Joan C. Waters joined Columbia University as ombuds officers in April 2014. A native New Yorker, she earned her bachelor of arts degree from Fordham University (Bronx, New York) and she earned her juris doctorate from St. John's University School of Law (Queens, New York). Joan started her legal career in a civil litigation firm in Manhattan and thereafter moved to the Westchester County Attorney's Office practicing management-side labor and employment litigation. In 2001 and again in 2008, Joan was elected to serve as the Village Justice for the Village of Sleepy Hollow, presiding over the weekly docket of civil, criminal, small claims and vehicle and traffic matters as well as bench and jury trials. During this time she was also the managing partner and then sole proprietor of a small family law and residential real estate law practice with a particular focus on mediation and collaborative law. Most recently, Joan served as an Associate General Counsel in the Office of the General Counsel at The City University of New York. Since joining Columbia Joan has become a member of the International Ombudsmans Association.
