| Judy Schwank | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Pennsylvania Senate from the 11th district |
|
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office April 5, 2011[1] |
|
| Preceded by | Mike O'Pake |
| Member of the Berks County Board of Commissioners |
|
| In office January 3, 2000 – Janaury 7, 2008 |
|
| Preceded by | Anthony Carabello[2] |
| Succeeded by | Kevin Barnhardt |
| Personal details | |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Jim |
| Children | Three |
| Residence | Fleetwood |
| 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 Mike O'Pake.[3] The district includes the city of Reading and most of eastern Berks County.
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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]
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] 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]
On December 27, 2010, longtime Democratic State Senator Mike O'Pake died from complications following heart surgery.[6] 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.[8]
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%.[9] She received 20,124 votes to Medaglia's 14,794.[9]