Legislative Summit 2026 – Harrisburg

Ms. Jacobs is a partner in the Philadelphia office of Stradley Ronon Stevens Young LLP. She represents clients in domestic and international transactional matters including complex corporate finance, mergers and acquisitions, institutional and private equity financing, private placements and structuring and governance issues with a particular emphasis on the food and beverage and healthcare industries. Ms. Jacobs is a Commissioner of the Uniform Law Commission (ULC), currently serving as it’s President, as well as on several drafting committees, including the Amendments to Uniform Unincorporated Organizations Acts (Chair of the drafting committee currently updating those Acts), the Limited Liability Company Protected Series Act, the Employee and Student Online Privacy Protection Act, and the Canadian Money Judgments Registration Act (Chair). She is a member, and current Chair, of the ULC-ABA Joint Editorial Board for Uniform Unincorporated Organization Acts. She also chaired the ULC’s Diversity and Inclusion Committee. Ms. Jacobs has been a member of the American Law Institute since 2009 and is active in both the American Bar Association and the Pennsylvania Bar Association, currently serving as Chair of the ABA’s Uniform Law Committee. She also is Chair of Pennsylvania’s Title 15 Drafting Committee, which recently facilitated Pennsylvania’s adoption of Act 122 (a robust update to the Pennsylvania Business Corporation Law), which was signed into law on November 3, 2022. Ms. Jacobs is also a member and current Chair of the Advisory Committee for the Pennsylvania Department of State Corporations Bureau (by appointment of the Secretary of the Commonwealth). In 2019, she was also elected to membership in the American College of Commercial Finance Lawyers and, in 2020, as a founding member of the American College of LLC and Partnership Attorneys. She also was a member of the Pennsylvania Bar Association Task Force on the Uniform Unincorporated Association Acts and the Uniform Fraudulent Transfer Act, working to adopt the ULC Acts for enactment in Pennsylvania. Those Acts became effective in 2017 and 1993, respectively. Her civic involvement includes her service as a member of the Greater Philadelphia YMCA (serving as Vice Chair), the seventh largest YMCA operator in the country. She is committed to pro bono work, representing The Museum of Contemporary Art – Chicago, the Museum of the American Revolution (Philadelphia), and Liberty Fire Engine Company No. 1 of Spring City, Pennsylvania. Ms. Jacobs has written a number of articles and is a frequent lecturer on business organizations, corporate finance, transaction structuring and related business issues. She currently is a Lecturer in the Law at the University of Pennsylvania Law School, where she teaches a course on International Business Negotiations. Ms. Jacobs received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Economics, cum laude, from the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania and graduated with honors from the Villanova University School of Law, where she was a member of the editorial board of the Villanova Law Review.

Mr. Myers is Co-Chair of the Appellate Practice Group at Stevens & Lee. He has two decades of experience arguing and briefing a wide variety of precedent-setting and high stakes appeals before the appellate courts of Pennsylvania and other jurisdictions. Mr. Myers maintains a particular focus on cases before the Pennsylvania Supreme, Commonwealth, and Superior Courts, as well as the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. His arguments often appear on the Pennsylvania Cable Network and in various legal publications, which seek him out as an appellate commentator. Mr. Myers often serves as a panelist and moderator for appellate practice presentations and continuing legal education seminars. He has served as Co-Chair of the Appellate Advocacy Committee of the Pennsylvania Bar Association, is a Past Chair of the Administrative Law Section of the Pennsylvania Bar Association, and is an active member of the Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court Historical Society. Mr. Myers serves on the Board of Governors of the Third Circuit Bar Association and on the Board of Directors and as Pennsylvania State Chair for the Council of Appellate Lawyers of the American Bar Association’s Appellate Judges Conference. He served as a law clerk for the Honorable Russell M. Nigro of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania after receiving his law degree, cum laude, from the Pennsylvania State University Dickinson School of Law. During law school, Mr. Myers served as a clerk for the Honorable John T.J. Kelly Jr. of the Superior Court of Pennsylvania and the Honorable Yvette Kane of the United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, and was selected for the Appellate Moot Court Board, Dickinson Law Review, and Woolsack Honor Society.

