Billie Jo Matelevich-Hoang

Not just billing time

Growing up, Billie Jo Matelevich-Hoang ’06 didn’t play house like other little girls—instead, she played lawyer. The career plan she formulated as a six-year-old underwent some revisions along the way.

After college, Matelevich-Hoang pursued a career in consulting. In her work for the Coalition of Victims Assistance Organization, she helped to prevent and reduce crime and delinquency and promoted the fair treatment of crime victims and witnesses in Pennsylvania. Her dream of attending law school never faded, though, and she enrolled at Widener Law for personal development and to gain a better understanding of the legal environment surrounding her profession.

“A lot of my women mentors told me that an education is something that can never be taken away from you,” Matelevich-Hoang says. “The more you educate yourself, the more you can sustain yourself.”

Matelevich-Hoang’s legal education has definitely enhanced her professional abilities and knowledge. Armed with legal skills, she was able to help state advocates with their training needs for helping crime victims and to make sure that all programs are following the law.

What’s more, her legal education also helped her develop her ability to look at all sides of every situation. She learned not to approach things only from the victim’s point of view—and that made her a more effective consultant.  Moreover, Matelevich-Hoang’s flexible schedule as a consultant allowed her to donate her legal services to the local domestic violence shelter.

Billie Jo now works for the Gaming Control Board, but playing lawyer is just as much fun as she remembers.