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LEGISLATIVE ROUNDTABLE PANELISTS 

Moderated by Doug Furness 
Senior Director of Government Affairs
Capital Blue Cross 

Doug Furness is the Senior Director of Government Affairs for Capital Blue Cross, a Pennsylvania health insurance plan that serves almost 1 million people in 21 central and Lehigh Valley counties. This position is the primary point of contact with members of the Pennsylvania General Assembly and officials of the executive branch under the jurisdiction of the Governor. The main role is to function as the principal advocate for Capital Blue Cross on all legislative and regulatory matters impacting the company. Duties of the position include the development and execution of a lobbying strategy on health insurance issues impacting Capital Blue Cross.  This includes regular outreach and interaction with state officials educating them on the impact of legislative initiatives on the insurance industry. The duties also include regular briefings of senior management and the supervision of one full time employee. Previous experience includes Director of Government Affairs for the Insurance Federation of Pennsylvania, Deputy Secretary of Legislative Affairs for the Office of Governor Edward G. Rendell, Legislative Director of the Pennsylvania Insurance Department and Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, and Chief of Staff for the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. He received his Master of Public Administration from Shippensburg University and has his District Justice Certification from the Pennsylvania Minor Judiciary. 

Pennsylvania State Senator Judy Schwank
11th District 

State Senator Judy Schwank recognizes the needs and concerns of residents of the 11th Senatorial District are not limited by its boundaries. Schwank’s government and non-profit sector achievements reflect her interest in and advocacy for sustainable growth and prosperity, both locally and statewide. Schwank has dedicated most of her adult life to public service. A former Berks County Commissioner, Schwank has been committed to serving the people of Berks County. Her passion for promoting sustainable growth, prosperity and preserving agricultural integrity has been exemplified through her many accomplishments in public service. Following college, Schwank 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 and was elected the first female Berks County Commissioner in 2000. Schwank’s interest in creating a sustainable Pennsylvania drew her to government and public service.  During her two terms as Berks County Commissioner, Schwank initiated the Berks Municipal Land Preservation program working with county and municipal leaders to save natural resources. She also played a leading role in securing major renovations at the Berks Heim nursing home, a needed resource for the county’s most vulnerable senior citizens. Schwank also 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, Schwank supported organizations and individuals committed to improving the quality of life for all Pennsylvania residents. Under her leadership, the non-profit agency developed policies and took action to revitalize and sustain Pennsylvania’s social and economic climate to encourage responsible land use, sustainable development and promote Pennsylvania’s agricultural heritage. Most recently, 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 Life-Long 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 is heavily involved with agriculture and issues that affect women and children. In 2016, Schwank spearheaded the effort to research and cultivate industrial hemp. Schwank 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 agricultural industry. Presently, Schwank serves as the Democratic chair of the Senate Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee. In addition to her role as committee chair, in 2021, Schwank was named Administrator of the Pennsylvania Senate Democratic Caucus and serves on the following committees for the 2023-24 legislative session: Aging & Youth, Appropriations, Game & Fisheries and Health and Human Services. In addition to her committee assignments, Schwank serves on the board of governors on the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE) and is a co-chair of the Pennsylvania Women’s Health Caucus and the Pennsylvania Jewish Legislative Caucus.  

Pennsylvania State Senator Rosemary Brown
40th District 

Sen. Rosemary Brown was elected to the Senate of Pennsylvania in November 2022 after serving in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives for six terms. Brown represents the 40th Senatorial District, which includes Lackawanna, Monroe and Wayne counties. Brown has been appointed chair of the Senate’s Local Government committee, vice chair of the Community, Economic and Recreational Development committee, and member of the Appropriations, Judiciary, Labor and Industry, Transportation, and Urban Affairs and Housing committees. A longtime Pocono resident, Brown is focused on reforming school property taxes and creating a fairer allocation of state education funds. She is passionate about creating a business-friendly, low-tax atmosphere that will attract businesses to Pennsylvania and generate family-sustaining jobs.
She is a graduate of East Stroudsburg High School and earned a bachelor’s degree in communications from the University of Scranton.  Her business career began in an executive management training program with Macy’s. Brown then continued working as an executive sales manager and assistant buyer with Macy’s, Saks Fifth Avenue and Bon-Ton. She transferred her business skills into the field of pharmaceutical sales in primary care, hospital and specialty sales.  Brown is a member of St. John’s Parish in East Stroudsburg. She has been happily married to her high school sweetheart, Joe, for 23 years. They have three children: Kennedy, Carter and Reagan.

