The mission of the Board of Advisors (BOA) of Penn State Law is to support and enhance Penn State Law's vision of providing legal education for a changing society.
The BOA is an advisory, non-fiduciary body whose purpose is to provide the dean and other Penn State Law administrators and faculty members with constructive input, feedback, advice, and assistance on all areas of importance to Penn State Law. These areas include admissions, alumni and development, curriculum, hiring and placement of recent graduates, and any other matters deemed helpful by the dean to further the school's ability to recognize its strategic goals and objectives.
The Honorable D. Brooks Smith, Chair
D. Brooks Smith is the Chief Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. He has served on the Third Circuit since 2002 and was elevated to Chief Judge on October 1, 2016. more..
Judge smith has the longest tenure of all Article III judges within the Third Circuit who are in active service, and he is the only judge in the history of the Circuit to have served as both a chief district judge and chief circuit judge.
Judge Smith has served by appointment of the Chief Justice of the United States on the Judicial Conference of the United States (JCUS) Space and Facilities Committee, concluding a three-year term as chair on September 30, 2016. In the 1990s, he served on the JCUS Advisory Committee on Criminal Rules. He is currently a member of the Judicial Conference of the United States, the policy-making body of the Federal Judiciary, and also sits on its eight-member Executive Committee.
Prior to his elevation to the Third Circuit, Judge Smith was the Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania. He joined the District Court in 1988.
While on the federal bench, he has participated in various rule of law programs for the judiciary in a number of Eastern European Countries. Judge Smith also serves as an adjunct professor at Penn State Law, where he teaches a seminar on class actions. In 2016, the law school presented Judge Smith its first "Leadership Award," and, in 2017, Penn State presented him with the Distinguished Alumni Award, the University’s highest alumni honor.
Prior to his appointment to the federal bench, Judge Smith was a judge on the Court of Common Pleas of Blair County, Pennsylvania; District Attorney of Blair County, Pennsylvania; and the managing partner in the law firm of Jubelirer, Carothers, Krier, Halpern and Smith. He resides in Altoona, PA with his wife, Karen.
Robert Barbarowicz
Robert Barbarowicz is a partner in Michelman & Robinson, LLP's (M&R's) Los Angeles office and leads the firm's Regulatory Practice Group. more..
Bob has more than 30 years of experience in navigating insurance companies in their corporate, transaction and regulatory matters. He has extensive experience in structuring, negotiating and closing complex transactions for insurance clients, including M&A, corporate finance, capital extraction, reorganizations and reinsurance transactions.
Bob guides large insurance and financial institution clients through regulatory matters at the federal and state level across the US, with a particular focus on property and casualty, life, title, and surplus lines carriers. These services include navigating investigations and market conduct examinations, force-placed insurance, rate regulation, rate filings, and regulatory approvals. As an active participant of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) meetings, Bob is at the forefront of insurance regulatory developments.
Bob developed his business acumen and deep insurance industry knowledge after spending 11 years as a business executive and chief insurance regulation executive for Balboa Insurance Group, and prior to that, as executive officer and general counsel of National Information Group and its insurance subsidiary, the Great Pacific Insurance Company. Bob also served as Executive Vice President and General Counsel of The Ahmanson Insurance Companies.
Ed Beckwith, Vice Chair
Ed Beckwith is nationally recognized for his skill and commitment as counsel to high net worth families and charities across the country. more..
He serves as the national leader of BakerHostetler's Tax-Exempt Organizations and Charitable Giving practice.
Ed's experience includes the legal and administrative specialties required to establish and successfully guide the operations of charitable and educational organizations, healthcare institutions, and trade associations. He advises families, family offices, and their professionals with respect to the tax- efficient accumulation, management, and distribution of their personalwealth. His advice is often sought with respect to the governance and "best practices" of such organizations and the maintenance of their tax-exempt status, as well as the tax and practical aspects of contributions and other financial support programs. A significant aspect of Ed's practice involves the application of the tax laws to family and business financial arrangements, including the preparation of related documents to conserve and transfer wealth, the administration of such arrangements, and the representation of clients before legislative, judicial and regulatory branches of government at all levels.
