Dale Adair
Dr. Dale Adair serves as the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS) Chief Psychiatric Officer and the Medical Director for the Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (OMHSAS). In this role, he provides clinical expertise and consultation to the Deputy Secretary of OMHSAS and the Secretary of DHS. He provides input and guidance into the policies which affect the provision of mental health and substance use treatment throughout the state. He has been a leader in the development of the vision for PA’s First Episode Psychosis program; PA team efforts with the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation Accelerator-Substance Use Disorder project; Centers of Excellence (COE) for the treatment of Opioid Use Disorder; Health Equity; and served as Project lead for the PA Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic Program. He is involved with numerous efforts aimed at suicide prevention and currently serves as the lead on Pennsylvania’s efforts to implement 988 as the new 3-digit number for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. He has worked on numerous projects for the Department with the aim of improving access and quality of care for Medicaid beneficiaries while containing costs. One of those projects is an Integrated Care Plan Program that requires Physical and Behavioral Health Managed Care Organizations to work together to care for shared patients. He has served as Co-chair for the Behavioral Health Commission for Adult Mental Health. Past awards include the Governor’s Award for Excellence in Leadership and the PA Rehabilitation & Community Providers Association Community Leadership Award. He is a psychiatrist by training with over 30 years of experience and a life fellow of the American Psychiatric Association.
Kristin Ahrens
Kristin Ahrens currently serves as the Deputy Secretary for Pennsylvania’s Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) within the Department of Human Services. Prior to her appointment as Deputy Secretary in 2018, Ms. Ahrens served as the Director of the Bureau of Policy and Quality Management at ODP. Before joining ODP in 2016, Kristin was the Policy Director for the Institute on Disabilities at Temple University, Pennsylvania’s federally funded University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities. Ms. Ahrens’ 30 years of experience working with people with developmental disabilities, spans from advocacy and community education to providing supported living, family support and self-directed services and includes development and management of several self-directed models. Prior to moving to Pennsylvania, Ms. Ahrens was in leadership positions in Oregon’s groundbreaking Self-Determination Resources, Inc. (SDRI), a regional brokerage serving adults with I/DD, that began as a Robert Wood Johnson funded demonstration and was ultimately replicated statewide. Ms. Ahrens has a Masters in Education and Disability Studies Certificate from Temple University.
Valerie A. Arkoosh
Valerie A. Arkoosh, MD, MPH, was appointed to lead the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services by Governor Josh Shapiro on January 17, 2023.
Prior to this role, Acting Secretary Arkoosh served on the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners for eight years, serving as Commission Chair from November 2016 through January 2023. As a physician and public health professional, Acting Secretary Arkoosh was at the center of Montgomery County’s efforts to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, leading a data- and science-driven approach to the unprecedented challenge. Arkoosh’s leadership was praised during the county’s response, especially her transparency and public communication throughout the pandemic.
Arkoosh is a graduate of the University of Nebraska College of Medicine and received a Master of Public Health from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. She performed her residency at Jefferson Medical College in Anesthesiology with a special focus in Obstetrics. Prior to stepping into public service, Acting Secretary Arkoosh was Professor of Clinical Anesthesiology and Clinical Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Perelman School of Medicine of the University of Pennsylvania.
Upon obtaining her Master of Public Health in 2007, Arkoosh became deeply engaged in the national effort to achieve comprehensive health care reform. She led the National Physicians Alliance, a national non-profit organization of physicians, who, putting their patients before profits, joined a broad-based nation-wide coalition for reform. During this time, she developed policy and legislative strategy, and promoted public engagement in Washington, D.C., Pennsylvania, and throughout the country. Dr. Arkoosh maintains comprehensive knowledge of the implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and its impact on individuals and the health care system.
Josie Badger
Dr. Josie Badger, DHCE, CRC, received her Bachelor’s degree from Geneva College in Disability Law and Advocacy, a Master’s from the University of Pittsburgh in Rehabilitation Counseling, and a Doctorate from Duquesne University in Healthcare Ethics. In 2014 Josie founded J Badger Consulting Inc. where she provides youth development and disability consulting services for organizations. She is the Co-Director of the national RSA – Parent Training and Information Center technical assistance center (RAISE). She is the Campaign Manager of the #IWantToWork Campaign, to improve the employment of people with disabilities and she is a Field Organizer for Denny Civic Solutions, working on a piece of legislation on paid family leave. She serves as a board member of the United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania, The Woodlands Foundation, and FISA. In 2012, Dr. Badger was crowned Ms. Wheelchair America.
