Jan Matthew Tamanini has a rich and diverse background, with experience in the law, journalism, public relations, and volunteer work. This breadth of experience gives Ms. Tamanini the ability to understand a wide variety of issues to benefit her clients. Prior to leaving state government service after 25 years to form this law firm, Ms. Tamanini served as counsel to several state agencies: the Pennsylvania Securities Commission, the Governor's Office of the Budget, and the Departments of Transportation and General Services. Her experience with various state and federal grant programs, securities regulation, procurement issues and protests, and highway and vertical construction projects uniquely qualifies her to assist businesses and nonprofit organizations, especially those interested in working with Commonwealth government, with a broad range of matters. Ms. Tamanini has worked on all aspects of legislation and regulations from conception to completion. Her agency colleagues often requested her expert assistance in legislative and regulatory drafting, analysis, and review on a variety of subjects and complex issues. Ms. Tamanini was instrumental in the launch of the Commonwealth's highly successful COSTARS program, under which businesses contract with the Department of General Services to permit them to sell their goods and services to thousands of local government organizations and nonprofit entities without the need to bid locally. A Harrisburg-area resident for three decades, Ms. Tamanini has served as a volunteer board and committee member for a number of nonprofit emergency medical services, theatre arts, dance, and AIDS patient relief organizations. She has also provided pro-bono legal services to several nonprofit organizations. Jan began working in commercial radio and television while attending the Pennsylvania State University. Graduating with distinction from Penn State with degrees in both journalism and theatre arts, she went on to report, anchor, and host news and pubic affairs programs at radio and TV stations in State College, Scranton, Wilkes Barre, and Harrisburg, where she covered both local news and the state capitol. During her time at Harrisburg's CBS-TV affiliate, Ms. Tamanini covered the 1979 nuclear accident at Three Mile Island and its aftermath and did free-lance work for CBS News. Early in 1980, Governor Dick Thornburgh's press secretary recruited Ms. Tamanini to public service. After working as a press secretary for both the Thornburgh administration and Pennsylvania's first elected Attorney General, Ms. Tamanini decided to pursue a legal education. During her tenure at the Dickinson School of Law, the school selected Ms. Tamanini to its appellate and trial moot court boards as well as its elite National Appellate Moot Court team. She continued with public service during law school, first as law clerk to a Common Pleas Court judge, then helping to launch Pennsylvania's Independent Regulatory Review Commission. At Dickinson, a panel of state and federal judges honored Ms. Tamanini with the 1983 Edgar I. King Award for excellence in oral advocacy. In 1984, she received her Juris Doctor degree and earned national membership in the Order of Barristers for excellence in courtroom advocacy. Ms. Tamanini is admitted to the Pennsylvania bar and to the bars of the United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania and the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. She is an active member of the Pennsylvania Bar Association and its Plain English Committee, Commission on Women in the Profession, and Small Firm and Solo Practice Section. She is also on the planning committee of the PAICPA's "ABCs of Networking", a group for women attorneys, bankers, and CPAs. A zealous advocate for retired racing greyhound adoption, Ms. Tamanini is "mom" to two retired greyt hounds, Penguin and Sabrina, and two greyt angels, Laura (11/6/94-4/19/07) and Gypsy (2/7/95-12/26/07). She is also proud mom to two accomplished adult children: a stepson in California and a daughter in Harrisburg. E-mail: jmt@plainenglishlaw.com