Agency Chief Counsel
Governor's Office of Administration
Keith Herbster
Chief Counsel
Keith A. Herbster was appointed Chief Counsel to the Governor’s Office of Administration in January 2023. Prior to his appointment, he served as the Acting Chief Counsel, Deputy Chief Counsel, and Assistant Counsel with the Governor’s Office of Administration. Mr. Herbster has been with the Office of Administration’s Office of Chief Counsel since 2000 where he has served as counsel on labor and employment matters. From 1998 to 2000, Mr. Herbster was an Assistant Counsel with the Pennsylvania Labor Relations Board. Before joining the Board, Mr. Herbster clerked for the Honorable Emil E. Narick, Senior Judge of the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania. Mr. Herbster also served as a law clerk for the Honorable Keith B. Quigley, former President Judge of the Court of Common Pleas for the 41st Judicial District, after he graduated cum laude and received his Juris Doctor from Widener University School of Law in 1996. Mr. Herbster received his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and History from Juniata College in 1993. Mr. Herbster, his wife, and their four children reside in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania.
Department of Aging
Althia O. Bennett
Chief Counsel
Ms. Bennett began her undergraduate studies at Fordham University at Lincoln Center then transferred to Harpur College of the State University of New York where she received her Bachelor’s Degree. She graduated Cum Laude with All University Honors and Honors in Political Science. She obtained her Juris Doctor degree from Temple University Beasley School of Law where she wrote for the Temple Environmental & Technology Law Journal; was awarded Outstanding Trial Advocacy and the Sender and Janina Szwalbenest Memorial Award.
Ms. Bennett is an experienced litigator in both criminal defense and civil areas of practice. Her legal background also encompasses appellate work and practice areas including contracts, real estate and commercial litigation. She began her legal career at the Defender Association of Philadelphia as a Staff Attorney, and later as a Municipal Court Supervisor. Upon completion of her term of service at the Defender Association she became a Managing Partner at a small law firm handling civil and criminal litigation. She later started her own practice as a solo practitioner handling appellate matters in Pennsylvania Superior and Supreme Courts, litigation matters in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania as a member of the Criminal Justice Act (CJA) panel as well as civil and criminal litigation in Philadelphia and the surrounding counties.
Ms. Bennett is a strong believer and advocate of volunteerism and pro bono legal work. She has worked as a Volunteer Lawyer for the Arts with the Philadelphia Arts and Business Council and Philadelphia VIP, Pro Bono Legal Services and Law Works, assisting low-income homeowners facing foreclosure. For her service to indigent criminal defendants she was awarded the First Judicial District of Pennsylvania 2010 Pro Bono Publico Award.
Ms. Bennett is admitted to practice in the Supreme Court of the United States, US Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit and the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. She is a member of the Pennsylvania Bar Association where she was appointed Co-Vice Chair of the Appellate Advocacy Committee and Co-Vice Chair of the Civil & Equal Rights Committee and the American Bar Association (ABA) where she was appointed to the Steering Group of the International Refugee Law Committee of the Section of International Law. She is an active participant in the ABA Law Student Division’s National Appellate Advocacy Competition as a Brief Grader, and Oral Argument Judge in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
Department of Agriculture
John Howard
Chief Counsel
John Howard was appointed Chief Counsel to the Department of Agriculture in February, 2019. He had previously served as Chief Counsel to the Department of Agriculture from 2011 to 2015, and as Assistant Counsel from 2015 until 2018. From 2002 to 2011, John served as the Staff Attorney for the Pennsylvania Milk Marketing Board, where he was responsible for advising Board Staff as to interpretation and enforcement of the Milk Marketing Law, representing the Staff in proceedings before the board, and drafting regulations and moving them through the regulatory review process. From 1999 to 2002 he was an associate in a small law practice in Lancaster County advising farm clients on matters involving agricultural land preservation, the Clean and Green Act, real estate transactions, environmental and nutrient management laws, and estate planning.
Mr. Howard brings a thorough knowledge of the agriculture industry, from production, regulatory, legal and organizational levels. From 1981 to 2001,
Mr. Howard operated a dairy farm in Willow Street, Lancaster County and continues to operate the farm for the growing of cash crops. He has been involved in local, state and national agricultural organizations, serving as a director of the Holstein Association USA, President of the Lancaster County Holstein Association, director of the Lancaster County Dairy Herd Improvement Association, and legislative liaison for the Lancaster County Farm Bureau.
Mr. Howard has also been active in local government, serving as a Township Supervisor for 15 years, as well as a member of his township's Zoning Hearing Board, Planning Commission, and Recreation Commission. He has also served as an adjunct professor at Harrisburg Area Community College, teaching a course in agricultural law at the Lancaster campus.
Mr. Howard received his Bachelor of Science degree from Pennsylvania State University, and his Juris Doctor from the Penn State Dickinson School of Law. He is admitted to practice before the Pennsylvania Supreme Court and the United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania. He is a member of the Pennsylvania Bar Association, which he served as Chairman of the Agricultural Law Committee.
