ESU Names Peter Schweyer Fellow for 2021-2022 Academic Year

Legislative Fellow Breakfast

Posted by: Elizabeth Richardson on September 17, 2021, No Comments

Pictured from left to right: Andrea McClanahan, Ph.D., professor of communication and member of the ESU Legislative Fellow Committee; State Representative Peter Schweyer, 22nd Legislative District; Kenneth Long, interim president of ESU; and Andrea Jackson, a junior majoring in athletic training and president of ESU’s Student Government Association from Newark, N.J.

East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania announced the selection of its 2021-2022 Legislative Fellow, State Representative Peter Schweyer, at a breakfast held in his honor on Friday, September 17. ESU Interim President Kenneth Long introduced Representative Schweyer at the event to university faculty, students, staff and special guests from the community.

The Legislative Fellow program, established in 1999, is designed to bring state legislators to campus to participate in a variety of campus activities and to meet formally and informally with students, faculty and staff throughout the year. As part of the program, ESU Legislative Fellows may also request a student intern.

The program is co-sponsored by the university administration and the local chapter of the Association of Pennsylvania State College and University Faculties (APSCUF). Fellows are selected by a committee of faculty and administrators, and jointly appointed by the university president and the president of APSCUF at the beginning of each academic year.

Representative Schweyer was elected to represent the 22nd Legislative District in 2014. He serves as a deputy whip in the House Democratic Caucus and is a member of the House Appropriations, Committee on Committees, Consumer Affairs, Ethics and Professional Licensure Committees. He is also Vice-Chairman of the House Democratic Policy Committee and also serves as the Minority Chair for the House Consumer Affairs Subcommittee on Utilities.

Representative Schweyer’s legislative priorities include protecting and expanding access to health insurance, appropriately funding PA’s public schools and supporting policies to spur the creation of more family-sustaining jobs in the Lehigh Valley. He supports increasing Pennsylvania’s minimum wage, continued criminal justice reform, investment in sustainable, alternative energy and initiatives to better serve our veterans.

Schweyer also serves on several community organizations that strive to improve the quality of life in Allentown and surrounding communities. Most notably, Schweyer is a past board member and past chairperson of the Lehigh and Northampton Transportation Authority (LANTA).

Born and raised in Allentown, Schweyer is a graduate of Allentown Central Catholic High School and the Pennsylvania State University, State College, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree from the Schreyer’s Honors College. He went on to study elementary education at St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia at the post-graduate level. Prior to being elected to represent the 22nd district, Schweyer worked as director of community and government affairs for Sacred Heart Hospital in Center City Allentown, directing the hospital’s community health and community development initiatives. Immediately prior to his service with Sacred Heart Hospital, he served as chief of staff to former state Rep. Jennifer L. Mann for eight years. He had also served as legislative assistant for two other members of the Pennsylvania General Assembly and had been a schoolteacher in the Philadelphia School District as a cohort member of the Teach Philadelphia program.

Schweyer and his wife, Jennifer, are the proud parents of Sarah and Erin, who both attend Allentown public schools.

For more information on the Legislative Fellow program, contact Miguel Barbosa, chief of staff in ESU’s Office of the President at (570) 422-3545.