Emily Born
Emily Born is a School Based Liaison Supervisor at the Allegheny County Office of Behavioral Health. Emily is passionate about working with multidisciplinary teams to impact change on a systemic level. She has extensive background in social services working with youth and families who have multi-system involvement with various programs. She is passionate about helping families and youth and has experience in the child welfare, mental health and educational fields working to support families to achieve their goals. Emily has supervisory experience providing support and structure for her teams through a trauma informed lens. She enjoys providing an environment for those around her to thrive and improve the culture of their organizations.
Heather Conroy
Heather Conroy is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of Evolve Coaching. She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker who, since 2006, has worked with children, adolescents, and young adults seeking support with communication and organization. Primarily, her focus has been supporting students as they navigate the demands of college environments. She enjoys helping young adults make strides towards reaching their full potential by empowering clients to self-advocate and develop personal strategies for success.
Shannon Fagan
Shannon Fagan has worked in both the public and private sectors to support children and families as they navigate confusing —and at times — difficult systems. Her career started in Early Intervention, providing support and services for children and families from birth to age 3. She then spent 10 years in county government as a Child and Adolescent Service System Coordinator, where she supported coordination and collaboration for families and children involved in multiple child-serving systems. As Shannon continued to grow in her work, she was called on to make a bigger impact. In 2008, Shannon became the first director of The Youth and Family Training Institute in Pennsylvania, a program dedicated to create an opportunity for youth and their families to have equal voice in their treatment planning. After eight years of working for the Institute, Shannon was recruited to the Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services in Pennsylvania’s Department of Human Services, where she served as the director of the Bureau of Children’s Behavioral Health Services. Shannon used her time in state government to develop systemic, transformative changes designed to disrupt archaic mental health systems.
Shannon then returned to working in early intervention, where she advocated for building and sustaining social emotional learning support, infant mental health and trauma informed care.
She is currently working as the Project Coordinator for Supporting Expansion and Enhancement of K-12 School-Based Social, Emotional Supports (SEEKS SES). This is a unique partnership between the Allegheny Intermediate Unit and the Allegheny County Health Department, funded through the Pennsylvania Department of Health and the Expanding Laboratory Capacity COVID-19 grant awards. Over a two-year period, the project will support 10 school districts that have been negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic with a variety of targeted initiatives that are unique to each community. Further, the AIU will partner with higher education institutions in placing social workers, school psychologists and/or counselors to support the project and to bolster a local pipeline of professionals to these fields.
Noreen Fredrick
Noreen Fredrick, DNP, RN serves as Vice President of Ambulatory and Community Behavioral Health Services, UPMC Western Behavioral Health and member of PA Behavioral Health Commission for Adult Mental Health established by Act 54 of 2022.
Over the last four decades, Dr. Fredrick’s work underscores the need to integrate evidenced-based treatment and interventions across a variety of service settings and for appropriate investment along the care continuum to improve access to care and retention and recruitment of mental health professionals. Understanding that recovery is not just relief of symptoms, Dr. Fredrick believes it’s about finding connection, sanctuary, and combining evidenced-based treatments with housing, job training and opportunities for social interaction. Moreover, she is responsible for driving clinical excellence and patient outcome across the network, evaluating new treatments and their effectiveness, and for advocating for new care models that advance quality of life for those with mental health conditions.
Dr. Fredrick began her career in behavioral health as a staff nurse at UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital and worked at the bedside for several years before accepting her first leadership position as an assistant nursing clinical manager. Over a period of 13 years, she was promoted to various inpatient nursing leadership positions in areas such as Adult/Geriatrics and Schizophrenia before becoming the Program Administrator for UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital’s Comprehensive Care Services. In 2001, Noreen transitioned to Mon Yough Community Services as the Director of Clinical Services, eventually serving as the Executive Director of Mon Yough for 11 years before being named Senior Executive Director for UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital’s Community Behavioral Health Network in 2015. In July 2018, Noreen was named Vice President of Ambulatory and Community Behavioral Health Services.
