UPDATE: Monday, September 25th at 7:00 P.M. COSA PA is hosting an INSPIRED TO ACTION: WELCOME THE COMMISSIONERS webinar and everyone is invited.
Please join us for an in-depth conversation and behind-the-scenes perspective of the Simulation.
Click here to register for this event (seating is limited; registration is required)
The 2023 Article V Simulated Convention hosted by the Convention of States Foundation in Williamsburg, Va. was an eye-opening success. The simulation demonstrated that statesmen of today's era are on par with the Framers who forged the greatest political document ever written. It proved the process is safe and will work exactly as the Framers intended.
It also validated an interstate convention of the fifty states can limited to specified topics, be run respectfully with legislative procedures that have been in place for centuries, and can produce meaningful amendments to put before the states for ratification that will limit government. The quote most often used during the debate - "I wish this convention was real so we would have the proper time to refine these amendments."
For the commissioners who attended this simulation, it gave insight, and legitimacy to the process they can take back to their legislature and champion this mission. For the public, the misrepresentations and fears of the interstate convention process were discredited.
With all the misinformation circulating today, watch the livestream for yourself; make up your mind as to who is telling the truth and who isn't.
The Commonwealth sent two commissioners to Williamsburg; both are sponsors of the concurrent resolutions submitted for approval. Sen. Cris Dush SD 25 prime sponsor of SR 77 and Representative Dawn Keefer HD 92 one of the prime sponsors of HR 106.
Sen. Cris Dush 
Attended
Brookville Area High School
Community College of the Air Force, AAS Degree in Criminal Justice
Clarion State College
University of Louisville
Southern Illinois Carbondale
Alan Hancock College
U.S. Air Force Non-Commissioned Officer Academy
Career
In November 2020, voters elected Senator Cris Dush to represent the 25th Senatorial District, which included Cameron, Clinton, Elk, Jefferson, McKean, Potter, and Tioga Counties and portions of Clearfield County. Due to Dec. 1, 2022 redistricting, he now represents Cameron, Clinton, Elk, McKean, Potter, and Part of Jefferson and Centre Counties. Before his election to the state Senate, Cris served as a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives for six years, representing the 66th Legislative District.
His priorities as state senator include reducing government spending and over-regulation, working to balance budgets, and fighting against tax increases. He is a strong supporter of 2nd amendment rights and will work to protect the constitutional rights of Pennsylvanians, to protect the freedoms they enjoy.
For the 2023-24 Legislative Session, Sen. Dush will be the chairman of the State Government Committee and vice chair of the Intergovernmental Operations Committee. He will also be a member of five other committees: Appropriations; Game and Fisheries; Judiciary; Local Government; and Veterans Affairs and Emergency Preparedness.
A native of Brookville, Cris graduated from Brookville Area High School in 1979 and attended Clarion State College before enlisting in the U.S. Air Force. While serving in the Air Force, Cris held positions as a law enforcement specialist, law enforcement patrolman, flight chief (shift leader), Hostage Negotiation Team Chief, Anti-Terrorism Program Manager, and Resource Protection Technical Consultant to the U.S. Department of Defense and NASA.
In 1995, Cris returned to the Brookville area to begin 16 years of service with the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections. He retired as a corrections officer in January 2012.
In 2000, Cris enlisted with the 193rd Special Operations Wing of the Pennsylvania Air National Guard as a Security Forces member and received numerous awards in the performance of his duties. He was deployed in Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation Noble Eagle, and on the American border in New Mexico. He also served on the staff of the Air Force Special Operations Command.
Cris also served as the Chief of Information Protection, responsible for safeguarding the classified information programs at the Pennsylvania Air National Guard headquarters and units throughout the Commonwealth. In December 2016, Cris retired from the 193rd as a Senior Non-Commissioned Officer (NCO).
Cris resides in Pine Creek Township with his wife Traci in Jefferson County.
Military Service
U.S. Air Force 1982-1990
Pennsylvania Air National Guard 2000 - 2016
Representative Dawn Keefer
Dawn Keefer was elected to represent the 92nd District in the House of Representatives in November 2016. She is in her fourth term of office representing residents of the 92nd District, which consists of Carroll, Dover (PART, District 02), Fairview, Franklin, Monaghan, Newberry, Warrington, and Washington townships; and the boroughs of Dillsburg, Franklintown, Goldsboro, Lewisberry, Wellsville and York Haven. For the 2023-24 session, she serves on the House Liquor Control Health, State Government, and Labor and Industries committees.
A fiscal conservative with more than 20 years of professional and government experience, Dawn brings a unique perspective to governing from both the public and private sectors. She owned and operated a consulting firm for more than 10 years that focused on grass-roots strategy, membership development, and fundraising. On both a professional and personal level, Dawn understands the struggles small businesses face when it comes to surviving and growing in Pennsylvania’s economy, and she is committed to challenging the policies and regulations fostering a hostile business climate in Pennsylvania.
During her short time in the House, Dawn has forced the conversation of fiscal accountability and transparency. She continues to lead the charge in regulatory reform through her Pennsylvania REINS Act and fiscal stewardship by ensuring tax dollars are used appropriately. Dawn also remains on the side of natural economic growth by challenging Pennsylvania’s outdated and unfair tax structure that negatively impacts small businesses and hinders investment. These attributes are a major reason why colleagues on the newly-formed Pennsylvania State Freedom Caucus chose her to serve as chairwoman.
Dawn has an extensive history of public service, having served on the boards of the Carlisle Senior Housing Corp. and the Dillsburg Area Soccer Club, as a volunteer for the Hemlock Girl Scout Council and Junior Achievement, and as a coach for Upward Soccer and the St. Joseph Parish’s JV Boys Track team. She was appointed by the Speaker of the House to serve as a board member of the Capitol Preservation Committee. Dawn served as the chief advisor to former state Rep. Will Gabig on issues of transportation, economic development, education, and agriculture. She also served as a tent leader for the highly successful Youth Impact Project and served for 15 years as an advisor for the Chi Omega chapter at Gettysburg College, during which she advised collegiate women as they navigated leadership, academic, and career opportunities.
Dawn and her husband, Tom, a retired Pennsylvania State Police corporal with more than 24 years of service and a veteran of the Marine Corps, are raising their three children in Dillsburg. She and her family are members of St. Joseph Parish in Mechanicsburg.
Please reach out and thank these bold courageous leaders for taking the time out of their busy schedules to attend this historic event, and also for honoring their oath of office to defend the Constitution. Express your support for this effort and their courage to stand on principle and take the lead in an age where leadership is woefully lax.
Senator Dush may be reached:
Senate Box 203025
Harrisburg, PA 17120-3025
Room: 9 East Wing
(717) 787-7084
Representative Keefer may be reached:
422 Irvis Office Building
P.O. Box 202092
Harrisburg, PA 17120-2092
(717) 783-8783
