Susan Kefover is serving her fifth term as a Potter County Commissioner. She is a Potter County native and a (1970) graduate of Lock Haven University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English. Susan and her husband Jay live in Galeton and enjoy the quality of life and vibrancy of knowing and being involved in the lives and activities of the area's communities. She believes that rural communities are excellent microcosms that provide a small, friendly environment where collaborative efforts are welcomed, and solutions to challenging issues are tried, studied, and implemented with relative simplicity.
Mrs. Kefover ran for the U.S. Senate in 1988, successfully winning 57 counties in the primary election. Her focus in government has been economic development, revitalizing downtowns, human service delivery coordination, criminal justice reform, education, workforce development, and healthcare.
Currently, she is a member of Governor Wolf's Advisory Council on Rural Affairs, Pennsylvania Downtown Center's Board of Directors, Chief Elected Official of the North Central Workforce Development Board, Community and Economic Development Committee of the County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania, Potter County Natural Gas Task Force, Potter County Criminal Justice Advisory Council, Potter County Human Services Advisory Council, Office of Aging Advisory Council, Water Quality Committee, and UPMC/Cole Memorial Health Council, The Galeton Development Corporation, a Chairman of the Downtown Marketing Committee. She initiated a Circuit Rider position for Potter County downtown districts and was instrumental in establishing a coordinated human service delivery system which is a model for other counties in Pennsylvania.
Susan began her career as copyeditor for the American Society of Microbiology in Washington, DC., until 1973 when she returned home to help run the family business, J.P. Sullivan Distributors. Her service in county government as a Commissioner began in 1979 and continued two terms. She then contracted with the Potter County Redevelopment Authority for special projects and to do the Business Retention and Expansion Program for the State of Pennsylvania. Later she was hired by Adelphia Communications as a Community Development Consultant.
She was also a substitute teacher, Executive Director of the Galeton Development Corporation, administering Galeton's Revitalization Plan and initiating the removal of 20,000 T of silt from Berger lake by the Pennsylvania National Guard and Air Guard's Engineering Units. From 2002 to 2007 she was Editor of the Open Door Ministry, a national and international Christian tract ministry and an outreach to prisoners. From 2004 - 2009 she produced and hosted "issues and Answers," a television talk show on WGCB-TV near Harrisburg.
Past Board Memberships include Pennsylvania Commission for Women, County Commissioner Association of Pennsylvania's Human Service Committee, Economic Advisory Council for the Western Region of Pennsylvania for Senator Rick Santorum, Charles Cole Memorial Hospital Board of Directors, First Citizen's Community Bank Advisory Council, Potter County Education Council, and Galeton Borough Council.
Susan enjoys encouraging people to reach their greatest potential. Active in public speaking and ministry, she also has many interests from exercising to decorating and embraces challenges as opportunities. She is most happy to be part of the Mansfield University team.