Dr. Fredrick is also a member of the Conference of Allegheny Providers, a member-driven organization comprised of 38 mental health, mental retardation and drug and alcohol service provider organizations across Allegheny County.
Daphna Gans, Ph.D.
Daphna Gans, Ph.D., is a health policy expert focusing on health policy, health access, health care delivery, quality improvement, programming, and evaluation research. Dr. Gans’ work addresses nonmedical interventions for treating children with Autism, access to quality care for persons with developmental disabilities, equitable access to healthcare among underserved minority individuals and individuals with limited English proficiency, service delivery modules of care for children with special health care needs and life-limiting conditions, and programming for the geriatric population and persons with Alzheimer’s Disease. A published author and sought-after speaker, Dr. Gans’ body of work was influential in shaping and sustaining the state of California services for persons with disability. Her collaborative work with colleagues at UCLA and UC Berkeley on the California Microsimulation Model informed decisions related to the Affordable Care Act implementation. Dr. Gans served as Associate Research Professor at the David Geffen School of Medicine, Adjunct Assistant Professor at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, Assistant Director for Academic Programs for the UCLA Multicampus Program in Geriatrics Medicine and Gerontology, and Faculty Associate at the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research. In Pittsburgh, Dr. Gans serves as Board Director and chair of the Quality Committee at the Jewish Association on Aging, and she is the President of the Board at Upper St. Clair School District. She has a proven track record of successful research, evidence-based programming, consulting, teaching, and advocacy.
Jason Haberman
Jason Haberman is the Chief of Police in Mt Lebanon where he supervises a staff of 112 people and manages a budget of $11.1 million. Chief Haberman is a liaison to the United States Attorney’s Community Police Relations targeting social reform and police engagement issues. He is an executive board member on the FBI Pittsburgh Joint Terrorism Task Force and is trained in Surveillance Detection and Countermeasures from the Department of Homeland Security. In addition to the many promotions and extensive training, Jason has received several awards/commendations including the Federal Bureau of Investigations Golden Triangle Award 2014 and the Port Authority of Allegheny County Police Department Distinguished Service Award 2005.
Mental health is a key priority for Chief Haberman going forward. He is developing a co-response pilot program to address community mental health issues and is actively seeking grant funding that will allow him to implement a follow up/coordination of care program. He also has a strong focus on mental health/wellness issues for police officers and is seeking to provide supports in this area that have not previously been provided.
Eve Hill
Eve Hill, J.D., is one of the nation’s leading disability rights attorneys. As a partner at Brown Goldstein & Levy, which she joined in 2017, she continues to pursue her devotion to civil rights. Her wide-ranging experience complements the firm’s dedication to high-impact disability rights cases and its advocacy on behalf of individuals with disabilities and their families. Eve is co-leader of Inclusivity, BGL’s Strategic Consulting Group. She is also a member of the State Exchange on Employment and Disability (SEED) Team where she researches and drafts policy options for state policymakers interested in advancing employment opportunities for people with disabilities.
From 2011 to January 2017, Eve served as Deputy Assistant Attorney General of the U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division, where she was responsible for oversight of the Division’s disability rights, education, and Title VI enforcement and the American Indian Working Group. She was part of the negotiating team for the Marrakesh Treaty to Facilitate Access to Published Works for Persons Who are Blind, Visually Impaired or Otherwise Print Disabled; testified before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to support ratification of the U.N. Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities; enforced accessibility requirements for websites and other digital technology; implemented Olmstead community integration requirements in employment and education; and enforced disability rights in education, testing, and health care.
Eve is the former Senior Vice President at the Burton Blatt Institute of Syracuse University, where she was responsible for the Institute’s work on the Americans with Disabilities Act, disability civil rights, and communications issues.
Preceding her employment at the Burton Blatt Institute, Eve was the District of Columbia’s first Director of the Office of Disability Rights, responsible for ensuring compliance with the ADA throughout District government. This position gave Eve an insider’s view on investigations of complaints, informal dispute resolution, litigation consultation, training, and disability policy development.
As the Executive Director of the Disability Rights Legal Center at Loyola Law School, Eve managed all aspects of this non-profit disability rights organization and supervised all major programs, including the Civil Rights Litigation Project, Disability Mediation Center, Cancer Legal Resource Center, Community Outreach Program, and Education Advocacy Project.
