Department Chair
Email: jwendlan@daemen.edu
Office Location: DS 139
Phone Number: 716.839.8284
Dr. Wendland received his Bachelor’s degree from Carroll College (now Carroll University) in Waukesha, WI in 2008. He went on to earn his M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Arizona in 2010 and 2013, respectively.
His current research focuses on American political behavior - specifically the presidential nominating process, representation, and electoral reform. He is the author of Campaigns That Matter, a book that examines the role of candidate visits in presidential nominating contests and a number of articles that have appeared in The Journal of Political Marketing, Electoral Studies, Social Science Quarterly, The Forum, and Dialogue. He is also a contributor to the Political Science blog 3Streams, which focuses on the convergence of politics, policy, and ideas by highlighting the practical application of political science research. His forthcoming book The Constant Two Plan focuses on reforming the Electoral College in a way to better align the popular and electoral votes.
Dr. Wendland’s teaching Interests include: Elections and Voting Behavior, Politics and Pop Culture, Political Communication, Political Psychology, Public Opinion, Political Parties, Interest Groups, and Politics & the Media.
Read a brief article by Dr. Wendland in
Program Director
Adjunct Faculty
Mitchell Altman-Cosgrove, Esq., is a worker’s compensation attorney for Travelers Insurance in Buffalo, NY with over five years of trial experience on complex worker’s compensation matters. He received his Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Ƶ in 2013 and his Juris Doctor from SUNY Buffalo Law School in 2016.
Email: mcercone@daemen.edu
Marco Cercone, Esq., a partner at Rupp Baase Pfalzgraf Cunningham LLC is a trial attorney who concentrates his practice in first-party insurance coverage, claim investigation, and the litigation of first-party property insurance claims including arson, fraud, material misrepresentation, and property valuation claims. Mr. Cercone also handles subrogation and commercial matters, the defense of housing code violation cases, and the litigation of contested foreclosure cases. Mr. Cercone also has served as appellate counsel in matters involving commercial and first-party property insurance cases. He has lectured to numerous organizations and insurance professionals on various topics including arson claims, bad-faith, appraisal under the standard fire insurance policy, and mortgagee claims. Mr. Cercone has worked closely with municipal and federal authorities to assist in the successful prosecution of arson cases.
Mr. Cercone received his B.A. degree summa cum laude from Duquesne University in 1997. He received his M.P.A. degree from The George Washington University in 1999, and he was awarded his J.D. degree from the State University of New York at Buffalo law school in 2002. He also is an adjunct instructor in the Paralegal Studies program at Ƶ College, and he serves as Chair of the Operations and Infrastructure Committee at Rupp Baase.
Darleen Karaszewski, Esq., is managing counsel at ClearOne Advantage, LLC, where she oversees professional development opportunities at every level, while focusing on marketing, employment law, and outside business partnership creation and retention. She also manages day-to-day legal work, leads and coordinates the legal team, and oversees the legal department’s workflow and processes. Ms. Karaszewski received her Bachelor’s degree in English from Canisius College, her Master of Arts degree in Political Science from SUNY Buffalo, and her Juris Doctor from SUNY Buffalo Law School.
Jeremiah (Jerry) Lenihan is an Assistant United States Attorney in the Western District of New York, working out of the Buffalo Office. He is assigned to the Narcotics and Organized Crime Section where he focuses on prosecuting high-level narcotics trafficking, criminal street gang activity, and violent crimes. He handles cases from the investigative stage through trial. Before moving to Buffalo, Jerry served as an Assistant Prosecutor with the Union County Prosecutor's Office in New Jersey. There, he worked in various units, including Juvenile, Trial Team, Special Prosecutions, and spending the majority of his time in the Narcotics Strike Force, where he focused on narcotics trafficking and violent gang activity. Before joining the Ƶ staff, he previously taught as an Adjunct Professor at Montclair State in the Paralegal Studies Program. His teaching centered around popular cases in the media, such as the Adnan Syed case, as made popular on the Serial podcast, as well as the Aaron Hernandez murder trial. At Montclair State, he received the Paralegal Studies Distinguished Teacher Award. Jerry started his legal career clerking for the Honorable Joseph P. Donohue, Presiding Criminal Judge in Union County. He graduated from Quinnipiac University with a B.A. in Criminal Justice and received his J.D. from Seton Hall University School of Law.
Doug is the founder and CEO of National Society for Legal Technology (NSLT). Doug is a textbook author and nationally recognized expert in the field of legal technology education. The NSLT is used as classroom curriculum in over 275 universities and colleges in the U.S. and Canada and have individual members in 11 countries around the world.
After receiving his Juris Doctorate from the University of Laverne College of Law, Doug accepted his first Adjunct Professor position at Fullerton College. Never one to turn down a great opportunity, Doug also accepted Adjunct positions at Mt. San Antonio College, Ƶ, Salt Lake Community College, Pasadena City College and UC -Berkeley Extension. When not working one of his many jobs, Doug volunteers and serves on the International Conferences & Events Committee for the J. Reuben Clark Law Society (JRCLS), which is an international law society focused on religious freedom. Doug also serves on the Technology Advisory Board for the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILS).
CIO Views magazine honored Doug on the cover of their October 2022 edition and listed him in their “Top 10 Most Inspiring People In Legal Services, 2022.” In December 2022, Doug was presented the “Outstanding Leadership Award” at the Law2.0 conference in recognition for his contributions to the field of law.
Email: lparshal@daemen.edu
Office Location: DS 139
Phone Number: 716-839-8303
Dr. Parshall completed her undergraduate education at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse where she majored in Political Science. She received an MA and a Ph.D. in Political Science (2001) from the University at Buffalo (SUNY), specializing in American Politics, Public Law and Judicial Politics, and Public Policy. Dr. Parshall is the author and co-author of several law review articles relating to the constitutional jurisprudence of Supreme Court Justice Anthony M. Kennedy (the subject of her doctoral dissertation) and reform of the presidential nominating system.
Dr. Parshall is the Secretary of the New York State Political Science Association (2013-2014), and Chair of the State and Local Politics Section (2009-2014). She was the recipient of a 2012 Hackman Research Residency Award from the New York State Archives Partnership Trust and is currently working on a related manuscript, In Local Hands: Village Government Incorporation and Dissolution in New York State. Dr. Parshall is also a Key Votes Advisor (NY) for Project Vote Smart (2013).
Dr. Parshall is a member of the Northeastern Association of Pre Law Advisors (NAPLA) and serves as a campus Pre Law Advisor.
Dr. Parshall was awarded a grant in the amount of $8,000 from the Howard J. Samuels State and City Policy Center. Her proposal was reviewed and ranked as worthy of funding by a panel representing research scholars, policy practitioners, and the Samuels estate.
Research and Teaching Areas
American Politics: (Public Law & Judicial Politics, State and Local Politics, Election Law, Criminal Procedure, Judicial Process, Presidency and Institutions); Public Policy: (Federalism, Intergovernmental Relations)
Sarah N. Rodman, Esq., is currently senior counsel at Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani LLP and previously served as Partner and Civil Litigation Defense Attorney at Feldman Kieffer, LLP. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Ƶ in 2013 and her Juris Doctor from SUNY Buffalo Law School in 2016.