Department of Banking and Securities
Stefanie Hamilton
Chief Counsel
Stefanie Hamilton was appointed Chief Counsel for the Department of Banking and Securities in August 2020. She was previously was appointed Acting Chief Counsel for the agency in December 2019. She started her Commonwealth career in 1998 as an attorney for the Pennsylvania Securities Commission. She then became associate counsel for the Department of Banking and Securities in 2012 after the merger of the Pennsylvania Securities Commission with the Department of Banking. In 2016, she became Deputy Chief Counsel for the Department. Ms. Hamilton is a 1994 graduate of Carnegie Mellon University with a B.S. in Industrial Management and B.S. in Economics and a 1997 graduate of The Dickinson School of Law.
Governor's Office of the Budget
Brian Zweiacher
Chief Counsel
Brian D. Zweiacher was appointed Chief Counsel to the Governor’s Office of the Budget in June of 2012. Prior to his appointment, he served as the Acting Chief Counsel since March of 2012. From 1993 to 2012, he served the Governor’s Office of the Budget Legal Office as an Assistant Counsel.
The Governor’s Office of the Budget is the Commonwealth’s fiscal manager with the responsibility for overseeing the Commonwealth’s financial operations and transactions of Pennsylvania’s $60+ billion total operating budget. In its role as the Commonwealth’s fiscal manager, the Governor’s Office of the Budget: oversees the creation of the Pennsylvania Governor’s annual Executive Budget plan and capital project spending plan; participates in the enactment of the Commonwealth’s annual budget plan and the budget-related legislation; oversees the implementation and execution of the enacted annual budgets and capital project itemization acts; processes the expenditure and payroll transactions for the Executive Branch agencies under the Governor’s jurisdiction and several independent agencies; has the lead responsibility for issuing and managing the Commonwealth’s General Obligation bonds; and, conducts or oversees financial and performance audits of Commonwealth agencies, including the Commonwealth’s annual Comprehensive Annual Financial Report and its annual federal Single Audit.
The Governor’s Office of the Budget Legal Office advises the Governor’s Office of the Budget on all of these areas of Pennsylvania’s financial operations, and on the Governor’s Office of the Budget’s own employment, procurement, and contract matters, and represents the Governor’s Office of the Budget before federal and state courts and administrative agencies.
Mr. Zweiacher received his B.A. with honors from Montclair State University in Upper Montclair, New Jersey, and his juris doctor from the Widener University School of Law where he was a staff member of what is now known as The Widener Law Journal, the law journal of Widener’s Harrisburg campus. He is admitted to practice in Pennsylvania, the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, and the United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania.
Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency
Debra Sandifer
Chief Counsel
Debra Sandifer was appointed Chief Counsel to the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency in February 2016.
Just prior to coming to OGC, Ms. Sandifer maintained a practice before administrative tribunals in Philadelphia, such as the Real Estate Tax Review Board and Workers’ Compensation courts. In private practice in Philadelphia, she handled general liability and insurance defense litigation, and represented the School District of Philadelphia.
Ms. Sandifer was General Counsel to the Philadelphia Housing Authority, and oversaw the claims and loss safety programs. Prior to that Ms. Sandifer was a Chief Assistant City Solicitor, defending the City of Philadelphia in civil rights matters before the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
Ms. Sandifer also served in the U.S. Navy Judge Advocate General’s Corps, was stationed in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii and Washington, D.C., and tried criminal cases in such places as Adak, Alaska and Australia. She successfully argued a pivotal 4th Amendment case before the United States Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces.
In prior service with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, she served as Deputy Inspector General for Southeastern Pennsylvania, and later as a law clerk at the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania.
Ms. Sandifer received a J.D. from the University of Virginia, and a B.A. in French and General Literature from the University of Pennsylvania.
Department of Community and Economic Development
Lori K. Irwin
Chief Counsel
Lori K. Irwin was appointed in December of 2021 as Acting Chief Counsel to the Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED), an agency which provides strategic technical assistance, training, and financial resources to promote economic development in communities across the Commonwealth. Preceding her appointment, Ms. Irwin served in a variety of capacities at DCED including as counsel to the various economic development financing programs, tax credit programs and the Governor’s Action Team. She also served as a
Deputy General Counsel with the Governor’s Office of General Counsel where her primary practice area was legislative initiatives.
Prior to her service with the Commonwealth which began in 1997, Ms. Irwin was in private practice with Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP, Philadelphia, PA, where she was a member of that firm’s Corporate and Securities Group.
Ms. Irwin received her bachelor of arts degree, summa cum laude, from LaSalle University in Philadelphia and her Juris Doctor degree, magna cum laude, from Boston College Law School. She resides in Lancaster County with her husband and two children.
