Jonathan Koltash ’07

Deputy General Counsel, Governor’s Office of General Counsel

Jonathan Koltash always knew he wanted to be a lawyer, but as the first person in his family to attend law school, he wasn’t sure exactly what that path would look like.

“I come from a long line of educators who encouraged me to pursue a career in public service,” he said. “But I certainly didn’t understand all that this profession entailed.”

With bachelor’s degrees in finance and economics from Penn State University, Koltash began applying to law schools and soon found Widener University Commonwealth Law School’s Trial Admissions Program, known as TAP.

“TAP is really what made me choose Widener,” he noted. “The program was a unique experience to take the time to evaluate whether or not I genuinely liked and thought I could succeed in law school.”

Once he successfully completed TAP, Koltash knew that law school was for him. While at Widener, he was active on campus, participating in Widener’s Moot Court Honor Society and Volunteer Income Tax Association, both of which he’s still involved in today.

After studying abroad in Ireland before his second year of law school studies, Koltash began an internship with the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, which he kept throughout law school. After graduation, he secured a position as assistant counsel with the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry, where he held several positions over the years. Koltash later worked for the Office of the Attorney General and then as assistant chief counsel for the Department of Health.

In 2019, he became the first chief counsel for the new Pennsylvania Health Insurance Exchange Authority, which operates the Pennie© online marketplace.

“That was a unique opportunity to be the first person in that role,” Koltash remarked. “Pennie was a brand-new agency, and I got to help build an agency from the ground up.”

In 2023, he was promoted to deputy general counsel in the Governor’s Office of General Counsel, where he currently works as a litigator and advises the Governor’s Office Health Hub.

“Advancing my community and helping the citizens of Pennsylvania prosper is the ultimate goal of my work, and I’m grateful this job allows me to do daily.”

Koltash currently serves his community as president of the Dauphin County Bar Association and is a delegate in the Pennsylvania Bar Association House of Delegates, which he chaired from 2021-2023. Along with participation on several other local boards, Koltash became the inaugural president of Widener Law Commonwealth’s Alumni Association in 2015. He’s also an adjunct professor for the law school, teaching Legal Methods I and II and coaching the Appellate Advocacy Honor’s Society (Moot Court).  

“Moot Court prepared me especially well to practice beyond coursework. Arguing cases in real courtrooms was instrumental in shaping my confidence beyond the classroom, and I see it in the students I coach too,” he concluded.

“Ultimately, this is not just a job—it’s a profession. It’s important for me to pay back what I can by remaining involved as an alum and guiding students, just as others guided me.”

Interview was conducted in Spring 2024.