Campus to Career Experience 2025: Speakers

Ryan Hoyle

Ryan Hoyle oversees the Office’s ABA and NALP data collection, management and reporting processes. He works closely with 3L and recent graduates on the recruitment process, and with incoming students on career exploration. Prior to joining the Office of Career and Professional Development, Ryan spent 5 years with the College’s Clinical and Experiential Education

Ryan received his Juris Doctor from Florida State University College of Law in 2011. He holds a M.A. in English Rhetoric from Florida State University, exploring the modern identification with Superman for his thesis. He holds a B.A. in Communication Studies from Bridgewater State University. Ryan’s pre-Stetson experience includes four years as an insurance defense and worker’s compensation associate. He also served as a budget analyst for the United States Marine Corps and was awarded a Special Act award for service during the Global War on Terror.

Dubbed “the meanest daddy” by his three girls, Ryan enjoys family time and has willingly fed his children Sour Patch Kids for breakfast. A proud native of Massachusetts, he misses the cold and the snow, and will play hockey anytime the opportunity presents itself.

Career and Professional Development: https://www.stetson.edu/law/career/career-development-staff.php

Patrick Arthur Jackson

Patrick Arthur Jackson is a Richmond, VA native now residing in St. Petersburg, FL, is a dynamic creative, producer, director, actor, and teaching artist deeply committed to connection through storytelling. A Morehouse College Drama graduate, he honed his skills at the British American Drama Academy and the Florida Studio Theatre Apprentice Program.

With a Certificate in Leadership from the Nonprofit Leadership Center and prior Fellowship in Advancing Racial Equity on Nonprofit Boards, Patrick serves as the Manager of Education, Outreach, and Program Design at The Woodson African American Museum of Florida. A versatile artist, he has showcased his talents across Southeast arts organizations, including directing acts of faith at American Stage and earning recognition as a 2023 Emerging Artist with Creative Pinellas.

Off-stage, Patrick is the host of The Black Hand Side Podcast, celebrating black culture, connection, and conversation. In addition to serving on the ministerial staff at Today’s Church Tampa Bay, he further engages with the community through The Black Excellence Collective, Actor’s Equity Association, Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, and Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. Grateful for the gift of storytelling, Patrick, the proud son of Cynthia B. Jackson-Ward and Patrick D. Jackson, envisions its power inspiring change globally.

Embracing Our Differences recently welcomed Patrick Arthur Jackson as its new vice president of learning and engagement. In this role, Jackson will create and facilitate educational initiatives that support the organization's mission and vision.

Michelle Kotler

Michelle Kotler, M.Ed., Attorney at Law, began her career as a special education teacher in 1995 but quickly saw the need for advocacy for her students.  Ms. Kotler earned her B.S. and M.Ed., both in Special Education, from the University of Maryland. 

She also earned her Juris Doctor from the same University including a Certificate in Health Care Law, where she interned for the Maryland Disability Law Center, the D.C. Superior Court, and the U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights.  Ms. Kotler won the James E. Rosner Award for Advocacy for Persons with Disabilities from the Baltimore ARC.  Ms. Kotler also researched and co-authored, “Understanding the Overrepresentation of Youths with Disabilities in Juvenile Detention,” published in the District of Columbia Law Review.

Having served for more than 30 years as a certified special education teacher, school administrator, department chair, educational diagnostician, compensatory education program developer, advocate, and attorney, Ms. Kotler has a unique perspective that few others can match.  Michelle may be best known for her groundbreaking work at the federal level that opened the door to special education for children with visual impairments nationwide.

Ms. Kotler remains an ardent supporter of individuals with disabilities.  She has served as a Board Member and Co-Chair of the Public Policy Committee of the Arc of Montgomery County, Maryland serving individuals with developmental delays. 

Currently, she is pleased to serve the Stetson College of Law in Gulfport, Florida as the Director of Professional Engagement where she helps shape the Professional Identity of young lawyers.

On a personal note, Ms. Kotler is the proud mother of two young adults who are finding their own unique paths in the world.  She enjoys gardening, writing, ballroom dancing, the performing & visual arts, and traveling internationally, having made 20+ solo trips abroad to date.

Jonah Perlin

Jonah Perlin is an Associate Professor of Law, Legal Practice at the Georgetown University Law Center and a Senior Fellow the Georgetown Center for Ethics and the Legal Profession. In these roles he teaches and writes about legal communication, legal ethics, and legal technology. His prior work is either forthcoming or has appeared in the Washington Law Review, the Yale Journal of Law & Technology, Legal Communication & Rhetoric, and the Georgetown Law Journal (student note). Jonah is also the host of How I Lawyer, a Top-30 Careers Podcast for junior lawyers. Before returning to Georgetown where he completed his JD, Jonah was a litigator at Williams & Connolly LLP and a law clerk to judges on the District Court for the District of Columbia and the Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.

Georgetown Law link: Jonah Perlin | Georgetown Law

How I Lawyer Podcast: https://www.howilawyer.com/