About Senator Schwank

State Senator Judy Schwank has represented the 11th Senatorial District since 2011. Her legislative work in the Pennsylvania Senate has largely focused on agriculture and the health and well-being of women and children.

Schwank has dedicated the majority of her life to public service. Following college, she worked as a Berks County horticultural agent for Penn State Cooperative Extension and established the Master Gardener Program. She became director of the Berks County Cooperative Extension Program in 1991. In 2000, Schwank made history by becoming the first woman elected as a Berks County Commissioner.

During her two terms as Berks County Commissioner, Schwank initiated the Berks Municipal Land Preservation Program, working with county and municipal leaders to protect natural resources. She also played a leading role in securing major renovations at the Berks Heim nursing home, a vital resource for the county’s most vulnerable senior citizens. Schwank received the Pennsylvania League of Cities Outstanding Public Service Citation for her work supporting local government and communities throughout the Commonwealth.

As president of 10,000 Friends of Pennsylvania, a statewide bipartisan advocacy group for responsible and efficient land use, Schwank supported organizations and individuals committed to improving the quality of life for all Pennsylvania residents. Under her leadership, the nonprofit agency developed policies and took action to revitalize and sustain Pennsylvania’s social and economic climate, encourage responsible land use and sustainable development, and promote the state’s agricultural heritage. Most recently before joining the Pennsylvania Senate, Schwank served as the dean of agricultural and environmental sciences at Delaware Valley College.

Schwank received her B.S. and M.Ed. in agricultural education from Penn State University. She completed the Executive Leadership Program through the Institute for Conservation Leadership and the Institute for the Management of Lifelong Education at Harvard University. She attributes her success to her parents, who taught her that public service, a strong work ethic, and personal integrity were the keys to a rewarding life.

As a member of the Pennsylvania Senate, Schwank continues her strong involvement in agriculture and issues that affect women and children. In 2016, she spearheaded efforts to research and cultivate industrial hemp. She also worked closely with the Wolf Administration and the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture to pass the Farm Bill in 2019, which made a $24 million comprehensive investment in the Commonwealth’s agricultural industry.

Schwank’s most recent legislative achievements include passing bills to optimize the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) in Pennsylvania, improve reporting on maternal morbidity and mortality, and a bipartisan effort to remove Pennsylvania’s outdated ban on teachers wearing religious garb in schools.

Currently, Schwank serves as the Democratic chair of the Senate Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee. In addition to her role as committee chair, she was named administrator of the Pennsylvania Senate Democratic Caucus in 2021 and serves on the following committees for the 2025–26 legislative session: Appropriations, Game & Fisheries, and Health and Human Services.

Beyond her committee assignments, Schwank serves on the Center for Rural Pennsylvania’s Board of Directors and is a co-founder and co-chair of both the Pennsylvania Women’s Health Caucus and the Pennsylvania Jewish Legislative Caucus.