Final Round Judges
Peter Franks
Peter J. Franks has been associated with experiential education in various administrative responsibilities for Northeastern University including as a dean in Student Affairs, and as Executive Officer for the cooperative education division. He has also served as Chief Operating Officer for the National Commission for Cooperative Education, a non-profit organization advancing the field of cooperative education. From 1995 through August of 2005, he was the first person to hold the position of Chief Executive Officer of the World Association for Cooperative Education, Inc. In this capacity he was responsible for developing strategies and conducting the operations of an international association developed for the purposes of advancing the work-integrated learning model of education; providing expert consultations to universities, corporations and government agencies; management of international conferences, symposia, and international training programs; conducting research as well as management of the Journal of Cooperative Education & Internships.
In September of 2005, Peter assumed responsibility for the Cooperative Education and Career Development division of Drexel University. In his capacity as the University's Executive Director and Associate Vice Provost, he is responsible for the placement of 4,500 students annually on cooperative education assignments as well the successful placement to full-time jobs of graduating seniors, offering career assistance to alumni, management of a career development course taught by Auxiliary Faculty to all entering students and developing strong relationships with over 3,000 employers hiring Drexel students throughout the nation and globally.
John Heaton, Esq.
Mr. Heaton was appointed Secretary of the Pennsylvania Board of Pardons in September 2003. As Secretary, a position created by Act 4 of 1919, he is the administrator of the Board. He has served as an Assistant Attorney General for PennDOT (1973-78); Chief Counsel for the PA State Police (1978-82); associate, then partner, at Dilworth, Paxson, Kalish and Kauffman (1982-87); Chief Counsel for PennDOT (1987-95); and, immediately prior to this assignment, engaged in private practice in Lebanon, Pennsylvania, handling both civil and criminal cases (1995-03). Mr. Heaton received his B.A. Degree from Villanova University and his J.D. Degree from Villanova Law School.
John C. Howett Jr., Esq.
John C. Howett Jr. is the senior attorney in the law firm of Howett, Kissinger & Holst, P.C., Harrisburg. His practice is limited to matrimonial law. He authored the commentary on the Pennsylvania Bar Institute's The Divorce Code: Amendments of February 12, 1988, The New Statewide Support Guidelines in 1989 and the Pennsylvania Bar Institute's The New Divorce Code Amendments of 2005. Mr. Howett is the former Chair of the Family Law Section of the Dauphin County Bar Association and is a past President of that Association. He is also a past Chair of the Pennsylvania Bar Association's Family Law Section. Mr. Howett has served two terms as a member of the Board of Governors of the Pennsylvania Bar Association and is a past Chair of the Pennsylvania Bar Association's Yong Lawyer's Division. He is a Fellow of both the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (past President of the Pennsylvania Chapter) and the International Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, and is a frequent lecturer and author on family law subjects. Mr. Howett has been listed in Pennsylvania Super Lawyers since 2005 and in The Best Lawyers in America since 1986 and was selected in 2009 by Best Lawyers as the first "Family Lawyer-Lawyer of the Year" for central Pennsylvania. He is Chair of the Equitable Distribution Committee of the Joint State Government Advisory Committee on Domestic Relation Law, was a member of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court's Domestic Relations Procedural Rules Committee from 1997 to 2003 and was a member of that Court's Appellate Rules Committee from 1992 to 1997. He served as one of the Special Masters in Divorce in Dauphin County from 1980 to 1990. Mr. Howett received his B.A. in 1968 from the University of Pennsylvania and his J.D. in 1974 from the Dickinson School of Law and served as an infantry officer in Vietnam between college and law school.