Marci Katona
Marci Katona, M.Ed., CRC, has worked for the PA Department of Labor & Industry Office of Vocational Rehabilitation (OVR) for 23 years. In February 2023, Marci was appointed to the position of Bureau Director for OVR’s Bureau of Vocational Rehabilitation Services (BVRS), where she is responsible for overseeing the Bureau’s program operations for its 15 district offices statewide. Prior to this role, Marci was the District Administrator for Pittsburgh BVRS from June 2011 to March 2022 and Acting Bureau Director for BVRS from March 2022 to February 2023. In her 23 years at OVR, Marci has also worked as a Vocational Rehabilitation Intern, Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor, Vocational Rehabilitation Supervisor, Assistant District Administrator and Western Regional Manager.
Marci received a bachelor’s degree from Juniata College and a master’s degree in Counselor Education, Rehabilitation Counseling from Penn State University, and is a nationally Certified Rehabilitation Counselor. Some of Marci’s accomplishments include: chairperson for the Allegheny County/City of Pittsburgh Transition Coordinating Council; steering committee member of UPMC Project SEARCH; member of the University of Pittsburgh Rehabilitation Counseling Advisory Board; board member of the local workforce investment board, Partner4Work; member of the United Way of Allegheny County’s 21 and Able Advisory Committee and Working Group; and 2015 recipient of the Pennsylvania Rehabilitation Association’s Philadelphia Founders Award.
Outside of OVR, Marci enjoys running, the outdoors, walks with her dogs, and enjoying life with her wife, their 3 kids, and family.
Jim Lilley
Jim Lilley, M.S., is the Acting Assistant District Administrator with the Pittsburgh District Office of the PA Department of Labor & Industry’s Office of Vocational Rehabilitation (OVR) Bureau of Vocational Rehabilitation Services. He has been in this role since May 2022. Jim began his tenure with OVR in 2010, starting as a Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor in the New Castle District Office and later as a Supervisor. He transferred to the Pittsburgh District Office in 2019 as a Supervisor. During this time, Jim has served as a Counselor for individuals with Mental Health, as well as Deaf & Hard of Hearing and as a Supervisor in the areas of Pre-Employment Transition Services, Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services, Assistive Technology, and Supported Employment Services. Jim is a member of the College Policy Workgroup and the Audiology Policy Workgroup. He serves as OVR’s liaison with the Pittsburgh Public School Local Task Force and the AIU3 Local Task Force, as well as a member of the Allegheny County 21 and Able Advisory Committee. Jim has recently been asked to join Goodwill of Southwest PA’s Project LIFE Steering Committee.
Jim is a graduate of East Carolina University in Greenville, North Carolina with a Master of Science degree in Rehabilitation Studies with a dual emphasis in Rehabilitation Counseling and Vocational Evaluation. Prior to coming to OVR, Jim has worked in Community Rehabilitation Programs and in Private Rehabilitation.
Outside of OVR, Jim enjoys hiking and cycling. He is the proud father of 4 adults and Papa J to the greatest 3 grandkids.
Lucas Malishchak DBA; MA
Dr. Lucas D. Malishchak is the Director of the Psychology Office within the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections. In this role, Lucas and his team are responsible for oversight of the mental health care system which supports Pennsylvania’s 24 state correctional institutions and more than 39,000 incarcerated individuals. Lucas’ doctoral dissertation was titled Alternatives to Segregation and Seriously Mentally Ill Individuals in Pennsylvania State Prisons: A Case Study of Employee Perceptions. In 2016, Lucas accepted a formal invitation to join the teaching faculty of the National Institute of Corrections (NIC), a division of the United States Department of Justice, in Aurora, Colorado, as a subject matter expert in the delivery of mental health care within restrictive housing among state correctional systems. This teaching opportunity was associated with NIC’s Managing Restrictive Housing Unit Populations national seminar. In 2015, Lucas was invited by the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) to address members of the Association of State Correctional Administrators (ASCA) regarding the state of correctional mental health services in Pennsylvania and the changes associated with the settlement agreement met with Disability Rights of Pennsylvania.
