Meet the Candidates for the 2026-2027 Board of Directors
We are delighted to announce the full list of candidates for this year's board elections! Please see below for brief statements from each of our candidates.
If you will be attending the NAPLA Conference in Providence, you will have a chance to meet many of our candidates during the NAPLA Business Meeting and Lunch on June 10.
All current Regular (pre-law advisor) members will receive a ballot and instructions by email when voting opens on June 10. If you would like to participate, make sure you are up to date on your dues by June 9! Voting concludes July 10, with results to be announced by August 1. Elected candidates will assume their roles with the start of the new board term on September 1.
Many thanks to all of our candidates for your willingness to support NAPLA and the pre-law advising community!
Executive Committee Positions
Second Vice President (1 open position with 1-year term, ascends to First Vice President):
- Molly Gorby (Bucknell University)
Communications Coordinator (1 open position with 2-year term):
- Omena Akpobome (Johns Hopkins University)
At-Large Board Positions (4 open positions with 2-year term):
- Omena Akpobome (Johns Hopkins University)
- Jennifer Capozzoli (NYU)
- Hannah Fine (Boston College)
- Illana Julius (Fordham University)
- Nicki Kern (University of Maryland College Park)
- Nicole Park (Wellesley College)
Candidate Statements – Executive Committee
Molly E. Gorby, Pre-Law Advisor/Career Coach, Bucknell University
Second Vice President
After serving 2 years in a Member-at-Large position, I am ready and excited to take on a larger role within NAPLA and work to identify and create opportunities which would support and advance our profession at large. I continue to be very motivated to build education programming and networking opportunities which support our members and keep them well informed so that they are confident in their advising roles. Through my involvement with NAPLA, I have benefitted immensely from attending conferences and building meaningful professional relationships with colleagues, law school admissions professionals, LSAC representatives, and LSAT testing program staff. These experiences have strengthened my own advising practice and provided valuable insight into the changing needs of students pursuing legal careers.
As a result of this involvement, I have built a robust pre-law program on my campus centered around community, learning, and networking opportunities for students. I successfully revived an on-campus law school admissions fair and developed two for-credit courses focused on legal career exploration and the law school application process. In addition, I have planned law-related treks and created unique opportunities for students to interact directly with our alumni.
Prior to joining Bucknell University in 2022, I worked with individual and corporate clients in both large and small firms, practicing civil litigation, mortgage foreclosure law, estate planning and real estate law. I am a licensed attorney in Florida (currently CLER Exempt) and Pennsylvania, with a JD from the University of Richmond and a BA in Criminology from Florida State University.
Omena Akpobome, Pre-Professional Advisor, Johns Hopkins University
Communications Coordinator
I studied law in Nigeria and came to the United States to pursue a Master's in Leadership and Management. I have spent the last two years rebuilding pre-law at Johns Hopkins including developing an alumni mentorship network that connects current students to people are in law school or practicing attorneys. That last piece matters to me because mentorship is often where underserved students get access to something a website cannot give them. I am interested in what NAPLA can do for the student whose school does not have anyone in this role at all.
I attended my first NAPLA conference last year and here again to learn more about what we can do for prelaw students and connect with the advising community. I am running because I want to do work that goes beyond my own office. The Communications Coordinator and At-Large roles both point in that direction, outreach, advisor development, and how this community grows its reach. I am practical, I am relatable, and I am here because this work matters beyond any single institution. Looking forward to connecting at the conference.
Candidate Statements – At-Large Board Members
Omena Akpobome, Pre-Professional Advisor, Johns Hopkins University
Please see above statement for Communications Coordinator.
Jen Capozzoli, Associate Director, Preprofessional Advising, New York University (NYU)
Jen Capozzoli (she/her) is the Associate Director for Preprofessional Advising at New York University, where she leads the prelaw program serving current students and alumni, supervises a team of advisors, and directs the Lawyer Alumni Mentoring Program. Deeply committed to the advancement of the prelaw community, Jen is completing a two-year term on the LSAC Prelaw Advising Committee and frequently presents at conferences, including NAPLA (2025, 26) and the LSAC Annual Meeting (2026). She was recently re-elected to the NYU Administrative Management Council as the Senior Unit Development and Community Service committees. Her governance experience also includes the St. John’s University Graduates of the Last Decade Executive Board and the Penn Athletics Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee, among others.
