Name:		Ms. Vielka V. Holness
		Month:		December 2011
		Schools:		Columbia University, School of International and Public Affairs, Master of Public Policy and Administration, May 2005 Harvard University, Graduate School of Education, Certificate, Management Development Program in Higher Education, 2003
		Organization:		John Jay College of Criminal Justice, CUNY
		Title:		Director, Pre Law Institute

Vielka V. Holness is the Director of the Pre Law Institute at John Jay College. She received a Bachelor of Arts (Politics and Psychology) and a certificate in Adult Career Development and Planning from New York University, a Juris Doctor from the University of Michigan School of Law and a Master's of Public Policy and Administration from Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs.

Vielka has significant experience as a litigator and employment lawyer; she was a law clerk with the Michigan Court of Appeals, an associate with Levy, Phillips and Konigsberg and a partner at Philo, Atkinson, Steinberg, White and Keenan.

After practicing law for several years she worked with New York area law schools directing law school career development centers and participating in law school admission committees. Most recently, Vielka was the inaugural Director of the Masters College at the Graduate School of Arts and Science at New York University and before that the Director of Columbia University's Office of Equal Opportunity and Affirmative training programs.

In her current role, Vielka leads the efforts of the Pre Law Institute to provide academic skill-enhancing programs for John Jay pre-law students early in their academic careers and manages the faculty, staff, and daily operations of the Pre Law Institute. She provides one-to-one pre-law advisement to students and alumnae/i and hosts the Pre Law Institute Facebook Page. Vielka is a member of NASPA, ACPA and a former regional vice chair of NALP. Vielka is also a member of the Board of Directors of NAPLA, the pre-law advisors professional association.

As a pre-law student, Vielka was a SEO Corporate Law Intern with Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver and Jacobson and during law school she summered with the Federal Trade Commission in Washington, D.C., Pillsbury, Madison & Sutro in San Francisco and the Honorable Kristin Booth Glen of the New York State Supreme Court (formerly Dean of CUNY Law School).