For his entire professional career, Ed has lectured throughout the United States and has written extensively, including articles and speeches for the American Law Institute and the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel. He frequently chairs continuing education programs for private wealth professionals and has been an adjunct tax professor at the Georgetown University Law Center for 30 years, where he currently teaches and coordinates a graduate-level certificate program in Advanced Estate and Charitable Planning.
Michael S. Doluisio 
Mike Doluisio is a litigation partner at Dechert LLP in Philadelphia. He has more than 20 years of experience in trial and appellate matters, focusing on complex commercial litigation, financial services litigation, securities litigation, shareholder derivative litigation, actions involving mergers and acquisitions, and accounting malpractice and fraud actions. He has tried cases in federal and state courts and has argued numerous appeals. more..
Mike graduated with a B.S. in Finance from Penn State, achieving high distinction and a J.D. degree from Harvard Law School, cum laude.
Mike’s judicial clerkships include the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and the Honorable Edward N. Cahn.
Paul Gallagher
Paul Gallagher is Executive Director of Morgan Stanley in Wilmington, De. In this role he oversees the legal coverage team for Morgan Stanley's investment advisory business, which comprises over $800 billion in assets under management. more..
Paul's legal experience has been focused on matters relating to investment management including mutual funds, investment advisers, retirement investing, corporate governance and charitable investing. Prior to his role at Morgan Stanley, Paul was General Counsel at the ICMA Retirement Corporation in Washington, DC, a firm that provides investment management services to state and local government retirement plans. Paul spent the first twelve years of his career as Principal and Assistant General Counsel of The Vanguard Group of Investment Companies in Valley Forge, PA.
Paul is a 1984 graduate of the Dickinson School of Law and holds a BA in History from Penn State (1981).
Alan R. Gedrich
Alan R. Gedrich is a Partner in the investment management group of the law firm of Stradley Ronon Stevens & Young LLP in Philadelphia, where he has practiced law for over thirty years. more..
Alan's practice principally focuses on representing mutual funds and registered investment advisers, exchange-traded funds, hedge funds, independent trustees of mutual funds, and investors in public and private funds. His practice also includes mergers and acquisitions of registered investment advisers and change of control transactions, public and private securities offerings and general corporate work for businesses and not-for-profit organizations.
Alan graduated with a B.S. in Accounting from The Pennsylvania State University and a J.D. degree from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law. Prior to attending law school, Alan worked in public accounting for the accounting firm of PricewaterhouseCoopers, LLP (formerly, Coopers & Lybrand, CPAs) and is a Certified Public Accountant.
Alan has a long history of volunteering with Penn State University, having served for many years on the Executive Board of the Penn State Alumni Association Alumni Council as well as on the Smeal College of Business Alumni Society (ultimately, as the President of the Smeal Alumni Society Board). He also presently serves as on the Board of Trustees of AIM Academy, a private, college preparatory school in suburban Philadelphia for students who have learning differences.
The Honorable Kim R. Gibson
The Honorable Kim R. Gibson was born in Trenton, New Jersey, and is the son of James Russell Gibson and Eleanor Martha (Mitchell) Gibson. more..
Judge Gibson graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1970, with a Bachelor of Science degree, and, in 1975, he received his Juris Doctor degree magna cum laude from the Dickinson School of Law. While in law school, he was an editor of the Dickinson Law Review. He was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the United States Army in June 1970 and, following completion of airborne and ranger training, he served as an armor officer until 1975 and as a JAG officer until 1978. Following his release from active duty, he continued to serve in the United States Army Reserve and, in 1996, retired as a Colonel, JAG, USAR. In 1991, he and his JAG Detachment were activated during the first Gulf War.
From 1978 to 1997, Judge Gibson practiced law as a sole practitioner in Somerset, Pennsylvania. During that time, he served as a public defender, attorney for Children and Youth Services, solicitor for a school district and various municipalities, and as solicitor for Somerset County. He was elected to the Somerset County Court of Common Pleas in 1997. During his time on the common pleas bench, he was instrumental in establishing Victim Impact Panels and a Juvenile Drug Court-the second such court in Pennsylvania at that time.
