Congressman Glenn Thompson will provide the commencement address at the Penn State DuBois Spring Commencement Ceremonies, planned for 7 p.m. Friday, May 6, at the DuBois Country Club.
Thompson represents Pennsylvania's 5th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives, spanning North Central Pennsylvania. He was first elected in 2008, and was sworn in for his third term in January of 2013.
Thompson is a life-long resident of Howard Township, Centre County. Previously, he worked for nearly 30 years in health care as a therapist, rehabilitation services manager and a licensed nursing home administrator.
Thompson serves on the House Agricultural Committee, including the Conservation and Forestry Subcommittee, the House Natural Resources Committee, and the House Education and Workforce Committee. He is the author and a contributor to many pieces of legislation that have passed into law that address significant issues facing the nation. Those include the Service Members’ Telemedicine & E-Health Portability, or STEP Act. Now Public Law 112-81, it expands the Department of Defense (DOD) state licensure exemption to allow credentialed health care professionals to work across state borders without having to obtain a new state license. This legislation removes requirements under current law so that geographic location is no longer an obstacle to the delivery of care for service members. The law will also allow more licensed professional to treat veterans and service members, and gives them the ability to also use new telemedicine and e-health technologies for quicker and more efficient help.
Involved in a variety of community initiatives in his person life, Thompson is a volunteer fire fighter, and a 30 year veteran of the Juniata Valley Boy Scout Council. Having attained the rank of Eagle Scout himself, Thompson has also served as a scoutmaster and as the council president.
Thompson is a graduate of Penn State and Temple Universities, where he earned a bachelor of science and a masters of education, respectively. He and his wife Penny Ammerman Thompson have three adult sons.