Department of Conservation and Natural Resources
Audrey F. Miner
Chief Counsel
Audrey Feinman Miner was appointed Chief Counsel to the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources effective June, 2015. Prior to that appointment, Ms. Miner was a Senior Counsel with the Department of Health, where she functioned as the Litigation Coordinator and provided advice to a variety of health program areas. Before coming to Health, Audrey was Assistant Counsel-in- Charge, Personnel Section, at PENNDOT. At PENNDOT, Ms. Miner was primarily responsible for providing legal advice on labor and employment matters as well as working on a variety of high-profile issues concerning the vehicle emissions inspection program. Ms. Miner was appointed to an air Quality Task Force in order to oversee the legal aspects of PENNDOT’s implementation of the Clean Air Act amendments of 1990.
Ms. Miner received her undergraduate degree from the University of Pennsylvania and her juris doctor from the Wake Forest University School of Law, where she was on the Law Review. Prior to joining the Commonwealth, Ms. Miner was an associate at Morgan, Lewis & Bockius and clerked for the Honorable John A. MacPhail, Commonwealth Court.
Department of Corrections
Timothy A. Holmes
Chief Counsel
Timothy A. Holmes was appointed Acting Chief Counsel for the Department of Corrections in September of 2019 and later named Chief Counsel. He had been previously employed as the Deputy Chief Counsel for the Inmate Litigation Section. After being an OGC Intern through law school, he began his employment with the Department in 2002. He worked in all three of the Department's Legal Sections: Inmate Litigation, Employment, and Legal Services.
For the Inmate Litigation Section, he represented clients in trials, hearings, and oral arguments, including arguments before the Third Circuit Court of Appeals. For the Employment Section, he represented the Department in cases before the Pennsylvania State Civil Service Commission, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission, and Union Arbitrators. For the Legal Services Section, he drafted, reviewed, interpreted, executed, and ensured compliance with Department of Corrections' contracts, memoranda of understanding, intergovernmental agreements, licenses, leases, settlement agreements, and union agreements.
Mr. Holmes graduated from Juniata College in 1987 as an Academic All-American with a degree in Public Administration. After graduating, he worked for his family's printing business, as a private investigator, and a carpenter. While working, he went to school at night at Penn State University, Capital Campus to obtain a Master's Degree in Business Administration. Upon earning his degree, he began employment at the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency as a Management Analyst examining the agency's operating procedures, designating areas of improvement, and implementing the recommended procedures. After working at PHEAA for eight years, he enrolled full-time in the Penn State Dickinson School of Law, graduating in 2001.
Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs
Daniel Fellin
Chief Counsel
Daniel Fellin was appointed Chief Counsel to the Pennsylvania Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs in March 2019. Prior to his appointment, he served as Deputy Chief Counsel to the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services. He worked at the Department of Human Services from 1997-2019, and handled matters relating to licensing, behavioral health and intellectual disabilities, child welfare services, and county human services funding issues.
Mr. Fellin has litigated cases in Federal and State courts; drafted, analyzed, and revised legislation and regulations; and advised agency executive staff and CEOs of state-operated care facilities on a variety of legal and operational matters. He served as a mentor to new attorneys in the OGC Litigation Skills Training Program and as co-chair of the OGC Litigation Practice Group Motions Subcommittee. Prior to joining OGC,
Mr. Fellin worked for the Pennsylvania House of Representatives Judiciary Committee during and after law school. He obtained his B.A. from Swarthmore College and his J.D. from the Dickinson School of Law.
Department of Education
Sarah DiRito
Chief Counsel
Sarah Castillo DiRito was appointed Chief Counsel for the Pennsylvania Department of Education in January 2023. Ms. DiRito joined the Department's Office of Chief Counsel as an Assistant Counsel in 2012 and since July 2014, has served as Assistant Chief Counsel, overseeing the Educator Discipline Unit. The Educator Discipline Unit, with a team of attorneys, support staff, and investigators, is responsible for investigating and prosecuting professional misconduct complaints made against Pennsylvania educators. Along with her team, Ms. DiRito administratively prosecuted complaints through any appeals. In addition to prosecuting complaints, Ms. DiRito worked with Commonwealth agencies and educational partners to implement Pennsylvania's teacher misconduct laws and regulations, and to inform the educational field of their responsibilities.
Prior to joining the Department of Education's Office of Chief Counsel, Ms. DiRito served as an Assistant District Attorney in Adams County, Pennsylvania, where she specialized in prosecuting child abuse cases and crimes against women. Ms. DiRito received her Juris Doctorate from Duquesne University School of Law, where she received the Louis L. Manderino Honor Society for Distinguished Achievement in Moot Court. She holds a B.A. in Communication Disorders and has a Master's degree in Speech-Language Pathology from the University of Pittsburgh. In addition to her legal work, Ms. DiRito has worked as a Speech-Language Pathologist in a variety of settings.
Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency
Leonard Cowitch, Jr.
