Candidate for
US Representative; Pennsylvania Congressional District; District 5; Democratic Party

Kerith Strano Taylor is running for the Democratic nomination for the 5th Congressional District of Pennsylvania.

A fearless advocate for children and families, public education, and healthy communities, Kerith believes that Congress is broken and is failing to serve the needs of all Americans. She believes Congress can work again and she brings to the table the knowledge, skills, and abilities to make that happen.

The daughter of a working class family, Kerith was raised in Jefferson County. She and her brother often spent their afternoons studying in the auto shop her parents owned in Brookville, Pennsylvania. A product of a stellar public education provided by the Brookville Area School District, Kerith started college at the DuBois campus of The Pennsylvania State University in 1992 at age 16.

Her appreciation for American government was born during the summer of 1994 when Kerith worked for Congressman William F. Clinger, Jr. on Capitol Hill as a Lyndon Baines Johnson Congressional Intern. She graduated The Pennsylvania State University, University Park with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and a minor in Russian language and history in 1996.

After working in government affairs in Washington D.C. for two years, she earned her law degree from the George Mason University School in 2001. Later that year, Kerith returned to her hometown of Brookville and opened her own law firm where she practices family law.

In 2013, Kerith was asked by the Jefferson County Court of Common Pleas to conduct custody conciliation conferences for those families who are unrepresented by counsel. She has facilitated the settlement of over 85% of those cases, allowing families to move forward and resolve their conflicts in a timely, efficient, and civil manner.

Through her professional work and volunteer efforts, Kerith has become known throughout the Commonwealth as a champion for children and families. Her solid reputation has earned her a seat at many different policy making tables.

Since 2004, Kerith has served as Guardian ad Litem for Jefferson County, representing children who find themselves in the foster care system. Through that work, since 2006 Kerith has had a seat on the Statewide Children's Roundtable Initiative since its inception. Her leadership was widely recognized, and in 2011 she helped design and lead an affordable, accessible, and timely training for over 350 Guardians ad Litem and Parents' Attorneys across the Commonwealth.

In 2011, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court appointed Kerith to the Juvenile Court Procedural Rules Committee, where she is helping to improve the rules governing actions for juvenile delinquency and dependency courts.

Kerith also holds elected positions. She was elected to the Brookville Area School Board in 2011, and in 2013, was elected to serve as School Board President. In this capacity, Kerith is working to change the format of school board meetings, and particularly, the way the school board interacts and engages with parents, students, teachers, staff, and everyday citizens.

Kerith understands and embraces the transformative power of education. In 2013, she was appointed to the National School Board Association's Federal Relations Network, a national advocacy organization that works to improve education policy.

In her work, Kerith Strano Taylor is widely recognized as an ethical and effective negotiator, a person who can help transform the most heated disagreements into sustainable solutions. She is a smart and savvy leader; a woman who brings out the best in others and encourages collaboration to solve critical problems. She intends to bring these much needed skills to Congress in 2014.

Kerith continues to live in Brookville, where she and her former husband work together in The Taylor Law Firm and share custody of their two children, Laurin Elise and Ethan Anthony.