Executive Leadership Team

Office of Chief Medical Examiner

Science Serving Justice


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Authority & Responsibilities
Chief Medical Examiner
Executive Leadership Team
Accessibility Policy
Website Accessibility Statement
Contact OCME
Language Access
Interagency Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs)
Freedom of Information Law (FOIL)
Root Cause Analysis (RCA) Guidelines
EEOP Utilization Report
Procurement

Authority & Responsibilities

Chief Medical Examiner

Executive Leadership Team

Accessibility Policy

Website Accessibility Statement

Contact OCME

Language Access

Interagency Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs)

Freedom of Information Law (FOIL)

Root Cause Analysis (RCA) Guidelines

EEOP Utilization Report

Procurement


Executive Leadership Team

Dr. Jason Graham

Chief Medical Examiner

Dr. Michele S. Slone

First Deputy Chief Medical Examiner
Michele S. Slone, MD was appointed Acting First Deputy Chief Medical Examiner of New York City in December 2021 and subsequently First Deputy Chief Medical Examiner in June 2022. Serving in the second highest leadership position at OCME, she oversees the Forensic Pathology division, which includes citywide medical examiner operations and supporting departments including Forensic Anthropology and the Forensic Pathology Support Unit. Dr. Slone is the founding Director of the OCME K9 Unit for Detection and Recovery of Human Remains, the first multidisciplinary unit of its kind in a medical examiner’s office in the country, and the handler for K9 Raven, the unit’s sole K9 member. She previously served as Deputy Chief Medical Examiner for Manhattan.

Dr. Slone has been with OCME since 2003 after completing her residency training at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine. She completed fellowships in Forensic Neuropathology/Cardiovascular Pathology and General Forensic Pathology at OCME in New York City. Dr. Slone is board certified by the American Board of Pathology in Anatomic Pathology and Forensic Pathology. She holds a faculty appointment as Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of Forensic Medicine at New York University School of Medicine.

Nicholas Schultz

Chief Operating Officer and Deputy Commissioner of Forensic Operations and Investigations
Nicholas Schultz is the Chief Operating Officer and Deputy Commissioner of Forensic Operations and Investigations for OCME. As Chief Operating Officer, Schultz oversees all aspects of the agency’s daily operations, ensuring cohesive management across all divisions. Schultz leads strategic initiatives, policy development, and operational oversight, collaborating with stakeholders and governmental partners to enhance the effectiveness of OCME's operations.

Additionally, Schultz serves as the Deputy Commissioner for the Division of Forensic Operations and Investigations, overseeing a comprehensive structure that includes Forensic Investigations, Forensic Operations, and Mortuary Operations. These departments encompass a wide array of units supporting the 24/7 mission of OCME, including Medicolegal Investigations, Identifications, Fingerprint, Outreach/City Burial Operations, Special Operations, Communications, Forensic Autopsy Services, Forensic Photography, Forensic Radiography, Forensic Quality Control, Emergency Management, City Mortuary Services, Fleet/Logistics, and Forensic Operations Administration. Schultz also directs the specialized mass fatality management team, ensuring continuous emergency planning, preparedness, and response to mass fatality incidents citywide.

Since joining OCME in 2015, Schultz has previously served in the positions of Deputy Director of Forensic Investigations and Assistant Director of Mortuary Services. He is board certified by the American Board of Medicolegal Death Investigators (ABMDI) and serves as a Clinical Instructor in the Department of Forensic Medicine at the New York University Grossman School of Medicine.

Mirtha Sabio

General Counsel
Mirtha Camille Sabio was appointed the General Counsel at OCME in December 2022. Mirtha oversees all legal affairs to ensure the agency consistently executes its authority and mission, responsibly, ethically, and impartially.

Mirtha was previously General Counsel at the Office of the Bronx Borough President strategically advising leadership on all agency matters related to housing, education policy, workforce initiative, and economic empowerment. In that capacity, she served two administrations as representative on the NYC Franchise and Concession Review Committee and as Trustee on the New York City Employees Retirement System, championing greater MWBE investment firm participation in managing the fund's $89 billion in assets under management for the City's municipal workforce. Prior to her City service, Mirtha had been counsel to a real estate organization and its affiliated companies, managed her own law firm, and provided financial advisory services as a licensed securities and investment consultant for high-net-worth individuals at a Wall Street firm.

Mirtha received her Juris Doctor degree from New York Law School and earned her dual Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting and Marketing from New York University's Leonard N. Stern School of Business. She holds a Master Certificate in Human Resource Management from Cornell University as well as professional certification in EEO and Employment Law. Mirtha is licensed to practice law in the state and federal courts of New York and New Jersey.

