McClinton was the first woman elected Democratic Caucus Chair, the first woman elected Democratic Leader, and is Pennsylvania’s first woman House Speaker.

With La Salle University’s strong emphasis on mission, service, and caring for others, Pennsylvania House Speaker Joanna McClinton, ’03, was equipped with all of the necessary tools for a career in public service.  

As the state’s first woman House Speaker, McClinton plays a pivotal role in her constituents’ daily lives from sponsoring and supporting legislation to hearing from the public and encouraging them to become engaged and informed in local, state, and national politics.  

But her start in the world of political science began at 20^th and Olney.  

Attending high school in Philadelphia, McClinton’s mentor was Elizabeth Vrato, ’87, another La Salle alumna and an attorney who worked in Center City. The pair met through an academic club and kept in contact long after the program concluded. McClinton said Vrato encouraged her to study English, history, or political science. She chose the latter with the goal of building a foundation to later attend law school. 

Her enrollment at La Salle came to be after receiving informational materials in the mail and talking to a then coworker who was a current student. After receiving a yes on her application, she attended an accepted students day with her mom, and her decision was quickly made.  

“We were very impressed with how small and intimate it was. It seemed like the type of college campus where everybody could literally know your name,” she said.  

McClinton’s time in the Political Science Program challenged her and prepared her in a variety of ways. She said faculty members including the late Joseph Brogan, Ph.D., taught her political theory and constitutional law, and even reviewed her personal statement that she later submitted with her application to law school.  

She remembers Richard Mshomba, Ph.D., professor of economics and international studies, who taught macroeconomics and the economy of Africa. The courses were rigorous, she said, but having him as a teacher and mentor played a key role in her academic experience. 

Another faculty member, Professor Emeritus Bob Vogel, Ed.D., taught McClinton during her time in the first cohort of the leadership and global understanding minor.  Her studies in the minor were incredibly instrumental in shaping her view of the world and deepening her understanding of its history. An international trip which included visiting Auschwitz left a lasting impression on the Speaker.  

“It was a significantly profound moment in my life, going over to Poland and then later to the Czech Republic and being there to see the remnants of the Holocaust. It continues to remain with me today,” she said.  

Outside of the classroom, McClinton was encouraged to gain additional experience through internships from former Political Science Professor Mary Ellen Balchunis Ph.D. While the Speaker didn’t initially see herself working in politics, her experiences working on a campaign and being in legislative offices, paired with the classroom discussion on how elections impact citizens’ daily lives, planted a seed. 

“It was certainly those opportunities that gave me just an inside view of how important it is that we choose people to represent us and to make sure that they work hard and do well,” she said.  

McClinton prides herself on serving her constituents. During her time in office, she’s played a key role in a variety of legislative items including co-sponsoring the CROWN Act which was signed into law Nov. 2025 and took effect in Jan. 2026. The act amends the Pennsylvania Human Relations Act (PHRA) by banning discrimination based on hair texture, protective hairstyles (including braids, locs, and twists), and head coverings. 

Additional work includes supporting the expansion of the Property Tax/Rent Rebate (PTRR) program for seniors and disabled adults, which provides money back to eligible homeowners and renters, and lowering tax liability to those who qualify for The Pennsylvania Working Pennsylvanians Tax Credit—a first for the state and its families. 

Supporting her friends and neighbors is a value that has been engrained in McClinton from an early age when she saw her mom giving back in various ways, including through volunteering at their church. Her time at La Salle only deepened that belief, with the University’s dedication to mission and service. Those early experiences painted the decisions she made later in life during law school, as a public defender, and now as Pennsylvania’s House Speaker.  

Being named as this year’s Women in Leadership Award recipient was an honor for McClinton. She said she’s proud to be one piece of the nation’s rich history of women changemakers.  

“I am very grateful every day to be able to serve my neighbors in this state. I’m so grateful to my colleagues for electing me to be the first woman speaker in Pennsylvania’s history, and I’m very grateful for all of the ways that we know women have shown up in this nation for centuries, but just never had the opportunity to be at the forefront of change,” she said. 

She continued, “but we were involved with everything from our own American Revolutionary War to the movement for abolition all the way to women’s suffrage and the Civil Rights Movement. We’ve played a role all along and I’m just happy that in this current age, while it’s taken a long time, we have finally seen women leading at the forefront of business, in industry, in education, and in government.”  

During her remarks at the upcoming luncheon, McClinton looks forward to reconnecting with the La Salle community, meeting new faces, and encouraging people.  

She also hopes to share a message of determination. The message that regardless of anyone’s political affiliation, today’s world can be challenging, but it’s important to keep going and fight for your dreams.  

“I just hope to be able to encourage folks to walk by faith and to not allow the fear of the hour to dictate where you go, what you do—and particularly for students—for it to not limit their ambition,” she said.  

For more information and to purchase tickets to the Women in Leadership Award Luncheon, click here.  

— Meg Ryan, M.A. ’24