Christine Michaels
Christine Michaels, MSHSA, is Chief Executive Officer of NAMI Keystone PA, the state organization in Pennsylvania for the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), the nation’s largest grassroots mental health advocacy organization. Ms. Michaels has more than 35 years of experience in community mental health service delivery, social service agency administration, public policy, and legislative advocacy.
She is an accomplished instructor with experience in curriculum development and is nationally certified by NAMI as a state trainer for NAMI Family-to-Family, NAMI Support Group Facilitators, and NAMI Smarts for Advocacy.
Ms. Michaels is co-chair of the OMHSAS Planning Council Joint Committee and she also serves on the Adult Committee for the OMHSAS Planning Council. She is chair of the Allegheny County MH/ID Advisory Board, serves on the 988 Advocacy Coalition Committee, and acts as the liaison from that committee to the State 988 Advisory Board. Ms. Michaels holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology and a Master of Science in Health Services Administration.
Emilia Mattucci Peiffer
Emilia Mattucci Peiffer has been a high school counselor at East Allegheny High School for the past 28 years. As a school counselor, she delivers individual, group and crisis counseling to students in need. She presents various classroom lessons, wrote her district's K-12 Guidance Plan, and serves as a member of the SAP team. She achieved RAMP recognition for the school counseling program in 2014 and 2017. And in 2019, she was recognized as PA's School Counselor of the Year. Emilia also currently serves as the Executive Director of the Pennsylvania School Counselors Association, where she oversees operations of this 1000+ member organization. She is responsible for delivering quality professional development to school counselors, maintaining relationships with other educational organizations here in PA and nationally, and working with legislators to ensure that school counselors are meeting the needs of all of their students. Emilia is passionate about the profession of school counseling and works diligently to promote school counselor professional identity. As a result, Pennsylvania’s students may be better served by addressing their mental health, academic, and career development needs.
Representative Mike Schlossberg
Representative Mike Schlossberg is committed to a strong and vibrant Pennsylvania serving the best interests of people, not special interests. He knows what we all know: Pennsylvania works best when workers are paid a fair wage, have good health care, live in a safe and affordable home, and can save some money for education and a secure retirement. Representative Schlossberg is a champion for world-class education, regardless of zip code, for all our children through early childhood learning, neighborhood schools and career, technical and higher education. For the 2023-2024 Legislative Session, he was elected Majority Caucus Chair by his colleagues and continues to serve as a co-chair for the House Mental Health Caucus. In prior sessions, Representative Schlossberg was the Democratic Caucus Administrator and Chair of the Northeast Regional Delegation.
Since taking office, Representative Schlossberg has proven to be an effective legislator, serving the needs of Parkland and Allentown and fighting for the values important to Pennsylvanians. In prior sessions, Representative Schlossberg’s proposals to increase mental health services for first responders and Rape Survivor Child Custody and Support legislation were also approved by the General Assembly and signed into law by Governor Tom Wolf. He was also instrumental in the transportation funding legislation approved during the 2013-2014 Legislative Session and signed by Governor Tom Corbett, helping to secure significant investments for the Lehigh Valley’s roads, bridges and mass transit.
In 2014, with the death by suicide of Robin Williams in the news, Representative Schlossberg shared his own struggles with depression and anxiety in an op-ed in the Morning Call. His story set forth a very public conversation about mental health and stigma which has become a central focus for Representative Schlossberg. As a result, he co-founded the House Mental Health Caucus in 2015, served as a keynote speaker at various conferences, advanced legislation in the General Assembly, and has traveled to Washington, D.C. to help Congresswoman Susan Wild’s efforts to enact federal legislation to improve mental health care access across the country. Representative Schlossberg was also appointed to the Mental Health & Justice Advisory Committee for the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency and was named co-chair of the Suicide Prevention Task Force by Governor Wolf. Recently, Schlossberg accepted an invitation to join the National Task Force on Workforce Mental Health Policy at the National Conference of State Legislatures.
To address Pennsylvania’s mental health care crisis, Representative Schlossberg laid out his agenda, “HOPE for PA,” in 2022. This plan would invest $100 million in public safety by creating safe and healthy communities, improve care by addressing provider and capacity shortages and help more people through training, education, and outreach. Shortly after, Governor Wolf signed the 2022-2023 budget approving an additional $100 million in federal funding to improve mental health care in Pennsylvania. Representative Schlossberg was then appointed to the Behavioral Health Commission on Adult Mental Health, which was tasked with creating a strategy to allocate those funds.
