Judy Schwank
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Judy Schwank | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of the Pennsylvania Senate from the 11th district | |
| Assumed office April 5, 2011[1] | |
| Preceded by | Michael O'Pake |
| Member of the Berks County Board of Commissioners | |
| In office January 3, 2000 – January 7, 2008 | |
| Preceded by | Anthony Carabello[2] |
| Succeeded by | Kevin Barnhardt |
| Personal details | |
| Party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Jim |
| Children | 3 |
| Alma mater | Pennsylvania State University Harvard University |
Judith Schwank (born 1951) is an American politician. A Democrat, she was elected to the Pennsylvania Senate from the 11th district in a special election on March 15, 2011, to succeed the late Michael O'Pake.[3] The district includes the city of Reading and most of eastern Berks County.
Schwank attended the Pennsylvania State University, where she earned a B.S. and M.Ed. in agricultural education.[4] She continued her studies at Harvard University, where she completed the Executive Leadership Program through the Institute for Conservation Leadership and the Institute for the Management of Life-Long Education.[5]
Career
Schwank then worked as a Berks County horticultural agent with the Penn State Cooperative Extension for 19 years, during which time she established the Master Gardener Program.[5] In 1991, she became the first female director of the Berks County Cooperative Extension Program, a position she held until 1999.[6]
From 2000 to 2007, Schwank served two terms as an elected Berks County Commissioner.[4] She also served as the Commission chair from 2004 to 2007.[7] ""I always thought Berks County was property-tax central," said state Sen. Judy Schwank, a Democrat whose district is in Berks County." [8] In 2004, she was appointed by Governor Ed Rendell as chair of the Pennsylvania State Planning Board.[7] She later served as President and CEO of 10,000 Friends of Pennsylvania, a statewide non-profit organization that promotes responsible land use and development.[5] In January 2010, she was appointed Dean of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences at Delaware Valley College.[7]
