Tuan Samahon, Esq. Chair

Professor Tuan Samahon is a full-time legal educator and tenured faculty member at Villanova University’s Charles Widger School of Law where he teaches civil procedure, constitutional law, and federal courts. His published scholarship has appeared in the Stanford Law Review, the University of Chicago Legal Forum, and Intelligence and National Security, among others. In 2017, Tuan served as a Fulbright Scholar in Croatia with the University of Zagreb’s law faculty.

In addition to his academic work, Tuan remains active as a litigator. He has briefed cases before the Supreme Court of the United States, the U.S. Courts of Appeals, and the U.S. District Courts, where he has handled separation-of-powers and Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) cases. He has handled matters against the CIA, DOJ, FBI, and IRS, among others, on behalf of fellow academics, book authors, and journalists who sought the release of federal records. These documents have ranged from a draft undisclosed CIA history of the 1961 Bay of Pigs operation to FBI investigatory records about the theft and laundering by U.S. servicemen of the royal family of Hesse’s jewels.

Beyond his scholarship and litigated matters, Tuan is engaged in public service by interpreting and implementing federal law. He has testified before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee, Subcommittee on the Constitution, and assisted individual members of Congress on questions of federal law. Tuan formerly served on the FOIA Advisory Committee where he advised the National Archives and Records Administration on FOIA reform. He assisted the federal court in Philadelphia with the selection of a new federal magistrate judge and participates in area bar and civics programs.

He is now pleased to join the Pennsylvania Continuing Legal Education Board. Over the years, he has taught numerous CLEs on constitutional and transparency law topics.

Tuan earned his J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center, cum laude, where he was jointly awarded the Olin Prize in Law and Economics and published his student scholarship in the Georgetown Law Journal, Law & Policy in International Business, and the Federal Communications Law Journal. Following graduation, he clerked for the Honorable Raymond A. Jackson on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia and later the Honorable Jay S. Bybee on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Prior to becoming a faculty member, Tuan practiced law in the Washington, D.C. office of Covington & Burling.

Honorable Mark Powell Vice Chair

Mark Powell is a judge in the Court of Common Pleas in Lackawanna County. Previously, he served as the District Attorney of Lackawanna County from 2018-2025 and was a partner at the Powell Law firm in Scranton from 1990-2017. While serving as District Attorney, Powell was a member of the Pennsylvania District Attorneys Association (PDAA) Executive Board and the Education and Training Committee. In addition, Powell serves as a faculty member for the National Institute of Trial Advocacy and was awarded its Teaching Excellence Award in Advanced Trial Advocacy in Washington, D.C., in 2016. Before being elected DA, he co-chaired the Lackawanna County Bench Bar Conference for several years and remains active on the Lackawanna Bar Association’s Educational Committee.

Powell is a Board-Certified Trial Specialist by the National Board of Trial Advocacy in both criminal law and civil law. He served on the Board of Governors of the Pennsylvania Association for Justice and the Board of Directors of the Northeastern PA Trial Lawyers Association. For 12 years, he served as a Hearing Committee member for the Pennsylvania Disciplinary Board and is a past president of Northeastern Pennsylvania Trial Lawyers Association where he received its highest award for his Exemplary Character and Compassion for Victims.

Powell earned his undergraduate degree from Villanova University, his Juris Doctorate from the Catholic University Columbus School of Law, and his Master of Laws in Trial Advocacy from Temple University Beasley School of Law where he graduated with honors.

Ana Gomez, Esq. Treasurer

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.

Susan Affronti, Esq

Susan Affronti is a Senior Deputy Attorney General in the Criminal Appeals Unit of the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General. She is responsible for coordinating OAG’s responses to federal habeas corpus matters and working with district attorney’s offices throughout the Commonwealth. Additionally, she represents the Commonwealth in a wide variety of post-trial criminal matters, appearing before the Third Circuit Court of Appeals and each of Pennsylvania’s United States District Courts, as well as the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, Superior Court, Commonwealth Court and county courts of Common Pleas throughout the state. During her time at the Attorney General’s Office, Ms. Affronti has also represented the Commonwealth in a variety of civil matters in the district courts for in both the Middle and Eastern Districts of Pennsylvania.

Prior to joining the Office of Attorney General, Ms. Affronti worked in for the District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania as the court’s death penalty law clerk and the supervisor of the court’s pro se law clerks.

Prior to joining the court, Ms. Affronti was chief of the federal litigation unit of the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office, where she worked for 14 years, defending the Commonwealth in habeas corpus matters in the United States Supreme Court, the Third Circuit Court of Appeals and the federal district court.

