Siena College is honored to have the opportunity to recognize U.S. District Judge Mae Avila D'Agostino, Siena College Class of 1977.
A native of Albany, New York, Judge D'Agostino was awarded her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, magna cum laude, from Siena College in 1977. She served as the Vice President, Student Senate; President, Political Science Society; as well as a Delegate to both the Harvard University Model United Nations organization and the New York State Mock Assembly. At graduation, Judge D'Agostino was inducted into Alpha Kappa Alpha, the Honor Society of Siena College; the National Scholastic Honor Society for Students in Catholic Colleges and Universities, Delta Epsilon Sigma; the International Social Science Honor Society, Pi Gamma Mu; and the Honor Society in History, Phi Alpha Theta, as well as honored with the Siena College Student Affairs Award. Subsequently, she attended Syracuse University College of Law, receiving her J.D. degree in May 1980, and was recognized with The International Academy of Trial Lawyers Award for her distinguished achievements as a student in the art and science of advocacy.
After graduating from Law School, Judge D'Agostino began her career as a trial attorney. She has tried numerous civil cases including medical malpractice, products liability, negligence, and civil assault. At the time of her appointment to the federal judiciary in 2011, she was a trial attorney with the law firm of D'Agostino, Krackeler, Maguire & Cardona, P.C.
Judge D'Agostino has been recognized professionally for her outstanding contributions to the community: the 1989 recipient of the Young Lawyer Award from the New York State Bar Association's Insturance, Negligence, and Compensation Section; the Albany - Colonie Regional Chamber of Commerce's 1995 Woman of Excellence Award; the United States District Court Award for Voluntary Service in 2002; and The Kate Stoneman Award from Albany Law School in 2008. In 1995, she was honored by the Siena College Alumni Association with The Father Benjamin Kuhn, O.F.M. Distinguished Alumnae Award.
Judge D'Agostino is a past member of the Siena College Board of Trustees, Albany Law School Board of Trustees, and the Syracuse University College of Law Board of Visitors. She is a member of the New York State Bar Association and Albany County Bar Association, having served as County Bar Association President in 1998. Judge D'Agostino is a past Chair of the Trial Lawyers Section of the New York State Bar Association and is a member of the International Academy of Trial Lawyers and the American College of Trial Lawyers. She has served as an Adjunct Professor of Law at Albany Law School, teaching Medical Malpractice.
In recognition of her lifetime of achievement and service as an attorney and federal judge, Siena College awards U.S. District Judge Mae D'Agostino, the honorary degree, Doctor of Laws.