Chief Counsel
Leonard Cowitch, Jr. was appointed Chief Counsel to the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency in September 2023. Prior to his appointment, he served as the Deputy Chief Counsel for the Department of Military and Veteran Affairs (DMVA), which is the agency that oversees the Pennsylvania National Guard, administers veterans’ programs, and operates six long term care facilities for veterans and their spouses. Len joined DMVA in 2014 and focused on contracting and procurement, labor and employment, regulatory and legislative issues, and litigation.
Prior to joining DMVA, Len served as a prosecuting attorney with the Department of State, Bureau of Professional and Occupational Affairs. He was assigned to the Nurse Board, Real Estate Commission, and the Bureau of Charitable Organizations. Len began his legal career in the Pennsylvania General Assembly as a staff attorney in the Democratic Caucus, Office of Chief Counsel.
Additionally, Len is currently serving as a Judge Advocate with the Pennsylvania Army National Guard. He is an active member in the James S. Bowman American Inns of Court. He received his B.A. in Political Science from the Pennsylvania State University and his J.D. from the Widener University Delaware Law School.
Department of Environmental Protection
Michael A. Braymer
Chief Counsel
Michael Braymer was appointed Chief Counsel to the Department of Environmental Protection effective December 2023. Prior to that appointment, Mr. Braymer was the Regional Counsel with the Department of Environmental Protection's Northwest Regional Office.
Mr. Braymer started his Commonwealth Career as a summer law school intern with the Department of Environmental Protection in the summers of 2000 and 2001. After graduating law school, Mr. Braymer was also an associate for the Quinn Law Firm, in Erie, PA, where he represented individuals and companies in a wide range of environmental and oil and gas matters. He returned to the Commonwealth as an Assistant Counsel with the Department of Environmental Protection in February 2004. He was promoted to Supervisory Counsel in 2016, and then to Regional Counsel of the Northwest Regional office in January, 2023. In these roles, Mr. Braymer has counseled and represented the Department of Environmental Protection on complex cases of regional and statewide significance.
Mr. Braymer served as lead counsel for the Department of Environmental Protection in several cases before the Environmental Hearing Board, Pennsylvania Supreme Court, Commonwealth Court, various Courts of Common Pleas, and United States District Court and Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania.
Mr. Braymer received his undergraduate degree in History from the Edinboro University of Pennsylvania in 1999 and his Juris Doctor from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law in 2002.
Department of General Services
Shawn E. Smith
Chief Counsel
Shawn Smith serves as the Chief Counsel for the Department of General Services. In this position, he provides advice, counsel, and expertise on complex and sensitive department legal matters to senior executive officials and the Office of General Counsel. He oversees a staff of attorneys and support staff who cover the department’s legal needs in procurement, real estate, non-highway construction projects, Capitol Police, facilities & maintenance, and litigation for the department. In addition, the office covers government operations and human resources issues.
Smith was previously appointed Deputy Secretary for Administration in May 2021. In these capacities, he served as Chief Financial Officer, oversaw the Department’s human resources, budget and risk/insurance management, information technology, print and media services, as well as all real estate transactions for the commonwealth.
Mr. Smith has more than 21 years of legal experience with 17 of those years with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Having most recently served as the Deputy Chief Counsel, Governor's Office of General Counsel, Department of General Services since 2016, and also as the department's Policy Director since 2020.
Mr. Smith has served as both Executive General Counsel and Deputy General Counsel in the Governor's Office of General Counsel, where he oversaw all areas of contracting, grants, procurement and regulations for the 36 executive agencies under the Governor's jurisdiction and the 500 attorneys of the Office of General Counsel. In addition, he served as the Assistant Counsel/Prosecuting Attorney for the Governor's Office of General Counsel, Department of State.
Mr. Smith holds Bachelor of Art degrees in History and Legal Studies with a minor in Philosophy from the State University of New York at Buffalo and his Juris Doctorate from the Dickinson School of Law of the Pennsylvania State University.
Department of Health
Douglas Snyder
Chief Counsel
Douglas Snyder was appointed Chief Counsel to the Department of Health in January, 2023. Prior to his appointment, Douglas served as the Deputy Chief Counsel for the Pennsylvania Department of Health since 2018. He served as an attorney for the Department of Health since 2007. During that time, Douglas served as counsel for numerous programs including the Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, Robert P. Casey Memorial Organ and Tissue Donation Awareness Trust Fund, the Bureaus of Information and Informatics Technology, the Bureau of Health Planning, the Bureau of Emergency Medical Services and the Bureau of Emergency Preparedness and Response. He has also served as the Department of Health's Right-to-Know Law Legal Liaison, Contracts Coordinator and as the Department's designee for the Governor's Advisory Council on Veteran Services.
Prior to attending law school, Douglas served in the United States Army and the Pennsylvania Army National Guard. He is a 2002 graduate of Bloomsburg University. He graduated from The Pennsylvania State University's Dickinson School of Law in 2006 as a member of the school's Woolsack Honor Society. After graduation, Douglas served as a legal intern for the Judge Advocate General and United States Army War College in Carlisle and clerked for the Honorable Richard J. Walsh of the Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas of the 39th Judicial District in Chambersburg.