Before retiring as Director of the Legislative Reference Bureau, Mr. DeLiberato supervised the preparation of legislative, historical, and ceremonial materials for the General Assembly and the publication of administrative regulations for Commonwealth agencies. He spent most of his career preparing proposed legislation, classifying enacted law, rendering legal advice to executive and legislative officers and employees, annotating court decisions on constitutional law and statutory construction, and responding to public inquiries on statutory and regulatory materials. In private practice, he did legal research, brief writing, and document drafting for attorneys in Harrisburg and Philadelphia. Currently, Mr. DeLiberato teaches Legislation, Legislative Drafting, and State Constitutional Law at Widener University Commonwealth Law School; works with Widener=s Law and Government Institute; and is a Life Member of the Uniform Law Commission, serving on its Standing Committee on Style and serving on various study and drafting committees. He has authored a digest on statutory construction and co-authored articles on Pennsylvania Supreme Court history, constitutional issues affecting legislative procedure, and simplification techniques for the Uniform Commercial Code. Mr. DeLiberato received a J.D. from Villanova University in 1975, an M.A. from Villanova University in 1976, and a B.A. from Saint Joseph=s University in 1971.

Anthony R. Holtzman serves as the Managing Attorney at the Fairness Center, where he oversees and participates in the organization’s litigation activities in federal and state courts, as well as administrative tribunals. Before he joined the Fairness Center, Anthony was a partner at a large international law firm. There, he regularly represented private and public sector clients, including legislative bodies and legislators, on issues of federal and Pennsylvania constitutional law. Anthony has significant experience and expertise when it comes to construing and developing arguments under constitutions, statutes, and regulations. He has argued cases before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania, and various Pennsylvania and federal trial courts and administrative tribunals – including en banc arguments before the Third Circuit, Commonwealth Court, and Environmental Hearing Board. Anthony received his Juris Doctor from the Dickinson School of Law of The Pennsylvania State University, where he graduated summa cum laude, received the John Maher Scholarship along with the Thomas A. Beckley Prize for Legal Writing and various Board of Governors’ awards, and was a member of the Woolsack Honor Society and Penn State Law Review. Before attending law school, Anthony received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Messiah University, where he graduated summa cum laude and achieved honors in Politics.

Eric S. Fillman, Esq. is a graduate LaSalle University (B.A. Political Science, 1984) and Widener Law Commonwealth (J.D., 1993). Now retired, he completed 36 years of public service with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (1984-2020), including 1.3 years with the PA Department of Transportation, 2 years with the Office of the Governor as Deputy General Counsel, 29 years with the Pennsylvania General Assembly including 7 years as Counsel to the Bipartisan House Ethics Committee, and 3.7 years with the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General as that Agency’s first Chief Integrity Officer. Fillman continues to serve as a volunteer Instructor with the Office of Attorney General teaching New Agent Ethics programs twice a year. He also teaches a semi-annual class on Bias & Procedural Justice for the Commonwealth Investigators’ Training Program (CITP).

Mr. Schwoyer serves as Deputy Chief of Staff for Legislation and Policy and Special Counsel to PA House Speaker Joanna McClinton.  He drafts legislation for, and provides advice and counsel to, the Speaker, and Members and staff of the House Democratic Caucus.  Before holding his current position, Mr. Schwoyer held similar positions with Democratic Leader Frank Dermody, Speaker Keith McCall, and Speaker Dennis O’Brien, and served as Chief Enforcement Counsel to the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board, Chief Counsel and Executive Director of the House Judiciary Committee and Chief Deputy District Attorney of Cumberland County.  Mr. Schwoyer also served as Chairman of the Cumberland County Victims of Crime Act Policy Board and in 2004 was honored for his efforts in support of crime victim services as the recipient of the Governor’s Victims Service Allied Professional Pathfinder’s Award and the Cumberland County Victim Advocacy Award.  Mr. Schwoyer is a Pennsylvania Uniform Law Commission Member where he currently serves on the ULC’s Criminal Justice Reform Monitoring Committee.  He received his B.A. in Political Science from The Pennsylvania State University and his J.D. from Penn State The Dickinson School of Law.

