EXHIBIT 10.a.

AMENDMENT

This is an amendment (“Amendment”) to the Agreement Regarding Severance dated as
of September 30, 2002 and effective as of November 15, 2002 between CDI
Corporation and Gregory L. Cowan (“Agreement”), a copy of which is attached
hereto.

The Agreement is amended as follows:

  1.   In paragraph #1, the phrase “nine months” is changed to read “twelve
months”; and     2.   In paragraph #6, the phrase “nine months” is changed to
read “twelve months”.

All remaining terms of the Agreement remain unchanged.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have executed this Agreement as of July
23, 2003.

                      CDI CORPORATION                   By:   /s/ Jay G. Stuart

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            Jay G. Stuart             Executive Vice President &            
    Chief Financial Officer                       /s/ Gregory L. Cowan    

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            Gregory L. Cowan

 

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AGREEMENT REGARDING SEVERANCE

This is an Agreement Regarding Severance (this “Agreement”), dated as of
September 30, 2002 and effective as of November 15, 2002 (the “Effective Date”),
between CDI Corporation, a Pennsylvania corporation (the “Company”), and Gregory
L. Cowan (the “Executive”).

Background

As of the date of this Agreement, the Executive is the Chief Financial Officer
of the Company. On the Effective Date, he will become the Chief Accounting
Officer of the Company. In connection with, and in consideration for, the
Executive’s acceptance of this new role, the Company has agreed to the severance
arrangement set forth below.

Terms

Intending to be legally bound, the parties agree as follows:

  1.   If, within nine months following the Effective Date, the Executive
resigns as an employee of the Company or the Company removes the Executive as
its Chief Accounting Officer (“CAO”), then the Executive will be entitled to
receive twelve months salary continuation, based on the Executive’s annual
salary as of the date of this Agreement (which is $238,050). The twelve-month
period during which the Executive’s salary would continue to be paid is referred
to in this Agreement as the “Severance Period”.     2.   The above severance
payment would not be reduced or eliminated if the Executive obtains other
employment during the Severance Period.     3.   During the Severance Period,
the Executive would be entitled to twelve months COBRA (Company contribution).  
  4.   With respect to any stock options held by the Executive which have vested
as of the date he resigns or is removed as CAO, the Executive may exercise such
options any time during the Severance Period.     5.   As a condition to
receiving any of the severance benefits described above, the Executive must
first sign the Release and Waiver of Future Claims Against the Company.     6.  
After nine months following the Effective Date, the Executive’s rights to
severance payments and other matters described above would be subject to
whatever severance plans or arrangements are in effect from time to time and
which are applicable to the Executive.     7.   This Agreement sets for the
entire understanding between the parties relating to the subject matter hereof,
and supersedes all prior agreements and understandings, both written and oral,
between the parties with respect to the subject matter of this Agreement.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have executed this Agreement as of the
day and year first above written.

                  CDI CORPORATION                   By:   /s/   Roger H. Ballou
       

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            Roger H. Ballou             President & CEO                  
GREGORY L. COWAN                   /s/ Gregory L. Cowan

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