Pennsylvania Health Insurance Exchange Authority
Ana Paulina Gomez
Chief Counsel
Ana Paulina Gomez was appointed as Chief Counsel of the Pennsylvania Health Insurance Exchange Authority, d/b/a/ Pennie® in January of 2023. As Chief Counsel, she oversees Pennie's legal matters and provides legal advice to Pennie's senior staff. Prior to her appointment, she worked for the Pennsylvania Insurance Department where she represented the Department in litigation before administrative tribunals and appellate courts. She also provided the Department with legal advice regarding complex insurance issues, legislation, and regulations.
Ms. Gomez is also an Adjunct Professor at Penn State Dickinson Law where she teaches Insurance Law. Prior to joining the Insurance Department, she worked for the Pennsylvania Department of Education where she litigated educator misconduct cases at the administrative and appellate level. Prior to joining the OGC, Ms. Gomez was an Assistant District Attorney at the York County District Attorney's Office from 2012 until 2015. Prior to her work as an ADA, Ms. Gomez clerked for the Hon. Thomas Kelley in York County immediately after graduating from law school.
Ms. Gomez attended the Penn State Dickinson School of Law where she interned for the Hon. Yvette Kane, U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania and served as a Senior Editor for the Penn State Environmental Law Review and a Miller Center for Public Interest Fellow. Ms. Gomez is admitted to practice before the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania and the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. She is also a trained mediator.
Leonidas Pandeladis
Chief Counsel
Leo Pandeladis was appointed Chief Counsel for the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency in December 2019. Prior to his appointment, Mr. Pandeladis served as Chief Counsel for the Department of Banking and Securities. Prior to that appointment, he served as the Director of Enterprise Compliance for the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency. In that role,
Mr. Pandeladis was responsible for the management and oversight of PHEAA’s agency wide compliance management system. This oversight focused on insuring compliance with federal and state consumer protection statutes, regulations, sub-regulatory guidance, and other authority and applying these to agency operations primarily in the arena of student loan servicing for both the United States Department of Education and private financial service and banking entities.
Prior to his role at PHEAA,
Mr. Pandeladis was the Chief Counsel for the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education. Leo has also served as the Chief Counsel for the Pennsylvania Treasury Department, the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture and as Acting Chief Counsel for the Pennsylvania Department of State. Before his tenures as Chief Counsel,
Mr. Pandeladis served as a Deputy General Counsel with primary responsibilities as legislative counsel for the Governor’s Office and in litigation involving the Governor’s Office. In 2002,
Mr. Pandeladis was appointed as Deputy Commissioner for Professional and Occupational affairs. In addition to these roles,
Mr. Pandeladis served as an attorney with the Department of State and Pennsylvania Office of inspector General.
Mr. Pandeladis graduated Cum Laude from the University of Pittsburgh with degrees in microbiology/biochemistry and political and Magna Cum Laude with his juris doctor from the Duquesne University School of Law where he was a member of the Duquesne University Law Review senior staff.
Department of Human Services
Kenneth J. Serafin
Chief Counsel
Kenneth J. Serafin was appointed Chief Counsel for the Department of Human Services (DHS) in August of 2020. He was previously appointed Acting Chief Counsel of DHS in October of 2019.
Mr. Serafin had served since August of 2018 as the Executive Deputy Chief Counsel at DHS.
Mr. Serafin has over seventeen years of experience with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, including service as Chief Counsel to DHS, Deputy Chief Counsel to the Pennsylvania Insurance Department, Medical Care Availability and Reduction of Error Fund, and Chief Counsel to the Fund’s predecessor entity. Prior to returning to DHS in 2018,
Mr. Serafin was Counsel at Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney PC in the firm’s Health Care Practice in Harrisburg, PA.
He also has over seven years of federal government experience which includes service as a member of the majority professional staff on the Health Subcommittee of the U.S. House of Representatives, Committee on Ways and Means in Washington, D.C. His areas of responsibility included the Medicare Part A hospital benefit, fraud and abuse, health insurance and health care quality improvement.
Mr. Serafin also served as Workforce Policy Counsel and professional staff for the U.S. House of Representatives, Committee on Education and the Workforce in Washington, D.C., where he developed legislation on issues including employee health and pension benefits, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, employment law and labor relations.
Mr. Serafin obtained his B.A. from the Pennsylvania State University and his J.D. from the Dickinson School of Law.
Pennsylvania Infrastructure Investment Authority (PENNVEST)
Shawn W. Weis
Chief Counsel
Shawn W. Weis was appointed Chief Counsel for the Pennsylvania Infrastructure Investment Authority (PENNVEST) in April 2024. Prior to her appointment, Ms. Weis served as Assistant Counsel to PENNVEST for nineteen years, focusing her practice on handling revenue-based, asset-based and real estate structured transactions for financing sewer, drinking water, storm water, Brownfield and non-point source projects. While serving as Assistant Counsel, Ms. Weis assisted the agency with the development of the nation's first nutrient credit clearinghouse, a state program for the remediation of Brownfield sites, and the design and development of an integrated online system for settlement on funding awards.
