The James A. Finnegan Fellowship Foundation

Mr. Lawrence is a shareholder in the law firm of Lowey Dannenberg Cohen & Hart, PC and is head of the firm's Pennsylvania Office. He represents institutions and individuals in a range of complex litigation. In May 2008, Mr. Lawrence was recognized as one of the 'Top 100 Lawyers in Philadelphia' in a survey of over 38,000 lawyers and judges conducted and published by Philadelphia Magazine and Law & Politics magazine. In addition, he has been recognized as a 'Pennsylvania Super Lawyer' every year since 2005.

A Radnor, Pennsylvania resident, Mr. Lawrence has a history of political and community involvement. He serves as Voter Registration Commissioner of Delaware County, Pennsylvania. In April 2011, by Order of the Supreme Court, Mr. Lawrence was re-appointed to the Disciplinary Board of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania for another three year term. He is an appointed Member of the Pennsylvania Securities Commission's Attorney Advisory Committee.

Mr. Lawrence is also the Chairman of the Southeast Caucus of the Pennsylvania Democratic State Committee, as well as serving in a variety of local and county political party posts. Over the years, he has chaired, managed or worked in many federal, state and local campaigns. Mr. Lawrence served as a Delegate to the Democratic National Convention in 2008 and as an Alternate Delegate in 2000.

Mr. Lawrence has served as a member of the Finnegan Foundation's Board of Directors since 1996.

A proud Finnegan alum, Ken Lawrence currently serves as Temple University's Senior Vice President for Government, Community and Public Affairs. As Senior Vice President, Ken oversees Government Relations directing all of Temple's lobbying activities at the state, local and federal levels of government.

Prior to joining Temple, Ken was a successful entrepreneur as Founder and President of Public Affairs Strategies where he represented corporate and non-profit organizations. Ken worked for five years at Merck & Company, Inc. handling public relations among other responsibilities.

Ken is a graduate of Temple University with a degree in Political Science and has a Master's degree of Governmental Administration from the Fels Center of Government at the University of Pennsylvania Ken serves on the board of the Committee of Seventy, Easter Seals of Southeastern PA and the Clear Channel Community Advisory Board. He is a past board member of the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce and Big Brothers Big Sisters.

Julia E. Trimarchi Cuccaro is a practicing attorney in the state of Pennsylvania since 1986. She received her juris doctorate from Duquesne University in 1986. She graduated from St. Mary's College at Notre Dame, Indiana in 1982. Currently, she serves on the boards of First Commonwealth Financial Corporation and First Commonwealth Bank (six billion dollars in total assets, headquartered in Indiana County Pennsylvania), Seton Hill University in Greensburg PA., The Kiski School, an all boys boarding school in Saltsburg, PA., and the Indiana County Board of View. She was elected to serve on the board of the Finnegan Foundation in the spring of 2009. Her father, E. James Trimarchi, served as Secretary of the Commonwealth under the late Pennsylvania Governor David L Lawrence and was a friend and admirer of James A. Finnegan.

Representative Tim Briggs was elected to represent the 149th Legislative District (Montgomery County) in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives in November 2008.

Public service and community involvement have been priorities for Tim throughout his career. Before serving in the House, Tim served as an advisor to County Commissioner Joe Hoeffel and state Sen. Connie Williams.

Tim is a graduate of West Chester University, where he received a degree in Political Science. At 30 he returned to school and, while still working full-time, fulfilled a personal goal of obtaining his law degree from Temple University School of Law. He joined the law firm Hamburg, Rubin, Mullin, Maxwell & Lupin as an associate in January 2008. Tim and his wife, Robyn, live with their four young children, Emily, Jack, Alexandra and Morrison, in Upper Merion Township.

Senator David argall was elected to represent the 20th Senatorial District (including all of Schuylkill County and parts of Berks, Carbon, Lehigh, Monroe and Northampton Counties) in the Pennsylvania State Senate in March 2009.

Before his election to the Senate, Senator Argall served 24 years as a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. He was a member of the House leadership, serving terms as Whip, Appropriations Committee Chairman and Caucus Chairman.

Senator Argall earned a bachelor's degree in political science and international studies from Lycoming Collegeand a master's degree in American Studies at Penn State's Harrisburg campus. In 2006, Senator Argall earned his Ph.D. in public administration from Penn State. His doctoral dissertation reviewed the benefits and drawbacks of Pennsylvania's tax free "Keystone Opportunity Zones" for economic development. Senator Argall lives in Rush Township with his wife, Beth, and their children, A.J. and Elise.