President George W. Bush appointed Judge Gibson to the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania on September 23, 2003. Judge Gibson is an adjunct instructor at the Penn State Dickinson School of Law and a member of the Board of Counselors for the Penn State Dickinson School of Law. In 2013, Chief Justice John Roberts appointed Judge Gibson as a member of the Committee on Court Administration and Case Management (CACM) of the Judicial Conference of the United States.
Judge Gibson is the former co-chairman of the Flight 93 Task Force. Composed of members from all over the United States, this group was tasked by Congress to establish both a national memorial to the passengers and crew of Flight 93 and a national park at the site where Flight 93 crashed in Somerset County, Pennsylvania, on September 11, 2001.
Larry Green
Lawrence "Larry" Green is a Penn State undergrad, Northeastern Law Grad, and currently at the law firm, Sunstein LLP in Boston. more..
Experience:
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Successfully managed Cooper v. Goldfarb, the longest running patent interference in U.S. history. This 18-year conflict involved three appearances before the Board of Patent Appeals and Interferences (BPAI), and two appeals to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (Federal Circuit).
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Successfully represented the University of Iowa before the BPAI and the Federal Circuit in an interference proceeding involving the use of polynucleotides to treat allergy by selectively stimulating the immune system. The Federal Circuit decision made new law regarding the statutory deadline within which an applicant may provoke an interference with a patent.
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Successfully represented MIT in two patent interferences before the BPAI with respect to methods for detecting genetic defects.
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Briefed and argued three litigation related appeals to the Federal Circuit, one being the seminal case of Vitronics Corporation v. Concentronic, Inc.
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Briefed and argued three ex parte appeals to the Federal Circuit, one being In re Sullivan, overturning a board decision of obviousness.
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Participated in five patent infringement trials, three of which were jury trials.
Activities:
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American Bar Association
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American Intellectual Property Law Association
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Association of University Technology Managers (AUTM)
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Boston Bar Association
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Boston Patent Law Association
Walter C. Grollitsch
Walter C. Grollitsch is an attorney and leader with over 15 years of legal experience in working with entrepreneurs, startups and corporations all over the world. more..
Walter is recognized for expertise in negotiation. Walter's strong technical background in engineering from The Penn State University enhances his understanding of complex matters. Walter is known for excellent communication, and he has spoken on legal matters throughout the United States, and worldwide.
Walter is General Counsel and Head of Intellectual Property at Intervale Capital in Houston, Texas. Intervale Capital is a private equity firm investing primarily in oilfield manufacturing and service companies. At Intervale Capital, Walter advises the management at Intervale Capital and the portfolio companies on various legal matters, and on strategic ways to create, defend and assert their intellectual property rights. Walter has been involved in several intellectual property disputes in the federal courts and in the United States Patent Office. Walter has negotiated numerous settlement agreements and cross-licensing agreements. Prior to Intervale Capital, Walter worked at Patterson + Sheridan as an intellectual property attorney.
Walter graduated with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from The Penn State University and a J.D. degree from South Texas College of Law Houston. Prior to becoming an attorney, Walter worked as an engineer for over 8 years at FMC Technologies and other companies.
Kenneth D. Henderson
Kenneth D. Henderson retired in December 2016 as Deputy Chief Counsel for the Pennsylvania Department of Revenue, where he was responsible for planning, developing, and implementing the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania tax policy. more..
As Deputy Chief Council, Kenneth served as supervisory counsel to the Bankruptcy/Enforcement Section of the Legal Office of the Department of Revenue.
Kenneth joined the Department of Revenue in 1979 as a Bureau Director, and during his 37-year career with the department he also served as Acting Chair of the Board of Appeals, Special Assistant to the Secretary of Revenue, Deputy Secretary for Taxation, Acting Secretary of Revenue, Special Assistant to the Chief Counsel, and Acting Chief Counsel.
