Executive Team

Tracie Covey has been with the Board since 2010, serving as an Administrative Law Judge (ALJ), Senior ALJ, Principal ALJ, and Executive Director before being appointed as Chief Administrative Law Judge in 2022. In her tenure at the Board, Chief Judge Covey was one of the primary authors and editors of the UIAB’s Bench Manual, served on numerous internal committees related to professional development and modernization, and helped to refine the overall structure for the training, development and oversight of newly hired and experienced ALJs.

Chief Judge Covey was born and raised in Northern New York, on the shores of Lake Ontario. She is a graduate of the University at Buffalo School of Law and has a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature and Psychology from St. Lawrence University in Canton, New York. Prior to joining the Board, Chief Judge Covey was an attorney in the private sector specializing in labor and employment law.

Executive Director Leigh Brown has been with the Board since March 2023. She is responsible for the overall operations of the Board, including personnel, policy and general administrative activities, analyzation of finances, staffing and technological needs, and coordination and integration of all workflows between administrative and judicial staff. Director Brown advises the Chair and Board Members on policies and procedures affecting Board operation. She also is the liaison in dealings with the public, the state and federal Department of Labor, vendors, and labor organizations. In addition to her responsibility as the Director, she is also the statutory records access officer.

Prior to joining the Board, Director Brown had over 20 years of experience in both the private and public sector in the areas of finance, administration, and organizational leadership. She holds a Bachelor of Science in business from Mansfield University.

Appeal Board Manager Janet Beaudoin has been with the UIAB since 2009, serving first as a UIAB Supervisor from 2009 thru 2015 and then as the Statewide manager.

Prior to coming to the Board, Mrs. Beaudoin worked for the Department of Labor from 2000 thru 2009.  She has an Associate’s Degree in Criminal Justice, as well as a Paralegal Degree.  Mrs. Beaudoin brings to the UIAB more than 25 years of customer service experience.

Christopher Tate has been employed by the Unemployment Insurance Appeal Board since October 1996. He was appointed Principal Administrative Law Judge in 2009. During his tenure, he has supervised and managed the daily appeals operations of the higher authority of the Board and ensures the Board maintains uniformity in the application of UI law. He has also been instrumental in providing training on substantive law and procedures for both newly hired and experienced ALJs. Prior to becoming a Principal ALJ, he held the position of Senior Administrative Law Judge, supervising ALJs in appeals, and Administrative Law Judge at both the lower and higher authority.

Prior to joining the Board, Principal ALJ Tate was an attorney in the private sector and worked as an Assistant District Attorney in the Kings Country District Attorney's office. He is a graduate of Brooklyn Law School and received a bachelor’s degree in political science and philosophy from Bucknell University.

Lauren Chatterton is a Principal Administrative Law Judge at the Board and has been responsible for the oversight of multiple hearing offices throughout the state since 2024. Having joined the UIAB in 2011, Principal ALJ Chatterton gained more than a decade of experience as an Administrative Law Judge in the Rochester, Troy and Menands offices before becoming a Senior Administrative Law Judge in 2022. Her experience and pragmatic approach to the hearing process has contributed to the Board’s ability to streamline procedures and practices to maximize efficiency and better serve the public.

Before joining the Unemployment Insurance Appeal Board in 2011, Ms. Chatterton worked as an Assistant County Attorney. She is a lifelong New Yorker, having been born and raised in Syracuse, New York. Principal ALJ Chatterton is a graduate of Albany Law and received a bachelor’s degree in political science and international relations from SUNY Geneseo.

Justin Denton has been a Principal Administrative Law Judge at the Board since 2022 and is responsible for managing several downstate hearing offices. From 2012 to 2017, he presided over unemployment insurance hearings as an Administrative Law Judge. In 2017, he became a Senior Administrative Law Judge. During his tenure, he has been instrumental in the development and training of new and experienced ALJs, including the creation and refinement of training on various substantive legal issues. Principal ALJ Denton has also been instrumental in the development of statewide policies, procedures, and the training of judges on new technologies implemented by the Board such as the Virtual Hearing System and electronic case files.

Originally from Michigan, Principal ALJ Denton is a graduate of Brooklyn Law School and received a bachelor’s degree in anthropology from New York University. He worked in plaintiff-side human rights and personal injury law until joining the Unemployment Insurance Appeal Board in 2012.

Alison Ferrara has been with the New York State Unemployment Insurance Appeal Board since 2012, currently serving in the role as Principal Administrative Law Judge where she is responsible for managing hearing offices statewide and coordinating the agency’s training program. She started at the Board as an Administrative Law Judge presiding over unemployment insurance hearings. In 2018, she became a Senior Administrative Law Judge, in which she continued to preside over hearings and supervised and trained other ALJs. In 2020, Principal ALJ Ferrara became the Board’s Training Coordinator, where she was responsible for overseeing training needs for all new and experienced ALJs statewide.

Prior to joining the Board, Principal ALJ Ferrara worked as the Director of Safety and Health for the New York City Department of Juvenile Justice and as an Agency Attorney for the New York City Department of Buildings. She is a graduate of New York Law School and received a bachelor’s degree in business from Fordham University. With nearly twenty-years as a public servant, Principal ALJ Ferrara is proud of her service to fellow New Yorkers and is committed to the UIAB’s mission of offering all parties a full and fair opportunity to be heard.