Pennsylvania State Representative Ryan E. Mackenzie
187th District 

Pennsylvania State Representative Mike Schlossberg
132nd District 

Representative Schlossberg is committed to a strong and vibrant Pennsylvania serving the best interests of people, not special interests. He knows what we all know: Pennsylvania works best when workers are paid a fair wage, have good health care, live in a safe and affordable home, and can save some money for education and a secure retirement. Representative Schlossberg is a champion for world-class education, regardless of zip code, for all our children through early childhood learning, neighborhood schools and career, technical and higher education. For the 2023-2024 Legislative Session, he was elected Majority Caucus Chair by his colleagues and continues to serve as a co-chair for the House Mental Health Caucus. In prior sessions, Representative Schlossberg was the Democratic Caucus Administrator and Chair of the Northeast Regional Delegation.Since taking office, Representative Schlossberg has proven to be an effective legislator, serving the needs of Parkland and Allentown and fighting for the values important to Pennsylvanians. In prior sessions, Representative Schlossberg’s proposals to increase mental health services for first responders and Rape Survivor Child Custody and Support legislation were also approved by the General Assembly and signed into law by Governor Tom Wolf. He was also instrumental in the transportation funding legislation approved during the 2013-2014 Legislative Session and signed by Governor Tom Corbett, helping to secure significant investments for the Lehigh Valley’s roads, bridges and mass transit.In 2014, with the death by suicide of Robin Williams in the news, Representative Schlossberg shared his own struggles with depression and anxiety in an op-ed in the Morning Call. His story set forth a very public conversation about mental health and stigma which has become a central focus for Representative Schlossberg. As a result, he co-founded the House Mental Health Caucus in 2015, served as a keynote speaker at various conferences, advanced legislation in the General Assembly, and has traveled to Washington, D.C. to help Congresswoman Susan Wild’s efforts to enact federal legislation to improve mental health care access across the country. Representative Schlossberg was also appointed to the Mental Health & Justice Advisory Committee for the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency and was named co-chair of the Suicide Prevention Task Force by Governor Wolf. Recently, Schlossberg accepted an invitation to join the National Task Force on Workforce Mental Health Policy at the National Conference of State Legislatures.To address Pennsylvania’s mental health care crisis, Representative Schlossberg laid out his agenda, “HOPE for PA,” in 2022. This plan would invest $100 million in public safety by creating safe and healthy communities, improve care by addressing provider and capacity shortages and help more people through training, education, and outreach. Shortly after, Governor Wolf signed the 2022-2023 budget approving an additional $100 million in federal funding to improve mental health care in Pennsylvania. Representative Schlossberg was then appointed to the Behavioral Health Commission on Adult Mental Health, which was tasked with creating a strategy to allocate those funds. Representative Schlossberg’s wife, Brenna Schlossberg, is a teacher in the Allentown School District. They have a son in middle school and a daughter in elementary school. The family is complete with rescue dogs, Lexi and Chrissy. Born and raised in Livingston, New Jersey, Representative Schlossberg moved to Allentown to attend Muhlenberg College. Prior to being elected to the House of Representatives in 2012, he worked for the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce, helping small businesses with technology and social media. He also served as a member of Allentown City Council.

Pennsylvania State Representative Peter Schweyer
134th District 

Representative Peter G. Schweyer is a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives serving the people of the 134th Legislative District in Lehigh County. He was first elected to this office in 2014 after being twice elected to City Council in his hometown.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 his election, 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 PA General Assembly and had been a schoolteacher in the Philadelphia School District as a cohort member of the Teach Philadelphia program.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.As State Representative, Schweyer serves as Chairman of the Education Committee, and has served as  a deputy whip in the House Democratic Caucus and as a past member of the House Appropriations Committee. He 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).He and his wife, Jennifer, are the proud parents of Sarah and Erin, who both attend Allentown public schools. They are homeowners in South Allentown. In his spare time, Schweyer enjoys baseball games and cheering for the Penn State Nittany Lions, as well as reading, poorly playing his guitar, boating and watching far too much Netflix and HBO.

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