Timothy Kupferschmid

Chief of Laboratories
Timothy Kupferschmid, MBA, MFS has over 30 years of executive management and forensic DNA testing experience. Before joining the Office of Chief Medical Examiner, he worked as a senior DNA Analyst at the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory (AFDIL). He additionally served as the Laboratory Director of the Maine State Police Crime Laboratory, as well as the Forensic Technical Director at Myriad Genetic Laboratories, Inc.

Kupferschmid leads the Division of Laboratories, which consists of four laboratories - Forensic Biology, Forensic Toxicology, Molecular Genetics, and Histology, and the Departments of Evidence, Records, and Health and Safety.

Kupferschmid is the Past-President of the American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors (ASCLD) and serves on the Forensic Laboratory Needs Technical Working Group, which was created by Congress to assess the forensic technology needs of federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies to accomplish the mission of the Department of Justice National Institute of Justice.

Julie Bolcer

Chief Communications Officer
Julie Bolcer serves as Chief Communications Officer for OCME. Appointed to this role in 2024, she is responsible for clarity, coordination, and consistency across all communications to internal and external stakeholders. She also advises the executive leadership team on strategic messaging and reputation management for the agency working 24/7 at the intersection of public health and safety throughout the five boroughs of New York City.

Bolcer brings nearly two decades of experience across media and public affairs, including a variety of roles in public service since 2013. Most recently, she served as Senior Director of Communications for the Test & Trace Corps at NYC Health + Hospitals, where she led the team responsible for marketing and communications initiatives for the nation's largest COVID-19 testing, contact tracing, and safe isolation program. Previously, as Communications Advisor to the Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services, she managed communications for the portfolio of agencies protecting the health of all New Yorkers and serving the City's most vulnerable populations.

Bolcer has also represented the City's equity agenda to the global diplomatic community based at the United Nations as Deputy Commissioner for Policy and Communications at the Mayor's Office for International Affairs, served as a spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York, and worked in the New York State Senate.

Yvonne Williams

Deputy Commissioner of Administration and Finance
Yvonne Williams serves as the Deputy Commissioner of Administration and Finance. In this role, Williams oversees Procurement, Budget, Audit, Medical Facilities and Material Logistics for the Office of Chief Medical Examiner. Prior to her appointment as Deputy Commissioner, Williams served as the Executive Agency Chief Contracting Officer and Chief Performance Officer at OCME.

Williams brings more than a decade of outstanding service to our city, leading the procurement and operational functions at various New York City agencies including the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection, Department of Sanitation, and Department of City Planning. A native New Yorker, Williams holds a deep passion for the NYC M/WBE Program and her work is motivated by an adamant belief in the necessity to expand opportunities for minority and women-owned businesses in New York City. She has illustrated her commitment to this imperative while serving as the Chief Diversity Officer, M/WBE Officer and Director of Contracts and Administration for the Financial Empowerment Centers at NYC agencies.

Williams holds a Master of Arts in Urban Affairs from Queens College, City University of New York.

Naeem Ullah

Deputy Commissioner / Chief Information Officer (CIO)
Naeem Ullah, PMP is the Chief Information Officer for Office of Chief Medical Examiner, a role he has held since 2011. He is responsible for leading and managing the agency's Information Technology portfolio, which helps support the strategic and tactical needs of the agency. He is also the Head of Security and Fire Safety.

As the CIO Ullah's responsibilities include IT policy, IT portfolio management and capital investment review, IT security and critical infrastructure protection, IT architecture, information quality, information dissemination through the Next Generation Internet, and oversight of IT operations.

As the Head of Security and Fire Safety Ullah is responsible for the safeguarding of OCME's assets to include its staff, buildings, and information. Directly addressing any physical security, local risks, vulnerabilities, and threats to the day-to-day operations.

Ullah has over 25 years of Senior IT Management and CTO experience. He has provided technology leadership to a range of senior management teams in a variety of industries, such as public service, hospitality, high-tech manufacturing, financial services, publishing, and healthcare.

Robert D. Van Pelt

Chief of Staff
Robert D. Van Pelt serves as the agency’s Chief of Staff. In this role, he provides counsel and guidance in the strategic initiatives that the Chief Medical Examiner has set for the agency and in ensuring that the administration’s priorities and the Chief’s vision are achieved. As Chief of Staff, Van Pelt oversees all legislative, intergovernmental and stakeholder affairs initiatives.

Van Pelt, an attorney by trade, brings more than 20 years of managerial, team building and interagency coordination experience to the OCME, including more than a decade of leadership in citywide disaster planning, preparedness, and emergency response.

Van Pelt came to the OCME from the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene and NYC Emergency Management, where he led multi-sector partnerships to shape policy and oversee large citywide initiatives to improve the lives of New Yorkers.

