of the Bar of the State of New York.

Viktoria Potapova received her Bachelor of Art and Master of Arts degrees with a Major in History from the Moscow Pedagogical University in Moscow, Russia.  Viktoria is also a graduate of the Katharine Gibbs School and the New York Paralegal School in New York, NY.

Before joining Teachers College in 2006, Viktoria was employed by several law offices as a paralegal and administrative coordinator, including Michael A. Rebell Associates and the Campaign for Fiscal Equity, Inc.  

Viktoria is a member of NAFSA: Association of International Educators and she is also a trainer for NAFSA's H-1B workshop.

Viktoria also serves as a per-diem Russian Court Interpreter with the New York State Unified Court System.

Jebraune Chambers is currently the Graduate Intern for the Office of the General Counsel. She is a Master of Arts Student in the Education Policy Program at Teachers College. Prior to joining the Office of the General Counsel, Jebraune received her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Notre Dame in Political Science with a concentration in Latino Studies and World Politics. 

Dee Ibraheim joined Teachers College as Legal Operations Manager in December 2022. Prior to the Office of General Counsel, Dee was a senior legal assistant and paralegal at a mid-sized law firm and a chief of staff at a start-up non-profit organization. Dee has a B.A. in Journalism and Mass Communications from the American University in Cairo and attended New York University for her M.A. studies in Political Science and International Relations.