A Certified Public Accountant, Kenneth earned his bachelor's degree in Accounting, cum laude, from the Penn State Smeal College of Business and received his juris doctor from the University of Pennsylvania. He started his career as a tax specialist at Coopers & Lybrand in Philadelphia and also served as a Tax Attorney at for E. I. du Pont de Nemours & Co. in Wilmington, Delaware, prior to joining the Pennsylvania Department of Revenue.
Kenneth has served as a visiting professor at St. Augustine's College, the Thurgood Marshall School of Law, Dillard University, Southern University, and Hampton University. He serves on the Medical Review Committee for Highmark, Inc., and previously served on Highmark's Medicare Part B Oversight Committee. At Penn State, he previously served on the Executive Board of the Alumni Council of the Penn State Alumni Association as chair of the Budget and Finance Committee and was president of the Alumni Board of Directors of the Smeal College of Business Administration.
Michelle Hylton
Michelle Hylton is Senior Counsel in the Legal Department of Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., an Atlanta-based media and content company whose portfolio includes CNN, TNT, TBS and Cartoon Network. more..
Michelle specializes in the area of Regulatory Compliance and, as a member of Turner's Ethics and Compliance Office, advises all of Turner's businesses on various aspects of federal regulatory compliance, including FCC, export control/OFAC, FCPA and state corporate law compliance. In addition, she collaborates with Turner's other compliance officers to advise on matters such as conflicts of interest and compliance with Turner's standards of business conduct, to conduct internal investigations, and to design training and awareness programs for Turner's 10,000+ employee population. Prior to joining Turner, Michelle spent 7 years at renowned global law firm Jones Day, where she focused on corporate and securities law. In addition to her substantive work, Michelle is active in the Turner Legal Department's community outreach programs, including the Street Law and Scott Elementary School programs, each of which targets disadvantaged youth.
Michelle is a cum laude graduate of Duke University, where she earned a BA in English and Political Science with a minor in Classical Studies, and a graduate of the Pennsylvania State University Dickinson School of Law, where she was an editor of the Dickinson Law Review and a member of the Woolsack Honor Society. In her leisure time, Michelle enjoys reading and spending time with her husband and two children.
Hon. Tanya R. Kennedy
Hon. Tanya R. Kennedy, Associate Justice, Appellate Division, First Department, Supreme Court of the State of New York, was elected to the Supreme Court, New York County in 2015 and is the former Supervising Judge of Civil Court, New York County. more..
Hon. Tanya R. Kennedy was appointed in July 2020 as an Associate Justice of the Appellate Division, First Department by Governor Andrew M. Cuomo. Prior to her appointment, Justice Kennedy served as a Justice of the Supreme Court, New York County, commencing in January 2016, after election in November 2015. She was elected to Civil Court in November 2005 and thereafter served in Criminal Court (January 2006-September 2008), Civil Court (September 2008-December 2009), Family Court (January 2010-December 2010), as Acting Supreme Court Justice (January 2011-December 2012) and as Supervising Judge of Civil Court, New York County (January 2014-December 2015). She is also a former Adjunct Professor at Fordham University School of Law, where she taught a Juvenile Justice seminar for ten years.
Before her election to Civil Court, Justice Kennedy served as Principal Law Clerk to Hon. Barry A. Cozier when he was an Associate Justice of the Appellate Division, Second Department (March 2001-December 2005) and when he was a Justice in the Commercial Division, New York County (May 1999-March 2001). Prior to her clerkship with Justice Cozier, Justice Kennedy served in the Office of the Corporation Counsel, New York City Law Department, as an Assistant Corporation Counsel in the Bronx Family Court Division (August 1992-August 1994) and in the Bronx Tort Division (August 1994-August 1997), where she was promoted to Tort Trial Specialist and later to Assistant Deputy Chief.
Justice Kennedy is a member of the Board of Directors of the New York City Bar Association and past chair of the organization’s Special Committee to Encourage Judicial Service. She is also an Executive Committee member of the Women in Law Section of the New York State Bar Association; member of the Committee on Pattern Jury Instructions of the Association of Supreme Court Justices of the State of New York; member of the Board of Overseers of the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, where she received her law degree; and an Advisory Board Member of Penn State Law. Justice Kennedy is also the Past President of the National Association of Women Judges (NAWJ).