Prior to joining PENNVEST, Ms. Weis served as In-House Legal Counsel for KnowledgePlanet, Inc., an international software platform company based out of Reston, Virginia, and an Associate in the Corporate, Business and Real Estate Sections of the Harrisburg-based law firm of Keefer Wood Allen & Rahal, LLP. She has also served as clinical law professor for the Penn State Dickinson School of Law, teaching a course on elder law.
Ms. Weis is a graduate of the Penn State Dickinson School of Law and Elizabethtown College where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and Economics.
Ms. Weis is a member of the Pennsylvania Chapter of Women in Public Finance, the Pennsylvania Association of Bond Lawyers and the National Association of Bond Lawyers. She has served on the Board of Directors for the Pennsylvania State Employees Credit Union since 2017 and currently serves as the Board Chair.
Office of State Inspector General
Daniel Dye
Chief Counsel
Daniel J. Dye was appointed Chief Counsel to the Office of State Inspector General (OSIG) in January 2023.
Prior to his appointment, Mr. Dye served for over a decade in the Office of Attorney General within the Criminal Law Division - Criminal Prosecutions Section. He held the positions of Deputy Attorney General, Senior Deputy Attorney General, and Assistant Chief Deputy Attorney General.
During his service with the Attorney General's Office, Mr. Dye led the groundbreaking five-year investigation into child sexual abuse in the Roman Catholic Church in Pennsylvania, exposed criminal misconduct by government officials, and represented the Commonwealth in the prosecution of numerous cases of sex crimes, child abuse, and homicide - among many other cases of public interest.
Mr. Dye served as the Director of the Attorney General's Medical and Legal Advisory Board on Child Abuse from 2012 to 2023. In 2018, he was awarded the Pennsylvania Bar Association's Government Attorney of the Year Award. In 2019, he was recognized as a Blue Ribbon Champion for Safe Kids by the Pennsylvania Family Support Alliance.
Prior to serving in the Attorney General's Office, Mr. Dye was a Lancaster County Assistant District Attorney in the Special Victims Unit. He is a graduate of the Penn State Dickinson School of Law and Kent State University.
Department of Insurance
Kathryn M. Speaks
Chief Counsel
Kathryn Speaks was appointed Acting Chief Counsel for the Pennsylvania Insurance Department in December 2021. Prior to her appointment, she served as the Department’s Senior Litigation Counsel since 2017, overseeing licensing and enforcement matters and litigating complex insurance issues before administrative agencies and the Pennsylvania appellate courts.
Ms. Speaks has dedicated her entire career to public service. She joined the Commonwealth in 1996 as a law clerk for the Bureau of Workers’ Compensation for the Department of Labor and Industry, and then acted as Assistant Counsel primarily handling litigation and regulatory matters for the Bureau. Ms. Speaks also served as Assistant Counsel to the Bureau of Labor Law Compliance, Senior Counsel for the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board and Deputy Chief Counsel for the Workers’ Compensation Appeal Board. In these different capacities, she has represented the Commonwealth in all facets of litigation, including civil, criminal, administrative and appellate law matters.
Ms. Speaks is admitted to practice before the PA Supreme Court, the U.S. Middle District Court of PA, and the federal Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit. She is a summa cum laude graduate of Kutztown University and received her Juris Doctorate in 1995 from the Dickinson School of Law. She is a current Council member of the Labor and Employment Section of the PBA, and previously served as Chairperson. She resides in Cumberland County with her husband and two sons.
Department of Labor and Industry
Benjamin Holt
Chief Counsel
Benjamin Holt was appointed Chief Counsel for the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry in January 2023. Prior to his appointment, Mr. Holt served as Deputy Commissioner for the New York City Department of Consumer and Worker Protection where he led NYC's worker protection efforts.
Mr. Holt has dedicated his entire legal career to advocating for the rights of working people. Prior to joining the Commonwealth, he spent twelve years in the public sector with New York State and then New York City. At the NYC Department of Consumer and Worker Protection, Mr. Holt led the largest municipal worker protection office in the country working on new labor standards for workers including paid safe and sick leave, fair scheduling practices, and other private sector protections. Mr. Holt helped launch the office in 2016 and oversaw its legislative and policy advocacy, new law implementation, and enforcement of and legal defense of city labor and employment laws. Before that as an Assistant Attorney General in the Labor Bureau at the NYS Attorney General's Office, Mr. Holt handled affirmative civil investigations and litigation of labor rights violations, represented the New York State Department of Labor in appellate and judgment enforcement proceedings, and conducted criminal prosecutions relating to wage theft, retaliation, unemployment insurance fraud, and other related matters.
