Pa. first lady Lori Shapiro, once a White House analyst, could soon be thrust into the national spotlight

Pennsylvania first lady Lori Shapiro staked her claim in the fast-paced world of public service and policy even before marrying Gov. Josh Shapiro. Working as an analyst in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, Shapiro inspired economic innovation policies during the Clinton administration.

Now, Shapiro may have a chance to return to D.C., but this time as second lady of the United States if a ticket with the Pennsylvania governor — a top contender for Vice President Kamala Harris’ running-mate — wins.

High school sweethearts with the governor, Shapiro switched out her trajectory in public service — seemingly with zero regrets — for staying home with their kids and dogs, to allow for her husband to pursue his political ambitions (he’s held four elected offices and ran in three statewide elections, victorious each time).

Shapiro, a notoriously private person, has remained a “behind-the-scenes rock” for her husband, visibly holding the three Hebrew bibles that her husband was sworn in on during his 2023 inauguration, but otherwise out of the political fray.

But the commonwealth’s first lady has, by association, stepped into the spotlight as of late with the governor’s name on Harris’ VP short list. Earlier this week, Shapiro was seen sitting toward the front of a rowdy crowd of supporters that recently gathered for him and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in Ambler.

The lights could become even brighter in the coming days if Harris taps the governor to be her running-mate and the ticket launches their battleground state tour, starting in Philadelphia — 40-some miles away from the first lady’s hometown — on Tuesday.

Shapiro (née Ferrara) is a Bucks County native, having spent her early childhood in Yardley, ice skating on Lake Afton and riding bikes with her siblings to the Lower Makefield Library, PennLive reported.

When she was older, Shapiro lived a few miles away in Newtown and recalls working at the pizza place next door and going with friends to the ice cream parlor, Goodnoe’s, where she and Josh Shapiro had their first official date.

She attended Akiba Hebrew Academy (now Jack M. Barrack Hebrew Academy in Bryn Mawr) for high school where she met her husband in the ninth grade.

Shapiro, a former softball player — now an “emotionally invested Philly sports fan” — also worked at Sesame Place, located in Langhorne, during high school and college, starting out as the food department’s supervisor and later, manager.

She then went on to attend Colgate University and, after graduating, she worked for an information technology consulting firm while getting her master’s degree in Science, Technology and Public Policy from George Washington University at night.

Shapiro served in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy during former President Bill Clinton’s administration, where she worked on policy for economic innovation and “to bridge the emerging digital divide,” according to her official commonwealth biography.

White House archives show that the office “assumed a prominent role in advancing the Clinton administration’s agenda in fundamental science, education and scientific literacy, investment in applied research, and international cooperation.”

She also worked with the President’s Information Technology Advisory Committee and served as a liaison between the committee and the White House.

As first lady, Shapiro has chosen to be involved in certain policy issues affecting Pennsylvanians, including unequal access to menstrual products across the commonwealth, traveling the state to visit organizations that aim to address period poverty.

Serving as the executive director of the Governor’s Advisory Commission on Women and the executive director of the Governor’s Advisory Commission on Next Generation Engagement, Shapiro touted the governor’s proposed $3 million initiative to provide menstrual hygiene products to schools at no extra charge to students. Lawmakers eventually signed off on the grant program as part of this year’s state budget.

“Josh and I believe all Pennsylvanians deserve the opportunity to succeed and chart their own course without unnecessary barriers,” the first lady said about the program in May. “By providing free period products in schools, we are empowering young women and girls and reducing stress and trauma for them.”

Faith and family is a pillar of Shapiro’s character. In her work as first lady she abides by the principle of ‘Tikkun Olam’ a Hebrew phrase that means “world repair,” often used in Jewish circles to promote social change and justice.

For Shapiro, she applies this concept to volunteering in the community and focusing on addressing hunger and poverty-related issues.

Shabbat dinner in the Shapiro household is also a can’t-miss event.

Shapiro bakes the challah, a staple of Shabbat dinners and Jewish prayer, while Josh Shapiro “grills the fish,” according to an August 2022 Forward article.

At a Hanukkah party at the governor’s mansion this past year, Rabbi Zushe Gurevitz from the Lubavitch of Abington, who says he has known Josh Shapiro for roughly two decades, recalls a speech given at the event about the connection between Pennsylvania’s first lady and the governor.

“Part of the speech was about how she really is at his side, and how much they’re a team and work together,” Gurevitz said of the speech.

The couple has been together ever since high school, except for a break in college, and they reunited in Washington, D.C., which surprised none of their friends.

In 1997, the governor proposed to Shapiro under the 19th-century Montefiore Windmill in Jerusalem and got married that year in a Bucks County wedding hall. The couple now has one daughter and three sons who range in age from 13 to 22.

“When you meet them, you want to hold on to them,” Gurevitz said. “They’re the type of people that you meet and you say ‘These are the people I want to be friendly with, these are the people that I want to be around.’”