Our Staff

Angela Downin

Vice President and General Counsel
302-831-7364/ akdownin@udel.edu

Angela Downin joined the University of Delaware in 2023 as Vice President and General Counsel. Prior to joining the University, Angela was at the University of Minnesota for seven years serving first as Senior Associate General Counsel and then as the Director of Transactions. Before her shift to higher education, Angela was in private practice and then served as in-house counsel for a number of organizations from startups to a Fortune 10 corporation.  Prior to her legal career, Angela worked in corporate finance and franchising for a large international automaker. She earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan and a J.D. from the University of Wisconsin.

Jennifer Becnel-Guzzo

Jennifer Becnel-Guzzo

Associate Vice President and Deputy General Counsel
302-831-7367/ jbg@udel.edu

Jennifer Becnel-Guzzo joined the University of Delaware in 2013 as Associate General Counsel. Prior to joining the University, she spent nine years in the Wilmington, Delaware offices of two national law firms representing commercial entities, charter schools, and higher education institutions in all of the Delaware courts. Before entering private practice, Jen served as a law clerk to the Honorable William L. Witham, Jr. in the Delaware Superior Court. She is admitted to the bars of the State of Delaware, the District of Delaware and the United States Third Circuit Court of Appeals. Jen is a member of the Delaware State Bar Association, the Federal Bar Association, and the National Association of College and University Attorneys. She serves as volunteer guardian ad litem through the Office of the Child Advocate and is the past president of the Philadelphia Chapter of the Vanderbilt University Alumni Association. Jen earned a B.E. in Chemical Engineering from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, and a J.D. from the Paul M. Hebert Law Center at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Daniela Ivancikova

Associate General Counsel
302-831-3903/ ivancida@udel.edu

Daniela Ivancikova joined the University of Delaware in 2017.  Prior to joining the University, she was in-house counsel at a large Delaware corporation and served as deputy attorney general for the State for New Jersey, where she litigated cases in federal, state, and administrative courts, and counseled various agencies on transactional and internal matters.  Before entering the legal field, Daniela spent more than ten years working in various business management roles, in Philadelphia, and as a consultant for the European Union, in Slovakia.  She is a member of the Pennsylvania and New Jersey Bar Associations and of the National Association of College and University Attorneys.  She earned an M.B.A. from Comenius University, in Slovakia, and a J.D. from Drexel University R. Kline School of Law, where she has also lectured as an adjunct professor of law.

Patricia Shea

Associate General Counsel & Chief Privacy Officer
302-831-7263/ pcshea@udel.edu

Patricia Shea joined the University of Delaware in 2020.  Prior to joining the University, she was a partner with the law firm K&L Gates LLP, where she practiced for 24 years.  She focused her practice on national and international privacy issues and compliance and health care law.  She is a member of the Pennsylvania Bar Association and the National Association of College and University Attorneys.  She earned her undergraduate degree from George Mason University, her M.B.A. from Pennsylvania State University, and her law degree from Widener University School of Law.

Bradley Yops

Associate General Counsel; NIIMBL Sr. Legal Counsel
302-831-0986/ byops@udel.edu

Bradley Yops joined the University of Delaware in 2006 serving most recently as Director of Technology Transfer prior to joining the Office of General Counsel in 2019 as Assistant General Counsel.  He serves as Sr. Legal Counsel to the National Institute of Innovation in Manufacturing Biopharmaceuticals (NIIMBL), which is a member of the Manufacturing USA network of institutes funded by the federal government to advance United States competitiveness in advanced manufacturing innovation.  He also serves as the primary legal support for the University’s research enterprise, including research administration, regulatory affairs & compliance, innovation & entrepreneurship, and research development.  He is admitted to the bars of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and the United States Patent & Trademark Office.  Brad has served as an Adjunct Professor in the College of Engineering and is a member of the National Association of College and University Attorneys as well as the Association of University Technology Managers.  Brad earned a B.S. in Biology from Kansas State University, an M.S. in Pharmaceutical Chemistry, and J.D. from the University of Kansas.

Arlene Simbulan

Arlene Simbulan

Assistant to the General Counsel
302-831-7365 / amrsim@udel.edu

Arlene Simbulan serves as Assistant to the Vice President and General Counsel and joined the University of Delaware in 2013 as an Administrative Assistant in the Office of General Counsel. Prior employment includes Senior Personnel Assistant at Philam Savings Bank, a member of the Marketing staff at JAKA Investments Corporation, and a member of the Human Resources staff at the Asian Institute of Management, all in the Philippines. Arlene graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of the Philippines.

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