Prior to entering public service, Mr. Holt worked as a legal services attorney representing low-wage workers on a variety of labor and employment claims in federal and state litigation and before administrative agencies. Mr. Holt spent his first two years out of law school in the South representing migrant farmworkers on wage hour and health and safety matters. Following this, Mr. Holt returned to the Northeast and spent four years at the Urban Justice Center's Community Development Project where he represented members of community-based organizations on a range of employment matters including wage theft, retaliation, discrimination, unemployment, and workers' compensation.
Mr. Holt received his law degree magna cum laude from the American University Washington College of Law where he was a Public Interest-Public Service Scholar. He received his undergraduate degree with honors from Brown University. He grew up in Philadelphia where he currently lives with his family.
Department of Military and Veterans Affairs
Edward Cherry
Chief Counsel
Edward G. Cherry was appointed Chief Counsel to the Pennsylvania Department of Military and Veterans Affairs in April of 2023. Immediately prior to his appointment, Mr. Cherry served as Deputy Chief Counsel to the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS). In that role, he provided legal services relating to long term care, the Medicaid Program and human services licensing. Before joining DHS's legal office in 1999, Mr. Cherry represented various health care providers in the private sector. Throughout his career, Mr. Cherry has provided legal advice on complex operational issues, and he has litigated extensively before state and federal courts and before quasi-judicial tribunals.
Outside of his practice, Mr. Cherry has presented legal topics for several organizations, including the Pennsylvania Bar Institute. He also taught a graduate course in Health Law at Penn State-Harrisburg.
Mr. Cherry holds a B.S. from Dickinson College; an M.S.H. from the University of Pittsburgh, Graduate School of Public Health; and a J.D. from the Widener University School of Law (Harrisburg). He is also a 2008 graduate of DHS's Leadership Development Institute.
Pennsylvania Municipal Retirement System
See above Brian Zweiacher - Governor's Office of the Budget
Pennylvania Parole Board
Alan Robinson
Chief Counsel
Alan Robinson was appointed Chief Counsel for the Pennsylvania Board of Probation and Parole in October of 2016. Prior to this appointment, he served as Acting Chief Counsel for the Board of Probation and Parole from January of 2015. Previously, Mr. Robinson served as Deputy Chief Counsel from January of 2012 until January of 2015. His employment with the Board of Probation and Parole began in July of 2004, with an appointment as Assistant Counsel. Mr. Robinson began his employment with the Office of General Counsel in July of 2000 as an Assistant Counsel at the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections. Prior to employment with OGC, Alan was employed as a law clerk to the Honorable John S. Kennedy (York County) and as an associate in private practice.
Mr. Robinson currently represents the Board in claims filed by offenders and employees in state and federal courts and administrative tribunals. He also advises the Board and senior staff on all issues impacting the Board’s operation and provides training to county probation officers, state parole agents and hearing examiners. As an Assistant Counsel at the Department of Corrections, Alan represented the Department in inmate litigation and employment matters.
Mr. Robinson is admitted to practice before the United States Supreme Court, the United States Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit, the United States District Courts for the Eastern, Middle and Western Districts of Pennsylvania and the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania.
Mr. Robinson is a graduate of Purdue University and a cum laude graduate of the Dickinson School of Law, where he was a recipient of the Sidney D. Kline Memorial Scholarship and a member of the Woolsack Honor Society.
Department of Revenue
Thomas J. Gohsler
Chief Counsel
Tom Gohsler was appointed Chief Counsel for the Pennsylvania Department of Revenue in February 2019. Prior to his appointment, he served as Acting Chief Counsel and Deputy Chief Counsel for Revenue from 2011 through 2017, supervising five attorneys that provide litigation and legal support services in the areas of inheritance tax, gaming matters, personnel, and agency transactional and procurement work. Additionally, Mr. Gohsler served as counsel for the Pennsylvania Lottery during that time.
Prior to his appointment as Deputy Chief Counsel, he worked as counsel for Revenue from 1999 through 2011 and handled areas that included inheritance tax, sales and use tax, and Lottery. Mr. Gohsler frequently speaks before county bar associations and various practice groups concerning issues related to tax and estate planning matters.
Mr. Gohsler received his undergraduate degree from the University of Scranton and his juris doctor from the Dickinson School of Law.
Department of State
Kathleen Kotula
Chief Counsel
Kathleen Kotula was appointed Chief Counsel to the Department of State in January 2023. In that role, she serves as counsel to the Secretary of the Commonwealth and executive and senior level officials on matters affecting the Department of State. She oversees a team of nearly 75 attorneys and more than 50 other personnel who provide legal services to the various bureaus within the Department of State as well as the 29 professional licensing boards and commissions.
Prior to her appointment, Kotula served as Executive Deputy Chief Counsel with the Department of State's Office of Chief Counsel since July 2018. Before that, Kotula served as a Deputy Chief Counsel and an Assistant Counsel with the agency. She has been with the Department of State since 2007.