James C. Crumlish, III , is an attorney with Elliott Greenleaf in Blue Bell, PA. He has substantial expertise in governmental relations and navigating the complex overlay of federal, local and state regulatory agencies.

Mr. Crumlish has served on numerous professional and civic associations and boards and has been an active volunteer youth coach. He has served on various Bar Association Committees and has lectured in various continuing legal education subjects. He has also contributed many pro bono -efforts on behalf of civic and community groups. Mr. Crumlish has also served in a number of elected and appointed governmental positions including serving as as counsel and also serving as the Chairman of the City Commissioners of Philadelphia.

Mr. Crumlish attended St. Thomas College and graduated from St. Joseph's College and Widener University School of Law. He is a member of the Bar of the Supreme Court of the United States America and the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, The United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit and Tenth Circuit, as well as The United States District Court for the Middle and Eastern Districts of Pennsylvania and the United States District Court for Colorado.

Representative Gibbons was elected to represent the 10th Legislative District (including parts of Lawrence, Beaver, and Butler Counties) in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives in 2006. Before his election to the state House, he worked with local government, a state senator, and several of law firms in the greater Pittsburgh area. He is also a 2001 Finnegan Foundation alumni. Rep. Gibbons earned his bachelor's degree in political science and business administration from Duquesne University and graduated from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law, where he received his Juris Doctorate and Certificate in Comparative and International Law. During that time, he served as editor-in-chief of the legal journal the Pittsburgh Tax Review. Rep. Gibbons resides in Franklin Township, Beaver County with his wife Jennifer, daughter Annabella, and their two coonhound dogs, Bentley and Max.

Kathy Speaker MacNett, Esq., is a Managing member of the law firm of SkarlatosZonarich LLC, who focuses her practice on management-side labor relations, employment law and related legislative and regulatory developments. Her practice combines preventive approaches to labor relation matters and representation of employers before federal and state administrative agencies and courts. She is admitted to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court; the Pennsylvania Supreme Court; and the Federal Third Circuit, U.S. Middle and Eastern District Pennsylvania Courts.

Ms. MacNett utilizes her practical knowledge of the legislative, executive and judicial branches of state government and law to gain cost effective results for her clients. She represents public and private sector employers in a wide range of labor and employment law matters; wage and hour matter, including workers??? and unemployment compensation proceedings; defense of labor/employment lawsuits; collective bargaining negotiations; settlement agreements; restrictive covenants; prevailing wage disputes; discrimination complaints; unfair labor practices; union organizational defenses; strikes; injunction and contempt proceedings; and relative legislative and regulatory issues.

She is a frequent speaker on labor and employment law topics. Ms. MacNett is a contributing author for BNA's publications on The Fair Labor Standards Act; the Pennsylvania section of Wage & Hour Laws, A State-by-State Survey; and The Family and Medical Leave Act, and the Pennsylvania Chamber's Model Policies and Forms for Pennsylvania Employers. Ms. MacNett is a member of the American Bar Association's Committee on Federal Labor Standards Legislation and has made presentations to that Sub-Committee. She is a long-standing board member of the James A. Finnegan Fellowship Foundation and the Cathedral Consolidated School Board. She also was a delegate for the Fall 2006 People to People program for labor lawyers in China.

Mr. McCloskey is the Vice President of the McCloskey Financial Group, a boutique wealth management practice located in West Conshohocken, PA. In his capacity as financial advisor, he assists his clients with comprehensive wealth management solutions. He serves in an investment advisory capacity to several Philadelphia based non-profit organizations. He is a 1992 graduate of the University of Notre Dame with a B.S. in Government. Mr. McCloskey has served on the Finnegan Foundation???s Board of Directors since 2007.

Joseph R. Powers recently retired from Pennsylvania state government after 37 years of service. Mr. Powers most recently served for six years as the Executive Deputy Secretary in the Department of Environmental Protection. In that role, he oversaw each of the other deputies and had direct oversight of the legislative and communications offices. From 1987 to 1993, Mr. Powers served as Chief of Staff to the Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania. In that role, he directed the Lt. Governor's staff and helped to oversee the Pennsylvania Energy Office and the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency.

