VLS Confers The Hon. R. Seth Williams with the Medallion Award
The Honorable R. Seth Williams
I am delighted to announce that the Honorable R. Seth Williams has accepted our invitation to be the Commencement Speaker for the Class of 2012.
Seth Williams became the first African American elected as District Attorney in the history of both the City of Philadelphia and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in 2009. A native of West Philadelphia, District Attorney Williams is a graduate of Central High School; Penn State University, where he was President of both the Black Caucus and the Undergraduate Student Government; and Georgetown University Law Center, earning distinction as a Public Interest Law Scholar. He returned to Philadelphia in 1992, continuing his dedication to public service as a member of the Office of the District Attorney.
Highlights of District Attorney Williams’ 10-year tenure as Assistant District Attorney include his appointment as the Assistant Chief of the Municipal Court and his founding and supervision of the Repeat Offenders Unit. In 2005 he was appointed Inspector General of the City of Philadelphia, a position in which he was responsible for the investigation of allegations of corruption, fraud, waste, abuse and employee misconduct among municipal workers and companies under contract with the city. Following his term as Inspector General, District Attorney Williams joined the law firm of Stradley, Ronon, Stevens & Young.
District Attorney Williams continues to serve his community as an educator and volunteer. He currently serves as an adjunct at the Law School, and has also taught at Temple Law School, Neumann College and Penn State Abington. He also serves as a Major in the Judge Advocate General Corps of the United States Army Reserve and on the boards of several community organizations, including the Catholic Social Services of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, the Overbrook Park Civic Association & Town Watch, St. Cyprian Catholic Church, the St. Martin de Porres Foundation and the West Philadelphia Y.M.C.A.
I look forward to celebrating Commencement with you and your families on Friday, May 18, 2012.
Sincerely,
John Y. Gotanda
Dean and Professor of Law
Villanova University School of Law
299 North Spring Mill Road
Villanova, Pennsylvania 19085
USA
Tel.: +1.610.519.7007
Fax: +1.610.519.6472
Email: gotanda@law.villanova.edu
Website: www.law.villanova.edu/johngotanda