A frequent speaker at various conferences, she has received numerous professional awards, including the 2021 John E. Higgins, Esq. Diversity Trailblazer Award from the New York State Bar Association; the 2020 Inspiration Award from the New York Coalition of Women’s Initiatives in Law; the 2017 Diversity Leadership Award from Penn State Law; the 2015 Alumni of the Year Award from Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law; the 2014 Award from the New York County Lawyers’ Association Civil Court Practice Section; and the 2012 Pat Irvin Personal Service Award from the Association of Black Women Attorneys.
She also has experience with the Lanham Act, Sherman Antitrust Act, Fair Credit Reporting Act, Freedom of Information Act, and the Pennsylvania Right to Know Law. Recently, she served on a team that successfully secured a preliminary injunction for a number of non-profit entities against the federal government and on a team that successfully defended against significantly valued breach of contract claims. Alison is experienced at handling various stages of litigation, including pleadings, discovery, motions, and appeals. She serves on the Firm's e-Discovery Committee.
Alison coordinates the Pro Se Pro Bono ADR Program for the Western District of Pennsylvania, matching pro se litigants with pro bono counsel for ADR purposes. In addition, she is active in the Firm's pro bono efforts before trial and appellate courts. She successfully argued an immigration appeal before the Third Circuit Court of Appeals, litigated a landlord tenant action before the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas, and assisted a client in reaching settlement as part of the Pro Se Pro Bono ADR Program. She is active in the community, serving on the board of directors for Hosanna House, Inc. and the Penn State Law Board of Counselors.
Alison is a member of the Pennsylvania Bar Association and Allegheny County Bar Association.
Stephen C. Lee
Stephen Lee is currently a Vice President and the Deputy General Counsel at Ameren Corporation leading the legal department of over 50 legal professionals in support of Ameren Corporation's various power companies. Ameren is a fully rate-regulated investor owned electric and gas utility with over 3.4 million customers and 9,100 employees in Illinois and Missouri. more..
Stephen has over 25 years' experience as a practicing attorney licensed in Illinois and Ohio. Prior to joining Ameren in 2020, Stephen was a Managing Counsel at BP for over 19 years leading the downstream legal team in the Americas. With a global team of over 26 legal professionals in Chicago, Houston, Mexico City, Sao Paulo and Wayne, NJ, Stephen was accountable for the provision of legal services to various BP businesses including three refineries, various terminals, industrial plants, pipelines, logistics assets, 8000+ BP, ARCO and ampm branded service stations along with other fuel, petrochemical, Air BP and Castrol lubricant marketing interests and over 5000 employees. Throughout his BP career, Stephen served on various executive teams and boards to advise senior executives on a wide range of areas including commercial strategies, litigation, antitrust, employment, labor, pricing, advertising, real estate, lending and environmental as well as in other key legal matters.
Stephen graduated with a B.S. in Business Logistics from the Pennsylvania State University in 1993 and a J.D. from Case Western Reserve Law School in 1996. Stephen also serves as an Executive Advisory Council member of Asian Americans Advancing Justice in Los Angeles. Stephen and his family currently live in St. Louis, Missouri.
Kelly Lloyd
Kelly (Howard) Lloyd is an Assistant District Attorney in the Montgomery County District Attorney's Office, located in Norristown, PA. She is currently a member of the Trials Division, serving as the Captain of the Narcotics Unit. more..
Kelly manages a caseload of approximately 250-300 cases at any given time, primarily consisting of felony and misdemeanor violations of The Controlled Substances Act, including Delivery of a Controlled Substance, Possession with Intent to Deliver, Acquisition by Fraud, Drug Delivery Resulting in Death, and Possession of a Controlled Substance, among others. She also handles various other types of criminal offenses as assigned, up to and including criminal homicide. Kelly is a 2010 graduate of Penn State Law. While at Penn State, she served as President of the Student Bar Association, as well as on the executive board for the Penn State Law Review. Kelly obtained her undergraduate degree from Juniata College. She resides in Harleysville, PA, with her husband Kent, also a 2010 graduate of Penn State Law, and their son, Jesse.