Mr. Powers held a variety of positions in the Pennsylvania legislature. While working in the State House, he served at various times as Director of House Intergovernmental Relations, Chief of Staff to the House Democratic Policy Chair, and Director of the Office of Member Services. Earlier in his career, Mr. Powers worked in the Pennsylvania State Senate. Over a period of 14 years, he served as Director of the Military Affairs and Aeronautics Committee, the Consumer Protection Committee, the Labor and Industry Committee, and the Community and Economic Development Committee.

Mr. Powers has also been the campaign manager for three statewide political races and several legislative and local races. He has taught Political Science classes at St. Joseph's University, Dickinson and Penn State Harrisburg. He was also a Legislative Fellow at Millersville University. Mr. Powers served for a number of years as the Chairman of the Marketing Research Committee for the Capitol Region United Way. He is a graduate of St. Joseph's University.

Mr. Powers lives outside of Harrisburg and is married with two children. He was named to the Finnegan Foundation Board in July of this year.

Jane Rigler has resided in Carlisle since 1978 and is currently self-employed as an arbitrator and mediator. Early in her career, she was employed, as a staff attorney, by Florida's Public Employees Relations Commission and, from 1978-2005, she was a faculty member at Penn State's Dickinson School of Law, teaching courses related to employment issues as well as criminal law.

Rigler holds degrees from the University of Iowa, Florida State University, and New York University. She served, for seven years, as a member of the Borough of Carlisle's Zoning Hearing Board and for many years has worked as the voter services chair of the League of Women Voters of the Carlisle Area.

Debra K. Wallet has served on the Board of the Finnegan Foundation since 1986. She maintains an office for the general practice of law that emphasizes legal services in the areas of social security disability, wills and estates, elder law, employment arbitration, and fact finding. She serves as a hearing officer for State administrative agencies.

Ms. Wallet is a graduate of Gettysburg College (B.A., double major: Mathematics and Political Science, 1973) and of the Dickinson School of Law, Carlisle, (1976). She is admitted to practice before the United States Supreme Court, the Third Circuit Court of Appeals, the United States District Courts for the Middle and Eastern Districts of Pennsylvania, and all of the Pennsylvania state courts. She is Past-President of the James S. Bowman American Inn of Court, a professional organization dedicated to ethics, civility, and professionalism in the practice of law, and remains active in this organization.

An active member of the Pennsylvania Bar Association's Legal Services to Persons with Disabilities Committee for a number of years, Ms. Wallet is the immediate past Chair.

A native of Camp Hill and a graduate of Cumberland Valley High School, Ms. Wallet lives in Mechanicsburg, Pa.

Shirley Anne Warshaw, a presidential scholar, is Professor of Political Science at Gettysburg College in Gettysburg, PA. Dr. Warshaw is a frequent commentator in the national media on the presidency and national politics, including the BBC, NPR, and the New York Times. She recently completed her ninth book, entitled The Co-Presidency of Bush and Cheney (Stanford University Press). She serves on the Board of Directors of the American Political Science Association's Presidency Research Group, the Board of Directors of Pi Sigma Alpha, the national political science honorary society, the Board of Directors of the National Capital Area Political Science Association (Washington, D.C.), is a consultant to the federal Office of Personnel Management, a member of the Center for the Study of the Presidency's Council of Scholars, and a Fellow of the Academy of Political Science. She also recently served as an advisor to the Smithsonian Institution on the Peck Awards on the American presidency. Dr. Warshaw is married to an attorney and has three grown children.

Jane F. Woodside graduated from Dickinson College in 1968 and received a Juris Doctor's degree from Dickinson School of Law in 1971. She worked for 25 years on the Pa. State Senate Republican Legal Staff dealing with legislation and parliamentary matters. She is active in her community of Millersburg and is currently serving on the borough's Planning Commission.

Prior to forming Bill Baer Association Management, Inc., Bill served as Vice President for Government Affairs at the Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry. Before joining the Chamber in 1987, he was Executive Director of the Senate Community and Economic Development Committee. He also served as Director of Legislative Relations for the Department of Labor and Industry; Administrative Assistant to the Republican Leader of the House of Representatives, and as a Legislative Research Analyst on the House Education Committee.

Bill has been the Dean of Administrative Services, Assistant to the President, and Coordinator of Research Grants at the Reading Area Community College. He was an Administrator with the Reading School District serving as Director of Federal/State Relations and Director of Audio/Visual Education.

Return to list of directors