Ms. Affronti had previously been an associate in the corporate and securities group at Faegre Drinker.

Ms. Affronti earned her undergraduate degree from Bucknell University. She graduated magna cum laude from Temple University’s Beasley School of Law, where she was a member of law review. She is admitted to practice in the United States Supreme Court, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, the Third Circuit Court of Appeals, and each of the U.S. District Courts in Pennsylvania.

Ms. Affronti is pleased to join the Pennsylvania Continuing Legal Education Board. Over the years she has taught CLEs on habeas corpus litigation and other criminal matters. She also had the opportunity to coordinate the CLE programs offered by the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office, and looks forward sharing her experience in the role of “accredited provider,” as well.

Mark Milsop, Esq.

Mark E. Milsop is a 1989 graduate of Pennsylvania State University, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in economics with a minor in speech communication. He then attended Duquesne University School of Law in 1992, where he earned his Juris Doctor and graduated with honors. During law school, Mr. Milsop was a member of the Law Review and Appellate Moot Court Society. He also interned with the Honorable Ralph J. Cappy of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. Attorney Milsop knew early on that he wanted to be a courtroom attorney. He wanted to do work that was important, helpful and that makes a difference in people’s lives. Mr. Milsop believes the courtroom is a place where he can stand up for people.

Attorney Milsop joined Berger and Green, P.C. in 2007, where he proudly represents injured accident victims in personal injury claims including: car accidents, burn injuries, dog bites, slip and fall incidents, and wrongful death claims. Attorney Milsop has 25 years of experience. He believes in building trust with his clients, letting them know up front what the strengths and weaknesses of their case are, and how he plans to handle them. He understands that a serious injury can have a devastating impact on his client’s life. This compels attorney Milsop to work hard to make a recovery for his clients.

Attorney Milsop serves on numerous professional organizations including the Board of Governors of the Western Pennsylvania Trial Lawyers Association (WPTLA) of which he currently serves as secretary, the Local Rules Committee of the Allegheny County Bar Association (ACBA). He is also an elected member of the Academy of Trial Lawyers of Allegheny County (ATLAC), where he served on the membership committee. Mr. Milsop is a former member of the Pennsylvania Association for Justice’s Board of Governors and is the former chair of the PAJ’s Amicus Curiae Committee. He is also a board member and former President of the St. Thomas More Society (Catholic Lawyers). From 2011-2018 Attorney Milsop was named as a Pennsylvania Super Lawyer. These lawyers represent the top five percent of all lawyers in Pennsylvania in peer recognition and professional achievement. Most recently, Attorney Milsop was honored by his peers with the 2018 George F. Douglas Amicus Curiae Award.

Attorney Milsop has also written on the law, having served as a co-author of the Pennsylvania Automobile Litigation: Guideline and Forms for the Trial Lawyer, 3rd Edition. He also authors a regular Column -“By The Rules”- for WPTLA’s quarterly publication.

Mr. Milsop is licensed to practice in all Pennsylvania Courts as well as the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania and the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.

Outside of the courtroom, Mr. Milsop likes to stay active in the legal community, writing on the law and advocating for laws that protect the rights of injured accident victims.

Mr. Milsop is proud to serve personal injury victims as an attorney with Berger and Green. He believes that it is important to focus on the fact that his clients have been victims of the carelessness of others. Attorney Milsop feels it is his role to see that his clients are treated fairly by the civil justice system.

Jerry D. Rassias, Esq.

Jerry D. Rassias is an Assistant District Attorney in Delaware County, PA. As one of the youngest Trial Team Leaders in County history, he has handled all types of felony cases, including one of the Commonwealth’s largest undercover fentanyl cases, where he secured a conviction. He has also tried murder and rape cases to verdict, again securing convictions for the Commonwealth.

Jerry graduated with honors from Georgetown University, with a major in Government from the prestigious Government Department at Georgetown. He graduated from Villanova Law School, with a focus in trial advocacy. As a member of Villanova Trial Team, he led Villanova to a top 8 finish in the country for the national mock trial tournament of all law schools.

Barry Simpson, Esq.

