Elizabeth Pettis ’03 receives honor at annual diversity banquet

Elizabeth Pettis, assistant counsel in the Office of Chief Counsel for the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections and president of the Keystone Bar Association (KBA) in Harrisburg, Pa., has been named the honoree for the Penn State Dickinson School of Law’s Student Bar Association Annual Diversity Awards Banquet set for March 21.  

Prior to joining the Department of Corrections, Pettis served as in-house counsel at the Pennsylvania State Employees' Retirement System, one of the largest public retirement funds. She has worked as an attorney at firms including R.L. Hicks & Associates and Eckert Seamans Cherin & Mellott, LLC, where she focused in contracts and corporate law. Additionally, Pettis served as deputy attorney general in the Pennsylvania Office of the Attorney General, and in the U.S. Army as company commander. 

Pettis holds a bachelor's degree in political science from Millersville University, a master's degree in public administration from Columbus State University, a juris doctor from the Penn State Dickinson School of Law ('03), and an LL.M. degree from American University Washington College of Law.

The banquet will be held from 6 - 9 p.m. at The Penn Stater Hotel and Conference Center in University Park, Pa. The Student Bar Association established the event to honor members of the Law School Community who have contributed to the development of communities that are culturally diverse, inclusive, and equitable. The event's theme is "The Evolving Nature of Diversity" and will start with appetizers followed by a dinner and ceremony. Penn State Law professor Samuel C. Thompson, Jr. will be the keynote speaker at the event.