Blair County Commissioners

County Commissioners (Left to Right) Laura O. Burke, Vice-Chairman; Bruce R. Erb, Chairman; Amy E. Webster, Secretary.

Each County Commissioner is the contact for specific County offices and departments. To identify the Commissioner you want to talk to, please refer to the office contact lists below:

Biographies

BRUCE R. ERB, BIOGRAPHY

Bruce Erb was elected as a Blair County Commissioner in 2015 and was re-elected for a second term in 2019. Prior to his election, he was the Sr. Vice President and Director of Trust Services for First National Bank of Pennsylvania. He is a graduate of Juniata College and earned designations as both a CFP (Certified Financial Planner) and a CTFA (Certified Trust and Financial Advisor). In 2022, he became a Certified Public Retirement Plan Professional through the Pennsylvania Association of Public Employees Retirement Systems (PAPERS).

Commissioner Erb serves as chairman of the Board of Commissioners as well as chairing the county's Retirement Board, Salary Board, and Election Board. He was appointed to Pennsylvania's Election Law Advisory Board by Governor Tom Wolf in 2020. He is active in the County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania (CCAP) as vice-chair of the Education Committee, member of the Human Services Committee, and ex-officio member of the Elections Reform Committee.

Commissioner Erb's community service includes chairing the UPMC Home Health of Central Pennsylvania board. He also serves on the boards of the Southern Alleghenies Planning & Development Commission, Pennsylvania Counties Health Insurance Purchasing Cooperative (PCHIPC), Altoona Blair County Development (ABCD) Corp., Blair County Conservation District, Blair HealthChoices, UPMC Altoona, and Blair Community Action Program.

He and his wife Cathy reside in Hollidaysburg. They are the parents of 4 children and have 8 grandchildren.

LAURA O. BURKE, BIOGRAPHY

Elected in 2019, Commissioner Burke took office on January 6, 2020. She is the Vice-Chair of the Board of Commissioners and serves as liaison to the Court-related offices, District Attorney, Public Defender, Children, Youth, & Families, Tax Claim, Tax Assessment, and GIS offices. Laura holds a B.A. from the University of Richmond, a J.D. from Washington University in St. Louis School of Law, and a Certificate in Organizational Leadership from Villanova University. She is an alumna of the Blair County Chamber of Commerce's Leadership Blair County program and a graduate of the County Commissioner Association of Pennsylvania's Center for Excellence in County Leadership (CEL) program. As a part of her duties as County Commissioner, Laura serves on the Boards of the United Way of Blair County and Blair Senior Services. She is a member of the Healthy Blair County Coalition steering committee and DCED's Community Development & Housing Advisory Board.

AMY E. WEBSTER, BIOGRAPHY

Commissioner Webster was elected in 2019 as a Republican and serves as Secretary of the Board of Commissioners. Prior to her election, she worked as a local attorney with a focus on real estate, estate planning and administration, business law, tax law, and general legal issues. She also worked as a real estate broker. Before the election, she helped many local homeowners with real estate tax appeals. Commissioner Amy Webster currently serves Blair County as a Commissioner full-time.

Commissioner Webster graduated from the Hollidaysburg Area High School in 1974. She attended the Altoona Campus, where she participated in student government, the Army Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) program, and the Coed Affiliates Pershing Rifles (CAPERs) rifle drill team, serving as the rifle team commander in 1976. She graduated from Penn State University in 1978 with a Bachelor of Science in Political Science. She earned her law degree (Juris Doctor) in Pittsburgh when she graduated from Duquesne School of Law in 1981. Commissioner Webster has been a licensed attorney in Pennsylvania since 1982 and a real estate broker since 2014.

Commissioner Amy Webster is admitted to practice law with the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS), United States Third Circuit Court of Appeals, the United States Western District of Pennsylvania, and the Courts of Pennsylvania. Her prior experience also includes the following: Penn State University Altoona lecturer, Blair County Deputy District Attorney, Blair County Child Dependency Hearing Master, Blair County Historical Society Solicitor, Hollidaysburg Borough Council, Hollidaysburg Borough Planning Commission, Pennsylvania State Association of Boroughs (PSAB), Board of Directors & Resolutions, Newry Borough Solicitor, Catharine Township Solicitor, and Canoe Creek State Park Chaplain.

In November of 2023, she graduated from Pennsylvania’s Academy for Excellence in County Government. She is a member of the Assessment and Taxation Committee of the County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania (CCAP). She completed the Tax Assessment trainings for assessors, and the certifications through FEMA for NIMS training. Her Liaison Commissioner offices include Coroner, Register and Recorder, Prothonotary, Sheriff, 911/EMA, Fort Roberdeau, Buildings & Maintenance, Highways & Bridges, Veterans’ Services, Safety/Security, Prison, Records Management, Park & Recreation Advisory Board, Courthouse Preservation Advisory Board, Metropolitan Planning Organization, Farmland Preservation, Cooperative Extension Office, County of Blair Housing & Redevelopment Authority, Office Services, Explore Altoona, and the Blair County Airport Authority.