DEREK E. MEEKER NAMED ASSISTANT DEAN OF ADMISSIONS AND FINANCIAL AID AT PENN LAW AT THE UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA. March 28, 2003 PHILADELPHIA – Dean Michael A. Fitts has announced the appointment of Derek E. Meeker, J.D., as Assistant Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid at the University of Pennsylvania Law School. “We are delighted that someone with Derek Meeker’s vision will lead our Admissions Office,” said Dean Fitts. “He has uniformly impressed faculty, students, and staff with his understanding of and appreciation for Penn Law, and with his ideas, dedication, and ability. His admissions expertise, coupled with prior legal experience, will be of immense value as he assumes this important leadership role in an office that is the lifeblood of Penn Law.” “From the over 80 candidates from around the country who submitted resumes and the extensive interviews that we conducted, Derek Meeker clearly emerged as the best person for this position,” said Jo-Ann Verrier, Vice Dean, Student Services. Meeker was recruited as Associate Director of Admissions and Financial Aid at Penn Law in August 2002, and was named Interim Director of the Office in December. In that role, he has successfully implemented new strategies for admitting the incoming Class of 2006. Prior to joining Penn Law, he spent several years as Assistant Director of Admissions with William Mitchell College of Law in St. Paul, Minnesota. There, he successfully engaged in all aspects of admissions, including recruiting applicants, evaluating candidates, and implementing post acceptance strategies. Before beginning his career in law school admissions, Meeker served as an Assistant Attorney General in Ohio, where he represented universities and state agencies in employment litigation and assisted clients with the development of their personnel policies. In the early 1990s, he served as a Legislative Aide, acting as the key staff person to the Chairman of the Ohio Senate Judiciary Committee. In this role, he drafted legislation in the areas of criminal law, sentencing, and the state lottery. . Meeker holds a J.D. from Capital University, studied Comparative Law at Oxford University, and graduated cum laude with a B.S. in Journalism from Ohio University.