Jess Velona is a graduate of Harvard College, Columbia Law School, and NYU.  He is a Lecturer-in-Law at Columbia Law School and was Adjunct Assistant Professor of History at the College of Staten Island.  He was a one-time political candidate in Manhattan and a surrogate campaign speaker for Bill Clinton.  Velona also was an aide who drafted speeches for Senator Daniel Moynihan.  He has practiced law for more than 25 years.  Velona teaches 1968:  The Year That Shook Our History at NYU SPS.