2007-11-20
Carl "Tobey" Oxholm III, Grant Keener, and Veronica Finkelstein join Board of Perspectives
November 2007-Philadelphia—Perspectives is pleased to announce the appointments of three new Philadelphians to the Board of Directors of Perspectives Debate Incorporated: Carl "Tobey" Oxholm III, Senior Vice President and General Counsel for Drexel University; Grant Keener, prelaw advisor at Drexel University; and Veronica Finkelstein, attorney at Duane Morris LLP.
"I am delighted to join Perspectives Debate," says Grant Keener, who worked closely with Perspectives during the planning of the First Annual Voices of Philadelphia Debate Tournament, held at Drexel University in April 2007. "Since becoming involved with Perspectives, I have been tremendously impressed not only by the group's commitment to Philadelphia's youth, but by the caliber of the individuals behind the organization. Engaging young people in the educational process through debate and philosophy is one of the most effective ways to combat student apathy and motivate them to reach their full potential. Perspectives is committed to these goals, and I look forward to supporting its efforts."
The addition of the three new board members will add several new areas of expertise and value to the Board. "Each of our new Board members has distinguished themselves in the Philadelphia community, and have offered a variety of assistance to Perspectives in the past," says Alexander McCobin, Co-Founder of Perspectives and President of the Board. "We are very excited to have them as Board members and look forward to their future accomplishments with Perspectives."
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Tobey Oxholm is Senior Vice President and General Counsel of Drexel University. At Drexel, he has served in numerous roles including Secretary of the Drexel University Board of Trustees, General Counsel of Drexel University College of Medicine, and Chair of the Law School Development Committee. Before joining Drexel, he was a practicing attorney in Philadelphia for 22 years, including employment with Dechert Price & Rhoads, The office of the Philadelphia City Solicitor, and Connolly Epstein Chicco Foxman Oxholm & Ewing. He was elected six times to the Board of Governors of the Philadelphia Bar Association, five times as an Officer and member of the Cabinet. He also served for 15 years as chair of the Committee on the Delivery of Legal Services to the Poor, and for 3 years as the Inaugural Chair of the Public Interest Section, which he helped found.
Tobey has worked on a number of pro bono law projects, and was a principal architect in the creation of the Philadelphia Volunteers for the Indigent Program (VIP), Homeless Advocacy Project, and Consumer Bankruptcy Assistance Project. He has served on the boards of directors of several public interest legal services organizations, including the Pennsylvania Interest on Lawyer Trust Account (IOLTA) Board (by appointment of the Supreme Court), Pennsylvania Legal Services, Philadelphia's Community Legal Services, Inc., the Public Interest Law Center of Philadelphia, and Juvenile Law Center. He has received a number of awards for his service, including the Pro Bono Publico Award (American Bar Association), Lifetime Achievement Award (Pennsylvania Bar Foundation), and Bar Medal and Fidelity Award (Philadelphia Bar Association).
Tobey is a Phi Beta Kappa, summa cum laude graduate of Amherst College a graduate of Harvard's Kennedy School of Government and Harvard Law School.
Grant Keener is the prelaw advisor at Drexel University, a position he has held since the summer of 2005. In addition to his prelaw duties, Grant has been closely involved with developing the admissions program for Drexel's new College of Law. He previously served as Assistant Dean for Admissions and Financial Aid at the University of Illinois College of Law, as Director of Admissions at Touro Law Center (Long Island, NY) and as the Assistant Director of Law Admissions at his alma mater, the Ohio Northern University College of Law. While in law school, Grant was active in the student bar association, serving as a class representative, vice president and president. He earned his undergraduate degree from Penn State University.
Grant previously served on the Board of Directors of Prairie Center Health System, a non-profit substance abuse treatment organization headquartered in Urbana, IL. He is the Managing Member of Kissel Hill Pizza, LLC, which operated UnCommon Pizza in Lititz, PA.
Grant resides in Lancaster County and is a member of the Pennsylvania bar.
Veronica Finkelstein is an attorney at Duane Morris LLP in Philadelphia. She practices in the area of litigation, concentrating in construction and commercial litigation and handles matters for owners, contractors, design-builders, design professionals, sureties, vendors and subcontractors. Veronica has represented clients in a variety of construction law matters in state and federal courts, as well in mediation. She has litigated numerous disputes involving professional negligence in design. She is admitted to practice in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
Veronica is a member of the Philadelphia Bar Association Young Lawyers Section. She has published articles, including those in the Legal Intelligencer's Young Lawyers Supplement, The Pennsylvania Bar Association Quarterly, and Speaker and Gavel.
Veronica was a high school debater for Fox Chapel High School in Pittsburgh, PA. Currently, she is the Coach of Strawberry Mansion High School's Mock Trial Team. She is a Judge in the Citywide Mock Trial Competition and a Judge for the Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition.
Veronica is an honors graduate of the Emory University School of Law and an honors graduate of Pennsylvania State University.
Press Contact:
Lilly Deng
Perspectives Debate
(267) 218-4738
lilly@philadebate.org
Perspectives is a Philadelphia-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization promoting youth debate education. Students who debate dramatically increase their reading comprehension, critical thinking, and public speaking skills. In the process, debate becomes a forum to foster youth achievement and civic responsibility. Perspectives has worked with over 400 students in 8 states through afterschool, summer, and special events. www.philadebate.org