Steve Crawford is a 1981 graduate of Mansfield University with a degree in Political Science. He was a first generation college student and is a native of Millville, Pennsylvania. Steve is the 2011 recipient of the Elsie Burke Service Award which recognizes outstanding leadership, loyalty and service to Mansfield University. Steve currently serves as the Vice Chairman of the Mansfield Council of Trustees.
Steve is the Managing Vice President of S.R. Wojdak & Associates, one of the most prestigious and long standing government relations firms in Pennsylvania. He manages a staff of 11 government affairs professionals, representing fortune 500 companies, large medical institutions and nonprofit arts and cultural institutions. The Motion Picture Association of America, Microsoft, Drexel, Temple, Scranton and Wilkes Universities, the American Red Cross, and the Pennsylvania State Police are a representative sample of those served by the firm.
Crawford joined Wojdak in March of 2011, after a career in public service that spanned twenty-five years at the highest levels of state government. He left state government in 2011 after serving as Chief of Staff to the Governor. Crawford served as the top adviser to the Governor and managed the day-to-day activities of the executive branch of state government, including 18 cabinet agencies and the Governor's Office. Prior to that post, Crawford served as the Governor's Secretary for Legislative Affairs, having been appointed to that position in January 2003. He was the top representative for the Governor on all matters relative to the 203 members of the House of Representatives and the 50 members of the Senate. He directed the legislative relations of the Governor's Office and all agencies of the Commonwealth.
He was involved in the strategic development, negotiation and final passage of every major issue in state government for nearly a decade. He earned a reputation as a tough, fair, and frank representative of the executive branch.
Crawford came to the Governor's Office from the House of Representatives where he served on the executive staff since 1991. He was the Executive Director of the Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee, Leadership Executive Director to the Majority Caucus Chairman, and Senior Advisor to the Democratic Caucus. He dealt with a broad variety of issues such as food safety, nutrition, health care, and economic development.
He previously served in the Administration of Governor Robert P. Casey. As a Deputy Secretary of Agriculture, he was responsible for all policy development and legislative affairs of the agency. He also managed rural economic development issues, marketing, and land preservation programs. During his tenure, Pennsylvania established the nation's most successful farmland conversation program.
He began his career in legislative relations as a Director of Government Relations for one of the largest trade associations in the state: the Pennsylvania Farm Bureau. There, he dealt with controversial issues including the rewrite of laws dealing with hazardous chemicals in the workplace, immigration, and tort reform.
Steve is on the Board of Directors for Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children and was a founding board member and benefactor to Camp Victory, a camp for critically ill children in his home town of Millville.