Rep. Joseph A. Petrarca is a graduate of Kiski Area High School, St. Vincent College and the University of Pittsburgh School of Law. He worked as an attorney with the U.S. Department of Labor and later served as a deputy attorney general for Pennsylvania in the western regional office.

Rep. Petrarca is on the board of directors of the Alle-Kiski Revitalization Corp. and is a former member of the St. Vincent College Alumni Council. He continues to serve as a gubernatorial appointee to the Organ Donation Advisory Board in the state Health Department since being named to the panel by then-Gov. Thomas Ridge.

First elected to the House of Representatives in 1994, Rep. Petrarca now serves on the House Transportation Committee, where he has been appointed chairman of the Subcommittee on Transportation Safety. He also sits on the Judiciary, Consumer Affairs and Professional Licensure committees.

Reelected as chairman of the House Democratic Southwest Caucus for the current session, Rep. Petrarca also serves on the National Conference of State Legislatures' Transportation Committee. He and his wife, Elise, have five children: sons Christopher, William, Joey, Jack, and daughter Cecily.