Dr. Terra A. Cederroth

Deputy Chief Medical Examiner
Terra. A. Cederroth, MD was appointed Acting Deputy Chief Medical Examiner in December 2021 and subsequently Deputy Chief Medical Examiner in July 2022. She has served at OCME since 2016 and in her current role, she oversees the medical examiner operations at the Manhattan site.

After receiving her medical degree from Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston, Massachusetts, Dr. Cederroth completed her Pathology residency training at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center/Harvard Medical School, followed by her fellowship in Forensic Pathology at OCME in New York City. Dr. Cederroth also served as Associate Program Director for the Forensic Pathology Fellowship program at OCME and holds a faculty appointment as Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Forensic Medicine at New York University School of Medicine.

Dr. Andrea Coleman

Deputy Chief Medical Examiner
Andrea T. Coleman, MD was appointed as Acting Deputy Chief Medical Examiner in June of 2024. She has served at OCME since 2004 and in her current role, she oversees the medical examiner operations at the Brooklyn site.

Dr. Coleman graduated from Downstate Medical School in 2002 and subsequently did her anatomic pathology residency at Mt. Sinai in Manhattan. She further specialized by undertaking a forensic pathology fellowship, as well as a fellowship in forensic neuropathology and cardiovascular pathology, at the Office of Chief Medical Examiner (OCME) in New York City. Dr. Coleman previously served as Director for the Forensic Pathology fellowship program at OCME. She currently holds a faculty appointment as Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Forensic Medicine at NYU School of Medicine.

Sarahn O'Uhuru

Assistant Commissioner for Human Resources and Labor Relations
Sarahn O'Uhuru serves as the Assistant Commissioner for Human Resources and Labor Relations. She joined OCME in 2017, serving in the roles of HR Recruitment Coordinator, Senior Talent & Data Analyst, Assistant Director, Director, and the Executive Director of Human Resources. In her current role, she oversees staff in Labor & Employee Relations, Payroll, Timekeeping, Leaves, and Talent Management.

Sarahn began her career in recruitment and training at nonprofit organizations, before joining the City as part of the NYC Department of Homeless Services (DHS). While at DHS, Sarahn honed her skills in customer service and piqued her interest in employee relations. She then moved on to the Office of the Mayor, NYC Service, where she was responsible for leading the recruitment and alumni engagement team, before joining OCME.

A native New Yorker, working in Human Resources & Labor Relations, especially at OCME, gives Sarahn the opportunity to serve the New Yorkers who serve New Yorkers during times of profound need.

Sarahn holds a Master of Public Administration from Long Island University, Brooklyn, and earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Rochester. She is also a Society of Human Resources - Senior Certified Professional.

Arif Khan

Assistant Commissioner of Finance
Arif Khan serves as the Assistant Commissioner of Finance. In this role, he oversees the agency's Budget and Audits and Accounts teams, ensuring that the agency’s goals are achieved in a cost-effective manner and payments are issued accurately and expeditiously.

Arif has spent 12 years in public service, 9 of which have been in various roles at the Department of Citywide Administrative Services (DCAS). Most recently, he served as the Revenue Budget Director, where he managed the agency’s revenue budget and offsetting expenses exceeding $1 billion. Prior to this, Arif served as the Deputy Director of Audits and Accounts at DCAS, where he led a team of 14 staff members in the daily review of invoices and processing of payments, ensuring that vendors were paid in a timely manner to continue delivering critical goods and services to the city.

Arif earned his Master in Business Administration from Aspen University, and his Bachelor in Accounting from Queens College of the City University of New York. In his free time, Arif enjoys travelling, fitness and checking out new shows and restaurants around the city.

Jumaris Berges

Agency Chief Contracting Officer
Jumaris Berges serves as the Agency Chief Contracting Officer (ACCO). In this role, she oversees Procurement and Material Logistics. She joined OCME in 2022 as the Deputy Agency Chief Contracting Officer supporting the agency's operationally essential procurements and advising accordingly.

Jumaris started serving the City in 2013, joining the NYC Department of Consumer Affairs (now Consumer & Worker Protection), where she coordinated agencywide procurements and oversaw grant budget management and reporting to New York State. Later, Jumaris joined the NYC Department of Health & Mental Hygiene as Assistant Director of Finance, where she enforced compliance with the M/WBE Program and monitored PS, OTPS, and grant funds for the Division of Prevention and Primary Care. In 2020, Jumaris advanced to serve as Assistant Deputy ACCO and eventually Acting ACCO at the NYC Department of City Planning (DCP). At DCP, she monitored the procurements of a $43 million dollar budget, working on the registration of Citywide Master Agreements for land use actions.

Jumaris holds a Master of Science in Accounting from Lehman College and brings her vast experience and relationship-building acumen, and commitment to fiscal responsibility and equity to OCME.