Jeff Sanders

Vocation

Family

American psychologist and professor, ran for Congress (Dem) 19th district, Southwestern Pennsylvania, in 2000. Sanders is from an old Pennsylvania family, settled there more than 200 years ago. His great-grandfather Silas Sanders fought with the 140th Pennsylvania Infantry in the Wheatfield at Gettysburg. He and his wife Pam have been married for 35 years and have raised two children - Nikki, 29, and Jason, 26. Jeff worked hard to put himself through school (as a Teamster) and earned his Bachelor's degree from Towson University, his Master's degree from the University of Texas at Austin, and his Ph.D. from the George Washington University. He has taught Psychology at Towson University for over 30 years. An elected politician in 1995, Jeff served five years as a director on the board of the Southern York County School District, the last as its president. He focused on increasing teacher training and oversaw extensive progress in wiring classrooms to the Internet. In 1997, Jeff worked with a group of local businessmen and community leaders to found the Education Foundation, a private-public partnership to increase access to education for all, raising $35,000 for scholarships and school equipment. Sanders lost to Republican opponent Todd Platts in the 2000 congressional election.