William P. Stropkaj
William P. Stropkaj, Ed.D., has been the Superintendent of the Keystone Oaks School District for the past eleven years. Prior to this, he was the Assistant Superintendent for Elementary Education and Curriculum in the North Allegheny School District for five years. Dr. Stropkaj began his administrative career in the Montour School District where he served for twelve years holding the following positions: Middle School Assistant Principal, Elementary Principal, and Federal Programs Coordinator. As a teacher, Dr. Stropkaj taught Physics and Math in the Deer Lakes School District and the Sto-Rox School District. Dr. Stropkaj is completing 35-years in education.
In addition to his work in K-12 education, Dr. Stropkaj is an adjunct professor at Point Park University, where he has taught courses in the graduate education program and serves on many doctoral dissertation committees and has been an adjunct professor at the Community College of Allegheny County, teaching Physics.
Dr. Stropkaj serves as one of the trustees of the Allegheny County Schools Health Insurance Consortium (ACSHIC), representing 22 school entities. He has also served on the Education Advisory Board at LaRoche University and Robert Morris University. In addition, he is a member of The Forum for Western Pennsylvania School Superintendents through the University of Pittsburgh School of Education.
Dr. Stropkaj earned his Doctoral degree from the University of Pittsburgh in Administrative and Policy Studies and Masters and Bachelors degrees from Duquesne University. He is certified as a Superintendent, an elementary principal, a secondary principal, and a teacher of mathematics and physics. Dr. Stropkaj along with his wife Kimberly and daughter Ava reside in Kennedy Township.
Stephen Suroviec
Stephen Suroviec is the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Achieva family of organizations. He joined Achieva in December 2017. For nearly 30 years, Steve has provided leadership in both the nonprofit and government sectors, serving and advocating for people with disabilities.
Steve most recently served as the Chief Operations Officer and Division Director for Intellectual/Developmental Disabilities at the Rehabilitation and Community Providers Association. He has also served as Special Advisor to the Pennsylvania Secretary of Human Services; Pennsylvania’s Deputy Secretary for Developmental Programs; Executive Director of the state’s Office of Vocational Rehabilitation; Executive Director of The Arc of Pennsylvania; and Director of the Erie County Department of Human Services.
Steve served in and earned an honorable discharge from the United States Air Force. He holds a Master’s Degree in Public and International Affairs from the University of Pittsburgh. Steve served as a presidential appointee to the President’s Committee for People with Intellectual Disabilities. He also worked on Capitol Hill for then-Congressman Tom Ridge and later in a number of positions within the Ridge Administration in Harrisburg.
Kristen Weidus
Kristen Weidus is a Partner at Ruder Law and is licensed to practice in the United States District Courts in the Western, Middle, and Eastern Districts of Pennsylvania, as well as the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. Prior to joining the firm in 2015, she was an associate attorney for a general practice law firm in Greensburg, Pennsylvania. As a resident of Greensburg, Kristen remains active in the Westmoreland Bar Association, currently serving on its Board of Directors and formerly chairing the Young Lawyers Committee and the Membership Committee. She received the Westmoreland Bar Association’s Outstanding Young Lawyer Award in 2016, and currently serves as a Zone 6 Delegate in the Pennsylvania Bar Association’s House of Delegates. Kristen was also selected as a Pennsylvania Rising Star by SuperLawyers in 2021 and 2022.
Kristen graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of the District of Columbia David A. Clarke School of Law in Washington, DC in 2012. She worked as a law student attorney in the Took Crowell Institute for At-Risk Youth, representing students with disabilities enrolled in the DC Public Schools. She also served as President of the Women’s Law Society, Articles Editor for the Law Review, and President and Founder of the UDC-DCSL Disability Rights and Advocacy Society.
Kristen graduated Cum Laude from Hiram College in 2009 and is currently the President-Elect of Hiram’s Alumni Executive Board. Beginning in 2000, she worked for the HELP Foundation Summer Program, an extended school year program that serves children with disabilities in Northeast Ohio.
