Skibber announces candidacy for 139th Assembly District

Robin Schooley Skibber recently threw her hat into the ring to represent the 139th Assembly District previously held by Republican Joe Adams, who announced his resignation in February. She will be on the special election ballot to fill the remainder of Adam’s term through the end of the year, as well as the primary election ballot to be named as the Democratic Party candidate for the 139th District during the 2024 general election. Both are slated to take place April 23.

Skibber recently retired as the director of the Pike County Area Agency on Aging. “I’ve spent my career helping people and I look forward to doing the same in a new role,” Skibber said in her candidacy announcement. “In my 22 years at the Area Agency on Aging, I prioritized efforts to keep seniors in their homes and provide services to prevent premature institutionalization and hospitalization.”

“I’ve also always worked in a non-partisan manner, and I am pleased that I have already received support from both sides of the aisle,” Skibber added. “I’m interested in serving the public, not a political party or extreme ideology. That’s the track record and attitude I will take to Harrisburg.”

Skibber has served as president of the Blooming Grove Volunteer Fire Department Auxiliary (2010-present); chairperson of the Carbon, Pike and Monroe Drug and Alcohol Board (2005-2008); coach at the Wallenpaupack Youth Soccer League (2006-2012); a board member of the Wayne and Pike Suicide Prevention Committee (2011-2014); and as a trained “Dementia Friends Champion” (2020-present).

She is a life-long resident of Pike County, the daughter of Frank and Marjorie (Midge) Schooley. She has two sisters and a brother, who died during the COVID pandemic. She attended K-12 in the Wallenpaupack Area School District and received a bachelor’s degree in hotel, restaurant and institutional management from Penn State’s University Park Campus (1986). She became a registered dietician in 1997, while pursuing a master’s degree at Marywood University in Scranton.

Skibber lives in Blooming Grove Township with her husband Robert Skibber, who recently retired after teaching special education in the Delaware Valley School District for 28 years. She has two children, Rose and Jack.

According to her candidacy announcement, Skibber’s professional affiliations include serving as the public policy chair (2018 to present) of the Pennsylvania Academy on Dietetics and Nutrition, as the Nutrition Advisory Committee co-chair for the PA Department of Aging (2004-2011), a member of Wallenpaupack Area School District’s Wellness Committee (2018-2020), and on the board of Comprehensive Care Connections (2017-present).