Biographical Information

Kenneth M. Jarin, Chairman
Newtown, PA

Kenneth M. Jarin is a partner in the Philadelphia-based law firm Ballard Spahr Andrews & Ingersoll. Mr. Jarin represents both public and private employers in the areas of labor relations, contract negotiations, interest arbitration, employment discrimination litigation, and wage and hour disputes. He is chief labor negotiator for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the City of Philadelphia. Mr. Jarin earned his undergraduate degree from Duke University and his law degree from Temple University. Click here to read more about Mr. Jarin.

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C.R. "Chuck" Pennoni, Vice Chair
Bryn Mawr, PA

Mr. Pennoni is chairman of the board of Pennoni Associates Inc. of Philadelphia, a consulting engineering firm he founded in 1966. He also served for a year as president of Drexel University and is chairman of the university’s Board of Trustees. He has both bachelor's and master's degrees in civil engineering and an honorary doctorate from Drexel. He has served as a guest speaker and lecturer at Drexel, Temple, Villanova and Widener universities, as well as at Texas A&M University, Purdue University, Swarthmore College, University of Pennsylvania and University of Pavia, Italy. He has served on the engineering advisory boards of Widener University, University of Pennsylvania and Drexel University and on the advisory board of the Engineering Directorate of the National Science Foundation. He has been licensed as a professional engineer in 11 states, has been inducted into the National Academy of Engineering and is past president of the Accreditation Board of Engineering and Technology and a past president of the American Society of Civil Engineers.

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Aaron A. Walton, Vice Chair 
Allison Park, PA

Aaron A. Walton is senior vice president of corporate affairs for Highmark Inc. of Pittsburgh where he is responsible for administering Highmark’s public relations and social mission strategy and overseeing the departments of Community Affairs, Community Health and Strategic Health Initiatives. He is vice chair of the Council of Trustees at California University of Pennsylvania and previously served as the chair from 1999-2003. Mr. Walton holds a bachelor’s degree in speech pathology and audiology from California University of Pennsylvania and a master’s degree in public policy and management from Carnegie Mellon University.

Matthew E. Baker
Wellsboro, PA

Elected to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives in 1992 and re-elected five times, Mr. Baker represents the citizens of Bradford and Tioga Counties. In the House, Mr. Baker is a member of the Appropriations Committee, as well as the committees on Aging and Older Adult Services, Commerce and Economic Development, and Tourism and Recreation Development. He is a graduate of Elmira College and attended Mansfield University of Pennsylvania.

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Nick Barcio
Erie, PA

Mr. Barcio is president of Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania's Student Government Association. He is a senior at SRU, where he is majoring in resort recreation management/tourism, with a minor in business administration. He was elected student body president in April 2009.

Marie Conley Lammando
Harrisburg, PA

Ms. Conley Lammando has worked on numerous political campaigns, including overseeing fundraising and political outreach. Additionally, she served as the convention director for the Pennsylvania delegation at the 2004 Republican National Convention in New York and was convention coordinator for the state delegation in Philadelphia in 2000. She is a 1994 graduate of Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania, with Bachelor of Arts degrees in speech communications and political science. She is Chairman of the Board of Governors’ Human Resources Committee and also serves as Secretary of Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania’s Council of Trustees.

Paul S. Dlugolecki
Mechanicsburg, PA

Mr. Dlugolecki is minority executive director of the Pennsylvania Senate Appropriations Committee, a position he has held since 1987. Previously, he spent eight years as director of the Senate Democratic Research Office and has worked for the Senate since 1973. He is a member of the National Conference of State Legislatures Fiscal Affairs and Legislative Oversight Committee and the National Association of Legislative Fiscal Officers, serving as the organization’s president in 1998. He also belongs to the Eastern States Legislative Fiscal Officers and is a member of the executive board of the Eastern Regional Conference of Council of State Governments. He is a graduate of Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania.

Richard Kneedler
Lancaster, PA

Dr. Kneedler is president emeritus of Franklin & Marshall College. He also served as chairman of the Governor’s Commission on Training America’s Teachers and as interim president of Rockford College. He earned an undergraduate degree in French from Franklin & Marshall and both master’s and doctoral degrees from the University of Pennsylvania. He has served on boards of education-related organizations at regional, state and national levels, including the Association of Independent College and Universities of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania Association of Colleges and Universities.

Michael K. Hanna 
Lock Haven, PA

Mr. Hanna was first elected to the House of Representatives in 1990 and has been re-elected seven times. He represents portions of Clinton and Centre counties. He is a member of the House Finance, Game and Fisheries and Tourism and Recreational Development committees. He also is a member of the Board of Directors of The Center for Rural Pennsylvania. Mr. Hanna is a graduate of Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania and a former member of its Council of Trustees. He earned his law degree from the University of Pittsburgh.

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Vincent J. Hughes
Philadelphia, PA

Mr. Hughes was elected to the Pennsylvania State Senate in 1994 in a special election and has been re-elected twice. He is the Democratic chairman of the Communications and High Technology and Public Health and Welfare committees and a member of the Appropriations, Education, Military and Veterans Affairs and Policy committees. Mr. Hughes attended Temple University and is the recipient of an honorary doctoral degree from Cheyney University of Pennsylvania . He is a member of numerous boards, including the Center for Human Advancement, Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency and Cheyney University Wade Wilson Scholarship Fund. He is co-founder and chairman of Children First Inc.