Mr. Simpson has served as executive director of the Pennsylvania Bar Association since 1999 and also as the Pennsylvania Bar Institute executive director since 2018. As executive director, he is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the 21,000-member professional association. He recently served as Chair of the Pennsylvania Interest on Lawyers’ Trust Accounts Board of Directors and had previously served on the Pennsylvania Lawyers Fund for Client Security, including serving as Secretary and Treasurer during his term. Prior to leading the PBA staff, Simpson was a partner for 16 years in the Pittsburgh firm of Brennan, Robins & Daley, where he managed the daily business operations of the firm and the legal and administrative staffs. He then became a shareholder in the Pittsburgh law firm of Ecker, Rome, Simpson and DeAngelis for ten years. While in Allegheny County, he was a member of the PBA House of Delegates and served as a delegate to the American Bar Association. He served as president of the Allegheny County Bar Association in 1998 and is a member of the Academy of Trial Lawyers of Allegheny County. In addition, he is also a member of the Western Pennsylvania Trial Lawyers Association, the Pennsylvania Association for Justice and the American Association for Justice. He received his Juris Doctorate degree from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law and his Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing Management from The Pennsylvania State University.

Kiandra D. Steffy, Esq.

Kiandra Steffy is Deputy General Counsel at Milton Hershey School. She provides legal advice and support concerning, among other things, compliance, contract management, risk management, intellectual property, corporate governance, policy development and data & privacy security protection.

Prior to joining Milton Hershey School, Kiandra was in private practice concentrating her focus in the Labor and Employment, Title IX, Investigations, and Commercial Litigation spaces. She previously served as an Assistant City Solicitor with the City of Philadelphia Law Department as well as an Arbitrator for the Office of District Court Administration in Lancaster, PA. She began her career by serving as a Judicial Law Clerk for the Honorable Dennis E. Reinaker.

As a participant of the Clemency Project 2014, which allows non-violent, low-level offenders to receive pro bono representation, Kiandra successfully petitioned for an incarcerated individual to receive a commuted sentence after being granted clemency by the 44th President of the United States, Barack Obama. She was the first member of the National Bar Association to file a successful petition for clemency.

Kiandra is an active member of the Lancaster community and has served in many leadership roles. She is proud of her Lancaster roots and appreciates the chance to give back to the community that grew her.

Honorable Clyde Waite

Howard Univ. (B.A.) 1968; Yale Law (J.D.) 1971; Bucks County Legal Aid Society Volunteer Atty. and Asst. Public Defender. 1971-72; Law Clerk Judge Edmund V. Ludwig, 1972; Law Clerk Judge Harriet M. Mims, 1977; Waite Real Estate Brokerage, 1979-2003; Solicitor Bristol Twp 1981; Solicitor Bucks County Ind. Dev. Auth. 1984; Partner, Stief, Waite, Gross, Sagoskin & Gilman, 1972-2003; Bucks County Bar Assoc. Bd Dir.; NAACP – Exec. Com.; Enterprise Zone of Bucks County – Pres.; Aldie Foundation Bd. Dir.; Bristol Twp. Ind. Dev. Corp. Founder; B. C. Bd. Realtors; Lower Bucks Cham. Com.; Bucks County Housing Group Pres. of Bd; Bucks County Playhouse Bd. of Dir.; Yardley Country Club Bd. Of Governors; B.C. Legal Aid Soc. Bd. of Dir.; PA State Planning Board/Futures Council; Kingswood Betterment Soc., Founder; Local Merit Judicial Selection Com.; Lower Bucks County Family YMCA Bd. of Dir.; St. Mary Hospital Authority – Bd. of Dir.; United Way of Bucks County. Elected Judge Court of Common Pleas Nov. 2003. Member of the Supreme Court’s Judicial Ethics Committee; Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Rules of Civil Procedures Committee; Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Superior Court’s Pro Se (Unrepresented Litigant) Committee; Founder, Bucks County Bar Association Diversity and Inclusion Committee.

Libby A. White, Esq.

Libby A. White is a former Professor of Legal Writing at the Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law, Visiting Professor at the Drexel University Thomas R. Kline School of Law, and Professor in the LSAC Prelaw Undergraduate Scholars (PLUS) Program. In addition to Legal Analysis, Writing, and Oral Advocacy, Professor White has taught Animal Law, Contracts, Advanced Appellate Advocacy, International Entertainment Law, Professional Responsibility, and Logic for Lawyers. Prior to teaching, she was a transactional and securities lawyer for Saul Ewing LLP, a sole practitioner in business law, and performed free-lance litigation overflow for the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of Pennsylvania (Civil Division). Currently, Ms. White works as a consultant for law firms to (a) train associates on transactional and litigation drafting and (b) advise on, negotiate, and draft contracts for their clients. Professor White is the author of articles on theater law, oral advocacy, legal analysis and writing, and pedagogy. She has also presented numerous seminars concerning oral advocacy, practical law practice, pedagogical practices, and legal writing. She is the author of “Fundamentals of Legal Writing and Lawyering,” and “Contract Drafting.”