Staff
Summer Hawks- Executive Director
Summer Hawks joined the Greater Dayton Volunteer Lawyers Project in February of 2022 as its third Executive Director. A graduate of Washington & Lee University School of Law in Lexington, Virginia, Summer's prior experience includes five years as a Senior Consultant at LexisNexis and 10 years with WilmerHale as a Discovery Attorney and Legal Project Manager. When she isn't serving the Dayton community through the GDVLP, Summer serves the Kettering community through her role as a board member for the Kettering Backpack Program and as ED of Kettering Clean Care. In her free time, Summer enjoys travel all over the world and walks with her husband and rescue dog, MooMoo!
Tricia Griffieth - Paralegal
Tricia Griffieth, our Domestic Relations specialist since March of 2022, graduated from Edison State Community College with her paralegal degree in 1999. She earned her Bachelor of Organizational Management in 2005 and went on to obtain her MBA in business administration in May, 2021 - both from Bluffton University. Tricia is responsible for all divorce clinics and placements coming through the GDVLP. She is the right hand to the volunteer divorce attorneys, while traveling to the various counties we serve. In her spare time, she enjoys playing with her four-legged baby, Apollo, and working on the various projects around her home. Tricia is also involved with medical mission trips to Belize every January.
Tom Snelling- Program Coordinator
Tom Snelling is a graduate of the paralegal program at Sinclair Community College. Tom is responsible for clinics we host in the outlying counties of Champaign, Clark, Darke, Greene, Miami, and Preble (for non-divorce or bankruptcy matters) and also runs the Juvenile Pro Se Clinic, the Eviction Clinic, and the Pro Bono Legal Resource Center. When not running clinics for the GDVLP, Tom relishes the joys of homeownership and his four dogs.
Rachel Thompson- Paralegal
Rachel Thompson is a graduate of Bluffton University and the paralegal program at Edison State Community College. Rachel handles the bankruptcy, debt collection, and landlord tenant clinics. She joined the Greater Dayton Volunteer Lawyers Project in July of 2021 and has over 20 years of experience as a paralegal in the areas of bankruptcy and collections. In her spare time she enjoys volunteering with her church and spending time with her family and friends.
David Weichel - Program Coordinator
David is our part time paralegal leading the charge on our Wills for Seniors program and he is the primary contact for wills, estates, and advanced directives. More to come on this exciting initiative!