Jonathan B. Mack, Indiana, PA

Mr. Mack is an attorney and partner in the firm of Marcus & Mack, P.C., of Indiana. He has been a local business owner and has owned and operated businesses in Boulder, Colo.; Tucson, Ariz.; and Spokane, Wash. He received his Juris Doctor degree from the University of Toledo School of Law in 1983 and a bachelor’s degree from Dickinson College in 1980 with majors in English and Spanish and a minor in geology. He is a member of the Council of Trustees at Indiana University of Pennsylvania.

Joseph F. McGinn
Linwood, PA

Mr. McGinn is a lifelong resident of Delaware County, where he is serving his fifth year as sheriff. He helped to create the Southeast Pennsylvania Sheriff's Caucus, which has helped to reduce costs and improve services through the utilization of synergies across county lines. McGinn is member of the National Sheriff's Association Homeland Security Committee and a U.S. Army veteran, having served in the Vietnam War. In recognition of his service, McGinn was awarded the National Defense Service Medal, the Vietnam Service Medal with 2 Stars and the Good Conduct Medal. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Education degree from Temple University and Master of Education degree from Cheyney University of Pennsylvania .

Jeffrey E. Piccola 
Harrisburg, PA

Mr. Piccola has served in the state Senate since 1995. He is chairman of the Senate Education Committee and also is a member of the Community, Economic and Recreational Development, Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure, Judiciary and Rules and Executive Nominations committees. He served as Senate majority whip, the third ranking Republican in the chamber, from 2001 to 2006. He previously served in the House of Representatives for 19 years. Mr. Piccola is a graduate of Gettysburg College and the George Washington University School of Law.

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Edward G. Rendell
Harrisburg, PA

Mr. Rendell is governor of Pennsylvania. He previously served two terms as mayor of the City of Philadelphia and two terms as the city’ selected district attorney. An Army veteran, Mr. Rendell is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and Villanova Law School. He also has taught courses in government and politics at the University of Pennsylvania.

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Harold C. Shields
Allison Park, PA

Mr. Shields is chair of the Edinboro University of Pennsylvania Council of Trustees. He is the principal in Harold C. Shields HR Consulting LLC. Previously, he was Human Resources Director of Global Business Services and HR Director of Pittsburgh Resource Units for Alcoa in Pittsburgh. He also worked for the Opportunities Industrialization Center in Erie, a self-help program founded in Philadelphia by the late Leon H Sullivan. He was the first African-American elected to the Erie City School Board and served a term as president. He is a member of the Edinboro University of Pennsylvania Foundation’s board of directors and a past member of the Edinboro University of Pennsylvania Alumni Board. He earned both a bachelor’s and masters degree from Edinboro.  

Thomas M. Sweitzer 
Swarthmore, PA

Mr. Sweitzer has been a member of the Council of Trustees at Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania since 2005. He attended Pennsylvania State University as an undergraduate and later Temple University for graduate studies. He is a partner in The Campaign Group, a Philadelphia-based advertising agency he helped found 28 years ago. He has worked on more than 400 political campaigns across the country, has lectured at both Temple University and the University of Pennsylvania.

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Christine J. Toretti
Indiana, PA

Ms. Toretti is chairman and CEO of the S. W. Jack Drilling Company, president of The Jack Company and managing partner of C&N Company and C&N Company No. 2, all based in Indiana, PA. A graduate of the University of Virginia, Ms. Toretti has served as president of the Foundation for Indiana University of Pennsylvania ( IUP ).The University's Nell and Sam Jack Distinguished American Lecture Series was established by the Jack family in 1984. A member of the S&T Bank Board of Directors, Ms. Toretti chairs the audit committee and serves on the executive committee. She also sits on boards for the NCAA Foundation, International Medical Corps and the Gettysburg Battlefield Museum Foundation, among others. She has been appointed to and serves on the U.S. Secretary of Energy Advisory Board, National Petroleum Council and Rural Telephone Bank Board.  Ms. Toretti recently was honored as one of the Best 50 Women in Business by the Department of Community and Economic Development and the Governor’s Commission for Women.  

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Mackenzie Marie Wrobel
Bloomsburg, PA 

Ms. Wrobel is president of Millersville University of Pennsylvania’s Student Senate. She is a senior at Millersville, where she is a business administration major, with a concentration in international business, and a government and political science minor. She was elected president of the Millersville University Student Senate in the spring. She first was elected as a senator of the student government organization at the beginning of her junior year.

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Dr. Gerald L. Zahorchak 
Harrisburg, PA 

Dr. Gerald L. Zahorchak is Pennsylvania’s Secretary of Education. He previously served as Deputy Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education for the Pennsylvania Department of Education and was superintendent of the Greater Johnstown School District. He is a graduate of St. Francis University, holds a master’s degree from  Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP) and a doctorate from Pennsylvania State University.