Peter Klein is an associate counsel with the Legislative Reference Bureau, a nonpartisan legislative agency responsible for drafting legislation, publishing administrative documents through the Office of Code and Bulletin and providing legal advice to members and staff of the General Assembly and Executive departments. In addition to his legislative, regulatory and litigation work, he is also counsel to Pennsylvania’s Joint Committee on Documents. Originally from South Carolina, Peter attended the College of Charleston and earned his law degree from the Pennsylvania State University, Dickinson School of Law in State College, Pa.

Jim serves as Senior Deputy Chief Counsel to the Republican Caucus in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. His duties routinely include providing legal counsel to leadership, members and staff; developing legislation and policies; and, representing the Caucus’ interests in proceedings at the state and federal level. Jim is the Republican Leader’s appointee to the Pennsylvania Delegation of the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws. Jim earned his B.S. from The Pennsylvania State University (1995) and his J.D. from Widener University School of Law (2000). He is admitted to practice before the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania; the United States Supreme Court; U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit; and, the U.S. District Courts for Middle and Eastern Districts of Pennsylvania.

Stephanie Latimore is the Director of the Legislative Reference Bureau, where she supervises the preparation of legislative, historical, and ceremonial materials for the General Assembly and the publication of administrative regulations for Commonwealth agencies and leads a staff of more than 70 employees in an executive management role. She is a graduate of the University of Pittsburgh and the University of Maryland School of Law. Ms. Latimore is an active member and Woman Governor member of the Board of Governors of the PBA and has served in many key leadership roles, including current Chair of Wellness and Well-being Committee, past Co-chair of Women in the Profession, for which she was awarded the PBA President’s Award for Excellent Programming; past president of the Pennsylvania Bar Institute; former Minority Governor-at-Large on the PBA Board of Governors; past chair of the PBA Minority Bar Committee; and past chair of the Editorial Board. She served as co-chair of PBA Bar Leadership Institute and has served on the Judicial Evaluation Commission for over a decade. Ms. Latimore is the current chair of the Quality of Life Committee of the Dauphin County Bar Association. She has taught at the Penn State University Middletown Campus as an adjunct professor for the Paralegal Program. She is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated.

Justice Brobson was elected to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court in November 2021 and was sworn in to his current judicial office on January 3, 2022. Prior to his elevation to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, Justice Brobson served for 12 years as a judge on the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania. In December of 2020 he was elected by his colleagues to serve as president judge of the court, succeeding President Judge Emerita Mary Hannah Leavitt and serving in that position until he assumed his current office. Justice Brobson’s commitment to the law extends beyond the courtroom. During his time on Commonwealth Court, then-Judge Brobson was appointed in August 2015 by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court to a four-year term on the Judicial Conduct Board of Pennsylvania, a tenure that included service on the Executive Committee as Secretary and Chair. From 2016 to 2018, Justice Brobson was the Jurist‑in‑Residence at the Widener University Commonwealth Law School. Prior to taking judicial office, Justice Brobson was a litigation shareholder in the Harrisburg office of the law firm Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney PC, leading the firm’s Insurance & Reinsurance Practice Group. While in private practice, he focused on representing clients in state and federal trial and appellate courts and administrative agencies. Justice Brobson also served his local community as a member of the Middle Paxton Township Planning Commission, a youth baseball and soccer coach, and a supporter of charitable endeavors committed to conquering pediatric cancer. Justice Brobson received his undergraduate degree, magna cum laude, from Lycoming College. He graduated from the Widener Commonwealth Law School, summa cum laude, and served as a managing editor of the school’s law review. Following law school, Justice Brobson clerked for the late Honorable James McGirr Kelly of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.

