Hiscock Legal Aid Society names Dewan next executive director

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — The Hiscock Legal Aid Society (HLA) announced that its board of directors has appointed Gregory W. Dewan as its next executive director.

Dewan on Feb. 1 will succeed current Executive Director Linda Gehron, who will retire on Jan. 31, following 40 years in the legal profession, including a decade of service to HLA — five of them as executive director.

 Under Gehron’s leadership, HLA grew its budget, staff, and the number of people it served in the Central New York community.

 “Linda departs an agency that is more multifaceted and agile than perhaps at any other point in its history,” Conor Kirchner, chair of the board of directors, said in a release. “Under her leadership, the organization successfully pivoted to a variety of remote work environments to continue serving the community through the COVID-19 public health crisis. To do this, Ms. Gehron worked closely with Deputy Executive Director Gregory Dewan. Together, they positioned HLA for success amid a rapidly changing landscape to continue promoting justice for all across Central New York.”

 Dewan, a Central New York native and graduate of the University of Richmond and Emory University School of Law, has served as deputy executive director in 2019. He first joined HLA as an intern in 2010. Dewan was then hired and worked as a staff attorney, senior attorney, supervising attorney, and managing attorney before his most-recent position.

“As a lifelong resident of Central New York, it is particularly rewarding to be leading an organization I believe in, alongside people I believe in, to fulfill a critical mission ensuring access to justice for all in our community,” Dewan said.

The HLA says it conducted a nationwide search via a committee consisting of current and former members of the board of directors.

The Hiscock Legal Aid Society, founded in 1949, provides free legal assistance to low-income residents of Onondaga County. It is based at 351 South Warren St. in Syracuse.