Governor Josh Shapiro Reappoints Longtime WCU Council of Trustee Member Judge Barry C. Dozor & Appoints State Senator Carolyn Comitta as New Council of Trustee
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro recently reappointed one Council of Trustee member and made one new appointment to West Chester University’s 11-member Council: Judge Barry C. Dozor and State Senator Carolyn Comitta. Members of the Council are appointed by the governor of Pennsylvania for a six-year term and confirmed by the state Senate. Executing Board of Governors’ policies, the duties, responsibilities, and powers of WCU’s Council of Trustees are set by Act 188 of 1982, as amended.
About Judge Barry C. Dozor
As one of the longest serving members of the Council of Trustees for Pennsylvania’s
State System of Higher Education, Delaware County Court of Common Pleas Judge Barry C. Dozor has served West Chester University as a member of its Council
of Trustees for six terms. With Governor’s Shapiro’s recent appointment, Judge Dozor
now enters his seventh term as a Council of Trustee member, having been initially
appointed to the Council in 1976 by Governor Milton J. Shapp and then again by four
subsequent governors. Judge Dozor, who serves as liaison judge for the Family and
Juvenile Division, was appointed to the Court of Common Pleas by former Governor Tom
Ridge and swore his oath of judicial office on December 13, 2001. He was then elected
for a full judicial term that began on January 5, 2004. Judge Dozor has twice been
retained for additional 10-year terms: November 5, 2013 and November 7, 2023, respectively.
A lifelong resident of Delaware County, Judge Dozor is a graduate of the Widener University School of Law (J.D.), West Chester University (B.A.) and Haverford High School. He is certified by the National Judicial College and participates in many academic and professional forums, including those of the Pennsylvania Bar Institute and the Pennsylvania Bar Association Family and Civil Section.
Before his appointment to the bench, Judge Dozor was in private practice as a partner in the Law Office of Dozor and Auslander and served as a Marple Township Commissioner for 18 years, a Municipal Solicitor for Prospect Park, Norwood, Collingdale and Tinicum Township, and a Zoning Hearing Board Solicitor for Marple Township and the Borough of Darby. He has been active in many civic and charitable organizations and serves on the Council of Trustees of West Chester University of Pennsylvania. Judge Dozor is a member of the Delaware County, Pennsylvania and American Bar Associations. As a practicing attorney for 26 years before becoming a judge, he was admitted to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit and the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
Judge Dozor has introduced to Delaware County a new "One Judge-One Family" assignment protocol preventing multiple judges from being involved in the same case, discouraging repetitive petitions and continuances, encouraging "global" resolution to multiple issues and providing an opportunity to fast track resolutions and, most importantly, bringing finality to outstanding issues.
Judge Dozor has served in the Family, Criminal, and Civil Divisions of the Delaware County Court of Common Pleas, presently the Liaison Trial Judge for the Civil Division and the assigned Judge for the statewide Coordinated Opioid Litigation, resulting in substantial governmental Subdivision Settlements.
Judge Dozor is the recipient of numerous professional and community awards, including the West Chester University Department of Political Science Distinguished Alumni Award; the Delco Assoc. of Criminal Defense Lawyers Lifetime Achievement Award; Delco Family Law Section Recognition Award; Delco Pro Bono Special Recognition Award; and Donald J. Orlowsky Memorial Award.
About State Senator Carolyn Comitta
Representing the people of Chester County, State Senator Carolyn Comitta was elected
to serve Pennsylvania’s 19th District in 2020. In the Senate, Comitta serves as minority
chair of the Environmental Resources and Energy Committee and on the Agriculture and
Rural Affairs, Aging and Youth, Education, and Local Government Committees. Before
being elected state senator, Comitta served two terms, beginning in 2016, as state
representative for the 156th Legislative District. In the House of Representatives,
she served as secretary of the Environmental Resources and Energy Committee and on
the Appropriations Committee and the Aging and Older Adults Committee. Comitta was
also vice chair of the Pennsylvania Joint Legislative Air and Water Pollution Control
and Conservation Committee, vice chair of the Climate Caucus, vice chair of the House
Southeast Delegation, and a member of the Pennsylvania Commission for Women.
Senator Comitta was first elected to public office on West Chester Borough Council, where she served from 2006 to 2010. In 2010, she became the first woman and first bipartisan-elected mayor of West Chester. During her time on council and as mayor, she helped guide local, state, national, and international organizations and gained deep knowledge of public policy and governance. Senator Comitta earned a master’s degree in education from Widener University and a bachelor’s degree in education from West Chester University.
Senator Comitta began her professional career as a public school teacher and curriculum advisor, developing special and gifted education programs for the Octorara Area School District. She has combined her lifelong passion for teaching and learning with the need to address the climate crisis threatening our planet. She is an active member of World Information Transfer, a nonprofit United Nations NGO focused on educating people and communities about the connection between our environment and public health. Through her ongoing efforts, Senator Comitta has touched the lives of thousands of young people, opening their eyes and minds to the impacts of the environment on everyday life.
Beyond her legislative work, Senator Comitta is vice president of Thomas Comitta Associates, a town planning and landscape architecture firm committed to excellence in planning, design, environmental sustainability, education, and public health. Senator Comitta is also actively involved in many community efforts, including the Greater West Chester Chamber of Commerce, the Rotary Club of West Chester, the League of Women Voters, and has served on various boards at West Chester University, including the Dean’s Advisory Board to its College of Arts and Humanities.
She lives in West Chester with her husband, Tom, and they have two grown children as well as four grandchildren.
“The University is deeply grateful to all members of its Council of Trustees for their service and unwavering commitment to our students,” said West Chester University President Chris Fiorentino. “As an unprecedented example of COT service, Judge Dozor is a steadfast advocate for student success and his guidance remains invaluable to all of us. As we celebrate Judge Dozor’s seventh term on the Council of Trustees, we also welcome State Senator Carolyn Comitta as a new member of the Council. Senator Comitta’s longstanding relationship with the University and our students will strengthen as well as enhance the work that we come together to do on behalf of all citizens in the Commonwealth. I am proud and honored to have these two distinguished West Chester University alumni as members of our Council of Trustees.”