As an At-Large Board Member, Jen will advocate for advisors who balance competing priorities and wear many hats. She looks forward to leveraging her background in program management and professional development to support NAPLA committees. By expanding professional development resources and strengthening lines of communication with law schools, she hopes to further NAPLA’s impact as the driver of excellence and support for its members.
Jen earned her Master’s in Nonprofit Leadership and a Certificate in Applied Positive Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania. She works part-time in marketing and development for COPE, a grief and healing nonprofit, and lives on Long Island with her husband, Justin, and their dog, Malcolm. She enjoys traveling, cooking, cycling, and following college basketball.
Hannah Fine, Assistant Director, Career Education, Boston College
I am very excited about the opportunity to be considered to serve as a board member for NAPLA. Currently, at Boston College, I have advised hundreds of undergraduates and alumni on the law school process, as well as careers in government, law and policy, and run related programming, with a focus on accessibility and equity. I have found this work incredibly rewarding, but I also understand the importance of staying current on financial resources, relevant regulations, and admissions practices. Initially after law school, I started out practicing corporate law (private equity fund formation specifically), in Boston and Chicago, for Dechert and Kirkland & Ellis, respectively. Once I realized that my favorite parts of my corporate practice related to mentoring more junior attorneys and working on pro bono matters, I transitioned to working in higher education, running the pro bono program for the University of Chicago Law School and providing public interest career counseling. I also have experience managing the pro bono and DEI programs for a mid-sized corporate firm on the West Coast, and I would hope to bring these experiences in both industry and law school settings to inform my support for NAPLA's pre-law-focused programming. Overall, I am a hard worker, very motivated, and I bring a positive energy and strong sense of curiosity to any responsibility I take on. I also have previous board and organizing experience with Legal Aid Chicago, the Oregon Campaign for Equal Justice, and the National Association for Law Placement's (NALP) public service section. Unfortunately, I have a conflict that means I won't be able to attend the conference this year, but I very much look forward to attending next year!
Illana Julius, Assistant Dean, Pre-Professional Advising, Fordham University
Thank you for considering my nomination. I am excited to serve the profession and run for an at-large board position for Napla. I love working with students, coaching and guiding them with individualized law school admissions strategies. My goal is to deepen access, clarity, and confidence, helping students from diverse backgrounds navigate complex pre-law pathways. I have over 10 years of experience in academic and pre-professional advising. I've enjoyed attending almost every Napla conference since 2018. I am inspired to work with others towards a common goal. Before arriving at Fordham, I spent 8 years advising undergraduate and graduate prelaw students at Yeshiva University, and I enjoyed consulting for a year. One of my most memorable experiences was serving on the Board of the Northeast Association of Pre-Law Advisors (NAPLA), when a position suddenly opened up. I enjoyed collaborating with other pre-law advisors and professionals. I would like to serve again and contribute to regional programming and mentoring newer advisors. I would like to continue to help students with non-traditional backgrounds gain access to prelaw advising and prelaw events. I enjoy putting together workshops and programs for both pre-law advisors and pre-law students. Napla has been an incredible resource, and I would like to give back to Napla.
Nicki Kern, Pre-Law Advisor, University of Maryland, College Park
Nicki Kern serves as a Pre-Law Advisor & Senior Academic Advisor in the Office of Letters & Sciences at the University of Maryland. She also teaches grammar for the College of Journalism and writing courses at the University. Nicki earned a Master’s in English from University of Maryland, College Park and a Bachelor’s in English from Pace University, New York City.
Nicki began her career in pre-law advising in 2019 as a graduate assistant before becoming a full-time advisor. She has been a NAPLA At-Large Board Member for the past two years during which time she has served on and chaired the By-Laws committee, as well as co-chaired the Sponsorship & Scholarship committees for the SNAPLA 2025 joint conference. As By-laws committee chair she is currently undergoing a full by-laws revision to address contradictions from recent by-laws adoptions and ensure clarity in NAPLA governance and membership for the future.
She views serving on the NAPLA board as a natural extension of her role. She wants to continue aiding newer pre-law advisors and learn from seasoned advisors. Working on the NAPLA board the past two years has been a privilege she’d like to continue. Ultimately, Nicki wants to enrich her work to best serve her students and learn with and from pre-law advising colleagues whose insight is always invaluable. And she really, really wants to finish the by-laws revision. Please.
Nicole Park (Wellesley College)