Alaina C. Koltash was appointed Deputy General Counsel in the Governor’s Office of General Counsel (OGC) in August 2020. In addition to her general responsibilities to the General Counsel, Alaina focuses on legislative matters on behalf of the Governor’s Office and in conjunction with various executive agencies. Alaina came to OGC from the Pennsylvania House of Representatives where she served as Executive Director and Counsel to the Education Committee. In that position, she drafted, analyzed, and negotiated legislation on a wide range of education issues. Prior to that, she served as Assistant Counsel to the Department of Education (PDE). While at PDE, Alaina’s practice focused on areas including financially distressed school districts, early childhood learning, and school finance. Alaina also served as counsel for the Charter School Appeal Board. Alaina is an active member of the Pennsylvania Bar Association, where she is the co-chair of the Government Lawyers Committee and previously served as chair of the Young Lawyers Division. Alaina is also a long-time volunteer for the Money in Your Pocket program, providing free tax preparation for low-income families in the Capital Region, a bencher in the James S. Bowman Inn of Court, and a member of the Dean’s Advisory Counsel of Widener University Commonwealth Law School. Alaina received her undergraduate degree from the Pennsylvania State University and her juris doctor, magna cum laude, from Widener University Commonwealth Law School, where she was a Widener Merit Scholar.

Nora Winkelman is a gubernatorial appointee to the Uniform Law Commission and has served as a Commissioner from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania since 2003. She has served on a number of ULC study, drafting and standing committees and served as Secretary of the Executive Committee from July of 2017 to July of 2019. She chaired both the Study and Drafting Committees for the Uniform Health-Care Decisions Act. She received life membership in the ULC in 2026. Ms. Winkelman is recently retired from State Government. From February of 2009 to May of 2020, she was Chief Counsel to the Democratic Caucus of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. As Chief Counsel, Ms. Winkelman was responsible for general legal advice to the leadership, other members and staff of the House Democratic Caucus regarding contracts, legislation, litigation, ethics and personnel issues, among other things. During her tenure with the House of Representatives, Ms. Winkelman was the Democratic Leader’s appointee to the Interbranch Commission for Gender, Racial and Ethnic Fairness and served as the Commission’s Co-Chair from 2014 to 2020. For the 6 years prior to her role as Chief Counsel, Ms. Winkelman was an Executive Deputy General Counsel with the Governor’s Office of General Counsel and served as Governor Edward G. Rendell’s legislative counsel. She was responsible for advising the Governor, the Governor’s General Counsel and the Governor’s Senior Staff on all matters relating to legislation. Before entering State government service in 2003, Ms. Winkelman was engaged in the practice of law in the real estate and lending areas and general corporate law with extensive experience in multi-million dollar banking and real estate transactions. Representations included banks and financial institutions, real estate developers and buyers and sellers of commercial and residential properties, closely held corporations, partnerships and other businesses in general business matters. Ms. Winkelman is a 1986 graduate of the Villanova University School of Law and a 1983 graduate of LaSalle College.

Shannon has served as Chief Counsel for the Pennsylvania Senate Democratic Caucus since 2025, Deputy Chief Counsel from 2023-2025, and Counsel for the Caucus from 2013-2022. Prior to joining the central legal office, she was Legislative Counsel for Senator Anthony H. Williams from 2010 to 2013. As Co-Chair of the Pennsylvania Bar Association’s Statutory Law Committee and a Barrister member of the James S. Bowman American Inn of Court, Shannon organizes legal education courses each year and often speaks on issues related to constitutional, administrative and statutory construction law in addition to various legislative issues before the General Assembly. Shannon earned her J.D. from Widener University Commonwealth Law School in 2010 with an Administrative Law/Constitutional Law Certificate. She graduated cum laude from the University of Delaware in 2007, with an Honors B.A. in Psychology and minors in both Women’s Studies and Spanish. She is a member of the Bar of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court and admitted in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit as well as the U.S. District Courts for the Eastern and Middle Districts of Pennsylvania.

