Judith Schwank (born 1951) is an American politician. A Democrat, she was elected to the

Pennsylvania Senate The Pennsylvania State Senate is the upper house of the Pennsylvania General Assembly, the Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mi ...

from the 11th district in a special election on March 15, 2011, to succeed the late Michael O'Pake. The district includes the city of

Reading Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of symbols, often specifically those of a written language, by means of Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifacete ...

and most of eastern Berks County.

Education

Schwank attended the

Pennsylvania State University The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a Public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related Land-grant university, land-grant research university with campuses and facilities throughout Pennsyl ...

, where she earned a B.S. and M.Ed. in agricultural education. She continued her studies at

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

, where she completed the Executive Leadership Program through the Institute for Conservation Leadership and the Institute for the Management of Life-Long Education.

Career

Schwank then worked as a Berks County horticultural agent with the Penn State

Cooperative Extension The Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service (CSREES) was an Extension agency within the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), part of the executive branch of the federal government. The 1994 Department Reorganization Act ...

for 19 years, during which time she established the Master Gardener Program. In 1991, she became the first female director of the Berks County Cooperative Extension Program, a position she held until 1999. From 2000 to 2007, Schwank served two terms as an elected Berks County

Commissioner A commissioner (commonly abbreviated as Comm'r) is, in principle, a member of a commission or an individual who has been given a commission (official charge or authority to do something). In practice, the title of commissioner has evolved to incl ...

. She also served as the Commission chair from 2004 to 2007. ""I always thought Berks County was property-tax central," said state Sen. Judy Schwank, a Democrat whose district is in Berks County." In 2004, she was appointed by

Governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...

Ed Rendell as chair of the Pennsylvania State Planning Board. She later served as President and CEO o
10,000 Friends of Pennsylvania
a statewide non-profit organization that promotes responsible land use and development. In January 2010, she was appointed Dean of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences at Delaware Valley College.

Pennsylvania Senate

2011 special election

On December 27, 2010, longtime Democratic State Senator Michael O'Pake died from complications following heart surgery. A special election was announced to fill the remaining two years in O'Pake's four-year term. On January 22, 2011, Schwank was nominated by the Berks County Democratic Committee and subsequently approved by the state committee. Her Republican opponent was Larry Medaglia, the Berks County register of wills. On March 15, Schwank soundly defeated Medaglia by a margin of 58%-42%. She received 20,124 votes to Medaglia's 14,794.

Committee assignments

* Agriculture & Rural Affairs, Minority Chair * Aging & Youth * Appropriations * Game & Fisheries * Health & Human Services

References

External links

State Senator Judy Schwank
– official caucus website
Judy Schwank (D)
– official PA Senate website
Judy Schwank for State Senate
– official campaign website {{DEFAULTSORT:Schwank, Judy 1951 births Living people Democratic Party Pennsylvania state senators Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences alumni Harvard University alumni Berks County Commissioners (Pennsylvania) Politicians from Berks County, Pennsylvania 21st-century American women politicians Women state legislators in Pennsylvania 21st-century members of the Pennsylvania General Assembly