I was born and raised in Tire Hill, a small coal mining community outside Johnstown, Pa. I graduated from Conemaugh Township High School and then attended the Indiana University of

Pennsylvania, graduating in 1986 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science and a pre-law minor. In 1990, I graduated from the University of Toledo School of Law and passed the Pennsylvania bar examination.

I began my legal career in January 1991 with the Pennsylvania Office of the Attorney General. I retired from the Attorney General's office as a Senior Deputy Attorney General in 2003. While working at the Attorney General's office, I served under Attorney Generals Tom Corbett, who subsequently was elected Governor of Pennsylvania, and Mike Fisher, who subsequently was appointed as a Judge to the United States 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals. For the past 17 years, I have been in the private practice of law, which included nearly five years as a partner with Meyer, Darragh, Buckler, Bebenek & Eck. During both my time at the Attorney General's office and in private practice, I have handled various cases and have litigated numerous criminal and civil cases across the Commonwealth.