In 2012, and again in 2016, Kotula was awarded the Governor's Office of General Counsel Certificate of Excellence, and in 2020 she was named an Unsung Hero by The Legal Intelligencer, the nation's oldest daily legal newspaper.
Prior to entering Commonwealth service, Kotula worked as an associate in a general practice law firm.
Kotula received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Lehigh University and her Juris Doctor degree from the Dickinson School of Law of the Pennsylvania State University. She served as a judicial law clerk to the Hon. F.P. Kimberly McFadden, Judge of the Court of Common Pleas of Northampton County.
Kotula is admitted to practice in Pennsylvania and in various federal courts, including the U.S. District Courts for the Eastern, Middle and Western Districts of Pennsylvania, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.
Pennsylvania State Police
Brendan O'Malley
Chief Counsel
Brendan J. O'Malley was appointed Chief Counsel to the Pennsylvania State Police in February 2023. Prior to his appointment, he served as a Chief Deputy Attorney General of Pennsylvania under then Attorney General Josh Shapiro.
As a Chief Deputy Attorney General, Mr. O'Malley supervised a diverse cross-section of attorneys as part of the Attorney General's Gun Violence Section. He was counsel to four squads of investigative agents across the Commonwealth while serving as lead trial attorney on major case prosecutions in state and federal court. As a well-respected gun trafficking expert, he collaborated with federal, state and local partners to prioritize and improve the tracing of crime guns and represented Attorney General Shapiro in governmental hearings and inter-agency working groups. Under Mr. O'Malley's leadership, local law enforcement's ability to trace crime guns increased over 100% following efforts to share information across county lines. Through his role as Chief Deputy, he also was cross designated as a Special United States Attorney.
Prior to his appointment at the Office of Attorney General, O'Malley was an associate trial attorney assigned to a national trial team for civil jury trials in state and federal courts of New York, Delaware, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. His firm was recognized as the 2017 U.S. News & World Report National Law Firm of the Year in Mass Tort litigation during his service.
Before entering private practice, Mr. O'Malley was a senior trial attorney in the Homicide Unit of the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office. While an Assistant District Attorney he tried 75 cases to verdict and prosecuted complex multi-defendant shootings, the line of duty murder of a Philadelphia Police Sergeant, and other high-profile trials. Mr. O'Malley was a frequent guest lecturer at local universities and law schools and certified both state and local law enforcement officers, including FBI agents, in expert witness courtroom testimony.
Mr. O'Malley received his law degree from Temple University, his undergraduate degree from the George Washington University, and is licensed to practice law in the states of New York, Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
State System of Higher Education
Cathy McCormack
Acting Chief Counsel
Cathleen A. McCormack was appointed Acting Chief Counsel to the State System of Higher Education and its constituent universities effective October 7, 2024. Ms. McCormack has served as primary legal counsel to several State System universities since 2011. Before representing the State System of Higher Education, Ms. McCormack was employed by the Governor’s Office of General Counsel as a Special Assistant to the General Counsel and as a Deputy General Counsel.
Department of Transportation
Jeffrey M. Spotts
Chief Counsel
Jeffrey M. Spotts was appointed Acting Chief Counsel for the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) in June 2023 and was named Chief Counsel in October 2023. Prior to his appointment, he was the Executive Deputy Chief Counsel since January 2023, serving as chief administrator for three regional PennDOT legal offices that provide litigation and legal support services for forty-five (45) counties, as well as assisting the Chief Counsel in overall management of the office's personnel and fiscal needs. Jeff also supervised the Deputy Chief Counsel of the General Law, Driver and Vehicle Services, Real Property, and Highway Construction and Claims Divisions.
Prior to his appointment as Executive Deputy, Jeff served in various roles in the General Law Division since December 2007 including Assistant Counsel, Assistant Counsel in Charge, Senior Counsel and Acting Deputy Chief Counsel. Throughout his career with PennDOT, Jeff has been PennDOT's Records Legal Liaison, Regulatory Counsel and lead attorney for contracts, specializing in procurement, state and federal diverse business programs, litigation and alternative funding initiatives, including Public-Private Transportation Projects. Major projects Jeff has worked on at PennDOT have included large facility construction projects and litigation; complex Public-Private Transportation projects that build partnerships with the private sector to address public needs; and more recent initiatives to leverage historic levels of federal funding to bring new programs and opportunity to the Commonwealth.
Before commencing his Commonwealth service with the Office of General Counsel in December 2007 Jeff: externed with the Public Utility Commission's Law Bureau and the Hon. Renee Cohn Jubelirer, Commonwealth Court; and worked in two small, general practice law offices in Lewisburg and Danville, Pennsylvania.
Jeff is a graduate of the Widener University School of Law—Harrisburg, where he was a staff member of the Widener Law Journal; and is a cum laude graduate of Juniata College, holding a Bachelor of Arts degree in Politics and History. While at Juniata, Jeff was a four-year member of the football team and co-captain his senior year. He is extremely grateful for his family with whom he resides on multi-generation family farms in central Pennsylvania.