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May 5th: Annual Gala

Join NCJW NY on May 5, 2025 for our Annual Gala, where we will present the Woman Who Dares Award to:

Elise M. Bloom
Robin Cohen
Samantha L. Schreiber
Eileen Torres

The Woman Who Dares Award honors women whose spirit, work and character exemplify the mission of NCJW NY. The award celebrates women who are compassionate, courageous, and powerful; women who are leaders in their fields; women who inspire and empower other women; and women who make a real difference in the lives of New Yorkers.

Monday, May 5, 2025
Tribeca 360 | 10 Desbrosses Street, New York, NY
6:00 pm – Cocktail and Dinner Reception
7:30 pm – Awards Program
8:30 pm – Desserts
Cocktail Attire

 

REGISTER HERE

Meet our 2025 Women Who Dare:

Elise M. Bloom
Partner, Proskauer 

Elise Bloom is a highly regarded employment lawyer with over 30 years of experience, known for her creativity and effectiveness in handling high-profile discrimination, wage and hour, and class/collective action cases on behalf of major national employers. Renowned for her expertise in pre-trial, jury trial, investigation work as well as extensive appellate experience, she has been recognized by prestigious publications like Chambers USA, Legal 500, and Employment Law360, and was named “Labor & Employment Management Attorney of the Year” by Benchmark Litigation in 2020. A frequent author and speaker, she has also been honored as “Best in Labor & Employment” at Euromoney’s Women in Business Law Awards multiple times. As one client noted, Elise’s approach to litigation is “magic,” showcasing her deep understanding of both legal intricacies and corporate dynamics.

Robin Cohen
Chair, Cohen Ziffer Frenchman & McKenna LLP 

In her 30-plus-year career as one of the nation’s foremost litigators, Robin Cohen has consistently taken on—and beaten—the world’s largest insurance companies. Recognized as one of the most effective and innovative insurance lawyers in the world, Robin has recovered over $10 billion for policyholder plaintiffs like Pfizer, Walmart, and CBS.

Robin’s career highlights have involved the biggest threats to business of the day. Early on, she earned a $1.85 billion trial award (upheld on appeal) to cover the asbestos liabilities of a manufacturer. After Superstorm Sandy, Robin secured a first-of-its-kind decision from the New Jersey Supreme Court, allowing the NJ Transit System to access $400 million in coverage. Robin’s dynamic trial presence, agile and quick-to-pivot thinking, excellent listening skills, and refreshingly direct and often humorous delivery gain the respect and admiration of judges, juries, and adverse lawyers alike.

In January 2021, Robin launched Cohen Ziffer Frenchman & McKenna with a 12-lawyer group. As chair of the insurance recovery litigation boutique, she has a direct hand in all aspects of the firm, which has already more than tripled in size. Her impact outside the firm has been equally apparent. Since founding Cohen Ziffer, Robin has fielded numerous calls from female lawyers who see the way she is changing the rules, and are considering starting their own firms themselves.

Samantha L. Schreiber
Managing Director, Co-Head of US Litigation, Morgan Stanley 

Samantha L. Schreiber is a Managing Director in the Legal and Compliance Division at Morgan Stanley in New York.  She currently serves as Co-Head of US Litigation, overseeing the civil litigation docket and regulatory enforcement matters for the Firm’s Institutional Securities Group businesses in the Americas. She has been a member of the Firm’s US Litigation Team since joining Morgan Stanley in 2007. Prior to Morgan Stanley, Samantha was an attorney in private practice, representing individuals and entities in white collar criminal and regulatory enforcement matters.  From 2000 through 2004, Samantha served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York.  As a federal prosecutor, she investigated and prosecuted terrorism and terrorist financing cases in the wake of September 11, as well as cases involving non-traditional organized crime groups.  She received the Director’s Award for Superior Performance by an Assistant U.S. Attorney in 2003.  Samantha also served as a law clerk to the Honorable Morris E. Lasker, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York.  Samantha earned a J.D. from Columbia Law School and her bachelor’s degree from Brown University.  Samantha lives in New York City with her husband, Tom Newman, and their two sons, Sol and Isaac.

Eileen Torres
Chief Executive Officer, BronxWorks 

As the leader of the BronxWorks, Eileen serves as the ultimate advocate for the 60,000+ residents of the Bronx that receive services from BronxWorks as well as the nearly 1,000 employees across the organization. Eileen has been with BronxWorks since 1995, starting in administrative roles, serving as Admin Counsel and General Counsel, and interim Executive Director/COO in 2013. Eileen was appointed Executive Director in 2014. Her education and background as an attorney have been invaluable in guiding BronxWorks in the highest standards of nonprofit governance and as an implementing partner for many New York City government programs.
Eileen has built upon the history of the organization and expanded the scope, reach and impact of services to the Bronx community. Under her direction, BronxWorks has added multiple new sites, formed many new public and private partnerships, and received outside recognition for its effective work including the 2013 New York Nonprofit Excellence Award. In 2023, the Board of Directors named Eileen the Chief Executive Officer of BronxWorks.
A graduate of Cardinal Spellman High School, Eileen earned a B.S. from Pace University and a J.D. from the Northeastern University School of Law. She is on the board of United Neighborhood Houses (UNH) and serves as the chair of the UNH Executive Directors Council; she is also on the board of the Human Services Council (HSC), the Council Of Family and Child Caring Agencies (COFCCA), and Lyft’s New York Racial Justice Alliance.
Eileen is a Bronx native, having spent her formative years in northern Manhattan and the north central Bronx.