Sarah Mika
Sarah was appointed General Counsel for AARP Services Inc. in January 31, 2005. In this role, she provides legal leadership in the areas of corporate governance and policies, Board support, and contract negotiations for new and existing products, services, and provider relationships. more..
In addition, she is responsible for the legal support in many areas of law, including insurance, advertising and marketing, tax and privacy. Sarah also oversees the ASI Corporate Compliance and Ethics program and provides legal guidance to ASI's President and senior management.
Sarah joined AARP in 1989 as Associate General Counsel and has had increasing levels of responsibility in since that time. She was instrumental in the establishment of ASI as a legal entity and was assigned to AARP Services at its inception in 1999. Since then she has been responsible for providing legal counsel and guidance on a number of complex matters and for preparing and filing corporate documents, drafting Board resolutions and bylaws, and ensuring that we are in compliance with all federal and state regulations and statutes. Sarah serves as Corporate Secretary to the ASI Board of Directors and Counsel to the AARP Insurance Trust. She also served as General Counsel to AARP Financial Inc.
Prior to coming to AARP, Sarah was a staff attorney at the Federal Trade Commission in the Bureau of Consumer Protection and was responsible for the Commission's case against General Motors, the first case authorizing the use mediation and arbitration to settle consumer complaints. She is a graduate of the Pennsylvania State University, with distinction, and earned her JD at The Columbus School of Law at Catholic University.
Steven Miller
Steve Miller is of counsel with Hogan Lovells in the firm's Washington, D.C. office, representing clients on energy transactional and regulatory matters, maintaining a particular focus on nuclear power, joint ventures, power project development, commercial law, and mergers and acquisitions. more..
Steve has deep energy industry experience earned during nearly a dozen years of service as general counsel of Constellation Energy's power generation business and its multi-national nuclear joint ventures, preceded by several years in the energy practices of internationally recognized Washington D.C. law firms. Earlier in his career, he served on active duty as an officer in the U.S. Navy's Judge Advocate General's corps.
Steve brings a keen business management understanding to his practice and clients, honed during his years at Constellation. During his tenure at Constellation, in addition to general counsel and company secretary roles, he served as president of a multi-national generation development company, senior vice president of generation strategy, chief compliance officer, and head of regulatory/legislative affairs. Prior to joining Constellation, Steve represented numerous merchant energy clients in project development, regional transmission organization formation, and FERC regulatory matters. During his active duty service, among other things, he defended the Department of the Navy in several high-profile civil proceedings in federal trial and appellate courts.
Representative Experience:
- Served as Acting GC and executive counsel to the Board and CEO, for Middle East Area state-owned corporation constructing four nuclear reactors in one of the world's largest power generation projects.
- Negotiated and led the successful structuring, formation, regulatory approval, and governance implementation of several international joint ventures, which are now models for foreign investment in U.S. critical infrastructure assets.
- Led legal negotiations and implementation of the US$4.5 billion sale of 49.99% of a major U.S. nuclear business to a large foreign nuclear owner/operator, which included a US$2 billion liquidity facility (involving 12 separate generation asset sales agreements and approvals), debt restructuring, investor agreements, complex federal/state regulatory approvals, creative governance structures, and extensive change management.
- Led US$600 million transaction in the sale to a foreign company of 50% of a major U.S. new nuclear development business. Managed all ongoing legal activities of and support to the new joint venture, including project financing, engineering/procurement/construction contracts, foreign export credit agency/U.S. government loan guarantee processes, and major procurement.
- Led legal teams in the purchase and integration of three nuclear power plants/businesses.
- Identified and attained permanent US$12 million annual operating cost reductions through previously unutilized Federal Energy Regulatory Commission precedent.
- Led the integration teams and corporate turnover of a major U.S. nuclear generation business.
Kevin Rethore
Kevin W. Rethore concentrates his practice on complex civil and business disputes, professional and fiduciary liability litigation, and trust controversies. more..
