Pennsylvania Legal Aid Network, Inc. (PLAN) is pleased to announce the 2018 Excellence Award winners as well as three recipients of the Outstanding Leadership in Support of Legal Services Award. The exceptional individuals and groups listed below have demonstrated excellence in their efforts to increase the availability of legal aid and raise the quality of civil legal services for low income people and victims of domestic violence in Pennsylvania.

Each winner has been carefully selected by criteria assessing their impact on increased access to civil legal aid, excellence in advocacy, leadership, and/or innovation in service delivery.

The 2018 Pennsylvania Legal Aid Network Excellence Award  honorees are:

• Rachel Blake, Esq. 
  Associate Director
  Regional Housing Legal Services
  Glenside, PA
   
• Patrick M. Cicero, Esq.
  Executive Director
  Pennsylvania Utility Law Project
  Harrisburg, PA
   
• Suzanne Moschini
  Paralegal
  North Penn Legal Services
  Bethlehem, PA
   
• Antoinette C. Oliver, Esq.
  Chair, Pittsburgh Pro Bono Partnership
  Partner, Meyer, Unkovic & Scott LLP
  Pittsburgh, PA
   
• Mary C. Pugh, Esq.
  Executive Director
  Montgomery Child Advocacy Project
  Norristown, PA
   
• Randi Riefner
  Legal Assistant
  Legal Aid of Southeastern Pennsylvania
  Bristol, PA
   
• Elizabeth (Beth) Shapiro, Esq.
  Senior Attorney
  Community Legal Services
  Philadelphia, PA
   
• The Honorable John J. Thomas
  United States Bankruptcy Judge
  
  The Middle District Bankruptcy Bar Association Pro Bono Program
  United States Bankruptcy Court, Middle District of Pennsylvania
  Wilkes-Barre, PA

The Outstanding Leadership in Support of Legal Services Award will be presented to:

• The Honorable Stewart J. Greenleaf
  Member, Pennsylvania Senate
  Willow Grove, PA
   
• The Honorable Ronald S. Marsico
  Member, Pennsylvania General Assembly
  Harrisburg, PA
   
• The Honorable Dick Thornburgh
  Former U.S. Attorney General
  Former Governor of Pennsylvania
  Pittsburgh, PA

The Award recipients will be formally honored at the PLAN Excellence Award Banquet on Wednesday, March 21, 2018, at the Hilton Harrisburg Hotel in Harrisburg, PA.  The ceremony will feature a video tribute of each honoree highlighting their accomplishments. Ticket information will be available in the near future.