Anna King is the Director of Legislative Affairs for the Pennsylvania Bar Association. Prior to this position, she served as legislative counsel in the PA House of Representatives. Anna is a graduate of the Penn State Dickinson School of Law, in Carlisle.

Stephen B. Edwards is a member of the Mass Torts Law & Briefing Team at Morgan & Morgan, P.A. His practice focuses on briefing and arguing major issues in multi-district litigation across the country, including issues of preemption, medical causation, and challenges to expert testimony. Stephen also provides appellate support in catastrophic injury cases in federal and state courts nationwide. In Pennsylvania, Stephen has argued before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, the Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court, and numerous Courts of Common Pleas. He takes a keen interest in the evolution of Pennsylvania law, which in his opinion offers unique sources of fascination not found in other jurisdictions. Stephen graduated from the Washington & Lee University School of Law and Furman University, where he studied English Literature. He lives in Philadelphia.

Jenifer Layman has been an attorney with the Pennsylvania State Ethics Commission since March 2021. Formerly the Investigative Counsel, she is currently the Director of Enforcement, Litigation, & Education. Ms. Layman provides legal support for ongoing investigations, acts as trial counsel for the Investigative Division of the Pennsylvania State Ethics Commission, leads trainings about the Ethics Act around the Commonwealth, and supervises one attorney. Previously, Ms. Layman was a prosecutor with the York County District Attorney’s Office for a little over 18 months. Prior to working in York County, Ms. Layman was a prosecutor with the Baltimore City State’s Attorney’s Office in Maryland for over 16 years, where she prosecuted people charged with attempted murder, illegal possession of handguns, drug distribution, and other serious felonies. Ms. Layman finished her career in Baltimore with the Police Integrity Unit of the State’s Attorney’s Office. In this position, she litigated pre-trial motions on discovery matters regarding sworn officers of the Baltimore City Police Department and worked with the Grand Jury to investigate sworn officers for violations of the criminal law. Ms. Layman earned her law degree from the University of Baltimore School of Law and her Bachelor of Arts from Case Western Reserve University. She is licensed to practice law in both Maryland (since 1998) and Pennsylvania (since 2018).

Ryan Shovlin is the Executive Director & Legal Counsel for the Pennsylvania Senate Judiciary Committee under Chairwoman Lisa Baker. In his current role, Ryan oversees the operations of the Committee, including the management and tracking of legislation, drafting of bills and amendments, and coordination of confirmation hearings, voting meetings, and public hearings. Historically, the Judiciary Committee oversees legislation relating to a wide variety of subjects—such as criminal justice, domestic relations, trusts and estates, and constitutional rights. Prior to joining the Senate, Ryan served as a Deputy District Attorney for Dauphin County from 2016 to 2023, where he prosecuted criminal cases on behalf of the Commonwealth. During his time in the District Attorney’s Office, Ryan served as lead counsel in over 30 jury trials and routinely managed an active case load of over 250 felony and misdemeanor dockets. As a Deputy District Attorney, Ryan received advanced training in digital evidence, computer and mobile forensic examinations, and cyber crime investigations at the National Computer Forensics Institute, a federal training center for prosecutors and law enforcement operated by the United States Secret Service. In addition to his normal prosecutorial duties, Ryan filled a variety of roles with the Dauphin County DA’s Office, serving as the Right to Know Officer, Expungement Coordinator, and Traffic Safety Resource Prosecutor. For his tireless service and steadfast commitment to seeking justice, Ryan was awarded the 2022 LeRoy Zimmerman Outstanding Service as a Prosecutor Award. Ryan currently serves as a member of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania’s Criminal Procedural Rules Committee, a position he has held since 2024. He is a graduate of the Temple University Beasley School of Law (J.D., 2015) and Bucknell University (B.A. in Art & Art History, 2010).