He leverages his deep litigation experience and wide-ranging background to counsel individuals, families, fiduciaries, businesses, and nonprofits to help clients achieve their strategic goals and objectives before, during, and after litigation arises. A significant portion of his practice is dedicated to litigation avoidance, including risk mitigation, dispute resolution, and litigation preparedness.
Kevin also has argued before state and federal appellate courts across the country on critical issues, including multiple appeals directed to the scope of personal jurisdiction in the evolving global economic landscape.
His pro bono efforts include representing veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts before the Department of Veterans Affairs, conducting investigative work for the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detentions, working with conservation groups in the Northeast and Mountain West regions, and partnering with clients and community organizations to launch pro bono initiatives.
Christie Brown Tillapaugh
Christie Brown Tillapaugh is a Shareholder at the Pittsburgh-based law firm of Dentons Cohen & Grigsby P.C. and the Chair of the Non-Profit and Tax-Exempt Organizations Group. more..
Christie serves as outside general counsel and provides corporate governance and strategic transaction-related counseling for a number of organizations, both tax-exempt and for profit. Prior to joining the firm, Christie worked at a large international law firm and then as in-house counsel for mid-size publicly-traded company headquartered in Pittsburgh. Christie serves on the firm’s Oversight and Executive Committee and the firm’s Diversity & Inclusion Committee. Christie previously served as Chair of Talent Management, a strategic position responsible for recruitment, retention and promotion, the Chair of Recruiting and Hiring and Associates Committee.
Christie is serving as co-Chair of the Allegheny County Bar Association, Gender Equality Committee, a strategic advisory committee, which launched the Women's Institute for Leadership in Law ("WILL"). The program was awarded the American Bar Association Partnership Award and recognized by the Pennsylvania Bar Association. Christie was selected as a recipient of the 2019 Pittsburgh Business Times Women of Influence Award, which honors the region's most influential business women at for-profit companies, nonprofits and government entities. She is also active in a number of women's professional organizations and organizations that support diversity and inclusion.
Christie is a graduate of Pennsylvania State University, where she earned a BA in International Politics, and a graduate of the Pennsylvania State University Dickinson School of Law, where she was a member of the Woolsack Honor Society and Order of the Barristers.
The Honorable Mary Beth Ward
The Honorable Mary Beth Ward was appointed an Environmental Appeals Judge in 2015. Judge Ward brings to the Board almost three decades of litigation and management experience at the United States Justice and Commerce Departments in matters arising under federal pollution control and natural resource laws. more..
Prior to joining the Board, Judge Ward served as Deputy General Counsel for the Commerce Department's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). In that capacity, she led a staff of attorneys, paralegals and support personnel providing legal advice across a wide array of NOAA programs that manage the nation's commercial and recreational fisheries and protect at-risk marine species and their habitat. That work included the timely resolution of significant legal issues relevant to NOAA's mission in over 200 rulemaking actions annually, as well as providing critical litigation support to the Justice Department in a docket that, on average, included approximately 100 pending federal court cases. During her tenure at NOAA, Judge Ward was recognized twice for her work with the Commerce Department Gold Medal, the Department's highest award.
Prior to joining NOAA in 2004, Judge Ward served as trial attorney, Assistant Chief, and ultimately as Deputy Chief in the Justice Department's Environmental Defense Section, where she litigated on behalf of EPA and other federal agencies in both federal district and appellate courts. That litigation included defending rules issued and other actions taken by EPA under federal pollution control laws, representing the United States against claims of responsibility for costs to cleanup polluted sites, defending against claims challenging federal agency compliance with federal and state pollution control laws, and prosecuting violations of the Clean Water Act. Before joining the Justice Department in 1987, Judge Ward was an associate with the Environmental Department of Wolf, Block, Schorr & Solis-Cohen in Philadelphia, PA. Judge Ward earned her Juris Doctor degree, magna cum laude, from Harvard Law School, and Bachelor of Science Degree in Mineral Economics with Highest Honors from the Pennsylvania State University.
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