Professional Development Day | October 10, 2022

Professional Development Day information, including session descriptions, times, and locations, can be found below or in the corresponding PDF. Students should register via the events section in CORE. The PDD Committee looks forward to seeing you virtually on October 10 (Zoom link will be provided).

PDD Schedule and Session Information (PDF)

Important Information

Professional Development Day registration is now open on CORE. Register by 11:59pm Sunday, October 2.

All students must attend 3 hours of programming from 4pm to 7pm (4EDs who have been ED students all 4 years do not need to attend but are welcome to do so).

All graduating students must also attend the special session from 7-8pm as it pertains to the 2023 bar exam.

Before you can register for PDD sessions, you must first register for CORE. Instructions on registering were provided to all 1L students by email on September 23. If you have any questions on registering for CORE or PDD, please contact Carolyn Dreer at cedreer@widener.edu.

The Zoom link for all PDD sessions will be provided to registrants by email before October 10. Just like attorneys are required to attend CLE courses in their entirety to earn the credits, students are also required to attend PDD sessions in their entirety to earn the credits. Business attire is required and cameras must be on. 

If you have any questions, please contact Melissa Laney, Esquire, Adjunct Instructor, at mtlaney@widener.edu. 

Speaker Biographies

Lieutenant Colonel Frank Kostik is currently the Regional Defense Counsel for the Atlantic Region responsible for the leadership, training, and development of all defense attorneys and paralegals in 16 states including Washington D.C. and the defense of Soldiers facing disciplinary action therein. He received his Bachelor of Arts from Mercyhurst College and his Juris Doctorate from Widener University School of Law. He holds a Master of Laws (LL.M) from the Judge Advocate General’s Legal Center and School in Military Law with a Criminal Law Specialty and a Master of Laws in Criminal Law Trial Advocacy from the Washington College of Law, American University in Washington D.C.

Lieutenant Colonel Kostik enlisted in the Pennsylvania National Guard in 1997 where he served as a Cavalry Scout, in the 1-110 Infantry Regiment, 28th Infantry Division prior to entering ROTC. Upon graduation from ROTC in 2001, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant and the Army granted him a delay from entering active duty in order to attend law school. After entering active duty in 2005, he served in numerous legal assignments in The Judge Advocate General’s Corps including Deputy Staff Judge Advocate, United States Army Special Operations Command, Fort Bragg, N.C.; Chief of Complex and Capital Litigation, U.S. Army Trial Defense Service, Fort Belvoir, VA; Group Judge Advocate, 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne), Fort Campbell, KY; Senior Defense Counsel, Fort Leavenworth, KS; Government Appellate Attorney, Fort Belvoir, VA; and Defense Counsel, Prosecutor, and Brigade Judge Advocate at the First Infantry Division, Fort Riley KS. Lieutenant Colonel Kostik has deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Inherent Resolve.

His awards and decorations include the Bronze Star Medal, Meritorious Service Medal (5 OLC), Army Commendation Medal (2 OLC), Army Achievement Medal, Operation Iraqi Freedom Campaign Medal with campaign star, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, the Meritorious Unit Award, and the Combat Action Badge. He has published several articles and is the recipient of the United States Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces Judge Paul W. Brosman Award for highest academic standing in Criminal Law at the Army Judge Advocate Graduate Course. At Widener he was the President of the Trial Advocacy Honor Society and a member of the Moot Court Honor Society. He is admitted to practice law in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and before the Army Court of Criminal Appeals, The Court of Appeals for the Armed Forced, and the Supreme Court of the United States.

Amanda J. Lavis is an award-winning former attorney and litigator, who stepped out of the courtroom and into companies to help leaders build inclusive workplaces.  She currently serves as the Chief Diversity Officer for DEVCOMM, Army Futures Command, and previously served as the EEO Officer for the State of Hawaii and a partner at a local regional law firm. Amanda is also the founder and CEO of The Inclusion Strategist, which provides strategic diversity, equity, and inclusion consulting to businesses of all sizes. She received her juris doctorate from Villanova University School of Law and her masters of business administration from Shippensburg University.

Kim Cole has held positions in sales, human resources, and management in organizations that include professional services, start-ups, and FORTUNE 500 companies.  Immediately prior to founding The Sales Zone, Kim was a global alliance vice president at Spherion, Workforce Architects, Inc. where she was responsible for sales and service at America Online and the American Red Cross. Prior to Spherion, Kim was both a human resources manager and an outsourcing sales executive at Pitney Bowes Management Services. During her sales career she has sold business services and technology offerings to industry sectors including professional services, state and local government, insurance, high-tech, new media, associations, law firms, clean tech, business simulations, and training. Kim is fluent in Spanish and has lived and traveled extensively in Latin America.  Kim holds a masters degree in human resource management from The George Washington University, and a B.A. in Latin American Studies and Spanish from The University of Tennessee, Knoxville.  She works with clients and job seekers on their LinkedIn profiles on a daily basis.

Jessica Holst is the Lead Character and Fitness Investigator with the Pennsylvania Board of Law Examiners. Jessica graduated from The Dickinson School of Law in 1998. She clerked for The Honorable Judge Daniel Howsare in Bedford County from 1998-2000. In 2000 she worked for a year in private practice doing worker’s compensation and medical malpractice defense work with Hartman, Osborne, & Shoop. From 2000-2002, Jessica clerked for The Honorable Bruce Bratton in Dauphin County. In 2002 Jessica returned to practice and served as an attorney in the Cumberland County Office of MidPenn Legal Services where she focused on custody cases and represented survivors of domestic violence. In 2014, Jessica accepted the position of Lead Character and Fitness Investigator with the Pennsylvania Board of Law Examiners. Jessica resides in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania with her husband, Darren Holst, also an attorney, and her son, Alexander.