Addie A. Abelson was appointed Deputy General Counsel with the Governor’s Office of General Counsel (OGC) in August 2021. In addition to her general responsibilities to the General Counsel, Addie’s practice focuses on regulatory and transactional matters on behalf of the Governor’s Office and in conjunction with various executive and independent agencies.         

Addie comes to OGC from the Department of Human Services, where she advised the agency on regulatory matters. She also provided legal counsel to the Department’s Office of Income Maintenance on matters related to program administration and recipient eligibility for the following programs: Medical Assistance, Long Term Care, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. Addie represented the Department in appeals before the Commonwealth Court and the Department’s Bureau of Hearings and Appeals. She received her bachelor of science in industrial engineering from the University of Pittsburgh and her juris doctor from the Pennsylvania State University’s Dickinson School of Law, where she served as an editor on the Penn State Law Review.
        

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.         

Morgan C. Davis began her career with OGC in June 2016 as an Assistant Counsel with the Board of Probation and Parole. Morgan currently represents the Board in claims in state and federal courts and administrative tribunals. Morgan also serves as the Right to Know Law Legal Liaison where she represents the Board before the Commonwealth’s Office of Open Records and the Commonwealth’s appellate courts.        

 She also provides legal training to county probation officers and state parole agents from across the Commonwealth. Prior to employment with OGC, Morgan was an attorney at the Law Offices of Silliker & Reinhold (Harrisburg, Pa), where she focused her practice on family law, wills, and estates. 
        

Morgan is admitted to practice before the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania and the United States District Courts of the Eastern, Middle, and Western Districts of Pennsylvania. Morgan is a 2011 graduate of the University of Pittsburgh where she received a B.S. in Marketing and a Certificate in Leadership and Ethics. She received her Juris Doctor from the Widener University School of Law (Harrisburg Campus), where she still serves on the Dean’s Diversity Council. Morgan also serves as a mediator in the OGC Mediation Program.         

Stephen Ekema-Agbaw began his career with the Office of General Counsel, in January 2015, as an Assistant Counsel with the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR). At DCNR, Stephen focused his practice on contracts, grants, procurement and regulations and was the primary attorney for DCNR's grants bureau. Subsequently, Stephen joined the Department of Military and Veterans' Affairs (DMVA). At DMVA, Stephen continued his transactional work, and added competency in administrative litigation, by representing the Department before hearing examiners and the Office of Open Records. 
       

Currently, Stephen serves, as an Assistant Counsel with the Commission on Crime and Delinquency (Commission). In this role, Stephen advises the Commission on matters related to grant management, contracts, and procurement. Additionally, Stephen represents the Commission before the Office of Open Records, and other administrative tribunals.        

Stephen received his undergraduate degree from Lafayette College and his Juris Doctorate from Wake Forest University School of Law. 
       

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. 
        

Kevin Hoffman is a graduate of York College of Pennsylvania and Widener University School of Law. Prior to joining the Office of General Counsel Mr. Hoffman spent a decade in private practice where he handled criminal, family, and civil cases. Mr. Hoffman was one of only a few attorneys in York County who were certified to handle death penalty cases. While in private practice, Mr. Hoffman represented clients in nearly a hundred trials ranging from bench trials to jury trials in both state and federal court.          

Mr. Hoffman joined the Office of Legal Counsel in the Department of Health in 2018 where he took over the Right-to-Know law litigation efforts. In December 2019, Mr. Hoffman became the litigation supervisor for the Office of Legal Counsel and helped oversee the all the Department of Health’s litigation efforts. Mr. Hoffman has appeared before the Commonwealth Court and the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. He was a member of the a team of attorneys who won the Certificate of Excellence from the Office of General Counsel in 2019.          

 Mr. Hoffman is a member of the Pennsylvania Bar Association and the Dauphin County Bar Association.          

Jonathan D. Koltash was appointed Chief Counsel to the Pennsylvania Health Insurance Exchange Authority in December 2019. Previously Mr. Koltash served as Assistant Chief Counsel for the Pennsylvania Department of Health (DOH). In that position, he served as DOH’s litigation supervisor, providing counsel to the Secretary of Health, the Physician General, and DOH staff on litigation matters. He was counsel to the Bureau of Human Resources, the Bureau of Laboratories, and the Office of Medical Marijuana. He is also an adjunct professor at Widener Commonwealth Law School and Central Penn College.          

Prior to working with the DOH, Mr. Koltash served as Deputy Attorney General with the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General, where he represented the Commonwealth in various matters before both the federal and state courts. Mr. Koltash also previously served as Assistant Counsel for the Department of Labor and Industry.          

Mr. Koltash is an active member of the Pennsylvania Bar Association (PBA). He currently sits in the PBA’s House of Delegates and serves as the Chair of the Government Lawyers’ Committee. He is currently serving as the Treasurer of the Pennsylvania Bar Institute, Secretary of the Federal Bar Association Middle District Chapter, a member of the Board of Directors for the YMCA Youth and Government program a member of Widener Commonwealth’s Board of Overseers and leadership in the James S. Bowman Inn of Court.          

Mr. Koltash is admitted to practice before the United States Supreme Court, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, and the United States District Courts of the Eastern, Middle and Western Districts of Pennsylvania. Mr. Koltash received his B.S. in Finance and Economics from the Pennsylvania State University and his J.D., cum laude, from Widener University Commonwealth Law School.          

