HARRISBURG — Republican Party of Pennsylvania Chairman Rob Gleason is pleased to announce that Ryan Mackenzie was selected to be the Republican nominee for the upcoming April 24, 2012 special election to fill the vacant seat in the 134th State Legislative District.
“It is my honor to announce that Ryan Mackenzie was nominated by our Party to run in the upcoming special election in the 134th State Legislative District,” Gleason said. “I am confident that Ryan Mackenzie will be an excellent candidate and will fight hard for the best interests of the people of the 134th State Legislative District. We will be counting on the State Legislature to join Governor Corbett’s fight to hold the line on taxes and make many of the critical decisions facing our Commonwealth. I am confident that Mackenzie will carry on this tradition when he is elected on April 24th.”
Today, 18 Republican conferees, representing the counties in the 134th Legislative District gathered in Lehigh County and heard from a number of qualified Republican candidates. Conferees were afforded the opportunity to hear from the candidates and ask them questions.
Gleason concluded, “I would like to thank the County Chairmen, Conferees and the candidates that participated in this process. I am proud that our Party was able to hold an open meeting and that Republicans living in the district were able to choose their nominee.”
About Ryan Mackenzie
Ryan Mackenzie was born in Allentown, raised in South Whitehall Township, and graduated from Parkland High School. Active in sports and a conscientious student, Ryan worked for South Whitehall Township’s Department of Parks & Recreation during summers while in high school and college. An honors graduate of New York University, he received a dual degree in Finance and International Business and later went on to earn his MBA from Harvard Business School.
Professionally, Mackenzie began his career by working on Pat Toomey’s U.S. Senate campaign in 2004. He also worked on a number of other political campaigns and directed the statewide Republican ‘Victory’ efforts in 2010. In this position, he managed 26 regional offices and 30 staff members across the state. Under Ryan’s leadership, Pennsylvania’s Victory program was one of the most successful efforts in the country in 2010.
Mackenzie entered public service in 2007 when he accepted a position at the U.S. Department of Labor. While there, he worked on domestic and international assignments and gained an understanding of labor market dynamics. In his most recent position, which he held until leaving to campaign full-time for State Representative, Ryan served as the Director of Policy at the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry. In this senior management role, he and his staff worked on issues such as unemployment compensation reform, the Uniform Construction Code, workers’ compensation insurance, and workforce development. Ryan also represented the Department of Labor & Industry on the Board of the Team Pennsylvania Foundation, the Environmental Quality Board, and the Pennsylvania Economic Development Financing Authority.
An active member of the local community, Ryan is involved with a number of charities and nonprofit organizations. He currently serves on the Board of Directors for a senior-living apartment complex in Allentown and is Secretary for an education-focused philanthropic organization in Lehigh County.
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