Jonathan W. Kunkel joined the Governor’s Office of General Counsel in 1996 and since 2018, serves as a Senior Counsel with the Office of Administration. Prior to that he was assigned to the Department of Education for three years. Mr. Kunkel, when he joined OGC, was originally assigned to the Department of Corrections in the Employment Litigation Section where he served for nineteen years. At Corrections and now at the Office of Administration, Mr. Kunkel regularly litigates employment cases before the State Civil Service Commission, the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Pennsylvania Labor Relations Board and the Commonwealth Court. Prior to joining OGC he served as a Law Clerk to Senior Judge Narick of the Commonwealth Court. He received his J.D. Degree from the Cleveland-Marshall College of Law and his B.A. Degree from New York University. Prior to attending law school, Mr. Kunkel worked as a researcher in the Political Operations Unit for ABC News in New York City covering the 1988 Presidential Elections.         

Mr. Kunkel is an active member of the Pennsylvania Bar Association and is currently the Co-Chair of the Government Lawyers Committee, is a Zone 3 delegate to the House of Delegates, is a council member of the Administrative Law Section and previously served as the Chair; is a council member of the Labor and Employment Law Section and, since 2000, has been a scoring judge for the Statewide High School Mock Trial Competition sponsored by the PBA’s Young Lawyers’ Division.         

Mr. Kunkel is also an active member of the Dauphin County Bar Association where he served as President in 2013, served three terms as the Chair of the Government Law Section and served five terms on the Board of Directors. He has twice been the recipient of the Angelo Skarlatos Memorial Award presented by the DCBA’s Young Lawyers Section to a member of the organization who demonstrates strong support of and advocacy for young lawyers. Mr. Kunkel is also a Master in the James S. Bowman American Inn of Court where he served a two-year term as President and is a Master in the William Lipsitt American Inn of Court.         

Mr. Kunkel has also served on the Board of Directors of the American Red Cross of the Susquehanna Valley, on the Board of Directors of Theatre Harrisburg including a term as Chairman of the Board and on the Board of Directors of the Friends of the State Museum of Pennsylvania including four terms as President and was presented with the Distinguished Service Award by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission.         

Heather McCarthy began her career with OGC in August 2016, with the Department of State, Prosecution Division. Ms. McCarthy currently serves as a Senior Prosecuting Attorney, supervising a team of prosecuting attorneys practicing before several state Boards at the Bureau of Professional and Occupational Affairs. She has experience handling matters before numerous Boards at BPOA, including the State Boards of Medicine, Osteopathic Medicine, Psychology, Social Work, Massage Therapy, Chiropractic, Physical Therapy, Nursing, Pharmacy, Vehicle Dealers, Barber, and Cosmetology. She is a subcommittee co-chair of the OGC Licensing and Certification practice group, and a member of the Criminal Justice practice group.        

Prior to joining OGC, Ms. McCarthy served as an Assistant Criminal District Attorney in the Tarrant County Criminal District Attorney's Office (Fort Worth, Texas) where she prosecuted numerous felony and misdemeanor criminal offenses, including nearly one hundred jury trials as well as significant Grand Jury work. She began her career as a judicial law clerk to the Hon. Chief Justice John Cayce, Second Court of Appeals, Fort Worth, Texas.        

Ms. McCarthy graduated from Carleton College, with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology. She received her Juris Doctor from Baylor Law School where she was a member of the Baylor Law Review. She is licensed in Pennsylvania and Texas.        

Nolan B. Meeks was appointed Acting Chief Counsel in November 2022. Nolan has served as Deputy Chief Counsel and Assistant Counsel for the Pennsylvania State Police (PSP) where he advised the Department on a variety of legal matters and represented PSP in litigation before administrative bodies, courts of common pleas, Pennsylvania’s intermediate appellate courts, the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, and the Third Circuit Court of Appeals. Nolan has also served as Hearing Examiner to the Department of State (DOS) where he presided over administrative hearings for the DOS, Bureau of Professional & Occupational Affairs and other Commonwealth Agencies, and drafted proposed adjudications and orders for various boards and agency heads.     

Prior to joining the Commonwealth, Nolan worked at a Harrisburg law firm where he represented clients in Social Security disability cases before administrative law judges and on appeal to the Social Security Appeals Council and in federal district courts. Nolan started his legal career in the Reading office of MidPenn Legal Services where he represented indigent clients in landlord/tenant, public housing, consumer debt and custody cases.     

Nolan graduated from Cheyney University with Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and received his Juris Doctor from the Penn State Dickinson School of Law. He lives in Dauphin County with his wife and four children. 
    

Biography forthcoming.  

Heather M. Sharp serves the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation’s Office of Chief Counsel as Senior Counsel, managing its employment and personnel practice areas. In addition, she serves as co-chair of the Office of General Counsel’s Labor and Employment Law Practice Group. 
   

Ms. Sharp has served as an attorney for the Commonwealth since 1997. Prior to joining the Department of Transportation in 2007, she was counsel to the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission for over 10 years, as an assistant counsel and then as an assistant chief counsel. Ms. Sharp also served the Office of Administration’s Office of Chief Counsel as Senior Counsel for several years before returning to the Department of Transportation in May 2022.       

Ms. Sharp received her Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Virginia in 1993 and her Juris Doctor from the Widener University School of Law in 1997, where she was a member of the Moot Court Honor Society and served as a chairperson on its Executive Board.       

Amber Sizemore was appointed Deputy General Counsel in the Governor’s Office of General Counsel (OGC) in March 2023. Amber’s OGC practice focuses on ethics and employment issues as well as systemwide administrative matters. She also currently serves as Chief Counsel to the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, and counsel to the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts and Patient Safety Authority.
 

Prior to OGC, Amber served as Senior Deputy Attorney General in the Health Care Section of the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General, University Legal Counsel at the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education, and Assistant Counsel to the Workers’ Compensation Appeal Board at the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry.